On the day of our departure from cute-yet-over-hyped Siargao, it was Louis birthday, so the Birthday Boy, his husband Rick and I went for fancy lunch. After that we returned to the resort to pack our bags. Only the three of us would be leaving the island, the rest of the troupe would stay a few days longer.
What’s in an Island
As I mentioned in a previous post, Siargao gained much attention in recent years, not only from surfing and non-surfing travellers, but from Filipino celebrities as well. Filipino celebrity culture might even be more hysterical than Western obsession with famous folk and the more people write and Instagram about Siargao, the more attention it gets. A few members of the Magnificent Seven had visited Siargao two years ago and absolutely loved it. They painted it as a hippy paradise, where people surf, chill, do yoga and just lead a tropical island lifestyle, if only for a few days. Those same members told us that an awful lot had changed in Siargao in just two years. Although the island is definitely laid back, it is not my idea of a hippy-surfer’s paradise.
Siargao: The Good
Siargao is hyped up for a reason. The island is beautiful with lush mangrove forests and the locals, like in other areas of the Philippines, are absolutely lovely. The island is surrounded by coral reef, which is great for snorkelling. The locals are very environmentally conscious and aim to pass this awareness on to visitors. They don’t do plastic straws or disposable plastic bags and if you go shopping, you need to bring your own bags and containers. There are strict laws in place for property development. You are not allowed to build in certain areas and you are not allowed to build above a certain height. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes serving hippy food (suitable for vegetarians, vegans and health-conscious peeps). For a yogic hippy-still-in-denial (that’s me), this is great news. Unless someone- Louis- cooks for you, it can be hard to get healthy vegetarian, let alone wholesome vegan food, in other parts of the country. Siargao has great surf, which was the highlight of my visit. The island has beautiful beaches, but these are quite far removed from the main tourist area General Luna, where we were based.
Siargao: The Not-So Good
Siargao might be keen, consciously or not, on becoming the next Bali without the spiritual and cultural life. It’s got the friendly locals, the surf, the yoga and the hippy food. It is very likely that visitor numbers will increase. Siargao might even become almost synonymous to ‘holidaying in the Philippines’, despite the presence of so many other magnificent islands in the archipelago. At the moment, Siargao’s main tourist issue is, that it has a certain pretence, reflected in the fancy resorts and restaurants and international surf competitions, but not the facilities and infrastructure to match. All our excursions- the rest of the troupe did more trips than I did- were arranged through our fancy resort by a rather slick local surf dude, who has got the talk and probably also the business acumen. The surf trips were not cheap, yet there was a fair amount of unnecessary waiting involved, a limited choice of surf boards and your surf guide, although lovely, doesn’t do an awful lot. These surf guides are just local boys, who know how to surf, but know little about surf guiding or instructing. As you can read in my previous post, the -popular!- day trip we went on, was not up to standard in terms of facilities and offered terrible value for money. Food supplies can be an issue on the island and at every place we went for food, something any of use wanted was out of stock. Service is well-meant, but very slow and not very attentive, even at fancier places. You need a car or scooter to get around. There are rickshaw-taxi, I don’t know the local name for them, but these are not always around when you need them and you won’t find them in remote areas. If you don’t drive or ride and you can’t get a lift, you’re basically stuck. If you are coming straight from Europe or North America, you won’t find Siargao expensive. Coming from the other end of Mindanao, the boys and I were quite shocked about prices, especially in relation to the service you get. I’m not quite sure if I would have enjoyed Siargao at all as a solo-traveller. I didn’t find that many cafes to hang- and work- at where I might meet some interesting people. But then, there is no way of telling who I would’ve met if I had gone on my own.
No More Herd-Following
Travelling with the boys is a true joy, which I am keen on repeating as many times as possible. I had an amazing experience with the Magnificent Seven two years ago. Yet, a travelling-tourist troupe of ten, is way too much to handle for me. I have serious issues with following herds, both literally as well as more figuratively. It’s not about being a rebel, it’s about having a strong sense of freedom and independence. I have no issues making compromises; I can be quite an agreeable person- until I am not. But it was proven to me yet again on our island hopping trip; the herd doesn’t always get it right. On most occasions they don’t. So, no more complying.
The Verdict
When it comes to following the herd in terms of travel destination, you can only know whether a place is worth a visit when you actually go and see it for yourself. Some destinations totally live up to the hype (Colombia), other destinations not so much and for me, Siargao falls into the latter category.
If you surf, go visit Siargao: you can catch some amazing waves. Preferably bring your own board and if you like to be a cheapskate like me, get information on local breaks from a knowledgeable and trustworthy person. Check beforehand how much you should pay for a boat transfer and arrange the trip yourself. If you don’t like that hassle, you can have your hotel or hostel arrange transport to the harbour and from the harbour to the break for you. Having a guide is only useful if you can’t catch your own waves or you feel uncomfortable going to outer reef breaks you don’t know. If you are new to surfing and you would love to learn it in Siargao, I strongly recommend you to go somewhere else. Reef breaks are not a great way to start and ‘instructors’ on the island are not well-trained, if trained at all.
If you don’t surf and you would love to enjoy some island chill, I think there are other islands in Asia with better facilities and infrastructure that can offer you a similar or better experience for the same or even less money.
You could buy into the hype; visit Siargao and you might have an absolutely lovely time. I, however, am not likely to return any time soon, as there are many other regions to surf.
top image: bemytravelmuse.com
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