Known for its sweet mangoes, white sand-beaches, and secluded coves, Guimaras Island is truly an ideal beach getaway. Sadly, I’ve brought my family only thrice with 2014 as our last visit. It’s a shame really. Living in Iloilo, you can imagine coming to the island every weekend but it’s not that easy. My issue is the lack of family-friendly Guimaras beach resorts.
I think it takes more familiarity to make Guimaras Island more family-friendly, moving up from a top backpacker destination. Few days ago, we finally have a great family getaway in Guimaras Island. I wanted to go to Boracay but it’s super high peak season.
We stayed at Alobijod Cove in Alubijod Beach.
Alubijod Beach is the “safest” choice for families especially if you have little kids. Funny, the resort used to be Freelance Beach Resort, the same place I spent my first Guimaras trip way back in college. The beach has been tainted with bad reviews and that is exactly my main concern.
We used to stay in Raymen’s because they have adequate facilities, but it is too noisy and crowded for me. I’ll be blogging more about Alobijod Cove to give you more information. The beach area of the resort is also less crowded than its neighbouring resort. The water is clear too.
It has been ages since I swam in Alubijod Beach.
As usual, we spent the whole afternoon after our arrival and lunch, swimming. When it was too hot, we stayed at the very end of the beach for some shade.
The boys continued making their sand creations. We rented two floaties (Php50 each) too. Basically, that’s what we normally do -swim, eat, drink, swim – I think most people do. 😉
Finally, my boys surrendered right before dusk. At 8pm, we were all asleep, waking up past 8am in the next morning. Must be very tired! Same routine but this time, we went island-hopping (Php550 for the 1st hour, additional Php150 for every additional hour)!
I wanted to dip in a crystal clear water without the litter ( thanks irresponsible tourists!) and snorkeling. For families like those bringing young children, I suggest you make your trip shorter. Go to SEAFDEC to see some fishes. Then choose either Ave Maria Islet or Turtle Island. Skip Baras Cave to give more time swimming.
Kid1 wanted to go back to SEAFDEC ( we went there during our last visit) to feed the fish but I wanted to maximize our snorkelling and swimming. Our destination was Ave Maria Islet because the resort said it is a good place for snorkeling.
And it was the perfect spot! I’ve been to the area three times but, we often just pass by and prefer to go to Turtle Island. The water in Turtle Island is nice but the Ave Maria is a good place for the kids to see some fishes. Give them some goggles and they will enjoy the colourful creatures underwater.
You don’t have to go far to see fishes. I think they are used to humans as they are just swimming where you are standing. My nine-year-old wanted to go farther and see more and more sea creatures!
The islet is also a nice place for wading, great for those with little kids.
The kids saw starfish, crab, and this jellyfish. We avoided this jellyfish back in Alubijod and our boatmen told us, it is harmless.
After more than an hour, I instructed the boat man to go to Baras Beach. I was just curious about it. Sadly, it is in shabby state. We were told it is currently up for sale.
The water was very calm that day. Right after boating, our lunch was waiting for us . The kids swam until it was time to go home.
Just like most tourists, we stopped along the way for some mangoes.
It was a fun family day at Guimaras. Here are some of my suggestion for those going to Guimaras with kids:
1. Choose hotels in Alubijod Beach. It may sound too commercial but they have enough facilities and it is not very secluded compared to other resorts.
2. I personally want to skip resorts that need more sea transfer. I was trying to book our stay in an island resort but changed my mind. What if there is an emergency?
3. Go to the nearest island when island hopping. I would like to go to Natago or Taklong Island but it is too far. I will do that when the kids are older or when I visit Guimaras without them. Ave Maria and SEAFDEC are great Guimaras tourist attractions for families.
4. Keep your itinerary simple. Kids just want to swim and have fun.
5. Keep your standard low – it doesn’t mean cheap! Guimaras is a backpacker destination and an off-the-beaten path for some. Don’t expect it to be like Boracay or Samal.
Have you been to Guimaras? What other fun family fun things to do can you recommend?
Thanks for reading!
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