HOW TO TRAVEL SIARGAO - The Next Bali?

And this is how you travel? To Siargao! And a big thank you to Norton 360 for sponsoring a portion of this video. So I've been to Siargao three times now. I keep coming back because it is my favorite island in one of my favorite travel destinations, the Philippines. And with that it's got so many signs of what's going to become a major travel destination in Asia. Siargao is one of those places that's got the early signs of like a Canggu or Bali before it was developed. There's a lot of excitement and energy here. So today I've put together the best of Siargao. And odds are pretty good after watching this video you're going to end up coming here for yourself. So what I've done is I've kind of broken it down into a rough five-day itinerary and I threw in a few key pieces of information that I think will be really beneficial for your upcoming trip. It's inevitable. So for day one why don't we start off at the Maasan Bridge. It used to be like an Instagram little hidden gem. The word's gotten out. Not anymore. But it's still pretty quiet relative to everything. It's not so bad but it's such a cool spot. You have a rope swing here. You've got this little raft where you can get some photos. But you gotta pay to do any of these things. It's like between 20 and 50 pesos and you can pay like a few hundred pesos to take a boat around the river. So one of the best things about Siargao is actually the island itself. It's so beautiful. There's countless palm trees. Endless places that are yet to be discovered. It's one of those places you can just rent a scooter. Hey what's up? And get lost. That is insane. We just saw a lizard cross the water like Jesus. It was like running on water. I've never seen any animal do that. I'm so sorry we weren't filming. I know. It was amazing. A massive thank you to Norton 360 for sponsoring this portion of this video. Today, I hate to break it to you, cyber threats are continually evolving. 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But it's important to establish nobody can stop all cyber threats. And that right there is the end of the sponsored portion. So let's get back into showing you how to travel Siargao. About 45 minutes later, we have arrived here at Pacifico. And damn, if you were a surfer, this would be the day. This is the nicest picnic I think I've ever had. Right now we are here on Pacifico Beach, which is kind of like the northeast side of Siargao. It's another really beautiful surfing haven, a great place for beginners to come. And most of all, it's a beautiful beach that nobody else is on. As far as you can see, white sand, blue water, little cute doggies. And the best thing about it right now is that Naipilat has set us up this insane picnic. Not everyone's gonna have this experience, but you can have your own picnic. Pack your own stuff, go to a local little shopping center, and bring some supplies to the beach. This is a worthy day trip right here. So we're now headed back to the resort, but there's actually one amazing spot that's currently closed today, but should be open by the time you come in about a month's time. And that is the Magupungko Rock Pools. You have to make sure you get the right tide because it'll look completely different during different times. But this is where I was able to visit last time I came, and it's really beautiful. It gets pretty busy, so as usual, get there early. Back to the vehicle we go. Welcome back to Barefoot Living. So as for accommodations, you have several choices. You can go as cheap as 10 to 15 US a night in a surf-style hostel. You can have a guest house, you know, between 25 to 40, depending on your location and the style. And as far as the upward boundary, well, I don't know if there really is one. You can kind of spend a lot of money here, especially if you get into the ultra-luxury properties like Naipilat. But you get what you pay for, and if this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, maybe a honeymoon, I think it's worth it. So without a doubt, the best thing to do in Siargao is to get out on the island. And this right here is our ride for today. All aboard. We're gonna go island hopping. To do in Siargao for a day trip is to go around these beautiful islands, and we have just arrived here at Naked Island. His favorite island. So Naipilat has set us up with a boat, but it doesn't have to be so expensive. You can actually get yourself a banca, one of the local boats here, split it with a group of people, could even be strangers, and you can end up doing it for a reasonable place. And the cost will be about this much for a group. Max, you know why they call it Naked Island, right? Why? I just realized I put my swimsuit on. Where am I? Oh, it's been a week. It's time to find food. But I have no energy left. I don't know if I'm gonna make it. I don't know if I'm gonna make it. Oh, thank goodness, food. Cheese and crackers, my favorite. But there's no wine. The wine is empty. So here we are just sitting on the beach when absolute comedy gold just lands right in my lap with perfect delivery and execution. I had everyone just breaking down in laughter a second ago. It's probably not gonna be as funny as the first time, but it's still, it's gonna be a classic. All right, so what do you say when your man steals your fruit? It's time to let that man go. If you're wondering how he's not single right now, it's just pure luck. Max gave a good chuckle. I laughed. We're right now on Dachau Island, which is like the bigger of the islands near General Luna. This is normally the place people come for like a lunch stop, but for us we're doing a sunset and wine and cheese stop. No complaints. I like this. We've got the entire island to ourselves. I'd highly recommend hiring your own banca, like those private little local boats, because if you come here later in the evening, yeah, there's nobody else around. One more island just a little further down, we're not going to go there today, is Guillaume Island. It's absolutely beautiful. It's for me the most like photogenic island I think I've ever seen. Knock it off. Philip, we've talked about this. Stay back. That sunset was literally the most unexpected one I think I've ever had. Everything turned pink. It was so beautiful. Out of nowhere. It was like gray to just on fire. In fact, Christian said let's leave because it looks like it's gonna rain, but then boom, everything was so beautiful. Thank you, Siargao. Siargao is unbelievable, but if we're willing to go a little further off the coastline and pay a little bit of money to do so, you must check out Sohoton. Sohoton is this epic set of islands where at least a year ago, very few people were going. From my memory, it's about three to four hours by a little banca. It's