The Guinayangan Republic

I hailed from Quezon Province and though I spent more than half of my life away, I never failed to visit my beloved hometown once or twice a year.




The resort is called Sta. Rita Beach Resort. Instead of taking the 30 minutes boat drive, we opted for a land travel. By land?.to an island?, I thought then this must be somekind of a cove if it was accessible by land. Not until after one hour and thirty minutes drive, when we entered the resort through a narrow man made sand bridge that I subconsciously reassessed the place and realized_it was an island indeed!






A long stretch of unending fine sand beach sleeping side by side to a quiet giant body of water was the first hint of the countless charms of the place. Sitting equally silent but pretty were nipa hut cottages,
with the same hues of earth tone colors of the sand





You could either stay in a fresh air, beach front nipa cottage (like the one I stayed with my husband) or in a family villa, with airconditioned rooms and other facilities ( where the rest of my family stayed).



The View deck is one of the highlights of the resort. Going up there was really a challenge, but the rewards were heavenly fulfilling.Taking the hundreds or more stairs going up to the view deck is an experience with a capital G. Lush of greens above would refresh you after every step you take.




Take 50 steps and you would be granted a view of the tail of the island when you look down.





Do your math and brave to add 10 to 15 steps and the view gets even better.






Reaching the top, you could either choose to take a sit and rest first or feast your eyes with the sumptuous view of the whole island, the Ragay Gulf, and the shadows of mountains across the sea.




Going down through a different exit stairs would lead to a hidden part of the island.




Uncanny character of the island reveals in this part. Unlike the main beach, this rocky side is good for snorkeling and a lot more. It is private and a bit secluded from the rest of the island.





...trekking back to the main island.You would surely enjoy the scenic view along the the way.





..swimming until night is a possibility. The water is warm and safe..




...just make sure you get advise from the residents of the island about the safety of the water from itchy jelly fish like this




I forgot the exact name of this edible jelly fish but the man showed us on the spot how he prepared it with his bare hands and ate it raw and fresh. Yum!








How about swimming under this sun protected roof ?