A Week in Malapascua – The Perfect (Travel) Storm

I’m about to get real nostalgic here.

Rarely does one bottle lightning in the way that we did in Malapascua. I say “we” because there were so many great people involved in the making of this magnificent week.

Get ready for a run-on sentence.

I know I’ve already raved about the Philippines as a whole, but on this tiny island I found the flawless combination of an idyllic, dirt road, no car, white sand beach-filled diving paradise, and a hilarious group of friends partaking in daily hangouts of local back-room karaoke, sushi and pizza dinners, community disco parties, cliff-jumping, snorkeling, and rounds of triple rum and cokes. It made for an incredible week. Add to that liters of Red Horse beer and the kindest, most hospitable Filipino hostel owner ever, and we created the perfect travel storm.

The Philippines has been one of my favorite countries that I’ve visited since beginning my travels last year, and part of that – I think – is due to the fact that it just isn’t overrun with tourists like, say, Thailand or Bali… yet!

But there’s a reason why.

The Philippines is a bit of a logistical nightmare.

For example, in order to get from my hostel in Boracay to Malapascua, I first had take a tricycle (the Filipino version of a tuk tuk) to the port where I’d take a ten minute boat ride off of the island and then a two hour van ride to the Kalibo airport. I then jumped on an early flight (albeit a cheap one) to the big island of Cebu. Then I took a taxi to the city’s north bus station where I hopped on the first bus with AC I could get. After a five hour ride with several stops, we made it to the northern port of Maya. From there, by the dark of night, having missed the public ferry, several off us piled into a boat run by locals for the the 45 minute (slightly rough and wet) journey to the island of Malapascua, where we had to wade in to shore with our bags.

But we’d finally made it. And it was so totally worth it.

Looking back on my time there, it’s so interesting to read about other traveler’s experiences on Malapascua. From moody and slightly off to dive-centric and chilled, I think it’s even more proof that the people you meet in a destination often shape the experience more than the place itself.

I never meant to stay a whole eight nights on the island, but each day there seemed to be another reason to stay.

The Best Hostel on Malapascua to Make Friends

Villa Sandra was recommended to me by a new friend in Boracay. Turns out, it is the hot spot to meet people, have beers, listen to music, and plan awesome outings. One of the managers, Jane, is the friendliest guy on the island and wants everybody to have a good time. You don’t even have to stay there to hang out (I didn’t!).

After dinner and several drinks one night, Jane met up with a group of us and brought us all to a tiny local karaoke joint. Located at the back of an Internet cafe, this place was a cell-like room with concrete walls where you paid for the karaoke machine by the hour. It was grungy, dirty, BYOB, packed full of us… and awesome. We spent hours there singing one night, despite the fact that I had to get up to dive at 4:45 AM (irresponsible!). And it was so much fun that we went again a few nights later.

Another amazing outing that Jane coordinated was a full day of snorkeling at the Coral Garden, cliff-jumping, and boating around the island. Pretty much another booze cruise. Everyone from the hostel jumped onboard. This was one of the most fun days of my entire trip. (And to think I’d almost planned my exit from the island before I heard this day at sea was in the works!) It was an amazing day of riding around, swimming, beaching, and jumping 15 meters into the sea. Pretty magical.

Insider tip: Grab some Red Horse from the minimart before heading out. It stays delicious drinkable in the heat!

After some more arrangements by Jane, we were also able to join up for a home-cooked Filipino meal that we could eat as a little family. Soup, rice, and the best pork adobo I had during my whole month in the country! Seriously, it’s tough to come by quality, authentic Filipino food with the influx of so much half-ass Western stuff on all the beaches.

He’d also organize everything from trips to the island’s popular cock fights (don’t get mad, it’s still a huge thing here) where you’d want a local by your side and afternoons volunteering and feeding young kids in the local schools. Jane made sure everybody had a fantastic stay.

What the Island Itself is Like

Dirt roads abound here. More like footpaths really. I was shocked that Google Maps actually has most of them down correctly. The island is tiny and you can truly walk almost all of it. (Except that in April and May, it was ridiculously hot and you wouldn’t want to.) The sandy paths wind alongside beach shacks, guesthouses, people’s homes, tiny food stalls and restaurants, and little convenient stores selling all the supplies you could need. It’s rustic and there’s very little infrastructure. But that’s kinda what’s cool about it. Oh, and there are very loud roosters absolutely everywhere.

There are multiple beaches, but Bounty Beach is the popular, long, white sand, dreamlike one. There are bars and restaurants and dive shops all along it. Logon Beach, just nearby on the other side, is the somewhat less beautiful beach where public ferries come and go, but it’s also the best spot to see the sunset.

Sunsets are an activity in and of themselves on Malapascua… well, and all of the Philippines.