about three thousand to four thousand pesos depending on the island package that you choose. That's not that cheap, but if you get a bigger group, you can of course split that cost. There's also going to be some admission expenses for some of the parks, but if you have a look here at some of the incredible shots I was able to get, you'll see for yourself why it might just be worth it for you to spend that money. We ended up staying at this hotel right here and granted, the view is absolutely spectacular. It was actually a rather simple accommodation. Given how basic it was on the inside, I would say the price was pretty darn expensive, but you also get to wake up to that view right there and for me, that made it all worth it. Welcome to General Luna. This is the most built-up side of Siargao. It's where you've got your hostels, coffee shops, surf camps, hotels, and just about anything else you're looking for. General Luna is without a doubt a baby Bali. It looks like Canggu before Canggu popped off. It looks like Tulum before Tulum became Snobby. This is such a cool and inviting place and right now you'll see construction throughout General Luna and things will not look the same in a month or in a year from now. This is quickly becoming one of the most go-to places in all of the Philippines for travelers, especially those who like to surf. And for better or for worse, you're actually starting to get franchises on the island. Things that kind of look a lot like a Starbucks. Now before Siargao was a up-and-coming destination, it was a surf spot. It was a total secret among surfers, an incredible break where people could just catch some absolutely gnarly waves. As you can tell, I'm not a surfer. Today, it has the foundation of surf culture mixed in with, you know, yoga retreats. It's got the incredible beachside access that anybody can enjoy even if they're not surfing. So it's become so much more than just a surf spot. And once again, it's hard not to draw parallels with the early stages of Bali. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Since you're here anyways, let's talk about the Siargao is quickly becoming a nightlife capital of the Philippines. I've been told, not from my experience, but I've been told just about every night of the week there is something going on, whether it be Bravo Beach Club or whether it be going to the rum bar for a late night drink. There's basically something going on every night. Our first stop here is a restaurant in General Luna that I wanted to show you guys because I've only heard good things about it. And that is Hello! 130 pesos for two tacos. It's pretty good. I'm into it. Next stop on the list is, we're doing a little bit of a crepe stop. We're going to get a savory and a sweet crepe, all for the tune of 200 pesos per crepe. They have sun-dried tomatoes in it, which I really love. So I give it an 8. So as we're taste testing our way through Siargao, today is Max's 20th birthday. Happy birthday, Max. Thank you very much. And he is on to his second Nutella and peanut butter crepe today. It's a good day. 20 crepes for your 20th birthday. That's the expression. That's what they say. There was no food left. We're at Kook's Cafe and apparently you have to come early, otherwise everything sells out. That's a good thing. It's because everything's made fresh. It's also one of the spots where you can actually bring your laptop, plug in, and do a bit of work here. So it's kind of like an unofficial co-work space with good food and healthy drinks. Thank you. If you just leave the main road, you're brought on to some beach access resorts, hotels, and restaurants. And right now we're here at Bravo and we're going to try out the Bravo restaurant. We've heard good things and we've eaten way too much, so we're not going to get food. But the cheesecake sounded awesome, so confirmed. It's awesome. Trying something random on the menu and finding one of my favorite cheesecakes. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I will coconut cover it though. There's basically four main ways to get around Siargao and it's a pretty big island, so you're not going to be doing a lot of walking. Rent a scooter. That's my number one way if you're comfortable to do it. To rent a scooter is going to cost around 350 pesos per day, sometimes upwards of 500, but try to find the cheaper end. Another awesome way to get around is this right here. The handy dandy tricycle drivers. And it's not too too expensive. To get around Siargao within General Luna is going to cost you about 50 each per person. Another way to get around is going to You can rent a car and drive yourself around. You could probably negotiate that price. And the fourth and final way to get around, I just spat everywhere, is right there. None other than your tourist van. Basically getting around with a driver so you don't have to worry about getting yourself. Look at the smiling face right here. That's the one. Now as you guys know, Siargao is my number one island in the Philippines, but there is a huge downside to this beautiful paradise. And that is going to be that you're almost entirely disconnected from internet on most parts of the island. And even the best pockets of internet on the island are still extremely slow. I'm talking just barely being able to post a photo on Instagram, barely being able to get your stories up. You're going to have to wait a good 30 seconds to 60 seconds just to get some basic stuff uploaded. And if you're like me and you're trying to upload gigabytes and sometimes even tens or hundreds of gigabytes, not a chance. It's not going to happen here in Siargao. The internet is just probably some of the worst in the Philippines, at least for a developed island. Day five, one of my favorite days. We're going to be doing a half day or even full day trip to the Sugba Lagoon. Now to get there is a little bit tricky. You can either take your scooter or transport truck to Del Carmen, and then from there you can get a boat, a private banca for 1600, and that will take you to the magical Sugba Lagoon. Once in Sugba, we basically just hung out the whole day, swimming around, taking out the kayaks, jumping off the high dive, and it was actually a really social atmosphere, so it was awesome for meeting people. It's time to say goodbye. It's been the most incredible stay once again here at Nay Palad. Come with me, we've got to go back to the airport. Our shoes are back on, a very sad sign that our time here at Fantasy Island is over. That right there is how to travel Siargao, and if you enjoyed today's video, please leave a big thumbs up button. It makes a huge difference to these videos, and hit the subscribe if you want to see our faces a little bit more. Alright, let's get lost again in the next one.