Occ. Mindoro: Pandan Grande Island!

Cebu Pacific arrived earlier than the ETA so we had time to enjoy the hearty breakfast prepared by Ate F in San Jose.  Then the troop proceeded to Sablayan where we would spend the weekend.

Favorite breakfast food :-)



Sablayan town is in mainland Mindoro and it’s the usual jump-off point to get to Pandan Grande Island and the Apo Reef.  It is also said to be the Philippine’s largest municipality.

We had to leave the 3 vehicles at the Sablayan police station for we would be staying in Pandan overnight.  The jetty is located at the back of the public market where we met with Angie from Tourism.  She arranged for a glass-bottom boat to take us to Pandan Island.  It’s a big boat that easily accommodated our party of 19.  We also asked her to arrange for a boat to take us to the Apo Reef early the following day.

We had time to roam around while waiting for the drivers to arrive.  Near the jetty, we spotted a hanging foot bridge which services pedestrians and cyclists alike. 

 And after a few minutes, we were off to Pandan Grande Island.  It was a pleasant 45-minute ride to Pandan except for that rough stretch where salt and fresh-water meets.  It normally takes just 10 minutes to get to the island but we decided to put the glass-bottom boat to good use.  It was a good idea because at least the toddlers and the senior citizens who were with us also enjoyed the underwater scenes.

The waters appeared dark green or dark blue where it must have been really deep.  But there are also the “shallow” areas where we could see the sea floor and corals.  We got excited when the boat man shouted and pointed to the glass-floor…that’s when we saw the biggest turtle I have ever seen!  And on the way to Pandan, there’s also another island which is said to be privately-owned.  I asked what it’s called and they said “Aloe Vera!”  Haha…very funny.  Bleh.

As we reached Pandan, we marveled at the long stretch of white sand and the blue-green waters of the sea.  Check-in at the resort was a breeze.  The receptionist led us to the 2 family houses that we rented for one night.  Each house has 3 rooms and comes with a nice porch where you can play cards or just bum around.  Just be sure to keep it down because you don’t want to disturb your neighbors who will most certainly be foreigners resting early in preparation for a trip to the Apo Reef.  And right at the back of our house, there’s the turtle hatchery where we saw hundreds of turtles ready to be released out to the open sea.

Pandan is pretty laid back…and by that I meant that there’s no electricity in the island.  Everything is run by solar power so there’s neither aircon nor electric fan.  We just enjoyed the fresh sea breeze at night because how often can we experience that in the urban jungle?  Batteries for cameras and cellphones can be re-charged at the dive shop.  We were also provided with mosquito nets to protect us from the little suckers.  Do not forget to bring some good old bug spray.  There’s also very limited fresh water so I had a taste of strict water discipline. 

We didn’t mind the simple accommodations and facilities because Pandan is a nice place to relax and….snorkel.  Pandan, like Dauin, has its own marine sanctuary…just a few meters from the shore.  It’s too bad, though, that we went snorkeling late in the afternoon so our underwater shots were hazy.  But the important thing is that we enjoyed the rich marine life of the waters of Pandan.