La Isla del Fuego

“Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.”

San Juan is well-known as one of the famous municipalities in the province of Siquijor. It was located at the southern western side of the island. The town has the highest top resorts being clustered. Well- known for its magnificent beaches. The off-white sand gives the shoreline a bright glow accentuating the crystal clear water. San Juan is the great choice for a summer vacation. But the most breathtaking sight is the sunset.

The weather was great. It was a bright sunny day. The smell of wet wild earth is everywhere. And the delicate fabric of bird songs floats in the air. Indeed it’s a perfect day for a travel escapade. We are all bedazzling for we are able to explore the town of San Juan.

All of us were gathered in the tricycle terminal in the municipality of Siquijor. At nine (9) in the morning we took a tricycle going to San Juan. Along our way we passed by the numerous resorts and guesthouse. For an hour of travel at last, we arrived in front of the Apo Dive Resort. Our first destination, located at Solangon San Juan, beside the national highway.

At first we are all hesitated to enter the resort because we are not much familiar in the place and if they well let us promote their place. Still, we try to approach one of the personnel in the resort. They are so hospitable and we felt a lot welcomed. We asked if it was ok if we would promote their resort and took some pictures. Luckily they say, “Yes”. We chat for a little while about their resort and the owner.

According to the person who entertained us the resort was just new in the place. It was built two (2) months ago. The owner was a German national, named Steven Kay Prilloff. She said that the reason why Steven Kay chooses Siquijor because for him it’s like paradise. Then after that we roam around the place, for free! There was no entrance.

Apo Dive resort was not that big but we felt the coziness in the place. Upon entering the main entrance, the first thing we saw was the diving gear and equipments. All the dive and snorkeling equipments are brand new and high quality. It was known as one of the best dive center in Siquijor Island.

This resort has a PADI Dive Course. The courses being offered is “open water dive”, “advance water open dive”, “rescue diver’, “efr course” and “dive master”. Apo Dive Resort also has an “Introductory Dive”, “Dive & Snorkeling” and lastly a “Party Sunset Tours”.

There are lot of fun-friendly activities together with your friends, relatives, loved ones and families. They offered different kinds of diving, such as “fun diving”, “dsd discover”,” scuba review”, and last but not the least a “night dive”.

Apo Dive Resort has a well-design Bungalow where you could stay. It was overlooking to the sea. Motorbike is their transport rental. They also have an aqua sport rental like the “stand up paddle boat”, “motorbike” and “flying boat”. Their rental gears are as follows “mask, snorkel and fins” (“basic beach shoes”, “china full snorkels” and “mask”). All of this is for rent but they also sale professional snorkeling gear.

At the middle of the resort a turquoise pool rose up to meet us. The pool was nice and clean even though it’s not that big. It was also divided into three (3) levels for beginners. There were no entrance fee and every Friday night the pool was for free. Beside the pool was the El Kabron Bar. The architectural design of the bar was quite simple, yet elegant. You could order a drinks and foods while listening to a live band most especially at night

The most unforgettable part was, we met the owner of Apo Dive Resort personally, Mr. Steven Kay Prilloff. He was so nice and very approachable. You just sense the love and passion of what he is doing. We took a picture with, wearing our sweet smile.

“If you want to see the amazing world underwater, Apo Dive Resort is the perfect place to visit.”

Trivia: Don’t you know that the name "Apo" was derived from a Filipino word for "grandchild". And the owner of this resort has a band in Germany named “Steven Kay Band”. Upon entering the resort you will saw band instrument in the main entrance.

A good traveler has no fixed plans and not intend on arriving. This quote is from Lao Tzu. It’s indeed true because we really don’t have any fix plan for our next destination. So we just walked in the road and it was really hot. Suddenly one of our classmates saw the tarpaulin of One Sunset View, Resort & Restaurant.

With no hesitation we go inside the resort. We talked to one of the personnel in the resort if we can roam around the place and took some picture for our project. And we’re very happy because they let us feature their place. The entrance was Php 50 but we took our passes for free!

Sadly we didn’t have any chance to ask some question to the personnel or to the managing supervisor. They are very busy with their jobs, so we just roam around and took some picture.

While entering the main entrance of this resort we saw dangling vines. It’s so nice and refreshing. And also you could easily saw the receptionist area upon entering the main gate. There are guest sitting in the couch in front of the receptionist area.

