Summer’s just around the corner, and I simply can’t wait to hit the beach again! I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way, so to help you plan your next destination, I wanted to share with you my recent trip to one of the Philippines’ most beautiful islands, Guimaras, in case you’re thinking of going there this summer—and you should!

I’ve always wanted to see Guimaras, a Western Visayas province off Iloilo and sandwiched by Panay Island and Negros Island, so I was very grateful that the hotel where we stayed in Iloilo City, Amigo Terrace Hotel, kindly arranged a tour for us with the help of Panay Tours Specialists, Inc. (PTSI), which has an office right by the back entrance of the hotel.

My boyfriend Jessie and I were researching places to stay in Guimaras, and one of my friends told me that what a lot of people do is stay in Iloilo City and just arrange a day trip or island-hopping trip around Guimaras. (Click here to read my post on the things you can do in Iloilo.) This is actually what we did on our first visit.

Our trip to Guimaras began in Ortiz Port, which is very near Amigo Terrace Hotel, from where we took the 15-minute ferry boat ride to Jordan Wharf on Guimaras Island. Our tour guide assigned by PTSI, Anthony (let me know if you wish to get his contact details so he can help arrange your tour, too), arranged for a jeepney pick up from Jordan. And so begins our Guimaras half-day adventure, the highlights of which I listed below.

1. Have your photo taken at the Smallest Plaza

It used to be the Smallest Plaza in the World, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, until another country claimed the title. It’s still the smallest plaza in the Philippines, so it’s still worth a visit, especially since it’s very close to Jordan Wharf. It is, indeed, tiny. It didn’t even really look like a plaza; it looked more like a monument to Jose Rizal, whose statue stands in the middle of it.

2. Pray and reflect in the Trappist Monastery

From Jordan Wharf on Guimaras, we took a 20- to 30-minute jeepney ride to the Trappist Monastery, an institution run by monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance in Brgy. San Miguel, Jordan. We prayed in the chapel, then had our photo taken in the green and serene grounds, before going to the gift shop located within the compound of the monastery. There we bought Trappist Monastic products, which are mostly dried mangoes and other fruits as well as mango-flavored pastries, like the mango bar, to help the mission. Some ladies were also selling fried cashew nuts outside the shop, and I bought some for my mom.

3. Visit the Guisi Lighthouse

From the monastery, we rode the same jeep for around 40 minutes to arrive at the Guisi Spanish Lighthouse, an 18th century Spanish-colonial lighthouse built beside the beach. The scenery from here is lovely, and we took lots of pretty photos. The ruins that surround it particularly make for awesome photos—it reminds me of Cambodia for some reason. Anthony said that the Guisi Lighthouse is haunted, and he once brought some visitors there who specifically wanted to go ghost-hunting. Eek. He said they saw smoky floating figures there that night. Creepy. Okay, I really don’t want to think about it now. The place is beautiful, ghost stories that gave me the chills aside. There’s a P10/pax entrance fee.

We didn’t climb the lighthouse, said to be the second oldest lighthouse in the country but it wasn’t all that big, because it was rickety and I was more worried that it was haunted, too. They said you can take awesome photos of the beach below from there, but we just had one taken by the base of it.

4. Chill out at Guisi Beach

On the way to and from the peak where the lighthouse is, Jessie and I spied a beach below the Guisi Lighthouse area, so we asked Anthony if we can make a quick visit, just to take a few photos. We took the trail down from the lighthouse to the beach. You have to pay P20/pax to enter this private beach. It was breathtaking. The calm, peaceful seascape reminded me a little of Palawan. Jessie, having resided in Canada most of his life, really got excited at the sight of the fine white sand, beautiful rock formations, and the blue sea. We vowed to visit Guimaras again and stay in one of their many secluded beaches, as well as go island-hopping. Watch for my post on that when we finally do so.

5. Buy fresh mangoes at the Guimaras public market

What’s a visit to Guimaras without trying their famous mangoes, which are among the sweetest and biggest in the world and which do not have those filaments or hair-like texture? US President Barack Obama supposedly loves the mangoes from Guimaras. Unfortunately, they weren’t in season when we visited, so we just bought a few to sample, and even when not in season, they were still delicious. Anthony told us that when the mangoes are in season, you would really smell the sweetness on the fruit. Guimaras mangoes aren’t as sweet during the rainy season, but they are during summer or at least when the rainy season is over.

6. Eat Mango Pizza and Mango Spaghetti at The Pitstop

But when you’re in Guimaras, don’t just settle for just eating fresh mangoes and buying mango pastries. Try their Mango Pizza and Mango Spaghetti, too. I know, these sound weird, but they’re actually not. The Mango Pizza has cashew, mangoes, mango sauce, and LOTS of cheese. It wasn’t as sweet as I expected it to be, which is great. The sweetness was balanced out by the cheese. It’s actually pretty good, guilty pleasure level. Remember those 3M Pizzas you used to eat in the school cafeteria? Parang ganun, just cheesier pa!

The Mango Spaghetti, meanwhile, has mango sauce with mushrooms, ham, bell peppers, fresh mangoes, and cheese. At first it was disorienting because it was really sweet, but then after a few bites, the taste grew on me and I enjoyed it, too! Just think of the Filipino-style spaghetti, which is traditionally sweet. It’s pretty much like that, only with mangoes.

7. Shop at Guimaras Trade and Investment Center and see the mango orchards

If your shopping at the Trappist Monastery wasn’t enough, you can also visit the Guimaras Trade and Investment Center for more Guimaras products souvenirs, including ref magnets and other trinkets. After that, make a quick visit to the nearby Mango Orchard and see rows and rows of mango trees. Too bad we didn’t see any fruits when we were there because they weren’t in season.

8. Join a pilgrimage to Balaan Bukid

One of the landmarks in Guimaras is a huge cross on top of a mountain that’s considered holy: It is said the Japanese didn’t reach Guimaras’ highest point during war, perhaps because of the steep, rocky terrain. You can even see it from Iloilo City. The chapel of Ave Maria Purisima now stands there, and it’s considered a pilgrimage site for Catholics, especially during Holy Week. The trail to the top is lined with the 14 Stations of the Cross, depicting significant events in Jesus’ life. We weren’t able to see this during our trip, but it’s another reason to come back to Guimaras.

Click through the gallery below for more photos of Guimaras sights.

All photos by Trixie Reyna

Click here to book a hotel in Guimaras via Agoda.