Life is a Beach (First of Two Parts)

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The joy of doing nothing

Summer came and went (at least in the Philippines) and we are still holed up in this lockdown. Truly, the COVID pandemic has dramatically changed how we live our lives that even the season that we look forward to for some rest and recreation passed us by too quickly that it seems like it didn’t come at all. Not that I’m bemoaning the season gone (there are far more gazillion problems out there like loss of jobs, hunger, racism, neo-Nazi plight of ethnic minorities and other forms of abuse, oppression, and persecution that deserve more attention) but just to reflect on how time can slip us by without us even noticing it.

Missing summer

Now that summer is officially over (and here comes the monsoon rains), let me reminisce this time of the year when I would normally hie off to a beach to relax and enjoy the sun, the sand, and the sea. Not to gloat or show off really, but just my attempt to bring some sunshine in this otherwise grim and gloomy world scenario and to take you on a virtual trip around the globe to see the beaches that I have been to in all my travels (though I may miss a few coz it’s hard to track the last 20 years of travel). So pack your virtual bags (don’t forget to bring the sunscreen) and indulge in the beautiful scenery that this world has to offer (in spite of the ugliness in the world today).

Asia

Beautiful sunset of Lagen Island (El Nido, Palawan)

This is the region that has probably and arguably the best beaches in the world. My beloved Philippines, for example, has been in the list of every major travel magazines out there as having some of the finest beaches in the world. I’ll start off with Boracay white beach, coz this is the first beach that I’ve been to in my youth that really mesmerized me with its natural, unspoiled, unadulterated beauty. This was the old Boracay during the 90’s when there were only a handful of resort-like accommodations (not the party island that it is today) and the white sands were like baby (talc) powder. Tired and weary from the presidential campaign of Miriam Defensor Santiago (https://columbusbee.blog/2019/09/21/remembering-miriam-defensor-santiago/), me and the youth volunteers went to Boracay for some needed relaxation. With crystal clear warm waters, smooth tides, powdery sands, and the sun smiling at us, it was one of my earlier memories where I was truly in awe of a place with so much beauty.

One of my earlier fave summer hideaways (Club Paradise, Dimakya Island, Palawan). Stunning view (the beach looks nice too lol)

A favorite hideaway and escape for me earlier is in Dimakya Island off the coast of Busuanga, Palawan. There was only one resort there (Club Paradise) that was used to be owned by a German entrepreneur. The reason why it’s a fave of mine is because once you are in the island, you are totally disconnected from the rest of the world: no cellphone signal, no TV in the room (where the only TV in the island is in the recreation room of the resort, along with the billiard table, library, and some VCDs) and the only form of communication is thru a radio system. Don’t get me wrong, just because you have these little life inconveniences do not follow that there were no decent amenities in the island. On the contrary, you can still enjoy some fine dining and luxurious services (they have a spa area) depending on how much dollars (yes dear, the rates were not local prices with premium but the equivalent of being charged in dollars) you are willing to spend. A perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and the annoying calls of your boss on your personal time.

Summer rainbow (Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa, Arreceffi Island, Palawan)

Aside from Dimakya Island, Palawan boasts of some of the most beautiful islands in the world (rated #1 by some travel magazines) with pristine white beaches. Off the coast of Puerto Princesa (where the new wonder of the world Underground River is) is Arreceffi Island (where Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa is). It boast of a house reef where colorful fishes abound and good for all-day snorkeling. Or enjoy a stroll along the long stretch of the beach and relax in one of the resort’s cabanas.

(Left): Lagen Island (Right top): Miniloc Island (Right bottom): Pangulasian Island

But the crown jewels of Palawan are in El Nido. El Nido Resorts, for one, manages 3 resorts in 3 different islands. Lagen Island is known for its beautiful sunsets. It doesn’t have a good beach but the beautiful sunset alone makes up for it. Miniloc Island has a nice beach that attracts a lot of fishes, particularly the jackfish thanks to the daily jackfish feeding in the resort. Pangulasian Island has the most luxurious resort among the 3 locations. It has a white pebbly beach with crystal clear calm waters. It also has a house reef where you can do a lot of snorkeling, where you can snorkel your way from the reef back to the resort (with the resort guide in tow of course). A visit to these resorts won’t be complete without doing the island hopping. Part of that tour is the trip to small and big lagoons and Snake Island with its popular fine white sandbar that emerges during low tide.

