Day 7. Take Ferry to Cebu


Ferry

I had booked the 10:40am Oceanjet ferry from Tagbilaran to Cebu. Our driver picked us up from the hotel at 9:15am and we reached the Tagbilaran ferry at 10am. We then paid the 30 PHP per person entrance fee and 100 PHP per luggage check in fee. Then we waited there for our boat to arrive. There were a few restaurants in the waiting area, so we bought some food to eat. I got some ground pork on rice for only 120 PHP ($2.5).

Our boat arrived on time. I bought the cheaper tourist-class ticket. The big cabin had AC. They played Clifford the Big Dog on the big monitor. It was a smooth 2-hr ride. Once we arrived, we waited next to the boat for our luggage to be unloaded. Once we got the luggage, we walked out and found the driver that I had previously arranged. 


Hotel

It was a 3.5 hour drive to our hotel, Sambag Hideaway Bungalows in Moalboal. Here are the pros and cons of this hotel.

Pros

  • Location. It is located at a quiet location off the noisy beach center. Hotel has a private beach where you can go snorkel from the shore. You can rent snorkel gear here too. We rented two pairs of fins for 24 hours for 100 PHP (~$2). Unfortunately, most corrals were killed by the super typhoon two years ago. However, there were still some spots with many fishes.
  • Room. Your own bungalow with kitchen. There are fans, a safe, shelves. The room has good WiFi. 
  • Friendly staff.
  • Great price, about $55 per night with breakfast.

Cons

  • Location. You need to hire a tricycle or a car to go to the restaurants and attractions. The staff can arrange that for you. There is one restaurant, JG's Grill, that delivers here though. We ended up ordering delivery from there. The food is good but not great, at a low price. 
  • Room. One problem is that the building is not energy efficient, so the AC cannot get the whole place cool down, only the bed area near the AC. The AC is also noisy and I needed ear plugs to sleep. The steps to the bedroom upstairs are very steep, so walking up and down to the bathroom at night is very annoying.
  • Many mosquitos, especially at sunset time. We stayed indoors and did not watch sunset even once because of mosquitos. 
  • Only bath towels were provided everyday, no beach towel, no hand towel.





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