Beautiful is an understatement. The Island Garden City of Samal is enchanting! The wanderlust in me led me to see one of Mindanao’s treasure island.
When I drafted my itinerary for a trip to Davao, I made sure I had Samal Island on my list of places to go to. Samal Island lies in the Davao Gulf and is just minutes away from Davao City. Even if you’re on a tight schedule, you can still visit this island.
Let me count the reasons why you should go to Samal Island:
1. Hop from one island to another and capture the unspoiled beauty of the islands like Samal’s small neighbor, Talikud Island.
2. Swim in the turquoise waters
3. Snorkel and see the underwater wonders
4. Nature trip at Hamiguitan Falls
5. See the Monfort Bat Cave where the largest colony of fruit bats reside. It even landed on the Guiness Book of World Records.
6. Ride the Habal-habal and experience the thrill.
Check out my next post for our island hopping, underwater, and Hamiguitan adventures.
How to go to Samal Island
You have a number of options in going to this island.
1. Since we reserved a room at Bluewaters Beach Resort, we went to the Marina Wharf, Lanang Beach Club where Danica, the boat of the resort is docked. Lanang Beach Club, located at Lanang, Davao, is six kilometers away from Davao City.
Lanang Beach Club is also the docking area of the boat going to the world-class Pearl Farm Resort.
Pick-up time is 7:00am. If other guests are riding with you, then you don’t have to pay P200 to go to the resort.
Travel time from Lanang, Aplaya to Bluewaters is about 10 minutes.
The Waiting area of BlueWaters at Lanang
2. Another option is to ride a ferry at Sta. Ana Wharf at Magsaysay Park. Fare is 50 pesos. Or ride a bus going to Samal Island at Magsaysay Park.
Accommodation
Blue Waters Beach Resort
I chose this resort since their prices are affordable. The apartel room costs 1,800 pesos for two persons and you just need to add 300 pesos in case of an extra person. It’s not your A-class resort but the rooms are decent and the people are friendly.
The staff even helped us in our inland and island hopping tour. I’ll tell more about it in my next post.
But what I didn’t like is the FOOD. It’s not that delicious and it’s quite expensive. It’s better to bring your own food. Two BBQ sticks with rice and mango cost around P180.
Food
The Resthouse of the owner of Bluewaters
The Apartel Room
The airconditioned room of the Apartel at Bluewaters is small but clean. The comfort room is clean as well.
The shaded dining area is a plus point to this resort. It also has a garden where you can sit and reflect.
The shaded dining area
But my favorite spot in this resort is Jack’s Cove! It’s located on the shoreline of the resort where you can sit and read a book or take a nap.
Jack's Cove
More photos of the resort:
Visit the local government website of Samal Island for more info: