Siquijor - Birthday Tour (Day 2)

Patricia Narsico
Jul 15, 2018
4 min read

I'm gonna stagger this into two post mainly because it's going to be too long to read. Here's the part 1 of the adventure I had in Siquijor;

Day 1

Beach near the Resort > Larena Port > The Big Belly Burger and Breakfast >St. Francis Of Assisi Parish > Marelle’s Underwater World Museum > Tidal Pools in San Juan > Coco Grove’s Resort

I decided to go explore some parts of the island backpacker style. I left the resort around 8:30 AM and got back around 3:45 PM

Larena Beach

Location: Larena, Siquijor

Travel Time from Palm Tree Guesthouse: 5 minutes

This is a public beach so anyone can enjoy swimming, snorkeling or lounging around here.

According to the owner of the resort I was staying at, there's plenty of great snorkeling spots here and a coral reef too. I tried snorkeling, but I was alone and was not successful because I brought a bag with me that's not a dry bag (I need to invest in one).

Ultimately, I recommend to the public beach nearest the resort or place you'll be staying at.

Larena Port

Location: Larena, Siquijor

Travel Time from Palm Tree Guesthouse: 10 minutes

There is two major ports in Siquijor; Larena port & Siquijor port.

Larena port, is relatively bigger than the port in Siquijor.

There are two points of interest you can find here; one is Prince Warehouse and another is a restaurant called "Portside Cafe".

I highly recommend you try the Portside Cafe because it's affordable and good.

I took a jeep from my resort to the port and paid around ₱ 10.00.

The Big Belly Burger and Breakfast

Location: Siquijor, Siquijor

Travel Time from Larena Port: 25 minutes

Well planning this trip, I was researching on places to eat and this resto was one of the most recommended places and so I decided to give it a try. I was right to believe the internet, this place was good.

The staff were nice and the menu had variety and the price was afforadable. The only con I found was that the actual resto was open air and the local government was fixing the road, but other than that it was a real treat. Also, this is another branch of the Portside Cafe

I took a pedicab from Larena Port to here and I paid around ₱ 23.00.

St. Francis Of Assisi Parish

Location: Siquijor, Siquijor

Travel Time from The Big Belly Burger and Breakfast: 2 minutes

Construction of this church began February 1, 1793 and it was built so that the people had a hiding place from pirates.

Like any Spanish era church in the Philippines the walls are made out of coral cement, slightly elevated and facing the sea. Furthermore, the layout of the church looks like a cross from a bird's eye view (this is common for churches made during this era).

I had a very interesting conversation with an old man inside the church. He basically said you can sleep in the streets of Siquijor and not worry about your belongings being stolen.

St. Francis Of Assisi Parish

Marelle's Underwater World Museum

Location: San Juan, Siquijor

Travel Time from St. Francis Of Assisi Parish: 25 minutes

This museum plays host to more than a thousand seashells both fresh and salt water from all over the world. Click here to learn more about them.

When I got to the museum they just opened, but the staff was really accommodating. Without even asking one of the staff members started to just educate me about the seashells like how the museum housed (which I forgot how much), which ones were found in the Philippines and found internationally. And we I asked for their WIFI password, they gave it. The entrance fee is around ₱100.00.

I took a pedicab from Siquijor Port to here and I paid around ₱ 30.00.

cfff

San Juan Tidal Pools

Location: San Juan, Siquijor

Travel Time from Marelle's Underwater World Museum: 5 minutes, it's located behind the museum.

This was the top item on my to-do list as soon as I got to the island, to make sure that I explore a tidal pool and I was able to do it. I saw plenty of critters, but unfortunately I was not able to get any of them up close mainly because I didn't have the proper equipment.

While I was there I was able to witness baby barracudas chasing a school of fries and it was one of the coolest thing I've ever seen (I sound like a total nerd).

When exploring tidals pools an important tip is to makes sure you're wearing proper foot wear to avoid accidents.