We are really amazed of the turquoise pool of the resort. It was very clean and 5 feet deep. If you would to swim in their pool, the payment fees are Php 50 for the kids and Php 100 for the adults. Beside the pool, the resorts dormitory was being located. They also have the statue of Mama Mary beside the pool. They also have a living area where two cute fountains are on each side. It was beautifully well-design making it more elegant to look at. It also has one steel swing, where you could sit. And at the back, the restaurant resort was located and also the statue of a Merlion just like in Singapore. Both of it was facing the vibrant beach. The resort accommodation is new. Rooms are in good size and clean with few amenities. It has very affordable foods and drinks.

One Sunset View Resort is a good place to stay for couples, solo adventurer, business travelers and families (with kids). It was budget-friendly and the staff and personnel of the resort are friendly.

“Come and visit One Sunset View Resort and experience comfort and pleasure for a memorable visit.”

But before we left the place, we met one of the guests in the resort. A handsome kid and we took a picture together with, him sort of remembrance.

We are now here of in the road, after our tour in One Sunset View, Restaurant and Resort. We don’t have any plan on where to go, so we decided to eat and continue our tour after eating. One of our group said that there a place called “Dalahikan Grill Masters”. The place was famous for its savory barbeque recipe. It was a bit far from Solangon that’s why we planned to rent a motorcycle. But unfortunately, the owner refused because we don’t have a license and checkpoints was rampant in the palace. Even though the owner didn’t let us rent one of his motorcycles, he offers us a free ride to Dalahikan which was located in barangay of Lalao, next to Solangon.

We arrive in the place in just a couple of minutes. In front of Dalahikan, it was the “Gaay Sugba-Sugba and Fast Food”. We planned try both the special delicacies of the two fast food which is the barbeque, but unfortunately it will be served at the afternoon. The foods are budget-friendly.

This fast food was not that luxurious and elegant. The architectural design both of the fast food was very simple. It was made up of woods and bamboos. The roof was made up of cogon. Its feature is like the famous nipa hut. We really saw and felt the culture of our country, Philippines.

We decided to look for another place to explore. We go for a walk even if the weather was so hot. We took some selfie along our way. Until we arrive in front of the Tropical Fun-Ta-Sea Rentals. It was already eleven (11) in the morning. We decided to eat snacks in the place and eat our lunch after it. We order a fries and while eating we took some picture in the place most especially in their resto bar.

In front the Fun-Ta-Sea Rentals was a perfect tropical beach scene. It’s an ideal location for tropical beach holiday and short gateway. It was such a gorgeous scene; fine powdery white sand and shallow calm glassy water. We really enjoyed sitting in the chair beneath the summer shadows of a big umbrella while gazing the magnificent beach. It makes us feel the calm and relaxing ambiance in the place.

It is also a perfect setting for adventure and excitement since it offers Aqua Sports activities. The resort offers Aqua Sports rental for those who wants adventure and excitement. They have “jetskis”,” speedboat”, “kayak”,” paddle board”, and towable like “banana boat” and “paparazzi”. During the weekends, the resort tends to be crowded and noisy in the daytime because of walk in guests who wants to avail the Aqua Sports activities. This is not everyday though and this is only until 5:30 in the afternoon.

The beach cottages of Tropical Fun-Ta-Sea have their own private verandas/porch where guests can just hang out and enjoy the beach view and sunset. Guests can also lounge at the beach area or enjoy snacks, meals and drinks at the resto bar.

Come and experience paradise in Tropical Fun-Ta-Sea Rentals and creates memories that will last a lifetime! "Indulge into breathtaking Sunsets, have Fun in the Sun and get that perfect Tan". It was located at Lalao San Juan, Siquijor.

Trivia: On April 1, 2017 there will be a # SHADES OF SUMMER, feel the heat, join the beat at 9:00 a.m. They offer free drink, aqua rental, beach games, after party snaps and featuring Isla’s best DJ’s and the entrance fee is Php 100.00.

Before leaving the town of San Juan we eat our lunch at Dalahikan Masters Grill but unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to taste their special delicacy. Still all the things that we experience were like cotton candy torches, sweet as furtive kisses. Travel is fun. It was a splendid experience that we would treasure and cherished each day.

These places are very convenient for it was easily accessible from the national highway. Apo Dive Resort, One Sunset View Resort, Dalahikan Grill Masters, Gaay Sugba-Sugba & Fast Food and Tropical Fun-Ta-Sea are just beside the national highway.