Last Holy Week, we had our first official family vacation with the twins at Sumilon Island in Oslob, Cebu. I was quite nervous at first but we had a good time. Here are some tidbits :)
Since Oslob is at the southern part of Cebu, the fastest way to get there is through a flight to Dumaguete. It's an hour long flight, then a short car ride from the airport to the pier then an hour long boat ride to the island. The kids were alright during the trip, thanks to snacks, toys, and of course patient grandparents and uncles to keep them busy.
Bluewater Resort is well managed. Their staff was quite accommodating and they have complete amenities. Although as a mom, it would be nice if they can make some improvements so their resort will be more kid-friendly. The resort only has two high chairs and there were other toddlers just like the twins in the resort. An indoor area for the kids would be nice. There's a small playground but if you have a lot of kids staying in the resort, the space may not be enough. I'm happy with the buffet spread. I personally appreciated that there were many choices of seafood dishes during Good Friday. The cost is about P800/pax for lunch and P900/pax for dinner. They even had a pasta station during one of the dinners.
As for the beach, the island basically has two main areas for you to enjoy. They were both clean and one area has a small sandbar during low tide. I was glad the twins enjoyed their first experience of the beach although we've been to places where the sand is finer which is better for the girls who are just learning how to walk. If you are the more adventurous type, you can try clamping (sleeping inside a tent) by the sea shore.
The highlight of our trip was the whaleshark watch and the visit to Tumalog falls. We had to do them on Black Saturday because the people in charge of the butanding watch were on a break during Good Friday.
We booked these activities through the resort which was a good thing because when we got to the island where the whale sharks were, there were already a lot of people waiting for their turn. We tried to find out if it was always like this. According to some of the caretakers it's not always the case. Usually by 6-7 am
there are already around 9 whalesharks swimming in the area but when we arrived that morning, there were only two, probably because the one day break from their routine. Pretty soon, more whalesharks swam in the area and we had our turn. Kudos to my brother JP for following up for us and for keeping us posted while waiting.
When it was finally our turn, we rode a bangka to the viewing area. The fee is different if you just want to view the whale sharks from the boat and if you want to swim and watch them underwater. I'm so proud of Ben for being brave enough to swim and actually see the butanding from his goggles. He still talks about the experience once in a while. Oh, if you don't have an underwater camera, you can rent one, have the boatmen take your photos and have it burned on a CD.
The trip to Tumalog falls was interesting. We took a short car ride to the viewing area then we had a choice of walking or riding a motorcycle to the falls. I highly recommend taking the motorcycle to save time and energy because there is some walking involved once you reach the falls. It can get very muddy and wet so be prepared. Ben enjoyed spending time at the falls. It was the first time he saw one and even wanted to go swimming. We didn't get to spend a lot of time there but some groups who planned to stay for lunch and brought food with them.
All in all it was a lovely experience. I was quite anxious at the start with how the twins will adjust during the trip but they did well and I'm glad they love the water. I hope I'd get the chance to bring them back to Oslob in the future, perhaps when they know how to snorkel
