This would be my third visit to the tadpole-shaped island (the first was via a Philippine Navy LST during a high-school bivouac in 1975 and, 20 years later, in 1995).

We left the CCP Ferry Terminal at 8:30 am for a 48-kilometer cruise, through Manila Bay, to Corregidor, via the MV Sun Cruises II, a 293-foot catamaran fast ferry of Sun Cruises Inc. (SCI), our host. SCI, which traces its beginnings in August 1988 as a ferry service, now brings 70,000 tourists to the island annually, making the island one of the most visited tourist spots in the country.  

THE highlight of our—or any—trip to Guiuan was our visit (and subsequent overnight stay) on Calicoan Island, the “Sleeping Beauty of Eastern Samar.” And with good reason, as the island is blessed with long stretches of unspoiled white-sand beaches, crystal-clear blue waters, 20 isolated and romantic coves, six huge and unexplored saltwater lagoons, and nature trails inside tropical virgin forests (50% of the area). My son Jandy and I made our way to the island via hired tricycle (P400), getting to the island, not by boat but via a short concrete causeway, then traversing a dirt and gravel road which runs the length of the island. Our home on the island was its best: the luxurious Surf Camp. This hideaway, reason enough to explore Calicoan, was developed by Cebu-based lawyer and pioneer developer Maning Go and designed, with distinctive Asian-inspired lines, by Frenchman Nicolas Rambeau.