Island hopping (El Nido, Palawan)

Mactan Island (Cebu) and Bohol are two other islands in the country with fine beaches. Mactan Island hosts resorts like Shangri-La, Plantation Bay (a man-made beach and lagoon), and Movenpick. Bohol has Panglao beach. While the former is very commercialized and high-end, the latter is laid-back and still has that rustic charm courtesy of coconut trees lining up along the beach. Both have fine white sands and calm clear waters. So depending on what kind of vibe you are looking for, you have a good mix of beach locations to choose from.

The Beach (Phi Phi Island, Thailand)

A country that can parallel the beauty of the Philippines is Thailand. It’s my favorite country in Southeast Asia and has some of the famous islands and beaches in the world. Who can forget Phi Phi Island, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach was shot? That stunning seascape immortalized by that movie has left me in awe while island hopping from the resort that I was billeted in. This is where I had my first taste of kayaking, which is the only way to get into Thailand’s own version of the hidden/secret beach in the big/small lagoons. As a kayaking virgin, I think I did pretty well navigating the tight entrance which is also the exit (so you have to ensure that the small opening is free of kayak traffic as well as swimmers getting in and out of the hidden/secret beach). This reminds me also of the secret beach in El Nido, where you have to wiggle your way in a tight hole on the wall of the limestone cliff on shallow waters (literally a hole where only your body can fit) to get to the hidden beach.

Snorkeling in Thai waters

Then there’s the popular Phuket and Pattaya beaches, both popular and party beaches. While the former is an island, the latter is part of the mainland where you can get to by car from Bangkok in just a couple of hours. Phuket has Patong beach while Pattaya has Pattaya, Jomtien, and Dongtan beaches (more on Pattaya in my earlier article https://columbusbee.blog/2019/12/28/a-tale-of-two-pattayas/). Beaches in these locations are similar in both sand and water quality.

Taking a dip to cool off

Two other Southeast Asian beach destinations are Bali (Indonesia) and Langkawi (Malaysia). Bali is like Pattaya where it has two sides: the noisy, party side of the island (Kuta and Seminyak beaches) and the quiet, peaceful side (Nusa Dua beach). Do not expect any white sands here though, as the beaches are likely made from volcanic rocks/debris similar to those in Greece (which I will feature later in this article). Langkawi on the other hand, is an island with pockets of beaches (similar to Mactan Island), like the resort I stayed in that I have featured in one of the blog’s articles (https://columbusbee.blog/2019/09/07/the-danna-langkawi-a-brief-escape-to-remember/).

Langkawi, Malaysia

America

This region would probably have some of the best beaches as well, but I have only been to one. The island of Guam, which is a U.S. territory, is not only known for its beaches but also for outlet shopping. So this island is a haven for those who enjoy the sun, the sand, and the sea plus the shopping. Tumon beach is lined up with international hotel brands, so you have a lot to choose from (I stayed at The Westin Resort Guam). Reminds me of Gold Coast (Australia), which I will write about later part of this article.

Africa

Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town (South Africa)

Let’s now hop to the other side of the world, the region where the waters and the land meet in stunning fashion. What better way to see this is thru the beaches of Africa, particularly those in Cape Town, South Africa. One such beach, Camps Bay beach, does not only have white sands and clear waters, but also spectacular view of the 12 Apostles Mountain Range. To me, a beach with these scenery is a perfect place to be in, where the ocean’s blue waters meet the mass of brown and green earth. Unfortunately, it was winter when I got there, so didn’t really have the opportunity to see how beautiful the views are during summers. But I was still amazed nevertheless.

