Camotes Island

The day after our Pandanon island trip, I joined another group of people who were off to Camotes island. At first, I didn’t want to take part in the outing because

one: I don’t have enough cash.
two: I’ve already been to Camotes and
three: I’m already tired from the previous outing in Pandanon

But when my friend told me they were going to lend me some dough, and because they were very persistent, I took the bait and I realized what an easy catch I am.

Anyway, went to Pier One to ride a boat going to the island. It took around 2 and a half hours of travel to get there from Cebu and I just slept the whole time because I was still dead-tired.

This was my 2nd time in the island of Camotes. I was hoping to visit the Danao Lake and one of the caves but since we didn’t have enough time, we were only able to stay in the same resorts that I’ve been to the last time was here; Santiago Bay Resort and Mangodlong Resort.

I practiced skimming with fellow colleagues, had alcohol videoke sessions, photo shoots; and to top it all off, I got stung by a jellyfish. It couldn’t get any better than this.

We slept overnight, and went home the next day. When the boat docked on the pier, I hurriedly went to the house to get quick change of clothes and I went ahead to the office as it was back to work already.

Camotes Island
Santiagao Bay Resort
Mangodlong Resort

(click to Enlarge)

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boat

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just arrived in Camotes island

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Santiago Bay Resort

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view

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huts, small pool

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torches

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Mangodlong at night

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Santiago Bay Resort, jellyfish slippers

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rocks

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skimming

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going home


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


27 thoughts on “Camotes Island”

  1. Hello..

    My name os Peter from sweden.

    I wonder wich resort u prefer of the 2?

    Me and my gf are going to visit Camotes in February..

    Regards
    Peter

    Reply
  2. Peter: hello Peter, I still prefer Santiago Bay Resort over Mangodlong because of the wider range of sand. But you can still visit Mangodlong since they’re owned by the same person. You wouldn’t have to pay for entrance or such if you visit both once you check in one.

    Thanks for visiting!

    Reply
  3. Edcel, thanks for ur answer. Then we will stay at Santiago By Resort. πŸ™‚

    U know when the boat to Cebu departure from Camotes?

    Is it 6am?

    Regards

    peter

    Reply
  4. Peter: I’m not so sure about that anymore, πŸ™ Last time the boat from Pier One to Camotes, it was around 10am so we arrived in Santiago around 12 noon.

    and for Camotes to Cebu the next day, it was around 12noon. You can also ask for help from the resort themselves. So that you can arrange a pick up from them when you arrive from the port of Camotes. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  5. hi!!!

    i just want to know what type of beach will you find in camotes? Specifically, what is the seabed made of – sand or rocks? I don’t wanna get disappointed again after going to Santander cebu only to find out that the beach there is suited for divers and not for swimmers like us…

    Thanks

    Reply
  6. Hi lenlen, for sure it’s sand. white sand! go to the Santiago Bay Resort and you’ll have lots of white sand there, very good for swimming and frolicking around since the sand is powdery fine. but there is also a part in the resort itself where you can enjoy the cliff. but then again, the bed is sand. :)thanks for dropping by! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  7. my girlfriend has a few acres of land in camotes right beside the sea ,it has clear blue water and nice white sand ,the people from the nearby village are friendly,the fish is fresh and very cheap . my only concern for foreign travellers are that they bring some sort of lighting as there was a lot of brown outs while we were there and the place was pitch black. also dont expect a lot of choice from the resort menus as youll find out they never have them in stock. apart from that the place is paradise with plenty to do . well worth visiting lake danao.

    Reply
  8. Alexander: Lake Danao was the lake that I wasn’t able to visit at that time. And it was supposed to be my main attraction since it was my 2nd time there in Camotes. Thanks for dropping by! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  9. Hi,

    Good day!

    I am organizing an outing with my friends. I’m planning to go to Camotes Island. Since this would be our first time, we don’t know anything about the place yet. I just have a couple of questions. Is the accommodation in Santiago or Mangodlong inclusive of food or not? The last time you went there, how much did it cost you back and forth including the accommodations and everything for 1 day? If we make and arrangement with the Resort to pick us up at the port, is it charged? If yes, how much? Lastly, how much do you think it would cost us per person if we stay there for 4 days and 3 nights? Just a rough estimate would be really helpful.

    God bless you always.

    Thank you.

    Darlyn

    Reply
  10. Hello Darlyn, nice of you to organize the trip with your friends.

    I apologize if I may not be able to answer most of your questions.

    I went to Camotes together with some former team mates at work. Since they already had a budget set up, I was only able to contribute around 1000 pesos to that team for an overnight’s stay. It really helped that they had some extra money for winning prizes at work; also because there were really a lot of us (around 15 or more) which made it really cheap.

