Iloilo and Guimaras Tour

Our Iloilo trip last September was by far the cheapest travel that I had for this year.  We were able to book our roundtrip flight for only P487 each person  but we made the reservations as early as February. I was again with my travel buddies from work and we were 10 in the group. 

Upon arrival in Iloilo airport, I was surprised to see the new airport patterned after NAIA2.  At the airport, there were shuttle services going to SM and the fare was only 50 pesos per person).  Since we were a big group, we opted to hire a jeepney going to the port for only P180.   

At the Ortiz port, we immediately took a passenger boat going to Guimaras Island .  The boat’s fare is only P13.00 and they provide life vests to passengers.  It took us less than 30 minutes to arrive in Hoskyn port at Guimaras and then, we proceeded to the local tourism booth where we registered and were assisted by the personnel in hiring vehicle that will tour us around the island.

Our guide/driver for the island tour was Harold (0928.9804821).  Our rental for the half-day tour was P1,500.  We went to the souvenir shop in front of the tourism office.  From there, we bought some “pasalubong” for our friends and family back home.  I even bought a bottle of their “instant taho,” which was a local name for the “salabat” of the Tagalog region.  Then, we visited the Philippine Trappist Monastery to buy the local delicacies.

Since we bought so many products, we decided to proceed to Valle Verde Resort
(0918.7303446) to leave our bags.  The owner was very accommodating and was very kind to prepare dinner for us upon my request. When we went to our cottage, it was very simple yet very tidy and environment-friendly because it has no air-conditioning. It has 3 toilets and baths and can accommodate 10 persons. 

We proceeded then to Alibuhod beach and passed by Raymen Resort where we paid P10 each for the entrance.  The resort offers pristine waters, clean shore, and white sand. It was truly relaxing.

While at the beach, we played some guessing game and stayed there for 3 hours before going back to our accommodation for our dinner.  When we arrived at the resort, we immediately ordered for our food; we had crabs, shrimps and fish good for 10 persons that only costed us P1,500.  Indeed, at Valle Verde Resort, the food is relatively cheap compared to other resorts.

On Day 2 of our trip, we went back to Iloilo for our day tour.  We rented a van to take us around the city.  We proceeded to Miag-ao Church , which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Both the interiors and exteriors of the church are very beautiful.  We also visited some old churches while on the way to Jaro.  And of course, our trip won’t be complete without buying my favorite butterscotch at Biscocho House. We also went to the oldest golf course in the Philippines located in Santa Barbara . We relished in taking our photos before going to the airport. The terminal fee of P200 is quite expensive, which is already comparable to the rates in Manila .

Visited last September 19, 2009