Thanksgiving @ SecDea Beach Resort

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.!

I may not be an American or a Canadian but I do have a lot to say thanks for such as being reunited with a friend, celebrating another year of life and another year of friendship - all of which we celebrated last Sunday at Secdea.

Main Lobby

A good friend of mine, Taynee (who would be familiar to those who read my other posts as my partner in crime in most of my beach and food escapades) have been working in Manila for a couple of months now just came back home to celebrate her birthday and she invited us to SecDea Beach Resort. This served not only as her birthday celebration but a reunion between close friends and also the anniversary of our lil group, Powerpuff girls. <3

Secdea Beach Resort is located in San Isidro Babak in IGACOS and one of the newest resorts in Samal. To get there we met at Sasa Wharf , rode a barge (P10 per person) and then spent a 20 minute ride to Secdea on a tricycle (P75 per person). Upon reaching Secdea, vehicles are only allowed to pass until their main guardhouse and if you set reservations (highly advisable) rest assured that they have a golf cart waiting to drive you to the main clubhouse. 

I love how the whole resort was landscaped and the design of the houses/rooms - it gives you the vibe that they want the visitors to relax in luxury but charges are affordable and worth it though. 

Day tour Charges:

P250 - Inclusive of access to the Infinity pool, Mangrove walk, Tree deck,

usage of free poolside tables and chairs

P400 - Lunch Buffet

P300 - Corkage for all snacks brought by a group

Infinity pool

The infinity pool is divided into three sections, two of which are for the kids while one is at most 4 ft in depth and just a few feet away from the pool is the beach. For those who are fond of water activities, they have several kayaks, banana boats and jet-skis for rent. In land based activities they have biking (P150 per hour), tennis and basketball (ongoing construction) and a natural wall climbing section. Wall climbing was for free but there aren't any safety ropes for it and the stairs to reach it and the helipad (Yes! they do have a helipad) is rather intimidating. It kinda makes me tired just by looking at it! LOL! ~kekeke 

Seaside cottages

My favorite section of Secdea is the Mangrove walk. As seen on the picture above,  you can sit and enjoy watching the beach, the sky and the sun on this cemented path in between of mangrove trees. I guess this place would be lovelier at night because I saw several lanterns hung on other mangrove trees and if they would lighten those up at night, it would definitely set off a romantic vibe.

Mangrove Walk

There are two Mangrove paths available, the first of which leads to the Tree deck. I originally thought that it offers rappelling but its just simply a tree deck. I like the structure but sadly it doesn't offer a great view once you're on top. The mangroves are too thick and to many while the tree deck is a bit short to afford any view off the sea but the place is still developing so they must have plans for that.

Tree Deck

The other path of the Mangrove walk leads to the  "floating" resto. The resto is already built but they don't serve anything yet though it is a good place to overlook the sea. On another note though, I simply adore the driftwood arbor they built there.

Floating resto

As mentioned earlier, Secdea offers a buffet lunch (usually on weekends) and all the food they prepared was delicious. We were so full we had to rest for almost an hour before we continue in touring around the place. It was such a fun lunch too because Secdea got a Pay per View subscription of the Pacquiao-Rios fight. Every other guests and staff was attuned on the TV and clapping whenever Pacquiao got a clear hit and especially when he was announced as the winner. ~Kudos to Pacman

There are  different "cottage" or rooms available for those who would stay overnight. I wasnt able to inquire about room rates but feel free to check their website (link at the bottom of the page) for it.

Houses/Cottages 

One of the best things in SecDea is the staff. I've never known any other staff as accommodating, friendly and ready-to-help in other resorts I've been to. They offered to take our pics for us and assist us with our things and even allowed us to drive the golf cart for  awhile. I would really like to visit there and see the place at night because I believe its gonna be more beautiful than in daylight.

For further information you can visit their website at:

http://secdea.com/

or call them at  (082) 305-2774 or (082) 305-4028

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Surigao 4: Britania Group of Islands ♥

The last stop in our Surigao adventure is the Britania Group of Islands and this place is LOVE!

Located in San Agustin in Surigao del Sur, Britania boasts of 24 islets all with oh-so-fine white sandy shores and pristine blue-green waters. Don't worry if you visit Britania without any reservations set up (like us) cause there are a lot of tour boats lined up that you can rent on the spot.

As our boat was coasting along the waves, I adore how water alternates from deep blue to a very clear blue green tone then light blue - I've been through a fair share of beaches but its my first time seeing such an array of color.

True that during the whole trip I've seen such breathtaking, oh-so-remote sceneries for the first time like the majestic Tinuy-an falls or the awe inspiring color and depth of Echanted river whereas Britania just showcases its islands and beaches that are rather "commonplace" (as compared to the other two) in the country - but I do so looooove beaches and its sandy shores!! 

