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Pacific Cebu Resort, Philippines: Scuba diving, beaches & beauty queens!

pacific cebu resort philippines

What do scuba divers and beauty queens have in common? You’ll find out in this fun post!

My film team and I visited the Philippines for the first time, as guests of Pacific Cebu ResortAs you can see from the photo above (with fellow travel blogger Rose Afaye), this is tropical paradise. 

southeast asia dive center

I took full advantage of the resort’s relaxation options. Lying in a hammock under palm trees… spa pampering… ordering fresh mango smoothies at all hours… oh yes.

cebu diving school

But there’s more to Pacific Cebu Resort than lounging around. They have a top-rated diving school, and guests can get certified in all levels of scuba.

jen's pirate booty white sun dress

The Philippines have some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the world. Their waters are rich with tropical marine life:  more than 500 species of coral and 2000 species of fish! 

cebu Philippines islands map

The 3D map shows that Mactan Island, Cebu is a prime place for under-the-sea adventures.

scuba diving instructor

At Padi Gold Palm diving center, beginners can train with experts in various languages (English, Chinese, Japanese), and dive right from the resort’s long pier.

padang backless dress, jen's pirate booty

I went for a hippie look, in a breezy outfit from West LA Boutique. I’m wearing a white “Padang backless dress” by Jen’s Pirate Booty over a swimsuit, and over-sized House of Harlow 1960 sunglasses. I added tie-dye color with a rainbow silk scarf headband, and multicolored sandals from Shibuya in Tokyo.

diving pool, equipment

I wish I could have joined the scuba lessons in the pool. Unfortunately, I have some eye and skin conditions that make it difficult for me to go underwater. Filmmaker Eric dove in for me.

white backless beach dress

While he learned about scuba safety, photographer Melissa Rundle and I went to explore the pier, which reaches far out into the ocean.

pacific cebu resort jetty. pier

You can see the resort in the back: 6.5 hectares of palm tree paradise, with its own sandy beach front.

cebu romantic outdoor dining

We took a break to eat seafood pasta under the romantic thatched roof.  (All meals and drinks are included for guests.)

sav hotel room cebu

Pacific Cebu Resort has recently been renovated, under the new management of sáv Hospitality. We filmed one of the new rooms, a modern white interior with splashes of color.

purple rainbow hair, headband

The new suites have outdoor lounge beds overlooking the ocean.

cebu resort luxury suites

… and a private patio, ideal for drinking wine and watching the sun set.

sav hospitality resort Philippines

This blissful statue pretty much sums up how I felt during my stay here.

travel blogger resort review

Back to the pier, this time to see Eric make his first dive. But he wouldn’t be alone…

miss scuba philippines diving

… he was in the company of Filipino beauty queen contestants! These ladies were taking part in Miss Scuba Philippines, a pageant that raises consciousness about marine preservation.

miss scuba contestants

I was one of the judges of the Miss Scuba competition, which was held a few days later. The contestants all learn to scuba dive, and the pageant quizzes them on marine conservation in addition to the usual swimwear, evening gown and talent portions. (I’ll do a full post about the beauty contest later on.)

philippines scuba diving

Getting ready to descend into the clear blue. You can already see the clumps of waving sea grass and coral below the surface.

underwater scuba gopro hero

Eric makes the OK sign with his fingers. Since scuba divers can’t speak to each other underwater, they use hand signals as a visual communication.

He took this selfie with a GoPro camera, which lets you film and shoot in water. Stay tuned for mesmerizing footage from this dive.

pink sunset palm trees

I ended the day by watching the pink candy sunset, while sitting by the pool. Ahh.

Come gaze at more photos on the Pacific Cebu Resort Facebook. The resort fits the budget of young travelers, and is a quick flight from Hong Kong or Japan — so I hope you’ll keep it in mind for your next beach escape. Thanks to sáv Hospitality for these warm memories.

Have you ever snorkeled or dived? How do you like my pirate-hippie look?

