a luxury barefoot honeymoon: dedon island, siargao

on our honeymoon we saved the best and fanciest for last – dedon island [located in siargao]. we randomly stumbled across this refinery 29 article which is what inspired us to book this final stop. it was the most magical little island, and we were so lucky to have visited during the "off season", as we almost had the entire place to ourselves. because of the "all-inclusive-ness" of this place, you pay one lump sum before you arrive and never have to think about money again, which is pretty genius. every treat, drink, massage, activity is included. it was lovely. highlights from our dedon experience include:  

the freshest fruit every morning, pineapple juice on the reg, delicious food <cooked by an epic chef>, the staff <always asking if we wanted more wine, snacks, a massage, anything!>, our villa and all the little details inside <like carefully curated playlists humming in the background>, our rainfall shower, boat rides, SUPing, sunsets at the mangroves, couldn't be fresher fish, dominos in the rain, riding scooters, riding WAVES [i'm a surfer now!], making new friends, finishing books poolside, dinners on the beach... realizing now that i could go on for way too long. thank you, dedon, for ending our honeymoon in the most perfect way possible. we'll remember it forever. 

DETAILS:

where: siargao, island
time of year: november [off season, but we had great weather – just a little rain]  
how to get there: we flew into siargao on cebu pacific air from cebu
price per night: depends on your package & the season which can be found here
activities available: surfing, snorkeling, boating, cooking – and far too much more to list here
things to know:  this place is tough to get to, but once you arrive it is a true paradise. they have everything dialed in and it is a once in a lifetime experience. 

our full philippines travel guide can be found here. enjoy!

* this stay was part of a collaboration, all opinions are my own. 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 

sailing in the philippines with tao expedition

TAO EXPEDITION 

---

will go down in history as one of the coolest things we've ever done. it's also one of the main reasons we decided to honeymoon in the philippines – from the first time we looked at their website and heard experiences from friends that have been aboard, we were sold. we were lucky enough to snag two spots on the one and only sail boat trip that tao offers: the balatik. our captain, gener, built this beauty with his bare hands and it took him almost 2 years. for 5 days and 4 nights, we & 20 other guests from all over the world sailed from el nido to coron along more than 300 islands with countless private beaches and untouched communities, that are inaccessible to almost all tourists. it was unforgettable. 

W I T H  T A O  T H E R E  I S  N O  S E T  I T I N E R A R Y 

---

based on the ocean currents and weather, the captain will decide where to take you, and which base camps to stop at. our days were spent enjoying our incredible surroundings, eating some of the most delicious food [there was never a hungry moment – the BEST fruit, snacks, and fresh meals were always in the works], reading, snorkeling, swimming, exploring, fishing, making new friends, learning new games and also learning a new level of relaxation. we were completely off the grid with absolutely no connection to the rest of the world. 

A S  T H E  S U N  S E T  E A C H  N I G H T

---

we were served rum + pineapple sundowners before swimming in to basecamp. every night was spent on a new island, each with it's own unique pieces of character. night one, we showered in bamboo huts using nothing but buckets of cold water and had waves crashing beneath our tree-house as we slept. night two was spent on the tao farm, where we learned all about their amazingly creative and unique organic farming initiatives. night three was on an electricity free island and there was something so romantic and cozy about doing everything by candlelight. even showering! and on our final night we camped on an island that had a small little karaoke hut. it was one of the most hilarious nights i've ever seen, and the perfect way to end our journey.

tao, you were life changing. enough thanks cannot be given to those who made this trip possible for us. and now for a major photo overload.
 

my favorite town in the philippines: el nido

after apulit island we were shuttled a couple hours north to el nido – an insanely gorgeous part of palawan filled with mountains and some of the bluest water i've ever seen. our time here was short, as we were heading on our sailing trip in 2 days. we jam-packed our stay with a full day boat tour stopping at 5 different islands – on some of which we had the entire beach to ourselves. our two guides cooked us the most delicious lunch off the side of our boat, and we were able to buy beers at the tiny little huts located on each of the islands. this was one of my favorite days from the trip. 

the el nido overlooking was also perfect. this french inspired boutique hotel consists of 4 private villas and had some of the best most authentic breakfast + coffee. and right next door was the coolest beach bar i've ever seen, which ended up being our go-to spot for kalamansi mojitos and dinner each night. our only regret from el nido was that we didn't stay long enough. this place is truly truly magical. 

eco adventure in el nido: apulit island

i cannot believe our honeymoon came and went so quickly. we could not be happier with our decision to travel to the phillipines. my god. this incredible country is made up of more than 7,000 islands, only a thousand of which are inhabited. within those islands there is a mind-blowing collection of natural wonders. pristine beaches. magnificent limestone formations. crazy colorful coral reefs. infinite hiking + exploring. i could go on and on. we went with a plan to bop around every 3 or 4 days to really get the most out of our travels. this country – i can't say enough good things about it. the people were some of the nicest i've ever met. the food was for the most part extremely delicious and unique (the fruit! i've never had a mango like that). 3 weeks felt like plenty when we booked the trip – however once it was time for us to leave, we were just getting started. 

photos here are from our first island/stop of the trip where we spent 4 nights – apulit island. after 28 hours of traveling from sf (two flights, a 4 hour drive, and an hour boat), it was a great first stop to just relax and settle into the new timezone (16 hours ahead). we woke up before sunrise every morning to see the glowing plankton, read books, played volleyball with the locals, had one of the best massages, SUPed, rock climbed + repelled, snorkeled, drank cuba libres, and relaxed hard in our cozy little hut.