the gang
A trip to Iloilo to explore the untouched islands of Concepcion.
I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I googled the place and found myself amazed. I invited friends to come along with me and my beau, Toppet, hence, my college friends, Tin, Emma, Alvin and Christian, who never hesitated and doubted the plan, bought plane tickets almost instantly.
Our itinerary allowed us to experience the white sand bar and crystal clear water in Bulubadiangan Island, Concepcion and spend the rest of our trip enjoying the city.
Getting there.(November 4, 2011, Friday)
Our trip by air and land went smooth. From Iloilo International Airport, we rented a shuttle van and headed on to Tagbak Terminal to catch the HPQ bus that goes to Concepcion Town Center. While we waited for the bus to leave, we had our lunch and snacks to prepare for the 3-hour long road trip. It was already past 5:00 PM when we arrived in Concepcion town and met the wife of Mang Sonny, the caretaker of the island. Seeing that everything is in place and only an hour left before we finally reach the blissful paradise, some of us managed to buy the food and supplies needed while the rest registered our names in the tourism office. We got to the island around 6:00 pm, it was already dark, so I waited until morning before I could take pictures.
From Iloilo Airport to SM Terminal
From SM Iloilo terminal to Tagbak terminal
From Tagbak Terminal to the Concepcion town proper
[mark]Fun part. (November 5, 2011, Saturday)[/mark]
At the beach….day and night. You won’t find anything else here but peace of mind and amazing landscape. This is not a party place. In my opinion, this island made me forget about the things I didn’t wanna think about. I’m sure my friends did too. We gazed out in the beach and admired the wonderful 360-degree picturesque view. We took pictures. We hung out. We listened to the waves. We shared stories and then we laughed many times over and I believe the better way to say it is that we bonded.
Sand Bar Island Resort, Bulubadiangan Concepcion
sandbar
the gang
Sunrise
sandbar..
footprints
my beau
the girls
Agho Island
Emz taking a picture of the boys, while Tin just laughed hehe
crystal clear
Agho Island
Toppet at Agho Island
Emz
[mark]Back in the City [/mark]- (November 6, 2011, Sunday)
On our third day, we want back to the city and enjoyed the running shower, air-conditioned room, carpeted floor, night swimming and most especially the food, (oh wait! we enjoyed our food in Sandbar, in fact we relished it, its just that the difference is we didn’t have to prepare it on our own selves.) Prior to our trip, I have been looking for one of the must-try in Iloilo online, the Dulgies Desserts & Cafe intrigued me the most since I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic. One slice will only cost you less than a P100.
hot puto, pandesal and batchoy
caramel pecan cheesecake @ Deco’s
blueberry cheesecake
[mark]The Highlights:[/mark]
- beach and the clarity of the water.
- sand bar itself and the serenity of the place. not as crowded as some of the beaches are. cos “we” were the only crowd.
- sunrise. enough said.
- swimming with the small fishes.
- sands on our feet.
- island hopping…Agho island.
- roadtrip and super fresh, cool breeze
- night swimming in the hotel pool.
- Dinner at Annie’s, Iloilo.
- Batchoy and Puto at Deco’s La Paz Batchoy.
- must-try Caramel Pecan Cheesecake and Tres Leches at Dulgies Desserts & Cafe.
Here’s a rundown I made of our expenses , some of them have a slight difference on the actual.
Expenses
| Domestic Airport Terminal Fee (Manila & Iloilo) | P400/pax |
| Accommodation (sandbar) | P800/1000.00 |
| Boat from Concepcion town to Sandbar (Roundtrip) | P1500.00 |
| Resort Entrance | P25.00 |
| Island Hopping (3 Islands) | P500.00 |
| Water (for taking a bath, etc) | P35/gallon |
| Accommodation (Iloilo City) | P850-P1000 |
Transportation
| Shuttle from Airport to Tagbak terminal (whole van) | P500.00 |
| Shuttle from SM City to Airport | P70/pax |
| Bus from Tagbak Terminal to Concepcion town | P110-P120.00 |
| Jeep from Tagbak Terminal to SM Iloilo | P7.00 |
| Taxi, flagdown rate | P40.00 |
If you plan to visit the Sandbar Resort, here’s the number of our contact
Mang Sonny – 0906-8197516
