Taking advantage that we’re in Cebu North, we spent our weekends going around the place. We temporarily resided in Catmon but why limit ourselves there? So, we decided to take our adventure way up north in this spontaneous drive
🚨Tanga Moment Here
Your ever-so-trusted navigator (yours truly) managed to get lost again. And it was funny and pathetic. The road was literally straight. How can you be lost? But this not-so-smart traveller certainly finds her way to mischief. Oh well. Good thing we got back right on track.
We were supposed to go to Tabogon, Cebu where it has the famous Guiwanon Spring. If you look it up on Google, you are sure to put that spot in your list.
💡 Just a little advice (and in case you won’t get lost like us but I’m sure you’re not as tanga like me), if you find yourself in Sogod, Cebu and you meet this road that looks like it’s sliced in half, go right. The left road leads you straight to San Remegio. The right road goes to Tabogon.
Then again, I’m sure Google Maps is going to tell you that. I just don’t know how we managed to get lost in such obvious directions
Anyway, it took us only an hour to get to Guiwanon Spring from Catmon via motorcycle. We got there by 10:30 AM. However, the guard told us that the place is fully booked!
Guiwanon Spring, as it says on Google, was no longer a public tourist spot. It was now privately owned and renamed Banyan Spring Resort.
Due to the health protocols, they limited the number of people who could get in. You could reserve a cottage there ahead of time. But after knowing that the entrance fee has spiked up, we weren’t so sure we’d want to go there anymore.
People used to pay Php 50 ($1) as an entrance fee. Now, it has become Php 150 ($3) for adults and Php for kids. Pets are NOT allowed too so if you have a pooch along with you, better scratch this one out. Sorry.
Looking for Plan B, we tried to go back and looked for any other spring or beach we could find. Then we found this large sign saying, Bunzie’s Cove.
Bunzie's Cove | Tabogon, Cebu
It has two entrances. The first one was a large, closed gate that didn’t look so inviting. That’s why we ignored it at first. But as we went a little further, we saw another sign with the same name on it. This time, it was open and it has a nice path of moss-covered pavement with thin green vines hovering overhead.
So, we went in! We didn’t know if Bunzie’s Cove was open but it looked abandoned. Somebody came out who happened to be a staff and invited us to go right in.
We were met with another staff who asked for our names and collected a few fees. We were amazed at how fancy the place looked! It had a few fallen trees here and there, and it was probably because of the typhoon.
Fees in Bunzie’s Cove
Entrance Fee is Php 150 per person
Room rate is Php 3500+ depending on the room type and capacity
The grass and trees are a little unkept but they have this amazing view! We got a table for free by the pool. I thought I’d seen enough but there’s actually more!
Bunzie’s Cove is a large resort with a long trail by the cliffs. We wanted to check the beach but we found ourselves in this beautiful cove!
Just a little fun fact 💡 A cove is a rock formation looking like a concave arch. In this case, this cove is slightly hidden. It’s unkept since it looks like it has been abandoned. Probably because of the typhoon. It also has a few bancas or small boats docking at the sides.
Either way, we found our spot. We sat by the beach and looked at how amazing that they were able to build a house by the cliffs. The sea was so inviting that we had to jump in.
Just a little heads up though. The sea had a lot of seaweed and broken branches floating around. The waves helped, but we had to splash them aside too.
There was another set of stairs leading to the other side of the resort. A bit hesitant, we decided to venture a bit further. But I told my husband that if we’d be meeting an ax murdered ahead then I’m running first.
Good news: No murderer at Bunzie’s Cove.
But there was this tiny infinity pool by their supposed bar. Sadly, there was this large tree that fell right beside it.
There were a few broken bulbs by the bar so we decided to stay in the pool. Fortunately, the staff told us it was okay to hang around and turned on the pool filter for us. After enjoying some pool time and the view, we strolled again.
We ended up at the first entrance only that there was no one around. We saw this house that was slightly covered by the tree. But I believe it was their semi-villa room for exclusive use. It looked fancy enough.
Spooked by the eerie silence, we went back to the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon there.
When we headed back, I had to take photos of the entrance we went through. It had this labyrinth-ish aura to it. The unkempt grass and broken statues and vase at the side (though not shown in the photos) reminded me of a scene in Spirited Away. Lol
Nonetheless, it was one of the best spontaneous trips we had in Cebu North. Bunzie’s Cove is a great place for families to gather around, especially if they want a little touch of exclusivity. The resort is also a very large property to explore. We certainly took our time going around the place.
I just hope people get to know more about Bunzie’s Cove. From my experience, it was truly a hidden gem in Tabogon, Cebu.
