Summer is just around the corner and many are already planning for their much awaited getaway – yes, the long awaited summer vacation!
For sure, the kids and kids at heart are already excited to pack their bags, go on leave, and enjoy summer at their best summer destination for this year! Excited for you too!
Well, if you’ll ask me, being a lakwatsera, I have a list of favorite spots for summer already – there’s the cold and homey Banaue, Sagada, Batad (wanna be here real soon again!); the majestic Palawan and the best island in the world, Boracay; the nearby Bulalo haven, Tagaytay, Batangas, and list goes on and on and on.
But, if there’s one destination that I will never get tired to go back to? It would be my hometown, my beloved Masbate Province.
Yes, this will forever be the best summer destination for me.
Masbate Province is so much blessed with wonderful beach destinations, hidden waterfalls, magical islands, breathtaking sandbars, and many more. I honestly was not able to realize how blessed this province is until I had the opportunity to be with TravelBook.ph‘s #Juanderlust winner, Mr. Dave Agbayani on his travel to all the three main islands of Masbate (Masbate, Ticao and Burias).
It was the first time I saw the beauty Masbate Province has.
And at the end of our trip, all I thought was, “This province is the best, the most magical place that everyone should be checking out.”
The islands are untouched, some mountains are simply just like that of Batanes’ and the people are very hospitable and kind.
Not that I am a native of Masbate, but there’s just so much to explore in this province.
Perhaps you have never encountered Masbate Province on the Philippine Map, or maybe, you have heard about it a couple of times already but just shrugged it off because you thoughts there’s nothing really interesting about place. But you know what? Masbate is just waiting for you to explore and appreciate its beauty and full potential.
Ten Reasons Why Masbate Province is my Favorite Summer Destination
I know some of you are not really familiar with Masbate so I listed ten of the many reasons why this province will always be my all-time favorite summer destination.
Who knows, you might want to discover Masbate after reading this post. 😉
1. Masbate boasts untouched and virgin islands
Surrounded by seawater, Masbate has a great number of secluded and beautiful beach destinations waiting to be discovered by many of us.
I have been to the three main islands of Masbate Province – Masbate, Ticao, and Burias.
Each of these three islands has their own hidden beach destinations that varies from one another; each with their own beauty and uniqueness.
2. The province has a magical waterfalls that plummets directly to the sea!
Can you imagine this?
Last April 2016, as part of TravelBook.ph Juanderlust campaign, we visited the wonders of Ticao Island. And for our first stop, the magical Catandayagan Falls!
Witnessing a 60 feet high beauty with rushing water plummeting directly to the sea is nothing short of magical!
I have been here last 2004 and was still in awe but last year was even better as we jumped out of our boat and swam to the waterfall.
We didn’t mind the deep blue sea and swam to the falls itself! As curiosity kicks in, I climbed to the nearest rocks and tasted its water! Haha! Okay. Of course, it’s not salty. Hahaha!
There’s also a cave nearby but we didn’t bother to check the inside. I personally don’t want to see sea snakes or any reptiles there. Just thinking about them creeps everything in me.
3. Masbate’s Ranch Tour should be on your Bucket List
Masbate Province is known to be the Cattle Country of the Philippines. With this, expect wide ranches in the province.
Good news: Masbate Tourism is now offering a Ranch Tour for you to feel the cowboy and cowgirl life! Time to shop for your cowboy hats and attire!
What’s great is you can also pitch a tent and go camping under the stars, build your own campfire, and wake up to a wide range of Masbate mountains and see herd of cattle from afar!
Talk about real and authentic ranch life!
4. ..and Rodeo Masbateño Festival is really one-of-a-kind!
Wanna be a cowboy for a day? Then let’s go to Masbate this April for the yearly Rodeo Masbateño Festival!
The festival lasts for a week with many activities in line that features bull riding, parades, dance competitions, and cattle wrestling.
5. Masbate’s spectacular mountain ranges
Though I have been to many destinations which boasts amazing stretch of mountains, Masbate’s are still remarkable and outstanding in my eyes.
Everything is so peaceful as we drive to Mandaon, Masbate with the lush green mountains and meadows on both side of the road. This always gives me chills, peace of mind, and calmness that this mountains bring.I don’t know if you also felt this way, but mountains are like best friends for me.
We always stop in the middle of the road just to appreciate the beauty and calmness it brings.
6. There is a sandbar just 10-15 minutes away from the city proper!
When in Masbate City, you should not miss visiting Buntod Bay Marine Sanctuary. It is a sandbar with pristine waters near the city and would only take you to over 10-15 minutes boat ride from Rendezvous Resort in Nursery Masbate.
According to Masbate City’s website, Buntod is ranked as the Philippines second most resilient coral reef area in terms of broad-scale and local-scale factors (Bucol et.al, 2011). It occupies 20 hectares of core zone and 100 hectares of buffer zone.
Facilitated by the city government, SAMAPUSI (Samahang Mangigisda sa Puro-Sinalikway) was born, Masbate’s Bantay Dagat Team.
Some activities that you can enjoy in the sandbar are snorkeling, kayaking, and even diving.
7. Masbate has a picturesque mountainpark near the city
Mayong Payong has several native huts that you can rent for only P200 per night. This mountaintop also has a viewing deck that you can use for capturing photos with a lovely background.
Sad that I have never been to Mayong Payong in Mobo, Masbate but all of my friends who already went there says that if you are a lover of sunsets, you should not miss visiting this mountaintop.
Once on top of the mountain, you can witness the beauty of the Buntod Bay Marine Sanctuary sandbar, the city center, and the distant Mayon Volcano.
