Davao Itinerary x Cebupacificair x Nuffnangsg + Giveaway!

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I know this has been the blogpost that many of you have been waiting for!!! Last month, I was treated to a trip of eco-adventure and lots of splashing fun (literally) in Davao, located at Southern Philippines. Davao is the just about the right place for thrill-seekers and nature lovers. You will find out why in this blog post. 😉

We flew to Davao via Cebu Pacific Air. Here is us with pilots, crew and their newly designed uniform. Cebu Pacific Air is well known for their cheerful and fun outlook. In line with their lively direction, their new uniform sports a bright yellow shirt and matching denim bottoms that give off a casual vibe. Throughout the four hour flight, the cabin crew were attentive and nice.

Had Grilled Chicken sandwhich for my inflight meal.

We spent a night at Park Inn by Radisson Hotel Davao, which is located right beside SM Lanang Mall.

The very next morning, we made our way to Eden Nature Park where a day of fun activities awaited us!

Eden Nature Park boosts a lush 80 hectares of greenery with 100,000 pine trees located 3000 feet above sea level. Needless to say, there were a lot of great photo taking opportunities.

Shenny, Charlene and me were all coincidentally wearing slogan tops so we decided to take a photo against the backdrop of Eden park.

Adults were all enjoying ourselves haha. We were brought to the mini-zipline for us to have a taste of how it feels like before the actual one came after lunch!  

We had a tour of the traditional houses made of bamboo. While it was hot and humid outdoors, we didn’t feel any of the nasty sun when we entered the house. It was in fact, very cooling!

Lunch was done buffet style, so glad I got my daily serving of carbs because you can never separate rice and me! X)

This is my favourite Filipino dessert called the Halo-Halo. It’s shaved ice with red bean, corn, jelly, condensed milk and topped with ice cream, kind of similar to the Ice-Kachang which we have back home.

After lunch, we made our way to start our heart-stopping, jaw dropping and crazy eco-adventure!

Our very first stop was for Sky Cycling. We heard that we are gonna do this but had no idea it was gonna be 2500 feet above sea level.

Looking all confident and happy to be Sky Cycling? Happy yes, confident no. I freaked out when we had to cycle so the other bloggers went ahead first, leaving the three of us. It took me a while to calm down, took a deep breath and started peddling. I was soooo scared but I turned and looked at the scenery surrounding me, it made my screaming and trembling all worthwhile.

It’s a 200m ride to and fro. We thought it ended when we reached the other end only to realise we had to cycle our way back to the starting point!! The second time was not as scary anymore. Look, we even managed to cycle with one hand!

After the first adventure, we were all hyped up and ready to take on the rest of the activities. The next thing we did was the 200m Skyrider (zipline).

Again, we had to do it twice and return back to the starting point. 

When we thought everything was over…… we decided to challenge ourselves to the Sky Swing which drops you from 80 feet high. Decisions you make when you have adrenaline pumping in your blood!

Charlene went ahead with Ahmantha (one of our managers) while I was contemplating if I should do it. Shenny didn’t want to get on the ride so…… Mad, who is my manager, went on the Sky Swing with me! Imagine two petite ladies getting up there hahah.

We were slowly elevated all the way high up then we started questioning why we were doing that to ourselves. I don’t usually take roller coasters because I have a weak heart but I set a challenge for myself for that day to conquer all the activities.. and so I did!! *Beams proudly*

Thank you Eden Nature Park for having us, I thoroughly enjoyed myself there and would recommend all of you to try the activities they have to offer. Best part? It’s very affordable!!

Fees for the eco-adventure at Eden Nature Park:

• Sky Cycle – PHP 200 (proxxprox SGD6)
• Sky Rider – PHP150 (approx SGD4.50)
• Sky Swing – PHP400 / 2 people (approx SGD12)

After all the adrenaline pumping activities, we paid a visit to Central 911 to have a better understanding of the emergency service center. 911 is the number to dial in case of emergency situations in the USA and Canada. But did you know Davao also uses 911 as their number for emergency calls?

They even have an ambulance specially designed for children under 12 years old.

Group photo with the courageous firemen. We were lucky to have witnessed their training, which was ongoing during the tour.

For dinner, we went for a 10 Way Tuna feast at Marina Tuna. We were served tuna cooked in 10 different ways ranging from raw, to grilled, to fried.

This has definitely got to be my favourite dish of the night. Sinigang is a well-known Filipino soup known for its sourish taste. The fish is simmered with tamarind, tomato and onions. 

Fat and glorious tuna belly!

We had an early night because we had to get up early the next morning for our water activities!

We were taking photos at the front of the boat and saw a school of dolphins gliding past us!!!! We weren’t expecting that surprise greeting from them. Davao, you never fail to surprise me huh!

And then we saw our snorkelling location, which looked like a scene out of a postcard. White sands and clear waters? There you have it at Samal Island. 

All ready with our snorkelling gear for the Taklobo Giant Clam tour! I particularly love snorkelling because beneath the quiet waters is a sea-ful of surprises. As a non-swimmer, I cannot dive so snorkelling is the closest activity I can do to get near sea creatures and enjoy magnificent underwater world. So this was also one of my highlights of the trip!!!

