Carabao Island in the Philippines - Ivy's Vine Beach Resort

Everybody has their own sunset

admin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:02:00 +0000

Bon fire on the beach Popular request for sunset pictures. sunsets, beach pictures.

Michelle Norris pictures of Ivy’s Vine

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:40:11 +0000

I had the pleasure of staying at Ivy’s Vine over Chinese New Year 2009. I was clean, comfortable, and best of all right on the beach! The service was great, and everyone was so accommodating. If we wanted to do it, it could be arranged! We enjoyed the sun (some of us a little too much), the beach, the water, hiking to a bat cave, reading in the shade and a couple boat trips over to Boracay for the day. We wanted a laid back beach vacation, and that’s what we got!

- Michelle

Beach Art in front of Ivy

bats watching the touristsBeach Bonfires are popular

Cathy’s visit to Carabao Island

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:19:27 +0000

My friend and I had been staying in Boracay for a week and a half and decided we would like to travel to some of the quieter areas nearby. I found out online that you could get a ferry quite easily to Carabao island. I googled the island and immediately saw references to Ivy’s place on every page. After finding their website i sent an email for more information. Trent, one of the owners, emailed me back later that day saying they had availability and telling me the times and prices of the ferry from Caticlan.
We arrived into Lanas a day late, due to hangovers!, and we were met by Trent immediately off the boat. He walked us up the beach a few meters to the resort. We were delighted to be given the nearest bungallow, facing out onto the beach, literallly 10 steps from the sea…perfect! We had a big room with comfortable bed and clean and big bathroom. Outside our door we had a little table and bench which became our favourite spot for reading and watching the sunset.
After dropping our things we went over to the bar area for some breakfast and met Ivy, Trents wife and Sean his nephew who was also working there. There is a really nice menu for the daytime, full breakfasts, noodles, sandwhiches ect.. but our favourite part of our stay was the evening meal. Having been travelling for the last 2 months we were getting sick of eating in restaurants and were dying for a home cooked meal. Our first night at Ivy’s vine we went over for dinner and a big table was set up for everyone. We were delighted to join Ivy, Trent, Sean and his parents who were visiting. Dinner was delicious, fresh fish with sweet and sour vegetables and rice. Each night was something different and equally as nice. We were very excited about being able to ask “whats for dinner??” instead of trawling through the endless menus we had gotten so used to.
We had decided that after a quite active stay in Boracay we were happy to do absolutely nothing during our stay here…and we had the perfect setting. There is, however, loads to do. There is a dive shop in the resort and many dive sites. Horse riding or mountain bikes can br arranged too. On the rare occasion we did decide to do something, we chose to take a walk into the little village behind the resort. There is a school and a few hut type
houses with pigs and chickens wandering around and loads of incredibly friendly people, we walked further inland and saw lots of paddy fields and the odd cow or goat pottering about, we took at least 50 photos on our short walk!
On our last day, Ivy made a call and arranged for us to have massages in our room. If we thought we were relaxed beforehand, we learned a new meaning of the word. Afterwards we headed for dinner, BBq tuna, salad and rice…yummy, and had drinks with Trent, Ivy, Sean and a few of the locals. It was a lovely end to a lovely few days. I would definately reccommend a stay here, a gorgeous retreat from the busier tourist areas nearby.

Beach in front of IvyChildren helping out

Another SunsetEvery night is unique

Evening BBQEvening Meal

Thanks for the pictures and write up Cathy!!!

I’m glad you enjoyed your stay

Michael’s Pictures from Carabao Island

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:21:55 +0000

Michael was one of our first visitors and he took lots of pictures. this is just a small sampling if you want to see more go to his face book. If you want to see more of our guests comments or photos go to our web page.

One of our first GuestsA view from the top of Carabao

Ende took lots of hikes as there are many trails to explore.

One of the many beaches to be foundJust one of the different sunsets

A coconut plantation from up highVery old tree

One of many sunsetsApplying what they learned.

