Casa de Burgos

This is a review that was put on TripAdvisor by Brian who stayed at our home in August. We wanted something different, away from tourist areas, where we could enjoy our own company, go exploring, meet local people and relax. The roof garden at the property was fantastic, especially in the early morning for the sunrise, but the evening was indescribable. Sky full of stars, we had so many romantic dinners there. It was great. The village, Burgos, is a poor fishing village but the people were so friendly and happy, the kids just followed us around when we went for walks. There was absolutely no hassle from anyone just big smiling faces. The owners have their own Philippine boat and their brother, a local fisherman, took us out to all the various islands where we went swimming, BBQ's and he would catch fish and cook it straight away. For a holiday that is completely different, this was it. They met us at Tacloban airport and took us by taxi and then their boat to Burgos, which also was a great and very interesting trip. When we left, a lot of the village were there to wave goodbye.

Our stay at Casa de Burgos was a lifetime experience. We had the great fortune of being there with Paul and Beth. So we had relatives to take us by boat around the local area and the amazing, superlative Chef talent of Beth. Coming from rural Alaska, we were looking for a quiet, clean, remote fishing village environment. We have a lot of experience with the Philippines. Lira is a Filipina from Mindanao and Bob has been coming here for over a decade. We have a house in Iligan City. The problem of pollution in famous resort areas like Boracay is now becoming international news. But it has long been a depressing fact for us. Boracay, now closed, is hardly an exception. We have been to many, many areas touted as “white sand” beaches. The white sand can be seen, but it is beneath the garbage and raw sewage. Burgos is a tiny village with no tourist industry amidst a large sea. There is no other industrial presence, nor crime, nor shady trafficking. So it is clean in more than just the sense of pollution. We were renewing our romance, which has been a ten-year honeymoon, but the solitude and care of our guardians allowed us to really concentrate on our efforts. There is plenty to do for people who like engaging with the locals, traveling by boat around authentic village environments, fishing and swimming, etc. Also as rural Alaskans the accommodations were far above our standards – we can sleep in the back of the pickup or camp on gravel bars just fine. We had been touring the Mountain Province on an enduro motorcycle and staying in much lower quality lodgings for the most part because finding such lodgings in a remote area is essentially impossible. What a change! We do recommend that you allocate sufficient time for travel and not try to cram a quick trip in because traveling to a remote island like this always adds to the logistics. We are accustomed to leaving extra days for weather in Alaska and understand the constraints the tides set on boating. So we had no time pressure and enjoyed using the local transportation network out of Catbologan. They have daily service, but you can also arrange for private pick-up out of Tacloban or wherever else you would like to embark from. We travel by motorcycle, and it was no problem to take our motorcycle to Burgos with us. If you need rice or fish, cooking oil, tang or coffee and etc. then you can pick these up at any little sari-sari window at a villager’s home or arrange to take the catch of a fisherman going out. But if there is some special foodstuff you wish to have then bring it with you because there are no grocery stores. They do have a raised beach with tables, chairs, and a little bar with speakers for music if you wish. We don’t drink alcohol, but enjoyed eating on their raft and catching the breeze of the sea or jumping in to swim in the crystal clear water occasionally. We wish to thank Paul and Beth from the bottom of our hearts for being so gracious with us and allowing us our relentless romance. For those like us who want a lack of noise pollution, light pollution, people pollution, and regular old pollution, this is the place. There are no jeepneys or trikes or traffic lights and diesel fumes to choke on in Burgos. What you will get is peace, quiet, and a much higher class of accommodation than could be expected by experienced travelers in the Philippines.

Very relaxing