Four days that started in the city and ended up out on the water. Davao to ease in, Samal for the heart of it, and a long drive home to bookend the whole thing.
Day one — landing in Davao
The trip opened on food, the way Davao trips should. Conveyor-belt sushi at Sushi Station in SM City Davao — plates gliding past, no menu to agonize over — then a slow afternoon at Cake Gallerie, the Ghibli-themed cafe where Totoro keeps watch from the shelves and the heat falls away at the door. We checked into an Airbnb at Seawind in Sasa, on the quiet north edge of the city, deliberately staged close to the wharf for an early start.
Day two — out to the islands
First light at Sta. Ana Wharf: brine and diesel, outriggers loading up, the gulf opening flat and bright past the breakwater. We met the joiner group and pushed off for Talicud — water so clear the boat seemed to hover over the reef, a string of coves to swim and snorkel through, and a simple grilled lunch with sand still on our feet. Back on the mainland we refueled on wings at Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things in SM Lanang, then made a late, dark check-in at Cavenico il Mare on Samal — the resort holding its reveal for the morning.
Day three — Cavenico, then back across
Daylight finally showed off the cove, and we worked through the full menu of water toys: the banana boat whipping behind the speedboat, kayak loops, stand-up paddle on the glassier stretches, easy swims in between. By midday we’d crossed back to meet Ma’am Laiza at SM City Davao, then settled into One Oasis in Ecoland — a poolside condo cluster — for the final night.
Day four — the road home
Checked out the next morning and pointed the car south, the trip winding down on the long drive back to General Santos.
