Date
of Stay: June 30 - July 1, 2009
RATING
(Scale of 1 to 10)
Location:
*******
Rooms:
********
Condition
and Cleanliness: ********
Staff
Performance: ********
Room
Comfort: *******
Food
and Beverage: *******
Other
Amenities: *******
Value
for Money: ********
 |
| Calicoan Surf Camp |
 |
| Bungalow interior |
Calicoan Surf Camp, Calicoan
Island's (connected to the mainland by a short concrete causeway) best and most
luxurious hideaway, was developed by Cebu-based lawyer and pioneer developer
Maning Go who owns about 500 hectares of the island’s 1,600 hectares.
It
was designed, with distinctive Asian-inspired (Thai, Balinese, Indonesian and
Filipino) lines, by Frenchman Nicolas Rambeau, owner and creator of the
highly-acclaimed, high-end Pansukian Resort in Siargao (Surigao del
Norte).
 |
| Infinity pool |
The resort has 7
well-appointed, spacious bungalows with soaring rooflines. Each bungalow
has a native feel, with its own deck and floor with alternating dark and light
wood stripes.
Modern amenities include airconditioning, compartmentalized
bathroom with hot and cold shower, satellite TV, coffee/tea maker, hair dryer,
minibar and safety deposit box.
The resort’s inviting 300-sq.
m. saltwater infinity pool borders the 3-km. long, white ABCD Beach, the
island’s prime surfing area. Verdant pandamus trees (locally
called bariw) grow through the pool’s uniquely-designed wooden deck,
embracing it and providing cool shade, thus binding nature with design.
Here, you could watched the surging, breathtaking surf (boasting
perfectly-shaped left or right reef breaks) as the island’s eastern side
juts out to the rolling surf of the Pacific Ocean (its powerful swells
tirelessly rolling in over 10,000 m. Philippine Deep), making it a surfer’s
paradise.
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| The resort's restaurant |
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| Calicoan Island Ocean Villas |
The best surfing months are March,
April and September to October when southwesterly winds blow offshore, piling
up incoming ocean swells and carving them into glassy shaped hollows.
Surfboards are rented out for a small fee and beginner’s lessons can be
provided, on request, by the resort staff. Surfers must wear booties as
protection against the sharp rocks.
Although the currents are strong here, the
island offers opportunities for big game fishing along the “Tuna Highway,” the
migratory route for tuna to Japan.
The resort’s restaurant which
offers International and Filipino cuisine including seafood such as freshly
caught, fleshy, sweet and delicious lobster, prawns, scallops, abalone, crabs
and fish. Along the way back to the mainland is Calicoan Island Ocean
Villas, another of Maning Go’s development projects.
Go enlisted the
multi-awarded architectural firm of Francisco
“Bobby” Manosa to prepare the island’s master plan. He envisions
zoning development where visitors can make nature treks to large areas of the
island without encountering any bar, souvenir shop or billboard, thus offering
more natural attractions and leisure activities with less of the hustle of the
better-known Boracay.
NOTE:On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda, internationally known as Haiyan, devastated the town of Guiuan and Calicoan Surf Camp, as well as other surf resorts, were destroyed. The corals were also badly damaged, affecting the formation of waves.
Calicoan Surf Camp: Calicoan
Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Manila Tel: (632) 376-5818.
Website: www.thesurfcamp-calicoanisland.com.