Moalboal

Bas Dako (aka. White Beach) just before sunset

Charming, pretty, peaceful...fine cream-sand framed by vivid emerald seas, aquamarine surf and tropical foliage...island paradise...crystal waters, ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving, teem with a rich variety of marine life...a great escape from the daily urban jungle life...

Moalboal is on the west coast of Cebu, facing the Tañon Strait and Negros Oriental.

We spent about 5 days in Moalboal, it was my brother's annual trip to the Philippines. Each year we plan a beach/diving destination so that he can dive...and we try to do a different place each year...It's also a family trip, including my grandfather who is 90, so we needed a place that is family-oriented and is handicap "friendlier" [friendlier as most places in the Philippines do not have "handicap rooms/facilities"].

We chose Ravenala (http://www.geocities.com/ravenala1/) as it was just outside the main town and on the pretty cream-sand beach of Bas Dako on the Saavedra Peninsula. This was perfect. Very homey, quiet, close to town (9km). Ravenala is unique, its attractive bungalows that house the rooms, and the restaurant/common area were designed and built by the owners, the Schaaps (Eddie has been involved in many projects in Europe including more recently [200?] the Motorola headquarter in Germany); tropical foliage enhance the grounds (landscaping by the owners), everything is well thought out—Teresita and Eddie have been in the resort and hotel business for many years. Staff are friendly and helpful, they went out of their way to make sure my grandfather was comfortable, and that there was a variety of food that I could eat (I am vegetarian and neglected to inform them in advance). It really is a home away from home.

Panagsama, is the main business, diving operations, resort and restaurant-bar area of Moalboal. Aside from restaurants and resorts, it has a small market (actually quite clean and Sunday is the main market day when you may find handicrafts from other parts of Cebu), internet cafes, a pretty church, and the scenic pier that faces Badian island.  For a small provincial town, it has a good selection of international cuisine. People (both locals and expats) are friendly. Nightlife is colorful with a selection of bars offering live music, karaoke, and billiards. If you are staying at Bas Dako and plan to stay out late, make arrangements ahead of time with a tricycle driver/owner to bring you back home, or  settle for riding at the back of a motorcyclist...and hope that they are sober...and you can always walk...BRING A FLASHLIGHT.

Diving, as my brother reports, is good for novices and up. "Colorful, lots of fish and coral; very long wall; Pescador Island is known as the best dive spot of the area, GO EARLY as it can be surrounded by divers at peak times; there is a whale shark (or two) that hangs out in the strait; Sagiv is great as a dive master/guide, he has good equipment, good skills, and does not like to pack the boat with divers, so you are assured a small group, you can contact him at sagiv_a@hotmail.com or at Ravenala. If he or the divers at Ravenala are not available then try Eddie's brother BJ Schaap's operation at http://www.seaquestdivecenter.ph/."

The snorkeling really is GREAT! I went along on a dive excursion to Pescador Island, at the prodding of dive master Sagiv who insisted that snorkeling was great (they say that in many places and when I get in, the snorkeling is usually just ok ...) ... I snorkeled at several other spots around Moalboal, and was never disappointed. Aside from the colorful coral and fish, I got to see a large turtle but did not get to see one of the resident whale sharks that live (at least part of the year) in the Tañon Strait...next time!

Non-diving "land" activities include a half-day (or very leisurely day) trip to Kawasan falls, it is easiest to make arrangements with a tricycle, the road part of the trip should take 30-minutes each way. The falls are about 12-meters and you can swim in the cool pool at the base. It is about a 30-minute hike to the first falls and 15 minutes to the second. Planet Action (http://www.action-philippines.com/index.htm) makes arrangements for caving, hiking, mountain biking, and other activities. If you like orchids and flowers, just outside town is an orchid farm.

Many thanks Teresita and Eddie Schaap, Sagiv, and the rest of the wonderful staff at Ravenala; and to Simon Wright for help and suggestions—visit his website for more info on Moalboal: www.moalboal.org.uk.