The day after my mother-in-law's birthday, all the adults go on an island hopping activity to Ligid Daku. The owner of Pearly Mac Cabana offers island hopping package for P2500 good for 15 persons. Since the beach house only have a pool and it isn't really a beach front property, going on an island hopping activity is exactly what we need to enjoy our weekend getaway.

Travel time is about 15 minutes and we passed by Ligid Gamay or famously known as Buenavista Island. It is a privately owned resort so we are not allowed to stop over. After a few more minutes from Buenavista Island, we arrive at Ligid Daku. According to our boatman, someone already has ownership rights for Ligid Daku. The last time we are there 2 years ago, the island is still open to public and there is a local who lives in the island. This time, though, the local who resides in the island was evicted as per our boatman.

I am not really certain about the ownership status of the island  right now nor whether it is off limits to public but we are still able to stop over at the island. Our stay at the island is also free so I don't exactly know what is the real situation there. Maybe if your boat man or boat operator has a connection with the owner of the island then guests are welcome.

Buenavista Island a.k.a Ligid Gamay

It is indeed a very fun activity. We stayed at the island for 4 hours, snorkeling to our hearts content and fishing. We are able to catch fishes which we cooked for lunch. The marine life in this island is very rich and when the tide recedes, it will reveal the beautiful corals. It is like a wide coral garden and you don't need a snorkeling gear to see them because they will appear during low tide. Unfortunately for me, my gopro is low on battery so I am not able to take pictures of the rich coral garden. It is such a wonderful experience and I definitely would love to come back here to take pictures of the coral garden during low tide.

Healthy corals near the shore that you no longer need snorkeling gear to see them because they will appear during low tide.

Finding an affordable exclusive resort in Samal Island is very difficult especially if you need to rent the place the next day and it's the summer season. We have almost not find a place to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday because we make a very late booking. Good thing my brother-in-law know someone who manages a private beach house for rent in Balet Samal and it is vacant on Sunday.

The beach house is not directly in front of the beach but it is only a few feet away. Across the street you can already see the beach. If you are not fond of the beach, no worries because the house has a pool. The beach house is a 2.5 story house with 4 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 1 half bath, open living room with TV and videoke, mini bar, veranda for chill nights, and large kitchen complete with cookware, ref, kitchenware and utensils. The spacious lawn is perfect to hold events and games.



The main floor bedroom is located at the side of the house but it is not connected to the main house. It is accessible through a walkway at the side of the house. It's airconditioned and has it's own bathroom and closet. It's not very spacious but it can fit 4 -5 persons. The aircon is not very cold in this room (probably because the aircon unit is an old model).

3rd Bedroom. Fan room but they can install the cooling fan by upon request. Can fit 4 - 5 persons.

4th Bedroom. Aircon room. Can easily fit 10 persons but it can possibly fit up to 15 depending on size.

Be very cautious on going up and down the ladder leading to the 3rd and 4th bedroom on the 3rd level of the house because it is very steep and can be hazardous when wet. Always keep an eye on small children to prevent accidents.

Mini Bar. You can also put beddings here for more sleeping space.

Living Room. Spacious enough to fit more people. Beddings can be provided for extra sleeping space.

Veranda

Large Kitchen. It is complete with ref, cookware and utensils that all you need to bring is just the ingredients. They provide free drinking water and even dish washing soap is free.

Pool

The 2nd bedroom located in the 2nd level of the house can only be used if the owner is not around. During our stay, the owner is there so it is off limits to guests. I am not able to tour that bedroom but I think it has it's own bathroom as well. I think it could also fit 4 - 5 persons.

There are 2 bathrooms in the main floor, 2 bathrooms in the 2nd level, and a half bath in the 3rd level.

There is enough room for everyone to chill and relax. You can stay and drink at the living room or at the adjacent mini bar while belting it out in the videoke. Or you can take the drinks into the veranda or into the lawn. There is plenty of things to do here.

I just have a few complains on the beach house. I don't like the layout of the house as it is not convenient especially the location of the bedrooms in the 3rd level. It is an attic type of rooms which is quite tight so stay away if you are claustrophobic. Also the ladder leading to the 3rd level is quite dangerous especially for children. I also don't appreciate that the spare room on the main level is turned into an office. It could have been used as another bedroom. And the 2nd floor bedroom is useless if the owner is at the property. The lawn can be improved with bermuda/carabao grass as currently it is quite bare and muddy. Pool is narrow but acceptable. The entrance stairs is quite dangerous as well when wet. I am one of the unlucky to slip on it and landed on my butt (very painful fall).

Overall, it is still a fun and enjoyable stay because I am with family and it is a special event for a very special person in our lives. Also we go on an island hopping activity the following day which is very fun.














RESORT INFORMATION:

A. DAY TOUR

• P500/pax (minimum of 10 pax) comes with buffet lunch, free use of beach house (from 8AM to 5PM) and free boat ride
• P750/pax (minimum of 30pax) comes with buffet lunch with Pork Lechon, free use of beach house (from 8AM to 5PM) and free boat ride

After years of longing, the husband and I have finally bought for ourselves a Go Pro. We have always wanted a Go Pro but because it was way out of budget we settled for SJCAM which by the way is not really a let down. Our SJCAM has served us well -- it has broken down on us but got it repaired and served us for two years. Unfortunately, we have lost it on our recent trip in Lake Carolina Baganga last month. That is why we were on the lookout for another action camera (because we need it for our trip to Cebu in June).

It isn't really our intention to buy a Go Pro because it is still not within our budget. However, as I was browsing the net for a possible replacement to our lost action cam, I found this online store selling gadgets with a very flexible payment options. Poundit.com has COD, credit, debit, and they even offer installment options which hit the box for me. It is then that I thought of getting a Go Pro and pay it on installment. I discussed this with the husband and he is in agreement with me. However, after a few more discussions weighing the pros and cons, we have come to a decision to just look for a gadget store in our city and borrow my sister's credit card to buy a Go Pro.

Even though the offer in Poundit is very attractive, we decided to just buy at a physical store rather than online because we are afraid of getting a defective product and face a hassle of returning it. I am not saying Poundit will send us a defective product but we are just cautious of online purchases especially that it costs so much.

After searching for a shop that accepts RCBC installment and after a failure to buy at a camera store in Abreeza, the husband has finally found the store we are looking for. IClick Digishop in SM City Ecoland offers a wide range of cameras, action cams, drones and camera accessories. He is able to get in contact with one of the staff thru messenger and we learned that they are on sale. However, since we have opted for the 12 months @ 0% interest installment, we are not able to avail the sale (SRP 24,690 / Sale Price 21,000).

As for my thoughts on the camera, the Hyper Smooth Stabilization feature is really great because the videos do not appear shaky, perfect for biking or motorbike rides. The still pics are also nice. I am not very picky on my camera specs, just as long as it will provide good quality pictures and it can be used underwater I am okay with it.

However, I have encountered some minor problem while using it to take under water photos. I notice the touch screen is super sensitive that when I submerge the camera it will either swipe left/right/up/down when it hits the water current/wave. Another thing is the touch screen is not responsive when already submerged under water so it takes some practice on how to submerge the camera without changing the modes in your camera by accident.

Now here are sample shots and video of our Go Pro Hero 7 Black. (Disclaimer: I am not tech savvy and this is not a review.)








P.S. The sale is only until May 1, 2019.