MALAPASCUA ISLAND

malapascua survival basics Many people turn up and things are not as expected, so BE PREPARED! Remember, this is a small developing island, so don't expect a full range of western facilities and services. Money. Most important: THERE IS NO ATM!!!! So bring cash, preferably pesos. Only a few businesses take credit cards so don't rely on that. The fees for credit cards are pretty high, up to 10%, so that is not great either. And like everywhere in the Philippines, travelers checks are hard (though not impossible) to cash. Most businesses only take pesos cash, so make sure you bring plenty. As all the small change on the island seems to end up in the church collection box, try not to bring it all in 1000 peso notes, or you will have trouble getting change for every 30 peso Coke. You may also need small change for porters and boats in Maya. You can sometimes change money on Malapascua, but there are no official money changers, so it is only when the resorts have enough cash. This means the exchange rate is horrendous. Lesson for today: BRING ENOUGH PESOS! Nearest cash point is Bogo which will take you several hours round trip. Budget. There is something on Malapascua to suit every budget. Rooms can be found from P300-P6,000 per night. You can eat for very little in the village or dine on steaks on the main beach. But food is inexpensive and even the steaks come at very reasonable prices by Western standards. Dive prices are pretty similar from shop to shop, although as always with diving, budget should not be the primary consideration when choosing a dive shop. Noise. Because the resorts are nestled amongst the villages, it can be quite noisy. Cockfighting is very popular, so most people own at least one cockerel. They are everywhere. The cockerels do not know that they are only supposed to make noise at dawn, and sometimes crow all through the night. Karaoke can also be quite loud. The Filipinos love their fiestas, so if you do not fancy joining in, they can be really really, really noisy. It is a good idea to bring earplugs if you think this will bother you, unless you are in an AC room which usually drowns out the noise. Tepanee and Logon are possibly the only resorts without cockerels nearby. Touts. Beware of the touts or 'canvassers' on the main beach. Although they wear official looking uniforms, they are not sanctioned by the officials and are in fact illegal. If you arrive by public boat they will swarm all over you. They will take you to the resorts or dive shops that they are paid to take you to and won't give you anything but negative advice about anything else ('they're very expensive', 'their rooms aren't so nice' etc etc). The more reputable businesses refuse to deal with them. But if you are too tired to look by yourself and are looking for a budget deal, this may be the way to do it. Just remember that your room price is probably higher than it would otherwise be. There can also be problems with people trying to rip you off in Maya port. See the transport page for more info. You can avoid all of this by getting a pre-arranged transfer and room booking. Bugs. Insects are not too much of a problem on Malapascua, but a few mosquitoes tend to come out at dusk. If they bother you, bring repellant, or better, wear light colored cotton clothing that covers you up from about 5pm onwards. There is no risk of malaria. Poverty. Although many of the locals are employed by the tourist businesses on Malapascua, many of them still live in poverty. You will see this as you walk around the island. If you want to give something to the community or children, rather than money or sweets think about school or medical supplies. You can also talk to some of the businesses on the island, as some of them are involved in community help projects and may be able to advise or assist you. Creature comforts. There are many things that you may take for granted in everyday life that you will not find here such turning on a switch and having the light turn on, or turning on the tap and getting water. Malapascua is an isolated, developing island, and has all of the problems this entails. The water supply everywhere is brackish (slightly salty). Some of the resorts collect rainwater, but this does not completely remove the saltiness of the water which all comes from wells. 24 hour island electric has recently come to Malapascua, but it is still subject to occasional failure, and some resorts still run their own generators. Most of the resorts now run electricity 24 hours a day. Internet access. Another recent advent to Malapascua is wi-fi. At the time of writing the fastest seemed to be at Thresher Shark Divers, but you can also try Malditos, Blue Coral and an internet cafe in the village. how to get to malapascua island

