Spending Two Hours in Talima Beach Villas and Dive Resort

With a little more than 2 hours to spare, my friend and I decided to spend our remaining time on a day trip. Our choices were Shalala Beach, Abalone Resort, and Talima Beach Resort. Shalala Beach is a public beach with no restaurant. And since my friend had already visited the place, we scrapped it out of our options. Abalone Resort, on the other hand, is a resort which looked good outside (we passed by it on the way to Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary). But since it is an inland resort, meaning there is no beach, we also eliminated it. So we were down to Talima Beach Resort. I’ve already seen the resort in the internet and it appealed to me. So Talima it was. From OIWS, a tricycle picked us up and drove us all the way to the resort for 120 pesos. There were some exaggeratedly bumpy parts going to the resort.

Talima Beach Villas and Dive Resort is a small resort located in Brgy. Talima (so that’s where the resort got its name!). Surprisingly, guests staying overnight are limited to 20 people since the resort only has 6 rooms, ranging from economy to poolside villas. Although this is the case, there is no limit to the number of day trip guests.

Beach bar

I found the rooms and villas to be well-designed—minimalist, clean-looking, and elegant. Talima has an infinity pool, restaurant, bar, cabanas, and sun decks. The resort also offers tours to the bird sanctuary, island hopping activities, watersports, and even diving through its partner Polaris Dive Center. The resort also has a mini court where guests can play volleyball or badminton.

Infinity pool

For only 250 pesos, one can enjoy a day trip inclusive of use of several amenities such as swimming pool, cottages, shower rooms, life vests and access to the fish sanctuary. After paying for our entrance fee, we immediately proceeded to the best cottage we found. There were only a few guests at that time, one family of 4, a couple, and a foreign woman. A few moments later, we had the whole resort to ourselves. Nice.



Family villa



Before enjoying all the perks in store for us, we decided to have our lunch. It was nearing 12 noon so we asked for the menu and we were surprised to see the prices of the food. It was not actually super expensive, it’s just that our travel funds were all exhausted after 5 days of touring around Caraga. We were hoping we could eat something cheaper. But since we had no choice, we opted for the cheapest food which was pancit canton and paired it with calamansi soda. When the food arrived, it was actually the famous pancit canton Lucky Manzano endorses. Toink. No wonder it was the cheapest, but still expensive at 150 pesos. The only consolation were the vegetables that came with it. Haha.

Rock cliff

Reef house

After our sumptuous meal [insert sarcastic tone here] we decided to check out the fish sanctuary about a hundred meters from the resort. By the way, Talima has no sandy shores that will get one excited. The resort is built on top of a coral rock cliff though one can access the water through the stairs. Talima offers a view of the Hilutungan Channel and Mactan Island from afar. I asked how we can get to the sanctuary. I was thinking there’s a boat or even a raft that could take us there. It was another crazy moment when the resort attendant told us that we had to swim our way to the sanctuary. In my mind I exclaimed a big “whaaaat???” For real? She wasn’t joking. Okay, so we tried to cross the water. It was actually shallow so I understand why there was no need for a boat. But after seeing a white jellyfish, my friend and I rushed back to the stairs and decided to swim in the pool instead.

We spent around 30 minutes swimming in the pool and decided to pack up since it was almost 2PM and we needed to catch the ferry back to Mactan. Overall it was a good 2-hour stay in Talima. The minor issues were forgivable. For a resort that’s tastefully designed, who would complain for a 250-peso entrance fee?





Relax to the max



HOW TO GET TO TALIMA BEACH VILLAS AND DIVE RESORT

From Mactan International Airport, ride a taxi going to Punta Engaño Pier. Fare should be around 120-140 pesos. Ride a ferry going to Olango Island. Fare is 15 pesos (with a 1-peso terminal fee) and travel time is 10-15 minutes. Upon arriving in Sta. Rosa Pier in Olango, ride a tricycle or habal-habal going to the resort. Fare should be about 120 pesos, one-way.  You can request for a tricycle from the resort personnel if you wish to go back to the pier.

RATES AND FEES

Rooms: 1,600-6,000 pesos per night based on twin sharing

Day trip – 250 pesos inclusive of pool, cottage, life vest and shower room use. Access to the fish sanctuary is also included

Talima Beach Villas and Dive Resort

Olango Island

6015 Cebu

www.talimabeach.com

info@talimabeach.com

09228513361

09228513360