Sailing Big Waves to and fro Lakawon Island




It was a week of natural disasters as three boats sailing in Iloilo-Guimaras Strait sank, leading to a number of lives lost, many injured survivors, and still a lot of passengers missing. Let's not even delve into numbers anymore. It's truly sad hearing this story and I must say, scary too because when the news broke out, my friends and I were on our way to  Lakawon island, which can only be reached by boat. It's adjacent body of water is the channel where the unfortunate event happened. Can you imagine?

Yes, we pushed through despite the bad weather condition.

The drizzle was already becoming a downpour when we arrived in Bacolod city the day prior to Lakawon. So I knew then that our island experience may not be sunny and shiny anymore. With that expectation, my only concern was just really to get to the island safe and make the most of what we can experience there whether the clouds are dark or even darker.

Also called Llacaon, Lakawon is derived from the Cebuano word lakaw, which means "to walk." This privately owned white sand beach resort on the island is a popular travel destination to both local and foreign tourists. No wonder it was still filled with many guests in spite of the weather.

TRANSPORTATION

We happened to be friends with someone who grew up in Bacolod and had been to Lakawon already so he arranged everything for us including the car service we took from Bacolod to the coast of Cadiz city, the gateway to the island. We, a group of five people, traveled smoothly to the port with a few stopovers along the way. The good thing about this island resort is that you can bring your own food and drinks without any extra charge upon arrival.

You may check this site for a more in depth information on how to get to the island. 


A BARKADA AFFAIR

Through https://www.booking.com/, we got this Barkada Suite that accommodates six people. Check the details through the official website of the resort Lakawon Island Accommodations! For the price of Php 11,999.00, I think the deal was a treat. It would have been nicer though if discount was offered given the state of the weather. I would say it's off-season during this time of the year, but with the performance of Philippine tourism under the current government, off-season has become fictional.

The suite offers picturesque view of the beach from our private balcony. As what the website says, it is an ideal option for that "from bed to sea" experience. The beds are undeniably comfortable not to mention the chilly weather that makes it a lot cozier to sleep in. I was not tired, but the bed plus the weather, I would like to say I was. 

With its big glass windows, the room allows enough natural light to come in. The yellow lights inside also provide warmth and romantic feel. Black out curtains have been installed if you wish to shut yourself off from the world outside and indulge in a long luxurious sleep that working people like us don't always enjoy. 



Two queen beds and two single beds. 

What is a suite without it's own living space, right? This couch may not look very comfortable, but I had a wonderful afternoon nap overlooking the rushing waves off the shore while listening to the scary whistling sound of the wind that envelops the entire island. 

Looking outside wondering when the sun's going to come out. 

Though the island was not lively as it is known for because of how gloomy that time was, we had fun. We were able to make the most of what we have there. Our goal was to chill, bond, and eat. And we did!

Now, let's talk about eating. The restaurant ran out of ingredients so in the evening, they could not serve pizza anymore. Poor me! Seldom do I crave for something non-Pinoy. Filipino cuisine was the option to go for. The cooking was not as good as expected, but decent enough to fill our tummies. What they lack in their menu though, they make up for their affordable cocktails, other drinks, and service. Also, they accept debit and credit cards that really made the transactions easy. The internet connection was also good, given we are in a faraway island, so communicating was not an issue at all.


This one's an exemption. This version of Pochero is something I've been longing to taste again in such a long time. It used to be part of my Sundays when my mum was still alive. I must have missed Visayan cuisine so bad that I consumed three cups of rice with this one! LOL



One thing that I regret not experiencing is their Tawhai Floating Bar. It was just anchored meters away from the island. Maybe next time, hopefully! Lakawon website cites that TawHai Floating Bar claims to be the biggest floating bar in Asia. “Tawhai” is a local dialect which means “relaxed”, and it surely lives up to its name. See more of this here.


Photo credits to Lakawon website. Imagine how beautiful the photos could have been if it were sunny.

Tawhai Floating Bar. 


 A STORMY SEND OFF

Two of our Indian friends (a couple) are moving to Basel, Switzerland, one Filipino friend is going on a long American holiday, while my boyfriend and I are moving to another Southeast Asian country. So over dinner in Poblacion, Makati, we contemplated on going for one last holiday together before everyone flies away. Many options were brought to the table, but Bacolod to Lakawon island was picked after one of our friends volunteered to arrange everything. All we had to do was choose the dates.

Heedless of the forthcoming rainy season, we settled on an island getaway. Not quite a brilliant idea, but we made it happen---in dark clouds and in big waves!


Empty huts or cottages. Guests choose to stay in the main restaurant as the rain pours sporadically.




XoXo, 


Red Eye ;-)



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