SHARE & COMMENT

33 Comments

  1. Lynn
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 5:53 am | Permalink

    Love!

  2. Cosplay Romantik
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 5:53 am | Permalink

    Jealous of your travels ^^

  3. Peter
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 5:55 am | Permalink

    I was just there earlier this year. A very nice place, though I was shocked at the poverty in the city proper.

  4. Ariel
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 5:55 am | Permalink

    love this look on you!

  5. Euri
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 7:57 am | Permalink

    Oh, beautiful place! :D

  6. Marco
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 7:21 pm | Permalink

    wow!!

  7. Reileen
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 7:21 pm | Permalink

    _Super_ glad you’ve finally visited my motherland! Looking forward to more posts.

  8. MelissaR
    Posted October 29, 2014 at 8:33 pm | Permalink

    What magical, rainbow photos! Love it!

    • lacarmina
      Posted October 30, 2014 at 10:34 pm | Permalink

      Hehe things get more rainbow once we’re in Lapu Lapu… XD

  9. queen h
    Posted October 30, 2014 at 6:49 am | Permalink

    cool

  10. Kazuya
    Posted October 30, 2014 at 6:49 am | Permalink

    <3

  11. Jerry
    Posted October 30, 2014 at 10:04 pm | Permalink

    nice see u l.a tell vk and jack spooky said hi for him alwaysO:-)

  12. R Pan
    Posted October 31, 2014 at 3:26 am | Permalink

    I love seeing these photos!

  13. Kim Yu
    Posted October 31, 2014 at 3:26 am | Permalink

    i wished i could have seen you when you visited here >.<

  14. hagar
    Posted October 31, 2014 at 8:08 pm | Permalink

    happy halloween la carmina .

  15. Trish
    Posted October 31, 2014 at 10:12 pm | Permalink

    I wanna meet you!

  16. Tamashi
    Posted October 31, 2014 at 10:13 pm | Permalink

    Hyper Diva <3

  17. Hibari
    Posted November 1, 2014 at 4:39 am | Permalink

    The last time I snorkled was 15 years ago… when my family and my best friend’s family visited Cebu. I think we actually toured the same resort. It was kind of boring for us kids because it was partly a business trip (so no fun in the resort). I would love to return and experience it as an adult.

    • lacarmina
      Posted November 1, 2014 at 11:46 pm | Permalink

      Wow, what a coincidence if it’s the same resort! It’s changed a lot now with the new ownership and renovations. I usually get bored at resorts but there was a lot to learn (like scuba and snorkel) and culture to experience at PCR, so I loved it. I also went into the cities, and on sailing excursions. You must come back!

  18. Eden
    Posted November 1, 2014 at 3:53 pm | Permalink

    I was supposed to be going to Pacific Cebu Resort this October too but I got held up with
    other things and decided not to prioritize this trip. sooo.. imagine my face upon opening your blog after a few months of not reading it… I can’t believe youre in PH! Life is sooo disappointing sometimes. haha I hope you had fun in Philippines =)

    • lacarmina
      Posted November 1, 2014 at 11:44 pm | Permalink

      No kidding!! The world works in mysterious ways 0.0

      On the positive side, I do hope you’ll come here – the resort is better than ever because of the renovations and new management. And I’m sure I’ll be back soon since I’m continuing to work with them… will keep you posted!

  19. Kathrine
    Posted November 3, 2014 at 12:34 am | Permalink

    oh my god you went to the philippines ;-; i wish i got the chance to see you

  20. Cera
    Posted November 3, 2014 at 12:35 am | Permalink

    ur in philippines?

  21. Jason Cruz
    Posted May 30, 2015 at 8:22 am | Permalink

    Thank you for posting, your blog look amazing. It is like stress free environment with lots of positive vibe with the luscious ocean. Every corner looks so perfect. You look like you are having fun, no doubt. That place is incredible, I wonder how far this place from the Boracay Island?

    http://www.pearlofthepacific.ph/contactus.php

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