Malapascua is located in the Philippines just off the north tip of Cebu Island. Most people get to Malapascua via Cebu City. From Cebu, take a bus or car up to the port of Maya, then a boat over to Malapascua. The road is very rough in places but it is getting better as the government slowly implements its improvement plans for northern Cebu. The easy way If you have a booking on Malapascua, have your resort or dive shop arrange a private taxi and boat transfer. Average price is around US$70-$100 for a one way transfer. They will pick you up at the airport and bring you all the way there. Mostly this is very reliable but bring the cell phone number of the resort just in case. You can also arrange a taxi in Cebu. This will cost anywhere up to PHP 4,000 but you may be able to get a good deal. Just make sure he actually knows the way! Often these city drivers get lost near the end and a three hour journey takes five. Once in Maya you can hire a private boat (P1000 and up), or just wait for the public boat (P50). This takes 30 minutes. The saving-your-pennies way (for the adventurous) Take a taxi to the Northern Bus Terminal. Take a bus to Maya. Ceres buses are the best, they are the big yellow ones. Rough Riders live up to their name. Cost is P60. This will take you all the way to Maya port, so just get off at the end of the line. From there, go to the little ticket booth at the end of the pier and they will help you get the next public boat. There is no fixed boat schedule as the boats wait until they are full to leave. The last boat usually leaves around sundown. Price for a public boat is P50. BEWARE of scams at Maya, the touts can be merciless. They will tell you that there are no more boats going to Maya, but it is usually not true. The last boat usually leaves between 6 and 7pm. You may have to wait for a while, but you can usually get across for P50. If you want to go straight away, you can hire a private boat for P1000. If it is late or bad weather or the captain just does not want to go, expect to pay up to P2000. Keep some small change in pesos. You may need it for porters. Also, if it is low tide, you will have to get a small rowing boat ("boaty") to the banka ferry. This costs 10-20 pesos per person and per bag. If you arrive really late, ask someone for the Abba guesthouse, which is very basic but close. Or get in touch with Skip's beach resort which is about 10 minutes away. They have a sign at the dock with all the necessary info. They have AC rooms for a very reasonable price (P700 and P1200) as well as lots of free facilities. how to get to cebu You can get to Cebu by plane or ferry. There are many different ways of traveling around the Philippines, and those below are just a few of the easiest. Be aware that routes and schedules change constantly.

MUST TRY!!!!!!! IN MALAPASCUA

DIVING AT MALAPASCUA ISLAND !!

MUST SEE!!! TREASSURE SHARK

restaurants & bars Most islands with a limited infrastructure like Malapascua's offer very limited menus in their restaurants. But on Malapascua we are incredibly lucky and have some great restaurants that have set a very high standard. Oscar's Oscar's is the premier fine dining experience on Malapascua and has without a doubt the fastest service. It serves a mix of international dishes and there is almost always something on the menu that you will love. Because the menu changes every day, they are able to make use of the freshest ingredients. It is beautifully located on the beachfront in an open air location, high up amongst the palm fronds above Thresher Shark Divers. It is especially popular at sunset. Although they serve international cuisine, the bar and restaurant is British owned so look out for those British specials including weekly Sunday Roast Dinner, Full English Breakfast, Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash and the British national dish of Chicken Tikka Masala and other assorted curries. Possible the only place in the Philippines you an get a Cheddar and Branston Pickle sandwich. The Pub Upstairs The Pub Upstairs is adjacent to Oscar's Restaurant and serves great cocktails and bar food. Note of warning: Be wary of the shot bell. Once the bell starts ringing and the rounds of shots are poured, it barely stops for the rest of the night! Angelina's Italian Restaurant Angelina's is simply great Italian food. It is owned and run by Angela and Ricardo, who both overflow with the Italian's love of good food. Another beautiful location, recently relocated to Tepanee Resort, perfect for watching the sun go down and whiling away the evening. The menu includes homemade pizza Italian style, and freshly made pastas. The ingredients include many meats and other items imported directly from Italy. Sunsplash Sunsplash serves a mix of German, Thai, Mexican, Italian and Filipino food. The bar is a fun place to hang out and has a beer drinking game where you will get points for your country. They also operate the Beach Bar which is located on the main beach during high season. It is usually open most of the day but starts to fill up around 4pm with people having a post-dive beer or three, waiting for one our fabulous sunsets. Isla Bonita Fresh, well prepared food at reasonable prices. The menu includes a mix of European and Filipino specialties, all prepared with loving care. Malditos Malditos serves excellent international food. It is not always open year round and is located on the next beach along. Ask anyone if it is open when you are there. Ging-Ging's Ging-Ging's is known for its cheap and cheerful food. The menu is fairly basic and the portions small, but it is inexpensive and a great place to eat if you on a budget. Very popular with backpackers. There are several other restaurants on the island, but this is the pick of the best. Cheapest Place to Stay A divers’ and backpackers’ place is the Bebe’s Guesthouse, located around 200 meters from the jump off area. 400 pesos is a small native fan room for 2 people. It’s a small place that is good for spending a night however, their bungalows sound quite reasonable for 650 with aircon and bathroom.  ask people, you can find more.. below 500 pesos a day...