Maravilla Beach, Tabuelan Cebu

Tabuelan is a small laidback town located 90km on the northwestern seaboard of Cebu. If you want to take a break from the noisy commercial beaches in Mactan, this is the perfect place to be with their unspoiled beaches, natural appeal and unadulterated ecosystem. Which is why under unanimous decision, our team decided to take a short jaunt here for our team outing last June 4-5, 2016.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

GETTING THERE:

Since we were a big group with kids travelling that day, we decided to rent one of the V-Hires (van for hire) at the North Bus Terminal for around P3,500 (one way). The route we took passed through the main city road heading North, passing by Mandaue City, all the way to Sogod, until you reach the peaceful town of Tabuelan. It was an almost 3-hour travel since we had to take a short stopover for breakfast. But the long drive is absolutely worth it.

Tip: For those with privately owned vehicles, you can take the shorter alternative route via the scenic Transcentral Highway, passing through Tuburan. Or you can take the Tuburan-bound V-Hire at Ayala Center Cebu that takes the same route. And from Tuburan, you can take a tricycle heading to Tabuelan.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

THE PLACE WE STAYED IN:

We had originally planned to stay in Maravilla Beach Club but unfortunately due to the Triathlon that was to be held in that town on the same day of our stay, resorts were already fully-booked months before. And it was already a blessing for us when a staff from Maravilla Beach Club recommended that we stay in one of Tabuelan’s many well-kept ancestral houses, Segonda Carmelotes Heritage House, which is just located in between Maravilla Beach Club and Maravillosa Park (Maravilla Public Beach Resort).

Meet our supervisor, Chris! Hi TL!

The place actually reminded me of our relatives' home in our province in Antique, Panay. Thus, I had no issues staying overnight at this small & quaint place to also experience a piece of Tabuelan’s rich heritage. And no, there aren't any aswangs here. And not only that.. there's no Wifi and no network signal for Mobile Data here too! So you're gonna have to wait until you're on your way home to upload those Instagram pictures. LOL. And by the way, we rented this 2-storey ancestral home for P5,000/night (I actually found the price a bit too expensive) but it was already big enough for our group of 15 adults and 2 kids. Plus, the bed, pillows, blankets, electric fan, and kitchen utensils are already provided for our group to use. It also has a nice front yard where you can sit and relax under the shade of the Tambis (water apple) tree.

The caretakers were also very hospitable. However there is one of the caretakers here who tends to get easily annoyed when it gets too dirty, or when there’s too much dirty dishes to wash, or when you hog the bathroom too long. Or maybe that was just her RBF (Resting Bitch Face). LOL. Who knows! But of course, we also tried to help with the dishes and in tidying of our messes.

Tiffy, ang babae sa bintana. Haha.

Team Chris.

Behind this ancestral home is, however, a hidden gem in Tabuelan. You will find a long stretch of unspoiled beach with a rocky shoreline that will offer you a calm and solemn atmosphere. The pristine water is so crystal clear that when you step on it you can still see your feet underwater unlike the beach during our stay in San Remegio. There are also little sand bars underwater so the beach is not all rocky. The place is so beautiful that you can just sit on the sand or on one of the rocks basking under the warm summer sky and just marvel at how clear and unpolluted the sparkling emerald green & turquoise water is.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

Photo taken by my teammate, Isagani Tumamac.

Crystal clear water.

It’s also best to take a swim in the morning or early in the afternoon when the tide is still high. And you can walk far from the beach and the water would still be up to your waist. Good for those with children who can’t swim. And when it’s a low tide (around past 3PM), the water is really, like REALLY, low. All you can do is walk on it and look for starfishes or sea urchins. It was just a bit disappointing that I wasn’t able to get a good picture of the sunset since it was a gloomy afternoon and it rained earlier that day.

Team photo during low tide.

Photo from pudugraphy.com blog

Photo from pudugraphy.com blog

Photo taken before the low tide when it started getting gloomy.

The following day, we went to see the Triathlon in Maravillosa Park. Since there was a big event held at the resort, it was pretty crowded that day and you can hardly relax nor appreciate the beauty of the beach. But if you imagine it without the crowd, you can actually tell how beautiful it truly is and it's actually quite clean for a public beach. Just avoid coming here on weekends though 'coz according to locals it can still get crowded on Saturdays & Sundays considering it's a public beach.

But unlike the beach behind our ancestral home, this here has a long stretch of soft, fine, clean, pure, powdery white sand which you can lie down and roll over, and not get a single blister or cut on your skin. There’s not a single rock on the shoreline – just pure white sand. You can also run around on the beach water and not see a single sea urchin – which is a good thing so you wouldn’t have to worry about someone having to pee on your foot in case you step on & get pricked by one. LOL. You can also see thatch-roofed huts lining the beach front available for day use. And they also have rooms for those who want to stay overnight.

Pia Cayetano spotted during the Triathlon.

Photo from kayatanim0.wordpress.com blog

Photo from kayatanim0.wordpress.com blog

Overall, the place is absolutely stunning! Perfect to escape the hustle & bustle of the city life. The abundance of trees and lush mangrove forest also gives a breath of freshness to this gorgeous place. The beach is so postcard-perfect! And it’s definitely instagrammable! Check out some of the Instagram photos I took here:

ENTRANCE FEE:
NONE, since it's a Public Beach Resort.

LOCATION:
Can-ambay, Maravilla, Tabuelan
Cebu 6044, Philippines

FACEBOOK:
Maravillosa Park (Not their official Facebook Page)