Islas de Gigantes or Gigantes Island is an island chain within the larger Western Visayas archipelago in the Visayan Sea. It is also known as the Island of Giants, located off the coast of Carles and Estancia towns in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines.
This trip is for our son’s 3rd birthday celebration and this the first time we are traveling on our own this far so I was kind of paranoid if this will turn out okay or not. I tried so hard to pack light because in our original booking I wasn’t able to add checked-in luggage but I had to add it on eventually since our clothes will not fit into a small suitcase. Still, I am sort of proud of myself (HAHA) because we only have like a big suitcase for checked-in luggage and one small duffle bag, and the baby bag which is my hand carry.
From Iloilo City, it takes 3-4 hours to get to Carles which is the drop-off point to Gigantes Island. We landed at Iloilo City around 8:00 pm and we checked in at Solinas Beach and Nature Resort which is just 15 minutes from Carles. We avail their Private Van Airport Transfers for Php4,000 ($76.39) one way. Yes, it is a bit expensive but we decided to avail it since we have our son with us it will be hard for us if we will commute especially at night.
We booked “Balay Palangga” or their honeymoon Suite for around Php12,000 ($229.18) for 2 nights and it’s really nice. It has a garden-facing terrace with one (1) queen bed, toilet & bath with a gorgeous hot tub, air-conditioning and a 43″ LCD TV. Definitely worth the price, and breakfast is included which is a buffet. This is our room. ↓
I highly recommend this resort because they have a beautiful place, nice rooms, food is great, staffs are very accommodating and the water in their pool is heated that we actually stayed in the pool area until 6:30pm.
We arrive late like around 11:00 in the evening, we’re glad that our booking specialist already told us that they will take our order in advance, so when we arrived our dinner is already prepared. We got ourselves “sinigang na baboy” since Zared likes his food with “sabaw”. We got Chopseuy and of course baked scallops. Since the restaurant is already close we just had our dinner served in our room. I was so hungry that I only took a photo of the baked scallops. haha! And guys this is very cheap- only Php175 ($3.36).
Day 2: The following day is our Island Tour, instead of getting a van transfer from the resort to Carles Port, we decided to just ride a tricycle because it is cheaper and we saved almost half.
Van Transfer from Solina Resort to Carles- Php300 per way ($5.76)
Tricycle Transfer from Solina Resort to Carles- Php 150 per way ($2.88)
One of the reasons why we choose this resort is again they are just 15mins away from Carles which is the drop-off point for the Isla Gigantes Tour. So it is very convenient for us.
We got our Gigantes Island Tour from Las Islas Travel & Tours for only 999 ($19.19) each with lunch included and it is really cheap. My son is just 3 years old so he is free. So in total, it’s just Php1,998 (38.38).
The tour started around 9:00am and the first stop is at “Pulupandan Islet” it took us an hour to get here from the port. A very small island in the middle of the sea and during the night the high tide covers the most of it.
We only spent around 15mins here. The next stop is “Tangke Saltwater Lagoon”.
The Lagoon is really beautiful, the clear water is just amazing. In this are they highly advice to wear a lifejacket for those who are not a good swimmer since the water is deep.
Third stop is “The Bantigue Sandbar” this is also where we had our lunch.
Our lunch consists, of course, scallops, adobo, some fish and one of the joiners also bought Wasay-Wasay and shared it to us.
The second to the last stop is the “Antonia Island” , this is where tourist can go snorkeling. My husband did, but since my son is with us- I wasn’t really able to go swimming. haha!
And last but not least, The “Cabugao Gamay Island” which is also known as the “Selfie Island”. It will take you 10minutes to go up and get a picture-perfect photo with this view.
The view on the top is just really amazing!
We finish the tour around 4:00pm. I was hoping to get a rest when we get back to the resort but my son is too active and still wants to play and swim haha!
Day 3: Is our check out date and we just spent our spare time swimming and chilling on the beach/pool and waited for the time. This is also the day we are heading to Guimaras. (Will have a different blog for this).
Day 4: We arrived in Iloilo City around 4:00pm and we check-in at Urban Sands Hotel, which is just 20-30mins away from the Iloilo International Airport.
Urban Sands Hotel has a beach vibe and the rooms are small good for couples or a family of three. Very comfortable and modern. I booked their Superior Room with a queen bed for Php2914.18 ($56). The room has a 32 inch LED television with cable connection and USB port, a bathroom with a hot and cold shower, telephone, a refrigerator with minibar and snacks and also all rooms are located at the poolside. The Kiddie pool is located in the far end of the pool with a jacuzzi feels on it. The water is warm and very relaxing. They also have a bar where you can order drinks and food.
I highly recommend this Hotel for those who have early flights the next day as they are just located in the heart of the city approximately 30mins away from the Airport. And it is really nice, not a typical hotel vibe.
Our flight tomorrow is 5:30am so we just swim, eat and sleep.
The taxi we rented from the port to this hotel when we came from Guimaras is also the same taxi we rented for our transfer to the airport which is cheaper, as if you avail the hotel transfers it will be Php800 per way ($15.37) but we got our transfers for only Php300 ($5.76) way cheaper, right? Grab taxi is also available in Iloilo by the way.
Anyways guys, thank you very much hope this travel blog will give you tips on traveling to Iloilo/ Gigantes. ♥
Taxi Driver (Iloilo city): 09500350721
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