The “Disco”

The community church basketball court is a gathering place most nights of the week. Not only are there rousing bball games, but on Saturdays, there’s a “disco” where locals and tourists alike get silly. A DJ playing popular music, lots of Red Horse, strobe lights, and a big crowd make this a must-do while visiting Malapascua. It kind of epitomizes the Philippines for me.

In most of Southeast Asia, I didn’t find overly friendly locals who wanted to drink and dance and hang out with you. Sure everybody was pretttty friendly, but in this island nation, you feel the warmness and openness much more frequently. This disco was the perfect example of that.

And everybody gets into it at the disco.

It’s is a wild, happening, kinda absurd spot on Saturday nights, and we all had such a great time at this local hangout. There was lots of bad dancing involved and it got a little weird, but oh man it was hilarious.

I visited just before the island’s weeklong holiday of “Fiesta” in May, during which they’d have a flotilla of decorated boats circle the island and the “disco” would be happening each night of the week with a different party! Unfortunately I just missed it, though I was nearly convinced to stay multiple times. (I can see the blog post now: “How I Spent 17 Days on Malapascua”)

Diving in Malapascua

Malapascua is known for scuba diving and there’s an absolute plethora of dive shops on the island. The most popular dive involves swimming with thresher sharks. It’s kinda what put this place on the map.

These goofy looking sharks with huge tails swim into Monad Shoal where wrasse (tiny fish) come and eat the bacteria and scum off of the sharks, thereby cleaning them. The dive involves going down 30 meters to the natural “cleaning station” where you kneel and wait for the sharks to swim by.

All at SUNRISE. So yeah, you have to be up early early. Like you must leave before 5 AM.

It’s incredible and exhilarating – and uh, a little nerve-racking – to be so close to so many sharks that just circle the same area over and over. I got lucky and saw about four sharks (I think – it could have been more like six, but I assume I saw a few of them more than once as they swam about). Sometimes people see zero. You just have to hope you’re lucky; you never know if they’ll be there! But the experience is totally worth the early wake-up call.

On our way to the surface, we also saw a spotted eagle ray which stayed super close to us and looked as if it were actually stuck flying in mid-air (um, but mid-water obviously) during our safety stop. Not gonna lie, it was a little too close for my comfort, but beautiful!

I also did two dives at Gato Island, which involved a few sleeping sharks, frogfish, and swimming through caves. I’d say they were good fun, but not amazzzzing like the threshers.

The Bars, The Rum & Cokes, and More Sunsets

This is a public service announcement: Triple rum and cokes are a thing in the Philippines. And though it sounds like an urban myth, they are actually cheaper than a double, which is cheaper than a single. Supposedly, this is due to the fact that the rum is made in the Philippines and therefore actually costs less than Coca-Cola. I for one will choose to believe this.

I also believe that Filipinos just want you to have a raging good time.

For way too many nights, a big table of us (characters all consistently changing and/or rotating) would sit in the sand at Maldito’s and eat giant, delicious pizzas or opt for the Monday-night Japanese buffet, complete with sushi. We’d order rounds and rounds of triple rum and cokes before deciding where else we were heading for the night. They were the culprits behind the choosing of karaoke.

For sunsets (and paninis I never tried), Sunset Bar, ever so appropriately named, was a good spot to be as well. Very laid back, with good music and good views, it was a solid choice for a beer and multi-colored skies.

Or you could just buy a few cans of San Miguel Light from the convenient store and sit on the beach to watch. That’s always the cheapest an option.

Though I’m desperate to go back, I’m almost scared to return to Malapascua… because I’m afraid it won’t be nearly as amazing as those eight spectacular days and nights. The same people won’t be there. And what if the vibe is different? I mean, how do you recreate travel perfection?!

Where I Stayed: Romantic Place Guesthouse. Nope, I didn’t stay in Villa Sandra because it was pretty full when I arrived late at night and couldn’t find the manager. So I got my own room in this complex just behind the hostel for 600 pesos per night (about $12 USD). It was hot as hell and I put the fan right on my face, but hey I had my own bathroom. I’d still recommend Villa Sandra for hanging out and maybe staying if you’re into the chilled, reggae hostel vibe. The dorm rooms aren’t anything to brag about, but the atmosphere is amazing.

Where I Ate: Angelina’s for great pizzas, Maldito’s for pizza and Japanese buffet nights and triple rum and cokes… and just general great times by the beach, Sunset Bar for the obvious, Ging Ging’s for cheap local food (good adobo and average rice and noodle dishes), and Oscar’s for hearty breakfasts. It also looks like Ocean Vida is the bomb for drinks and Western food.

Diving: I dove with Fun n Sun Dive to see the thresher sharks and Little Mermaid Dive Shop for Gato Island, and I’d recommend the latter. Evolution and DevOcean are the most popular and very well-run (though slightly more expensive) and their dives get filled up quicker in high season, so plan a few days ahead.

Ever been to a place that ended up being surprisingly perfect?