I have been to Santiago Bay Resort in Camotes Island twice. This happened in two separate team building activities in 2007 and 2008. There was only a year’s difference between the two instances but I saw a number of developments being done. This was the resort’s aim to accommodate more guests and to enjoy what Camotes can offer.

Santiago Bay Resort

view from the resort, room

I remember my colleagues who searched online for more information about Camotes Santiago Bay Resort and when they forwarded pictures of the place to us, I was captivated by the long stretch of sand. When we reached the island, the water was still high but we had a view that overlooked the sea which was great.

Even if the water was up, we strolled around this Camotes island resort and found that there’s more to it than sand. Rocks are abound and there are passages to check out what you can see on the island.

Santiago Bay in Camotes

rocks

high tide

The second time I was there, we saw some sea jellies on the water. I was close enough to take a good picture of it without getting stung. My other friend said that when they visited Camotes, the water was also clear but they didn’t see these creatures so I guess like the weather, it’s seasonal.

  
jelly fish, sand and toes (yes, they're big)

There are other activities you can do in Camotes island such as go caving at Bukilat Cave in Tudela or visit Lake Danao in the San Francisco town. On our end, we just stayed in the island resort because we wanted to get some rest and relaxation since we came from our shifts at work.

Camotes Santiago Bay Resort During Low Tide

You can experience the beauty of Santiago Bay in Camotes Island when it's low tide as you can really see the very long stretch of white sand present which was what I anticipated for.

sand and rocks

Those rock formations on the side of the cliff come alive during low tide and you can see another face of this island. We took a lot of pictures because of the wonderful and unique backdrop then.

another perspective of this Philippine island

put your hands in the air!

I also saw some Youtube videos about skimboarding and I was still learning the sport at this time. This is one of the perfect places for skimming as the sand is powdery white and when you fall, it doesn't really hurt. You can skim in the puddles of water formed because of the low tide. I was a beginner back then (and still up to now).

Edwin aka "fetus" of lakbaydiva.com

  
jump shots!

Santiago Bay Garden & Resort also has another resort in Camotes called Mangodlong Resort which is owned by the same people; but I’ll be writing a separate entry for that.

Camotes is located northeast of Cebu City. Click on this link on how to get to Camotes from Cebu:  Going to Camotes

For more information, you can check out their website at: http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/santiago.htm

More photos here: soloflightEd goes to Camotes Island

Matukad Island in the Caramoan peninsula is one of the places we dropped by for our island-hopping adventure in Camarines Sur.

This is actually the first island that we visited and we didn’t really expect much. There were a lot of tourists who traveled to this part of the country as the attractions were really well-marketed. With the Camsur Watersports Complex and the islands that were featured in various travel shows and internet blogs.

 
water splashing

We rode a small boat and we were in awe at the beautiful rock formations that passed by before we headed to the island. If the boat were bigger, I wanted to ask them to stop the motor so we could jump off and dive into the waters. It reminded me of the pictures that we see in Palawan – and I have yet to conquer the place.

giant rocks are aplenty in the Caramoan peninsula

 
boats and other tourists

We were told that filming was going on of a Survivor series franchise (I think it was Survivor Bulgaria) and there were islands that were off-limits at the time. Matukad wasn’t one of them.

I remember we were able to meet new acquaintances who also checked the Caramoan islands. They were two groups from Manila who also visited Camsur to see the wonders of this destination.They advised us to check out the Camsur Watersports Complex in Naga as they really had a great time wakeboarding.

climbing rocks

 
view from the top

We climbed some rocks without really thinking about the consequences and the danger it brought but we got down safely enough. hehe. The water was okay, I guess. It was the fun of seeing another destination that I only saw on television or in pictures is what made me happy.

 
sand and rocks

Matukad Island

More pictures here: soloflightEd goes to Matukad Island

Some time last week, I missed out on a barbecue party that my former colleagues hosted. When I saw the pictures on Facebook the next day, I was really upset on why I wasn’t able to join them. I salivated on the food as well as the company as it seemed that they had a lot of fun. I wish I was able to take part in the random event but probably next time.

When I do drop by, I’ll introduce my friends to the Grill Glove which can resist temperatures of up to 500 Degrees and can even protect your hand from a 3400 Degree Blow Torch.

The Grill Glove is Flippin Awesome!

It’s NOT Available in stores but only on www.GrillGlove.com Special Double offer get you 2 Grill Gloves for only $14.99
And you get a FREE Bonus Lava Mitt for use in the kitchen as well!

Casaroro Falls in Dumaguete is one of the waterfalls in the Philippines that shut my mouth up. Not that I’ve been to a lot of falls already but there’s something mystic about the place. I guess it’s because it really takes a long hike to get to the body of water and when you finally reach the destination, you feel energized knowing that you have trekked a far distance.

In our case, we didn’t really hike from Dumaguete to Valencia; we took a shortcut and rode some motorcycles (habal-habal) due to time constraints. However, the stairs going down and up was enough to keep our legs sore for the next 2 days – You have to take 335 steps in order to get to the bottom and go up with the same number in order to get back to the starting point.

Casaroro Falls is actually located in Valencia in Negros Oriental and not in Dumaguete City’; which is a nearby town as well. I suggest that anyone who wants to stay in Dumaguete to drop by Casaroro and be amazed at this nature’s wonder.

Casaroro Falls in Dumaguete pictures

Casaroro Falls in Valencia

 
stones and rocks in Casaroro Falls Negros Oriental.

 
Falls, strong and cold

 
Cool green

More pictures here: soloflightEd goes to Casaroro Falls

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of iNetVideo. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember back when I would go on a movie marathon during weekends and sometimes even during work days. I would spend hours going through flicks that would catch my fancy just to keep me updated on the number of films that I missed.

