If someone asks me where my happy place would be, my answer would always be, without a doubt, the beach. As a semi-believer of astrology (yes, you can mock me about it later), my sign would actually support my love for the ocean. I'm a Cancer, by the way. Now, if you're anything like me and you also enjoy the waters, imagine this. You lay on your pizza-shaped beach towel (like the ones on Pinterest) while the heels of your feet touch the grains of the sand. With your earphones plugged in and Ehu Girl starts playing on your Spotify, you start to feel the invigorating rays of the sun tan the exposed parts of your skin. Turns out, getting golden suits you. Now, you sit up and gaze at the horizon between the sky and the sea. The cerulean sea roaring with huge waves is inviting, so you enjoy the rest of the day surfing and swimming - contented, refreshed and happy.

My 2018 blog post on Siargao gave more insight on travelling in a huge group (say more than 3 people). So the financial aspect has really quite differed from when you're travelling alone or in small groups versus travelling in a large group. You can read that blog post here, if you haven't yet. And hopefully, it's as helpful as I hope it would have been. 

FINANCING

Every travel post I make, I always like to begin it with the cost. As a commerce graduate, I am hardwired to be keen on anything that involves money. Also, let's not sugarcoat things, shall we? Money is the key to happiness. People who say otherwise are just too rich to know what it's like to live on a budget.

For your reference, I have here below the summary of all my expenses during the trip. Budget is for a 3-days-2-nights vacay.

AIRFARE
Be on the look out for different airline seat sales. Siargao roundtrip tickets would normally cost at around 3,500php but waiting for those sales would definitely save you quite a ton of money. You don't really need to go broke for you to travel.

ACCOMMODATION
One of the many great things about Siargao is its inexpensive hostel accommodations. Price would probably range from 300php to 1,100php per night. Since I initially was planning to travel alone, I wanted to stay at a place where restaurants are near and is also safe and clean. Luckily, I found Alpas Siargao on Agoda. Agoda is a booking app that helps you find flights or hotel accommodations that fits your criteria. I also did my own research and found their instagram - immediately fell in love with the whole aesthetic of the place and, honestly, when I got there it did not disappoint. I will do a separate blog reviewing my stay at Alpas Siargao. 

TRANSPORTATION

Tricycle or habal drivers can take you to General Luna from Siargao Airport and vice versa. Siargao's modes of transportation are usually tricycle or motorbikes. Plenty of motorbike rentals around General Luna, but since neither of my friend and I knew how to drive a motorbike, we opted to rent out bicycles which was cheaply priced at 100php per day. We used the bikes when we go back and forth to Cloud 9, and everytime we want to take a stroll around General Luna. Sidenote: That was the only form of exercise I've ever done by far. 

Since we also wanted to explore other places that we haven't been to during the first time we were in Siargao, I contacted Sir Loloy, who was just referred to me by a friend. You can shoot me an email or a dm for his contact details.

ITINERARY
Sharing our itinerary to give some input for your next weekend trip to Siargao.


FOOD
Lots of cheap food places around General Luna. If you're on an extremely tight budget, carinderias can be visibly seen anywhere. The above expense report on my weekend travel, re: Food, is the kind of budget on an average. But you can most definitely live off on the island for 3 days with 3,000php pocket money. You just have to cut off splurging on some famous restaurants/cafe like Kermits and Bake Siargao.

ACTIVITIES/PLACES

• Surfing - There's a reason why Siargao is named as the surfing capital of the Philippines, and that reason can be vividly justified by the great ocean waves you see along the beaches. I've only been in Siargao twice but for the times I've been there I never missed an opportunity to "catch some waves". 
• Pacifico Beach Resorts - For this year's trip, since our itinerary allowed us an ample amount of time to explore more the northern part of Siargao, we got the chance to surf at Pacifico, and I have to say that it was a much better experience than in Cloud 9 which is in General Luna. With the same type of waves, you get to ride the tides but without the worry of crowding since Pacifico is less visited by tourists compared to General Luna.
• If you're like me who likes to take portrait photography, the following places might convince you to take a Siargao weekend trip as well:
• Siargao Boardwalk




• Coconut Plantation



• Maasin River x Rope Swing



• Coconut Road
  

Siargao is this one island in the country where I can actually see myself living in for months. It's an island booming with great tourism. The locals are super friendly and hospitable. Definitely, a great place if you want to refresh yourself when you're drained out from all the hustle and bustle of city life. I'd like to describe it as the best of both urban and rural world. You got great beaches plus all the great bars that host awesome parties. Siargao is not just a place. It's an experience. 

I hope this post has convinced you to book that roundtrip ticket and has helped you plan your solo travel in the next few months.

Til my next blog.

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