I think that my friends and the Capilitan family also have the same thoughts as I have because as we landed on our first island, the expression - "felt like a kid left in candy shop" became the perfect description to everyone there. Though we were already a bit trip from traipsing all over Surigao, we were energize upon seeing the vista. We came bounding off the boat then came running along the shoreline while some rushed and dived headlong to the water. Ahhhhh.. refreshing! :)

Some islets don't really have shores and some are private so one can't really stop by all 24 islets but seeing them from afar is enough to make me happy because they remind me of cupcakes. We've only been through 4 islets.. the last one was really my favorite because two islands were connected by a narrow strip of sand that one can walk through if the tide was low.  ~weeeee

/

I just love Britania and Surigao its really worth that 8 hours of travel and now that the sun is setting we have to start our drive back home *another 8 hours there whew*. Its more fun in the Philippines indeed.

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Surigao 3: International DollHouse & Ocean View Park

Next on our itinerary is the International Doll House & Ocean View Park Restaurant. Located in Purok 6, Barangay Cumawas, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur - it boasts of great affordable dining with a view of the ocean and a collections of dolls of varying types and origin. 

At first, I wasn't really keen in stopping there because am not that fond of dolls with their beady lil eyes and the thought of seeing my mortal enemy - stairs (200+ steps) - that I need to "conquer" wasn't really a good welcoming experience in my mind.

Reluctant I may be but my curiosity in seeing why it has become such a tourist attraction burns higher than my earlier qualms. The stairs design is unique and even if it seems to eat my energy away I did enjoy alternating from one path to another. 

One of the staff welcomed us at the top of the steps, and I am very sorry to have forgotten his name because he was such a warm and welcoming person. Visiting places is amazing but if people who welcome you in those places are kind and happy it makes the place a whole lot more awesome. The staff were kind and very enthusiastic  you can really see they find a great pride in the place. 

Upon going inside the Dollhouse, thousands of dolls come into view but one can also immediately notice how clean, cold and well kept the place is with. From famous Disney characters, to Barbies, to Matryoshka dolls  and other dolls of varying origins and materials can be found there, it really is a great sight. My friend's nieces who were with us at that time looked as if Christmas came early, their eyes were big as saucers while taking in the display. ~hahaha

According to the staff.. the most expensive item there is the gold Matryoshka dolls while the most expensive Barbie - is the ceramic yellow gowned Barbie. 

The staff are knowledgeable about it too and they gave us a info about how the dolls are kept in pristine shape and what country it came from and what are those made of. They asked if they can take our cameras and encourage us to do several poses while showcasing the dolls and that's an offer we couldn't refuse so after knowing about the dolls we spent the time there do pose from point A to point B. ~hahaha

We moved onto the Oceanview Park Resto however we didn't dine there though because we just ate before leaving Tinuy-an falls but the ambiance is nice. Its something nice to visit with family or while in a date and one can have a view of the ocean.

For more info and their contact details you can visit their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/OceanViewParkPhilippines

ENTRANCE FEE (for the view park only)

Adult - P20.00

Youth - P12.00

Child - P5.00

Kindergarten - FREE

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Surigao 2: Hinatuan's Enchanted River

In continuation to my 24 hour Surigao adventure, after a fun dip and quick breakfast at the magnificent Tinuy-an Falls, we went to our next stop (the one I am most excited about) - the Enchanted River.

According to the locals, the river was named as such because it was believed that "engkantos" are responsible for the mystical beauty and depth. Its really a sight to see for me since its the first time I've seen a water as blue and clear as that in Enchanted River. There's a very deep hole in the river and it kinda freaks me out to look into it, it feels as if I will see something staring me back up to me from the void.. ~kekeke..

Several pro divers tried to but was unsuccessful to reach the bottom of the river - thus it really is DEEP! But don't let that scare you into enjoy swimming in the river because the staff provides life jackets for anyone and for any age and there are also about two to three (that I noticed during my visit) lifeguards patrolling around the length of the river. 

For those who would like to visit this haven better make sure that you arrive before or stay until the fish feeding time. Fishes of different sizes and colors that reside deep inside the crater comes out once the feeding music is played and a staff carries diced squid to feed the fishes. Its a fun sight because on regular hours you can't see any fishes while swimming and once the music plays they just come swimming up to the surface. Its really a must see.

The place is beautifully maintained - its very clean, the life jackets all look like new, everything looks like newly painted. It might be far to go to but once your there it water and the place itself totally soothes the soul with its full grown trees, white sand and deep azure waters. Its definitely nature at its finest.

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