12 Apostles Mountain Range (partly covered by clouds) and Camps Bay Beach (Cape Town, South Africa)

Cape Town boasts of other beaches along its coastline (like those in Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road with its own 12 Apostles which I will write about later part of this article) such as Boulders beach. What makes this beach unique is the penguin colony that thrives in this location. Unlike the beaches of Asia where palm or coconut trees line up along the beach, this one is lined up with penguin nests. What I noticed is that each nest has two nestlings with their mom (the dad may probably be out looking for food). But be careful going near a nest, the mom can be very protective of her young that she will chase anyone that comes near, and that strong, sharp beak can cause serious injuries.

Boulders Beach and its popular penguin colony (Cape Town, South Africa)

On the northern part of the continent is Morocco, which I wrote a two-part article earlier (first part https://columbusbee.blog/2020/05/10/morocco-a-peak-into-my-expat-past-life-part-1-of-2/ and second part https://columbusbee.blog/2020/06/07/morocco-a-peak-into-my-expat-past-life-part-2-of-2/). Casablanca has La Corniche, the beach that has that Miami vibe where hotels and restos line up along the beach. Agadir has its beach as well, where it can get crowded and lively during summers. The beaches of Morocco usually have beige sands and cloudy waters, so for those who are finicky about sand and water quality, these may not be the best spots for you.

Agadir Beach, Morocco

Let’s pause for now and take a short break from beach overload. Yeah, I know the natural, stunning beauty can be overwhelming, with all these awesome beaches that can be very similar in some ways yet can also be unique in their own ways. To think that we have only covered three regions and there are still three more to go. Tired yet from all the virtual travels? Don’t hang up those virtual beach wear yet coz you’ll need those in the next leg of this trip.

Beach cove along Africa’s coastline

Up next: Europe, Middle East, and Oceania

Greece: Of Myths, Mediterranean Food, and Beaches – Part 2 of 2

Travel Buzz

To pick up where we left off (where I talked about Athens in the earlier part of this article), I have always been curious about the Greek isles which not a few have been raving about. That’s why before embarking on this Greek adventure, I have decided to see two of the most popular ones, Mykonos and Santorini, and booked hotels in these two islands. On my last day in Athens, I went to a local tour office in Athens and bought a one way ferry ticket to Mykonos. I got the Blue Star Ferries ticket where the port is in Piraeus, about half an hour by car (sans traffic). The ferry leaves at 8 in the morning and it’s about a 4-hour trip. There are ferries that run faster, but the faster it gets, the rougher the ride and I don’t want to get seasick thereafter. The ride was pleasant and gave me time to write another article for the blog. I got a business class seat, but on hindsight, I should have settled for economy coz the common dining lounge already looks comfortable. Business class may be advisable on peak season where coach can get too crowded for comfort.

Business class section of Blue Star Ferry

Mykonos

We reached Mykonos around noon and my mistake was not to confirm the hotel transfer with my hotel (Super Paradise Suites) that I have included in my hotel booking. So I waited for a ride that wasn’t there to start with. So after hanging up on hotel staff learning that there’s no transfer to the hotel, I shared a cab with two young ladies from Utah who happen to be staying in the same hotel. We chatted with the cab driver and learned that locals and non-locals alike only work in the island from April to September and the island becomes silent in the next 6 months. There will still be some tourists on lean months, but most of the restos and shops are closed during this period. Non-locals then return to their home base, while locals take this opportunity to travel.

Luxury shops in the island that remind me of those in Capri

The hotel is situated on the hilly edge of Super Paradise Beach (not to be mistaken with another beach in the island called Paradise Beach). So getting to and from the beach would require some hiking which I don’t mind (good daily exercise for me) but not recommended for anyone with mobility concerns given the very steep trail to the beach as well as to where the shuttle that goes to town proper would pick up passengers. When I got to my room, I was pleased with the stunning views of the beach and the Aegean sea with the mountains as backdrop. Just like any island resort, everything here is expensive. Sun beds will set you back as much as 50 euros for a day rent (prices drop as beds get farther away from the shore). Aegean sea reminds me of Mediterranean sea, mystical, magical, enticing clear blue waters (the latter though is on the greenish shade). Per feng shui, my birth element is water, so I’m not surprised why I always get attracted to bodies of water. Maybe I’m a descendant of Poseidon (who lost by the way to Athena on that epic battle I shared in the first part of the article).