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I even take the time to store the discs that I have that I like in order to keep a collection of must-haves. I understand that these times, the standards has leveled up and we call the better quality copies as blu-ray movies.

iNetVideo.com, which was put up in 1999, provides a broad range of movies on DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray, Video Games and Music CDs. What’s great is that they proudly offer these entertainment products for less. iNetVideo.com is one of the largest liquidators of entertainment products with offices based in the United States and in Canada and their knowledge of the industry is very broad. Being in the business for 30 years, they even ship worldwide (with certain exceptions).

CoffeeCat 
Ground Floor of EBloc Tower Building 
Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City

One weekend, Doi and I decided to visit Cebu’s newest coffee shop, Coffeecat in Asiatown IT Park, in order to check out their coffee and yogurt offerings. We wanted a place to hang out and finish our freelance jobs as we still had some pending tasks to work on. We were there a day after their grand opening and the cafe was packed but we were able to find a free spot inside to sit.

Coffeecat cafe is a lifestyle coffee shop idea which is owned and managed by Coffeecat Corporation. This place originated in my hometown which is in Davao City and it has now arrived in the shores of Cebu at the eBloc Tower Building.

    
Coffee Cat menu, Yogo Yogurt Menu, Coffee Cat is now open in Cebu IT Park

  
Coffee Cat at the JP Morgan Chase & Co. Building, checking out the menu

Looking for a WiFi cafe that’s open until the wee hours of the morning is very tedious as not many options are available in Cebu yet. Most coffee shops here close around 12mn and it’s difficult to find other choices aside from Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – at these coffee shops, the WiFi isn’t event free. Having Coffeecat serve free WiFi when you buy a drink or taste their YoGo line of yogurts is really a plus on my list.

 
black and white tables and chairs

 
tip box, cups, furniture

I like the design of their tables and chairs. Its minimalist and modern appeal suits the lifestyle of Asiatown IT Park working professionals from BPOs and contact centers who are always on the go. They also have a number of outlets located in strategic areas of the cafe for those who may need to charge their laptops while surfing and doing work. Charging is free, too.

 
Chicken Turnover – 65 Php
illy Expresso – 85 Php

Coffeecat serves Avalanche Ice Blends and Hot Drinks, Yogo Premium Frozen Yogurt with fruit, dry, and liquid toppings, specialty teas, pastries, light snacks and short orders. Our other blogger friend, Wena, dropped by and ordered some coffee and sandwich.

Yogo Premium Frozen Yogurt is one of their product offerings that became a instant hit especially for the health-conscious individuals.

  
Yogo Toppings – Yogo Yogurt

A funny thing happened when I was talking to the owner. I asked for a brief background of the shop which led our conversation to Davao City, and then talked about schools. We later realized that we were actually schoolmates and he was my brother’s classmate back then. A lot has changed; time flies and it’s a small world after all.

 
talking to Carlo, a schoolmate back in Davao

We ordered their Yogo yogurt with our choice of three toppings. By adding 80 Php, you can have the frozen treat served on a bed of Belgian waffle. True enough, they had it right when they said that "Frozen Yogurt this good is meant to be shared."

 
Yogo on Waffle: yogurt with strawberry, mango and blueberry toppings on top of a belgian waffle – Total of 200 Php

Overall, I can say that Coffeecat is a new and hip place to chill while you’re checking your mail or just have a drink with friends and family. I’ll definitely be back to try their ice blended drinks while I work on my freelance jobs.

Coffeecat Info:
Coffeecat Website: http://yourcoffeecat.com
Coffeecat Facebook: http://facebook.com/yourcoffeecat

Store Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays: 9:30am to 2:30am
Sundays: 11am to 12mn

Enjoying some food at CoffeeCat at the Asiatown IT Park. This is a new cafe that just opened and I later realized that this new wifi Cafe in Cebu originated in my hometown which is in Davao City. They branched out to the Cebu market which is actually a great move.

Will blog more about this Coffee Cat Cafe. For now, I’m working on my freelance jobs online as I’m enjoying their WiFi service.

Coffee Cat
JP Morgan & Chase Building
Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City

 
Yogo on Waffle @ P200

Update: Visit my write-up about Coffeecat in Cebu Asiatown IT Park here –  Cebu Coffee Cat in Asiatown IT Park

Yesterday, Doi and I met up with Enrico Dee of Byahilo.com as he stayed in Cebu for 6 hours, waiting for a connecting flight back to Manila. After a few Facebook chats, we decided on joining him for a late lunch around the city.

Doi brought her FX and we fetched the visitor at the Mactan International Airport and proceeded with the tour. We initially planned on going to a CnT lechon branch for Cebu’s famous lechon but we opted to bring him to Casa Verde in Ramos for some baby back ribs. Glad enough, Eric wasn’t disappointed with the choice. When the food arrived, he was amazed at the size of the ribs.

 
lunch at Casa Verde

Casa Verde’s Victoria Secret spaghetti and their famous Brian’s Ribs

Afterwards, Audrey and EJ joined us as we went to Parkmall to get some cool air. Chilled at Coffee Dream and talked about some blog stuff. It was nice meeting new people even without a lot of preparation. It helps expand my knowledge in blogging.

 
at Pixel Pro in Parkmall Cebu, checking out some camera lenses

 
EJ, setting up his tripod in front of Coffee Dream in Parkmall

 
The Photoblogger, soloflightEd, doispeaks, maldeetuhramblings, byahilo at Coffee Dream.

I hope to meet more bloggers from different regions next time. WordCamp 2010 and Visayas Blog Summit and Philippine Blog Awards 2010! I can’t wait!