: A rooster doing classroom work

Many agricultural animalsLocal spear fishermen

Great Pictures we enjoyed having you here. Come Again!!!

Wild Life

admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:31:46 +0000

You still have the chance to see monkeys and large lizards. Birds comer in al shapes and forrms, egrets, swallows in coconut trees, and others. The marine life is the most popular event.

Weekly News - November 9th

admin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:58:32 +0000

Hi Everybody,

I am new to the blogging experience so this is a learning experience for me. My family and friends often ask what is going on in my life, so I am going to try to keep everyone informed and updated through a blog. If they really want to know all they have to do is sign in and take a look. If they want to say something or comment all they have to do is log in and post.

This is my first post in a series that I hope will keep everyone informed about life in the Philippines. For a brief introduction for those who don’t know me. My name is Trent Widdup and my wife (Ivy) and I are in partnership with Mike and Marina Parvus. As of know we live in the Philippines for four to six months on Carabao Island which is about 5 KM north of Boracay.

We are not there yet, but will be leaving in 2 days. I though it would be therefore useful to start my first weekly report before we left and keep a weekly account of things as they transpire. The first major hurdle is to pack and bring all the necessary things needed. As for my previous traveling philosophy this was easy. PASSPORT, TICKETS, MONEY Really what more do you need? However, I live there and want the tranquility of nice beaches, beautiful sunsets and great diving. On the other hand, our semi-remote place also needs all the comforts of modern life.

I therefore require granola bars, my music, Internet, and other things that make my life enjoyable and are not readly available on a tropical island where there are no land lines, cars don’t exist, and getting there from another country requires at the bare minimum two flights, a boat trip and various taxis and trikes. So in short I must pack.

My first step was to purchase a balikibyan box. This is one of the most useful things for people going to the Philippines. It is a box of various sizes in which you can put any personal items in. It doesn’t matter how heavy it is as much as you can put into it is up to your creative packing. I like to put in heavy items so I don’t have to Carry them such as books, Cambel soup, and dive gear. Keep in mind from Taiwan it still takes at least 45 days.

The next step is actually packing my bags. Here I have an advantage for the average traveller because i have a beach wardrobe already stored there, so I don’t have to worry about clothes. I do have to worry about things of a personal nature that if got lost or stolen would make my life Shii.. difficult. These need to be put into a bag i can carry with me and keep in contact at all times until I put them into a safe deposit box.

I am hoping I can get away without check in luggage so I can breeze through, but you never know.

In any event, I am leaving on Tuesday and hope to pick up a few things in Manila. Yuck! I will be on Carabao on the 14th with out any mishaps. If you want to ask anything or get in touch with we just E-mail or post on this Blog.

Hope to hear from you soon.

The Next Boracay, beaches and sunsets

admin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:47:06 +0000

Many people are talking about the potential of Carabao Island. I was just surfing the net and am not surprised by this since I have heard it many times before. The white sand is the same in places and both islands have a long sandy beach that stretches for kilometers.

The size is also similar. Although Carabao has about 3 times the land mass of Boracay, they are both approximately the same length. Boracay narrows in the middle while Carabao widens. With the anticipated new airport being built the tourist should flock there.

This is what they are really talking about. It is not the beaches, sunsets or laid back atmosphere. It is about commerce and building the Philippines. At the present it is still a pristine island, but not another Boracay. It never will be! Nor will the countless other islands which have had this claim fame. Malapascua, Puerto Galara, and hundreds of other wonderful spots.

This is a good thing because where else can you still find a beach with countless of shells and other sea creatures. The beach is still alive and hasn’t been sifted and raked. The snorkeling out front Lanas is great. You can spend countless of hours wandering the beach just to witness the wonders of the ocean, not the restaurants, bars, and hawkers that riddle the beach of Boracay.

