Kuting Reef, Leyte: And Romancing The Art Of Doing Nothing

This quiet piece of paradise...

I am taken aback (and a little guilty actually) - at 5AM, we ride a van from Tacloban City to Maasin. The travel time is approximately 4 hours. Upon arrival, I am told that it’s best to buy drinks here because the drinks in Kuting Reef are a little expensive so we head to (the biggest) supermarket in town – Gaisano mall. We buy a few bottles of wine and then we hire a tricycle to take us to the resort. And then I thought - why do we leave our hometowns unexplored? I’ve been to beaches everywhere but how come I’ve skipped this one, a mere 3-hour ride from where I was born?

Leyte, where I’m from, and Samar are home to really beautiful beaches. The beaches here may not have a stretch of sand as white and powdery as Boracay but they offer the sun fix and the perfect relaxation opportunity that only faraway and less frequently visited beaches could offer.

Don't you just love this sight of summer in the tropics?

So for Holy Week, I packed my bag and headed to Kuting Reef, a famous destination in Leyte. The prices may be a little expensive for locals but for Manila travelers, the rates are incredibly cheap. It was the perfect destination for Holy Week. It was not as crowded, the sea was calm, the sun was high, and there were cabanas and rattan hammocks by the shore. I love, love shore cabanas and hammocks because I like the thought of lounging lazily in front of the sea and watch the sun go down (or up).  I also purposely chose this place because it would give me some time for self-reflection (as I see fit because we were there Black Saturday). The food was great, too! We availed of their Barkadahan package for only P1500 per pax, maximum of four. This includes room accommodation and three buffet meals of your choice.

Noon time, when good conversations happen in the middle of the sea...

 Sunsets, lilac wine.

And back in the morning, sunrise.

The serenity of the place was just perfect. All we did was sleep in the cabana, kayak, sleep on the kayak in middle of the sea, sleep again in our room, read in our hammocks, drink wine to the sunset and if we weren’t doing any of these, we were probably just doing nothing at all. I particularly enjoyed finishing A Moveable Feast by the hammock and sleeping on a raft to the soft cradling of the waves. – All these serve the resort’s goal right, which is to offer ultimate relaxation to their visitors and make them do NOTHING at all. 

What great mornings are made of...

The smell of sunblock, soft sunshine, and one good read = heaven.

                                                Leaving sun-kissed and the memory of new-found friends.

I leave the place with a refreshed body and mind, like how you feel after an hour of a soothing massage, and of course, a sunburnt shoulder. I know, I feel better. 

To get to Kuting Reef:

From Tacloban City: Van-van's shuttle P240 per/pax to Maasin City (Travel time is approximately 3.5 hours.)

From Maasin City: Tricycle P250 for 3 pax

For updated room rates, check out: http://kuting-reef.com/main/