    What I can highly suggest would be for you to call Santiago Bay Resort or Mangodlong Resort (they have the same management). Their phone numbers are 032 345-8599/ 032 344-6899. You can also check out this site:

    http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph

    This is the site that we used to get more information as well as having them pick us up from the port to the resort. Yes there is a charge, I believe it’s around 30 pesos per person.

    Probably around 3000 each person if you stay there for four days. But that’s a ‘vague’ estimate.
    I hope I was able to give you some insights. Sorry if they’re not that informative. πŸ™

    Reply
  11. Hi we have made our reservation at Santiago Bay Resort next week. My only problem left is the sked of trip from Danao port going to puertobello. Any ideas guys? Hope anyone of you could give us some ideas on the first trip sked of Danao and Ouano wharf.. please..??

    Reply
  12. Hi maui,

    This is the information that I could find while searching through the web. Hope I’m able to help you in some way. I suggest you ask help from Santiago Bay Resort as they know more and are more updated when it comes to schedules. Here is also another number that you can try for more information: Philippine Booking Office: (032) 344-6899. I’ll try to contact them later when I have time.

    Scheduled Trips
    Monday – Sunday
    Danao Port – Consuelo Wharf
    Departure Time – 6:00 AM
    Arrival Time – 8:30 AM

    Consuelo Wharf – Danao Port
    Departure Time – 11:00 AM
    Arrival Time – 2:30 PM
    Fare: 180.00
    Source: http://www.travelcamotes.com/schedule.html

    Danao City Port
    to Consuelo Port 6 am and 10:30 am daily (motorized banca)
    (*dismembark at Puertobello if you plan to check in at both resorts)
    Barge/Roro (Danao to Poro Camotes)
    5:00 AM Daily

    Source: http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/getting_there.htm

    Reply
  13. Hi! My co-worker planning to go in Camotes island this coming May 15, 2009.
    Since this is our first trip in Camotes Island.We dont know anything about this place yet. How much it cost for three person accommodation and everything from port to resort? how can we arrange to the resort? What resort is best but not so expensive?
    Thanks

    Reply
  14. Hi, would like to ask if there are dive sites in camotes island and if there are facilities for the equipment for divers? thanks

    Reply
  15. Hi michell: What I can recommend would be for you to call Santiago Bay Resort or Mangodlong Resort (they have the same management). I’ve only been in Camotes twice and these are the best places I know that have good accommodation. You can call them directly thru these numbers: 032 345-8599/ 032 344-6899 for more updated data. I’ll try to call them when I have time.

    Hi jan: Will try to call some numbers to check if they do have available dive spots in Camotes cause I’m not so sure about it.

    Eds last blog post..kicked off summer in Davao

    Reply
  16. hello! our trip to camotes was really a memorable one. despite the 3hour pumpboat ride from ouano wharf (we left ouano at 5;30 and arrived in puertobello port at 9am), we really enjoyed the resort and the food. πŸ™‚ thanks edcel for the info, we’ll surely recommend the island to our friends.

    Reply
  17. maui: no prob maui, I’m glad I was able to help you out in some way. I’m not affiliated with any of the resorts but I’m happy that you enjoyed your stay there! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  18. hi just want to ask about the Fastcraft schedule in going to Camotes Island. ….pls help us we are from dvo and we dont have any idea about where to ride ( what port )…Where planning to stay either in santiago or Mangodlong….To save time we opted to ride a fastcraft…hope to hear from u ,,thnks:)

    Reply
  19. Taken from the web, the fast craft is available at Pier 1 and leaves the pier 6am and 6pm daily. Also, pump boats from Danao to Camotes leaves 7am and 1pm daily. Hope this helps to have an idea but this is not confirmed.

    Reply
  20. Hi Jundel: I just want to know if we can bring tents in Santiago bay, my friends are planning to go to Santiago bay this May and we dont have enough budget. Is it okey if we bring foods like barbecue, or grilled foods, is there a room for barkada? how much is it? or you can suggest us any cheap resort in Camotes island so that we can enjoy and explore from it. please reply to my email add thank you somuch. . .
     
    thanks!
    Jundel

    Reply
  21. Your webpage is totally awesome. I would love to meet you in person and be my travel bud. I'm going to Cebu/ Camotes Island this weekend. Please email me back. I think we have a lot of things in common. I have been to some Asian countries as well. I'm currently waiting for my visa for New Zealand. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks. 

    Reply
  22. Oh by the way, this article " How to Travel to 4 Countries and 8 Local Destinations within 8 Months – And still keep your full time job" really caught my eyes. – Thanks thanks!
     

    Reply
  23. @Chad: thanks for the kinds words! wow New Zealand huh? that sounds awesome! there's a lot of us who have the same interest for travel adventure! thanks for reading my articles! πŸ˜€

    Reply
  24. hi we were planning to go at camotes island , can we bring tents in that place?.
    is it affordable for 20-30 persons?. 

    Reply

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