Monthly Archives: April 2024
Hello Sunshine…
Good Morning World! Aaahhh, I’m back to sitting on my balcony, sipping my coffee and enjoying the sheer joy of having a Saturday morning with nothing booked. In a bit we’ll be out and about showing off Guam to our friend Derek, who arrived Easter Sunday. But, for now, it’s peace and almost quiet (lol it seems like we always have trash or construction trucks beeping away the quiet).
This time last week I was enjoying the view from another island balcony at El Galleon dive resort in Puerto Galera, Philippines. I loved this resort (I don’t get paid for any of this, so when I include the name and link of a place it’s special). Service is top notch, and everyone at the resort made our stay easy and stress free (including transportation from and to Manila). It truly felt like we were visiting old friends — who just happened to have a gorgeous spot of island life.
It was my first visit to a dive resort, so imagine my surprise at not having to haul my gear to a boat or worry about anything other than checking my air and dive computer. I also had my own cubby where all of it remained until, sad sigh, check out day. The dive staff were also fantastic — as were my fellow divers. I made some great friends, and while I say this a lot (and rarely do) I am so going back (seriously!). Whose going with me next?!
the view from our front door 
pool side bliss 
this view never gets old 
fish being delivered to restaurant, which never disappointed. Oh my goodness both of their shrimp appetizers are yummy. 
whoops this is Sabang, which is an easy walk from hotel. 
lol aren’t we sexy in the water taxi on our way to resort (I was fighting tummy issues) 
This is what I looked at while getting a pedi/mani and then a massage — and soooo affordable. 
we had a full moon and a few days later a really low tide, which brought out adorable treasure hunters. 
Happy hour at the bar — new dive buddies! 
Awww hey Betty! I hope we dive and sip again. 
ahhh the balcony 
lol part of the 67 stairs that led to our room. Joe was not pleased about the climb, but the room was worth it. There are also plenty of ground-level rooms near the pool. 
happy hour includes two for one! yes please.
We also lucked out and got introduced to a fabulous Tuk Tuk driver/tour guide who brought us to see waterfalls and White Sand beach; the next day he took Joe all over the island while I had fun diving. Our first and last nights in the Philippines we spent at the Belmont, a Manila hotel within walking distance of Terminal 3 (which happened to be our terminal). If you have late night or early morning flights this is totally the way to go. There are also other hotels nearby to choose from. I enjoyed Belmont’s rooftop pool.
best way to fight traffic is in a tuk tuk 
Taz! We’ll see you next time. 
While Derek landed in Guam on Easter, we were in Manila enjoying our last day in the Phillipines. 
a mall near our hotel — World Resorts something or other. We had fun killing time there while waiting for our flight. 
LOVED the rooftop bar at airport hotel. 
yes I sipped bevies and took a dip here. 
best idea ever: Terminal three has a walkway to nearby hotels. Super easy for us ! 
There’s so much more to share, but I’ll have to save that for my next visit — including diving the Verde Island passage, which I didn’t get to do (long story short I got sick before the trip, and it bullied me a bit throughout, but I won in the end, and I still fit in a lot of wonderful dives). Derek is stirring, so it’s time to go back to having fun on my own island. People, I think it’s official: I will never get bored of island life.
Thank you to everyone I met on this trip who truly made it special! Hugs and cheers!
bettina without borders 