8. Masbate has lovely and stunning beach resorts
Because Masbate is being surrounded by seawater, the province has a number of great picturesque beach resorts that you can choose from.
Altamar Ticao Island Resort
Situated in one of Masbate Province’s virgin islands, Altamar Beach Resort in Ticao can make your travel experience a much more different, relaxing, and full of adventure one. It is owned by the Espinosa family and currently, Altamar Beach Resort is building another Events Center that will cater to the ever growing needs and wants of its guests. The Events Center can be used to accommodate beach weddings, big group training and seminars, reunions, and so much more.
Altamar Beach Resort Details:
Bituon Beach Resort
Located at Bagacay, Mobo, Masbate, Bituon Beach is a secluded resort in Masbate some 13.5 kms away from the city center of Masbate.
Aside from the long stretch of beach, the resort also offers other activities such as beach volleyball, basketball, kayaking, horseback riding, scuba diving, and many more.
Bituon Beach Resort Details
Listed below are some hotels and resorts in Masbate:
- Baywalk Garden Hotel and Restaurant
- Legacy Suites
- Greenview Hotel and Restobar
- Rendezvous Beach Resort Hotel and Restaurant
- MG Hotel and Restaurant Masbate
- Seaman’s Hotel Masbate
- Sea Blick Hotel Masbate
- St. Anthony Hotel Masbate
- Rancher’s Hotel
- Jade Hotel
- Balay Valencia
- Victoria Du Hotel
- Bituon Beach Resort
- Altamar Ticao Beach Resort
- Ticao Island Beach Resort
For more hotels and resort, kindly head on to this link and book with TravelBook.ph.
9. Masbateños are good cooks, hospitable and has lots of stories to tell!
Everywhere I go in Masbate, I always encounter natives who are just so welcoming and hospitable. They usually talk about Masbate in the past, how Masbate changed over the years, and how they want Masbate to be in the next few years.
Some folks talk about legends in their area and other mystical places too!
Oh! Did I tell you that Masbateños are really good cook? <3
10. Did I mention Masbateñas are oh-so-beautiful too?!
Uh-huh! Masbate is so much blessed with stunning Masbateñas!
Talk about our darling Kisses Delavin of Pinoy Big Brother 737, Bea Rose Santiago, Binibining Pilipinas International 2013 and Ms. International 2013, and Kristine Hermosa – her mother is pure Masbateña. 😉
How to get to Masbate:
Via air: You may choose from CebuPacific and PAL airlines as they have direct flights going to the province.
Note: Just this February 2017, CebuPacific opened Manila-Masbate route! Yey!
Fare: This actually depends when you’ll book but generally, P7,000 for PAL and P3,500 for CebuPac both for one-way. Although they have their own promotions and discounts so might as well check their sites from time to time.
Via land and sea:
- Take a bus at Araneta Cubao Bus Terminal going to Masbate. There’s a number of bus lines there that you can choose from. Travel time from Manila to Pilar/Pio Duran in Sorsogon is 10 hours and RORO from Sorsogon to Masbate usually takes 2 to 3 hours.
Note: Total bus fare includes RORO ticket
The I Love Masbate Passion Project
Back when I was in college, there are a lot of times that I can’t help but miss Masbate.
So, to cover the loneliness in the Manila jungle, I created Facebook page dedicated to Masbate, a community wherein people shares photos, videos, and stories about our beloved province with the goal of letting our hometown be known nationwide.
Thus, out of passion and love for Masbate, I Love Masbate Facebook page and ilovemasbate.blogspot.com website was born. 😉
So happy that today, we already have over 22,000++ followers on Facebook!
I usually ask the followers of the page to share a photo of their place in Masbate and what I do is I share it to everyone in the community through the page and website.
Somehow, I believe people like me who are working or studying outside Masbate will feel a little joy when they see people sharing photos and stories on our Facebook page.
Today, photos are indeed a vital need in promoting Masbate.
And for me to share what Masbate really is in the online community, I know that I don’t need the much coveted and pricey DSLRs and whatnot, I just need a smartphone with great camera features just like that of OPPO F1s.
Here’s what I love most about OPPO F1s:
- Well, tagged as the Selfie Expert smartphone with 16MP front camera and 13MP rear camera, OPPO F1s allows more light to enter the camera to enhance its sensitivity. Great thing is that we can now take selfies even in a low light. I can imagine taking a selfie with the mountains of Masbate or with Buntod Sandbar as my background!
- Plus, taking away my blemishes and impurities in a natural-looking shots?! How cool is that?
- One great feature of this phone as well is its Selfie Panorama. Usually, when in a summer getaway, we’re with our friends and family, right? Like you, we also have a hard time taking a selfie of everyone in the group not unless we have a selfie stick. But with the Selfie Panorama, just move your smartphone from right to left and tadaaa! Everyone’s captured in a single photo!
- And oh, did I mention that this smartphone has 2.5D Gorilla Glass, touch access, dual-sim, and last but definitely not the least, this smartphone is faster than ever with its 3GB ram and octa-core 64-bit processor!
In my next summer getaway in Masbate, I’m excited to bring an OPPO F1s to capture moments and great scenes with family and friends!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Masbate Province will always be the best summer destination for me.
With all the reasons I wrote above, I hope I sparked a fire and interest in your heart about Masbate.
If you also want to experience the picturesque western remote setting, hidden white beaches, waterfalls, and ranches, don’t forget add our beautiful province to your list of summer getaway!
Promise, you will enjoy the breathtaking destinations Masbate has to offer!
