We took a taxi to Ortiz wharf in Iloilo for 100 Php, when we arrived at Ortiz wharf we paid 22 Php for the boat one way to Jordan Wharf in Guimaras Island. Be reminded that the boat from Iloilo to Guimaras Island starts from 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM and the boat from Guimaras Island to Iloilo is 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM. When we get our ticket we have to write our name on the passenger list for safety and security purposes. Also, be cautious about the weather, check the weather first if it is safe to cross the ocean from Iloilo to Guimaras and vice versa. After 30 minutes we arrived safely in Guimaras Island. Once you get out in the Jordan wharf, there are a lot of motorized cabs selling day tours and transfer. There are also multicab who will offer the same thing but at a higher price. As I've read in some other blogs for the motorize cabs day tour it will cost 500 Php, but it still depends on your skills of negotiation, LOL!. However, since we are 6, we decided to get the multicab for 2,000 Php for a day tour.
Unfortunately, I forgot the name of our driver, but he is so kind and very accommodating to us, he gives us all the information we needed each tourist spot we visited and he also takes good pictures. The choice for renting a multicab is worth it, the distance of some tourist spots are very far, good thing we have a lot of space inside the multicab we never felt uncomfortable.
The first place that we visited is the smallest plaza, where the statue of Jose Rizal stands, it is really small but good for taking pictures. The area is not more than 300 square meters, it is rumored to be the smallest plaza in Guinness record but one thing is for sure it is the smallest one in the Philippines.
The next stop is the park where the big letters of "GUIMARAS" stands with the pride mango statue of Guimaras. We never missed it, its a must. I think all the places right now has these big letters to represent their place, and its a norm now for tourist to have a photo with the representation of the area.
It's still early in Guimaras, we arrived on the Island around 9:00 AM and of course to start the day right you need to have breakfast. So, we decided to have our first meal in Guimaras in the famous Pitstop restaurant. It's everyone's suggestion and cravings especially the Mango Pizza, where it is known for from this restaurant. By the way, loves, Guimaras is known for their mangoes, almost everyone says Guimaras has the best sweetest mango in the Philippines. However, when we visited the island it's not the season for mango so there are only a few vendors who sell mangoes. Before we headed to The Pitstop restaurant we stop at the corner of the road where there is a vendor selling mangoes.
In the Pitstop restaurant, I ordered pancit molo (a local delicacy in Iloilo) with Ice tea for only 54 Php, we then decided to dine out the famous Mango pizza for 495 Php. We also tried the mango that we bought along the street, it is very riped and it does taste good and sweet. The ambiance of the restaurant is okay, clean and presentable, the staffs are very attentive and they have a good service. I honestly love the pancit molo it tastes really good, a little bit creamy. The wrapper around the meatballs is so soft and the meatballs are so tender and taste amazing. After a sumptuous breakfast, we headed to the Trappist gift shop, where the monks are the ones who made the souvenirs and local delicacies. Boy! the snacks look so delicious and tempting because the price is so cheap, but I need to control my self because its a budget travel, LOL! There are a lot of good treats you will find in the shop.
After checking out the Trappist gift shop, we are supposed to visit the Mango plantation but unfortunately, there are close. So we travel to our next destination the Alobijod Cove Resort, we paid 40 Php each for the entrance fee and rented a nipa hut cottage for 600 Php. We rest and enjoy the beach, the beach is so amazing and the beach is clean. Finally! we tried the famous Mango Pizza from the Pitstop and boy! it's so worth it. It's very delicious, tasty, cheesy and you can taste the sweetness of the mango. It is worth to try, I love that the bread and crust taste like a homemade dough. Some of my friends went for Island hopping for 600 Php for 1 hr., I did not join anymore because I don't feel the weather of the ocean, its low tide during that time and the waves are very strong. So I decided to stay in the hut, with two of my friends and enjoy the beach and just swim and lay down in the sun under a tree shade. It was ended a very relaxing moment, during that time I honestly needed that from all the traveling that I've been doing before my Iloilo escaped.
After an enjoyable afternoon at the beach, we decided to go back to Jordan wharf to catch the boat back to Iloilo, on the way to the wharf we stop at a local eatery to have our late lunch at the Ceian restaurant. There are a lot of places on the Island that we did not visit anymore due to lack of time. When we arrived at Jordan wharf we paid another 22 Php for the boat back to Iloilo.
And that was our enjoyable and fun day adventure in Guimaras Island loves if you want to see the breakdown of this tour click HERE. I also have a video for this day tour, watch it below.
I highly suggest staying overnight in Guimaras Island if you have a long vacation stay in Iloilo. There's a lot to see on the Island and honestly, one day is not enough. I hope you like my Guimaras travel blog experience, see you in my next travel blog.
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