Raymen Beach Resort (Guimaras)
This is perhaps the most visited resort in Guimaras based on blog posts that I have consulted before our trip. I was trying to copy itineraries posted on the internet and almost all of it included the resort's name. So, the safest way to go is to book a room in Raymen via agoda.com (or so as I thought)
After wandering around Guimaras Island, courtesy of our ever reliable tour guide, Kuya Gil, we arrived in Raymen only to find out that our hotel reservation via Agoda.com has been cancelled! Now I don't blame Agoda since it was also my fault that I failed to check my emails prior our arrival. I just assumed everything is ok since we checked in at Circle Inn in Iloilo with no problems. Good thing there are available rooms by the time we got there and checked in a room with the same amount as the one we reserved via Agoda.
My companion and I got a Standard Room with twin bed for Php 1300+ a night. Here's how the room looks like.
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| Twin Bed |
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| Toilet and Bath |
The room is very small as well as the toilet and bath. There are no TV available. The bed is not as comfy but the A/C unit is quiet. I actually didn't mind the little discomfort since we know that so far we are having fun, and there will be more surprises to come. After we freshen up, we decided to have our late lunch in their restaurant before starting our island hopping tour.
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| How can we skip these delightful Guimaras Mango Shake? (Php 90 each) |
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| Ordered their "Combo Meal" platter that costs Php 135 each |
As opposed to the original plan of taking the Island Hopping tour the following day, we pushed through it by 3 in the afternoon, taking the advice of Kuya Gil. We asked Raymen to assist us in booking a small boat to take us around and they happily helped us. My companion and I rented a boat for Php 700 for the first 3 hours. Succeeding hours cost us Php 200 per hour.
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| Island Hopping Tour Booth |
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| Our bankeros preparing our own private banca! |
The banca we used was quite spacious and can perhaps accommodate a maximum of 10 people. Rates are per hour basis so the bigger the group, the lesser the cost per head.
Being a lazy tourist that I am, I never really got to remember where and which island we went first. I just remembered visiting a turtle sanctuary where we were able to see and touch a beautiful turtle, took photos in a nearby cave, drank ice cold and crisp Red Horse beer, listen to Ariana Grande's "Baby, I" (yes, I listen to Ariana Grande, bakit ba?! haha!) and taking a quick dip in the sea. The chronology is not important, in my opinion, all I can remember now is how magnificent, how serene, and how enchanting the tour is. And oh, we never had a problem with our tour guides. Mike, one of the boat guy is fantastic with tourist. He knows where to bring us, how to take photos of us, and how to make that island hopping tour a memorable one.
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| Buy beers before you take off, bring speakers, and party while island hopping! |
We ended the tour with the beautiful sunset in our horizon. Before cleaning up and before we get ready for dinner, my friend and I decided to take a dip in the beach while savoring the beautiful amber sunset skies.
Dinner and drinks followed. We ordered fresh sea foods off their menu and enjoyed it. Forgot to take photos of it since I was too tired to do so. Capping off the night, we brought a bottle of Muscato wine that we bought from Iloilo and enjoyed it by the beach.
We dozed off and I got up early in the morning to get my tan. Unfortunately, you won't get any sun at Raymen's beachfront until around 9 or 10 in the morning since the beach faces west (if I'm not mistaken). Having that circumstance, my friend and I decided to have our breakfast first.
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| Longsilog (Php 95) and Coffee |
The rest of the morning was spent lying around the beach, people watching and getting a tan. It was Saturday and the place begun to be packed by locals by around 10 in the morning. Apparently a lot of people spend their weekends by the beach. The weather was just oh so perfect that day. November I think is the best month to travel here in the Philippines. Not so humid, not really rainy. Just perfect.
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| That perfect November morning... |
I was satisfied with Raymen's service. The staff are polite and the service is good. I just found the place a little cramped. I was hoping the resort would be breezy and spacious but every inch of the property has either a room or a cottage. I heard from our tour guide that there are 2 nearby resorts that could be an alternative. Raymen's advantage is that they are easy to contact since they are present in social networking sites and Agoda.com.
Well, you might wanna consider Raymen on your visit to Guimaras. Go get the Island hopping tour that they offer. Oh, and we paid using our credit and debit cards so paying cashless is also an option.
Raymen Beach Resort
Address: Alubihod, Poblacion, Nueva Valencia, GuimarasContact Number: (033) 396 0252
Website: http://raymenresort.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Raymen.Beach.Resort.Guimaras
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