Do you know that there is still not a paved road across the island. It makes for much better hiking and biking. You can still go for a walk without encountering a trike. In fact, you will probably see more livestock than people. There is one main cross country road and the majority of the

Taken from the restaurant at Ivy

r is dirt paths. Anyone for a pony ride?

The night life at the present is also much different. While in Boracay you have a full beach of night life there are only a couple of restaurants on Carabao. During the season, Ivy’s Vine Resort and The Nipa House are the only western restaurants. Much of the night life is star gazing and having a few beers on the beach often around a bonfire.

So Carabao Island will never be the next Boracay. It may have an International airport and be swamped with tourists in the future, but it’s development and places will be different and unique. If you want a laid back place that is a hop, skip and a jump from Boracay. Come Visit Now!

As for sunsets, you come and compare.

Ivy’s Vine House Reef - Carabao Island

admin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:19:22 +0000

Diving the house reef in front of Ivy’s Vine on Carabao Island can actually be divided into three different dives. There is Lanas slope, Devils Boulder and a wall dive. All three sites are easily accessible from the resort.

In this blog we will talk about Lanas slope. It is called this because of the fact that this gentle sloping area is right in front of the burangay of Lanas. This beautiful coral garden start at about 5 meters depending on the tide level and slopes down to around 18 to 20. At around 20meters it turns into a sandy bottom that slopes downwards. There are rock formations further out in the sand with a variety of life on them.

The reef has lots of life on it and a large variety of anenomae, nudibranches, and star fish can be seen. It is also quite common to see blue banded sea snakes and the usual clown and butterfly fish. This is a great beginner or night dive for the more experienced.

Carabao Island”s West Wall Dive

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:01:28 +0000

If you are not from Boracay few foreigners have heard about the diving on Carabao Island. Before most divers took day trips from Boracay Island. Now there is a fully equipped dive shop at Ivy’s Vine resort that offers guiding and courses with PADI and ISS.

One of the most popular and well known spots is the west wall. It is a wall dive that starts at between 5-7 meters and drops down to the deepest point of around 40 meters. It is approximately 300 meters in length and sometimes has a current on it attracting lots of fish.

I have dove this sight a number of times and there are still many things I have not seen. Diving a wall is great for multilevel diving as you are not stuck at safety stop with nothing to see. If there is a current we usually swim into the current until at around half a tank and then drift back. This allows you to view the wall at different levels.

Try Diving on Carabao Island in the Philippines

Things that I have seen are numerous. There are lots of soft coral and large fans. There are blue ribbon eels, stone fish, lion fish and numerous variety of trigger fish that make the wall their home.

Lionfish on Wall Reef

You see snapper, tuna, groupers and jacks swimming past. The Nudibranches are common and of a huge variety.

Carabao Diving - Philippines

…the West Wall is a dive that you want to try when you are diving at Carabao Island.

Best travel on Carabao Island-motorcycle or bicycle

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:20:42 +0000

People ask what is the best way to get around the island? I guess it all depends on what is best for you.

The roads or paths on Carabao go from the high end of one lane cement road, one cemented walking path, one lane dirt road, single file walking path, to coral studded inclined walking path. If there is heavy rain it doesn’t matter if it is motorcycle or bicycle there are still some stretches where you will be walking.

The main method of transportation on Carabao, besides walking, is the motorcycle. A one way trip across the island with is typically 70 pesos (last season prices). It is basically a motor cycle taxi service. If you want to go around the island you can negotiate with the drivers for such services. There are some roads they won’t go on or are reluctant to take because of the poor conditions of the road. You may wish to get off in some places so they can maneuver the bike up the coral studded slope or down the slippery path.

Bicycling is another option. You are in control and can go at your own leisurely pace. If it is too difficult or you don’t have confidence you can get off and push. Ivy’s Vine has two cross country bikes for rent. Any more and you have to arrange ahead, bargain with a local or bring them from Boracay.

There are many very scenic trails. Some are easy and some are challenging. You may want hire a pony. The question is: Which is the best one for you?