We splurged on a few days at a small island resort to celebrate our 6th anniversary a few months late. It was strange to book this place through Facebook and pay by depositing cash directly into the Isla’s bank account, but after realizing we weren’t involved in a scam, we found a beautiful slice of paradise. We were treated to real Filipino hospitality and ate like kings for every meal. 

 
First view of the island 

  
  
Our hut

  

Love that hammock

  
Lunch the first day: coconut milk soup with squash (pumpkin-like) and mussels, sea spinach, tomato and seaweed salad

  
The other half of lunch the first day: grilled pork, “angel wings” – steamed clams, and grilled grouper aka Lapu Lapu

  
Pretty tropical flower

  
Gorgeous Spanish colonial house replica on this tiny island

  
Inside the Spanish house

  
  
View from our hut

  
Dinner the first night – scallops served on the shell!, salad, veggies, grilled chicken, rice

  
Freshly caught grilled squid!

  
New favorite thing – banana fritters: banana wrapped in lumpia shell and fried

  
Morning view – low tide

  
Coffee has not kicked in yet! And he didn’t realize he was in the picture 🙂 For breakfast, we had Guimaras island mangos (supposedly the best in the world – can’t argue with that, they are amazing), papaya, eggs two ways, homemade bread, handmade local sausage – longganisa, rice, fresh squeezed lemonade, and of course, coffee. 

  
We then took a boat ride to the Filipino fishing development center – these are fish traps we saw on the way

  
They do research on local fish and keep them separated in these net-lined cages of sorts

  
The caretaker has lovingly tended to the fish for over 20 years

  
Here he is petting his friend Pedro the fish. He seemed really sad about the recent death of one of his fish, a 20+ year old grouper (Lapu Lapu) that weighed over 100 kilos

  
Pretty sea turtle. So glad I got this camera!

  
Feeding the fish

  
Back at the island, we had lunch. They made lumpia for Thom after we had told them of our failed attempts to find lots of lumpia in the Philippines! These are veggie filled, with carrots, bean sprouts and potatoes, with a vinegar dipping sauce

  
Jackfruit soup (surprisingly not sweet at all), grilled pork, cucumber salad, lumpia, angel wing clams, and rice.

  
Carmelized bananas. My camera has a “food setting” and the description is that it is a setting to be used to make food look delicious. I think it works well 🙂

  

Walking it off around the island

  

My favorite tree – Thom says it is because it looks like a nurse log that we see often in the Olympic rainforest in Washington

  
Feast for dinner – crabs, grilled tiger prawns, chicken salad, grilled chicken, veggies, dim sum soup (ate it before the picture was taken, but basically a dumpling soup), rice

  
Last day breakfast – mango, papaya, homemade bread, crab omelette, adobo squid with ink, grilled pork, rice, and coffee.

  
Our ride back to Iloilo. How are we ever going to top this? Hoping our trip didn’t peak early!