At the Giant Clam Sanctuary, be treated to a visual feast of colourful corals, fishes and giant clams that can grow up to 1 metre in length. Yep you read that right, 1 metre! (Not the usual ones that we have served on our dining table.)

You’ll also see bright coloured coral reefs and different species of vibrant fishes around.

Taklobo Giant Clams Tour Fees:

Entrance – PHP100 (approx. SGD3)
Snorkel Gear Rental – PHP100 (approx. SGD3)
Boat Rental (for 1-12 guests)- PHP500 (approx. SGD15)

After our snorkelling session, we had our lunch on board the boat and set off to our next destination, Maxima Aquafun!

Other than snorkelling at Samal Island, water lovers should come to Maxima Aquafun for  exciting activities like sliding down the 40m slide right on the cliff pictured above. It sends you plunging down the giant slide and right into the waters. Did I do it?

OF COURSE I DID!!!! STAY TUNED TO THE VIDEO BELOW FOR MY ADVENTURES!!

Entrance fee to Maxima Aquafun:
Adult – PHP300 (approx SGD9)
Kids – PHP200 (approx SGD6)
*The fee includes lifebelt, tram ride, unlimited use of waterslide, waer blob, jumping board and canopy walk on weekends

Full set of bikini from Billangbong.

We had a ton of splashing fun!

We checked in to Seda Abreeza Hotel for our stay the next few nights!

After a long day out at the sea, we were treated to a sumptuous meal at Waterfront Insular Hotel.

Started off our night with a special cultural performance by Kalumon Performing Group.

All of us hungry girls queueing for our food!

We had a splendid seafood spread for dinner.

And you thought our day ended after dinner? Nope! The friendly people from Philippines Department of Tourism brought us out for a night of fun. We went on a pub crawl!

Our first pub was to Eagles Bar at Marco Polo Hotel where they serve a wide range of alcoholic drinks and tapas.

Never too full for a few mouths of tapas even though we went right after dinner.

We tried their signature Davao punch and love it! 

The last time for the night (finally!!) was to Huckleberry bar where they serve exotic infused rums.

The special rum flavours that we tried include Chilli (yes spicy chilli!), Mangosteen and Ginger. We tried a lot more but these are the ones that I remember the most because it was my first time trying them. 

What a long and tiring day we had. Nonetheless, we sure enjoyed ourselves with the day water activities and alcohol in the night. 😀

The next morning saw us waking up bright and early for white water rafting at Davao Wildwater Adventure.

We all braided our hair together while on the way to the river! X)

#girlpower

And let’s go! We took a short walk down the slope and prepared for our adventure.

It was my first time white water rafting and you can tell I was all smiles! We spent at least 4 hours paddling through Davao river, covering a distance of 13km. It was so much fun when we went through the bumpy rapids. A couple of us fell into the water during the process but we still enjoyed it!

Me and my B.

During the journey, we saw how the people lived there with their buffaloes and transporting goods across the river via traditional pulleys.

It started raining halfway during our journey. We were told by our guide that it hadn’t rained in a few weeks in Davao. Our team was chanting for rain so we wouldn’t get too burnt by the scorching sun. Guess what? The rain came!! What an unforgettable experience to be rafting in the rain!

We had a nice dinner at The White House Fusion Cuisine where they serve French-Japanese food in a historical European building.

It was built in the 1920s, and has been restored and transformed into an elegant fine-dining restaurant and wine lounge.

We started off our dinner with Uni (Sea Urchin) Shooters that came in an ice bucket!
Does the salad look like the coral reefs you saw above??

Unagi-Foie Gras Sushi!  

Thank you The White House Fusion Cuisine and Wine Lounge for the impressive dinner!

Since we were aching and tired from the entire day of white water rafting and water activities the day before, we were treated to a relaxing massage at Pressure Points Spa.

No better way to end my night other than a calming body massage. The massage was so good, I slept throughout the entire session and was so sad when it ended. Shenny said I was even snoring!! HAHAHA told you it was THAT good. I rarely fall asleep outside (e.g. in the planes, during lectures in school, etc), so I really meant it that the massage was awesome!

Our last day saw us doing some shopping at Aldevinco Shopping Center. But first, breakfast!!

Aldevinco is a shopping complex with rows and rows of  shops selling traditional arts and crafts. Here, they showcase the culture and heritage of Mindanaoan. You can find antiques, colourful souvenirs ranging from woven bags, ethnic dresses, accessories and ornaments.

Shenny and I went BFF shopping with our matching BFF attire!! HHAAH. Do keep a lookout for the give away below!!

All of us 8 Bloggeratis by Nuffnang. Left: Mong, Clara, Juli, Charlene, Me, Shenny, Limaran and Jason.

Think we were recording a video and looking happy!
Thank you Cebu Pacific Air and Philippines Department of Tourism Region 11 (Davao) for welcoming us with your great hospitality! Hope to visit Philippines soon again! Because it’s always more fun in the Philippines, right? 😉

The Philippines’ largest airline, Cebu Pacific Air flies from Singapore to the eco-adventure capital of Davao Thrice weekly. Lowest year-round fares start from SGD182. For bookings and promos, visit www.cebupacificair.com or call +65 315 80808.

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We are holding a giveaway for all you adventure seekers! You can stand a chance to win a pair of air tickets to Davao! Follow my Instagram (@urbandollsg) to find out how you can win. Good luck!!

xoxo,