Let’s face it, one of the main reasons we travel is to find the perfect beach. We want white sand like baby powder, flawless, translucent aqua-green waters, and nothing but swaying palm trees as a backdrop. More accurately, we want perfect beaches AND awesome photos of ourselves right on those beaches, offering us proof of better times and warm memories for a long, long time (screen saver for life, as I call it!).
And there’s really no better place in the world to find those perfect beaches (and take those screen saver for life shots) than the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,500 islands, some of which even disappear at high tide.
Of course, most tourists hit the typical hot spots when visiting the Philippines, like Boracay (which has since been closed for a period of six months because of environmental concerns due to overcrowding), El Nido, Bantayan Island (one of my favorites), or many others.
But rising in the ranks of fun and scenic islands to visit is Siquijor, which is still charmingly authentic and “undiscovered” despite the fact that it’s experiencing a massive upswing in tourism.
Salagdoong Beach Review
And yes, Siquijor has the two things we’re looking for: great slices of white sand beach and dazzling photo ops, particularly in a place called Salagdoong Beach.
Jutting out from the northwest portion of the island is an area surrounded on three sides by ocean, home to Salagdoong Beach and the resort of the same name. If you want to find it, just ask any trike or jeepney driver on the island when you hire them to give you a tour, or, if you’re renting a moto and going at it on your own, it’s not hard to follow the signs. Once you arrive, you’ll notice that it’s a surprisingly big complex.
First, the beach. There is a beach there, and it does have white sand and clear water. However, I was a little shocked to find that the beach was just a sliver tucked between rocks and trees, not a big, expansive stretch. But that shouldn’t be a deterrent, as it is really lovely and picturesque – it’s maybe just better to go off days (like not weekends, public holidays, and summer vacation time) because there will be so many Filipino families visiting as well as the usual number of tourists.
Once you’re done soaking, swimming, and sunning at the beach area, one of the main highlights of Salagdoong Beach Resort is the cliff jumping. Actually, you can climb stairs carved into the cliff and choose to jump off at two different points, both with cement ramps leading out over the water. The first one is 10 meters (30 feet) which is high enough, but the next one is 15 meters, 45 feet. It doesn’t sound like much (and doesn’t seem that high once you’re already in the water looking up!) but the 15-meter jump takes some courage!
After cliff jumping and taking videos or selfies on the way down, people congregate at the resort’s big open-air restaurant area, where you can order fresh seafood, beers, fruit shakes, and more. Just leave plenty of time to get your food if you’re starving because they can get busy.
Other than those attractions, you can also walk along the nice seawall at the resort, chill in some shaded areas, and explore other waterfront areas further along. But it’s definitely worth visiting Salagdoong Beach when you’re on Siquijor, or in the Philippines!
About Norm Schriever
Norm Schriever is a blogger, Amazon best-sellling author, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. His work appears in the Huffington Post, Business.com, Good Morning America, The Anderson Cooper Show on CNN, NBC, MSN, Yahoo, Hotels.com, and media all around the world.
Norm grew up in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he was never accused of overstudying. After expatriating to Costa Rica in 2011, he started traveling the world and documenting what he saw. He now lives in Southeast Asia, writing his heart out and working with local charities.
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