The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 655

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Cebu Pacific fly from to and from Cebu (daily;
50min).
By ferry Ferries depart roughly hourly between 5am-
6pm (1hr) from Balingoan, about 80km northeast, for
Benoni on Camiguin's southeast coast. From here, jeepneys
run frequently to and from Mambajao. Transport rates to
everywhere on the island are fixed by the tourist o ce
and displayed on a board at the pier in Benoni.

more than a jumping-off point for the
picture-postcard island of Siargao . It's a
compact place and easy to negotiate on
foot: the main street, Rizal, runs from
north to south; at the northern end is the
central plaza, where you'll find a couple of
banks with ATMs and a handful of
fast-food restaurants. he Leomondee Hotel
(Borromeo St; T 086 232 7334; P650), a
block inland from the sea, is a good place
to try if you get stuck here, with small but
decent air-conditioned rooms and free
wi-fi. he city tourism o ce (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm; T 086 826 8064, E tourism
[e-mail]) is at the
southern end of Rizal Street at the Luneta
Park, where you can get the latest
information about transport to Siargao.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The airport is 5km out of town. There are daily
flights to Cebu (2 daily; 55min) with Cebu Pacific and to
Manila with PAL Express (1hr 40min).
By bus The bus terminal is 4km west of the city, where
there's a helpful traveller's lodge with timetables ( T 086
826 3488). Buses run hourly between 6am and 10pm to
Butuan (3hr) where you can connect to Cagayan de Oro or
Balingoan (for Camiguin). There are also frequent a/c
minibuses until 7pm, which make fewer stops.
By ferry The wharf is at the southern edge of Navarro
Street; take a tricycle from here to the city centre. There are
daily ferries (4hr) between Surigao and Dapa on Siargao,
as well as daily fast crafts (2hr 30min).

INFORMATION
Tourist information The tourist o ce (Mon-Fri 8am-
5pm; T 088 387 1097, E [e-mail])
is in the Provincial Capitol building a short tricycle ride
from the centre of Mambajao.
Amenities In Mambajao there's a branch of PNB, an ATM,
a couple of internet cafés and a cluster of cheap places to
eat around the market area.

ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND
DRINKING
Most of the best beach accommodation is west of
Mambajao between the barangays of Bug-ong and
Yumbing, though the beach itself is coarse dark sand. This
stretch also gives quickest access to White Island, a
dazzling serpentine ribbon of sand that makes a fun, early
morning boat excursion (since there's no shade on the
island it can be too hot later in the day). All of the listings
below, except GV , have their own restaurants.
★

8

Camiguin Action Geckos Bug-ong T 088 387 9146,
W camiguin.ph. Welcoming, well-run resort on a spectacular
stretch of beach, and one of the best pl aces o n the island
to organize activities. Free wi-fi. Fan rooms P900
Enigmata 2km inland, east of Mambajao T 088 387
0273 or T 0918 230 4184, W camiguinecolodge.com. This
place is something different: an eco-lodge built around a
giant acacia tree in the middle of a sculpture garden, and
managed by an artists' collective. There's also a great
restaurant serving budget me als. H ippy he aven, i f you
don't mind being inland. Dorm P250 , double P1050
GV Hotel Burgos St , Mambajao T 088 387 1041. Located
in the town itself, GV has fan and a/c rooms (P580) with
bathrooms and TVs. P330
Jasmin by the Sea Bug-ong T 088 387 9015,
E [e-mail]. The basic rooms are
excellent value, though there's not much beach here.
Jasmin offers motorbike rental (P300/day) and excursions
(White Island , P500 ) at a cheaper rate than many of the
other resorts. P800

SIARGAO
Off the northeastern tip of Mindanao
lies the teardrop-shaped and largely
undeveloped island of Siargao , with its
secluded white-sand beaches and dramatic
coves and lagoons. Siargao has got
everything, with a typically tropical coastal
landscape of palm trees and dazzling seas,
and a lush hinterland of small barangays
and coconut groves. Some of the first
tourists here were surfers , who discovered
a break at Tuason Point that was so good
they called it Cloud 9. Over the years,
word of mouth brought an increasing
number of surfers from around the world,
and today it's the centre of surfing in the
Philippines. here's a handful of seaside
resorts around the island's friendly little
capital of GENERAL LUNA , known as GL,

SURIGAO
he busy capital of the province of Surigao
del Norte, SURIGAO provides nothing