View from my room (Super Paradise Suites)

Mykonos, like Bali, is a beach haven so your trip to the island would mostly consists of beach hopping. On hindsight, I should have stayed in any of the hotels in the town proper since that is where all the buses that go to the different beaches pick passengers. It could have saved me a few euros from the daily shuttle between my hotel and the town proper and getting on a bus to the next beach. But what didn’t save me from the island greed was a trip to Platys Gialos beach. That’s where I realized that Mykonos, with all its charm and beauty, can also have the most cruel tourist trap that even the most seasoned traveler could fall victim to. I made a mistake of being lured into Dk Oyster, a beachfront seafood resto. With its nice sun beds facing a beautiful beach, I was enticed with what the in-house ‘hawkers’ sell as a good buy where if you dine in the resto for at least 50 euros, you get a sun bed all day for free, otherwise you pay the same amount up front for a day rent. So I went in and came out 700 euros lighter and 700 euros wiser. How’d that happen? Below is the screen grab from my Tripadvisor review:

The biggest lesson I got from this experience is not what I’ve lost but how to keep a positive mindset after the initial shock and trauma. As I’ve said, it was cruel, which took me a while to recover, but when I did, I tried to condition myself to continue enjoying the holiday and just find ways to cut my losses. I’m here on a holiday and no matter what happens, I’ll move on and enjoy the rest of my vacation. First task I did after accepting my fate was to downgrade my Istanbul hotel (last leg of my trip) which I booked thru my Le Club Accor so I was still able to cancel it a few days before my actual stay. I was able to save a few hundred euros after finding a much cheaper hotel (but in a less desirable location though). I was also able to cut on my onward ferry ticket to Santorini and saved a few more euros from giving up sun beds and just lay on the sands to enjoy the sun and the sea. On hindsight, I should have checked the reviews in Tripadvisor before getting in, coz now I’ve learned that not a few have been victimized by Dk Oyster, with each one having a #metoo horror story to tell. The vileness continues, where for every negative review, Tripadvisor will be flooded with fake positive reviews (you be the judge when you read all the ‘positive’ reviews particularly this peak season). But in spite of all these, I stayed true to myself and kept whatever dignity I have left from this experience: I didn’t scrimp on food (see Travel In Style Part 2) and would never blame my misfortune on being a foodie. Bad things happen to good people not because they love good food.

Some of the meals I had in Mykonos. From left: Spaghetti Frutti de Mare, Mussels Marinara, and Lamb Chops (yes, they are all delish!)

So I also checked out Paradise Beach. Just like Super Paradise beach, party starts at 4PM when the sound systems would start booming loud music and partyphiles would gather and groove in their swimwear with drinks on hand. As in Super Paradise beach, there is a portion of the beach for nudist, where young and old, of different shapes and sizes, will bare and let it all hang out like it’s nobody’s business. Someone who comes from a conservative society like the Philippines would probably cringe at the sight, but not me. I’ve seen similar places before (like the lakes in Germany during summer) where I’d probably be more culture shocked with how nasty tourist traps are than public nudity. So if you think my swimwear pics are too out there, think again. Coz that’s nothing compared to what’s out there.

Santorini

So after having enough of the popular beaches (and greed) of Mykonos, I took a ferry to Santorini. I bought a one way Golden Star ferry ticket from a tour office in Mykonos town. The trip from Mykonos to Santorini was about 5 hours, so it gave me some more free time to finish an article I was writing. Unlike what happened at Mykonos port, I have a driver waiting for me at Santorini port to bring me to Ersi Villas. On the way, I chatted with the driver and unlike Mykonos, Santorini is open all year round to tourists. Upon dropping me at the villas, I instantly got the homey vibe and feel that I was expecting from this kind of accommodation. I was met by Elias, the amiable owner of the villas and right away gave me directions and tips on what to do in the island. A traveler himself, Elias knows exactly what guests need and was even generous in swapping travel stories with me as well as helping me out with my island itinerary.

The villa is located on the mid section of the hill (Santorini is hilly, like San Francisco hilly) in Firostefani. Firostefani is in between Fira, the capital town, and Imerovigli. Firostefani has good number of shops and restos, and the walk path from Firostefani square to Imerovigli is what I would call the best resto row. Here you will find some of the best restos in the island, from To Briki to La Maison. They offer traditional Greek dishes and my ultimate fave, seafood! All three towns are easy walk from each other, that’s why no need to take the bus, unless you want to get to the far end of the island where Oia is with its popular sunset or to the different beaches in the island. Just like in Mykonos, you have to take the buses at the Fira town proper to get to the different beaches.

A guy proposing to his girl at the popular Oia sunset viewing deck. Everyone in the crowd who was there for the sunset cheered after she said “Uhmm…” Just kidding, she said yes 🙂

If I have to describe Santorini in one word, then it would be ‘stunning.’ It actually reminds me of Positano, where the views are just simply stunning. Even the beaches have better views than Mykonos. It makes me wonder now why I even went to Mykonos, when Santorini can offer the same experience (except for the greed) plus so much more. From its caldera to mountain views, beaches to sunsets, dining to shopping, everything seems to bring out only positive and exciting experience. Santorinians are more welcoming, hospitable, and true, and seems to put guest satisfaction over selfish gains. In fact, during this whole Greek adventure, it was in Santorini where I had the best dining experience. I never had any disappointment in all the restos I have dined in where not only the food was great, but the service was at par with my personal standards and expectations and you are seated at the edge of the caldera with its magnificent views.

Best dining experience (need I say more?). From left: Amberjack (La Maison), Dorade (The Greeks), Pork Ribs (To Briki), and Pork Steak (Metropolis Str.)

The beaches did not disappoint as well. Being born out of volcanic activity, Santorini is blessed with beaches that have stunning views and clear waters. I’ve never been happier doing beach hopping, even if I had to take a treacherous path just to get to one of the popular ones called Red Beach. You know, you have to take this very narrow and steep trail with sharp edged rocks and boulders, where some slight miscalculations will easily scrape that beautiful tanned skin. Then you have to negotiate for space in the foot traffic between people going down and up the trail. Though I didn’t overhear anyone saying “is there like an elevator or something?” (Part 1 of this article) but how I wish there was an easier way to get to the beach. The boat that I took for the sea cruise does not pick up or offload passengers on the beach, so the only way to get there is to take this dangerous path. I almost gave up mid way, but I’m just glad I didn’t. If only for the stunning views, I would recommend it for a visit, but just be careful going down and up the trail.

Imagine climbing down to reach the beach and up again to the main road (Red Beach)

So I ended my Greek adventure on a high note, where Santorini was definitely the highlight of the trip. As I mentioned in the first part of this article, there were hiccups and misfortunes along the way, but what is an adventure without the unexpected, the twist and turns, the danger, and most importantly the lessons learned. As I contemplate on my flight back to Athens to take my onward flight to Istanbul, I smiled knowing that I had a good one inspite of. As I’ve quoted in my earlier article (The Joys of Travelling Solo), I would come out a different person from each trip and now I’m a better version of myself than I was before I embarked on this trip. Like in the Greek mythology, I have fought some battles and personal demons along the way (where you would tend to question yourself and create self doubt) of which I have won and restored my core, appreciated the goodness of Mediterranean food, and enjoyed the beach life just how it should be lived.

Life’s a beach. From top left clockwise: Perissa Beach, Kamari Beach, Platys Gialos Beach, & Super Paradise Beach (Hey Sports Illustrated, why don’t you consider these locations for next year’s swimsuit edition with Kelsey Merritt on the cover?)