Still spellbound by Siargao

From sunrise landings to sunset toasts, the island continues to cast its spell

- FELICIANO RODRIGUEZ III

The sun was just rising as we touched down in Siargao, warm light stretching over coconut-lined roads and the sea.

Our journey had started in Manila, with a seamless flight via Sunlight Air. After a quick layover in Cebu—where passengers disembarked and new ones came aboard while we remained comfortably seated—the plane continued straight to Siargao. In under half a day, we were worlds away from the bustle, greeted instead by the kind of air and silence you only get in places unbothered by time.

It’s my second time here. The first was in November 2022, not long after Typhoon Odette ripped through Siargao on Dec. 16, 2021, leaving heartbreak in its wake. Back then, Cloud 9, arguably the island’s most iconic surf spot, was still in pieces. Some roads were scarred, buildings broken. But even amid reconstruction, the island’s spirit was undeniable. People built by day, danced by night. Siargao was already writing its next chapter.

We rented motorbikes that first time and followed the coast. The roads were good—surprisingly good. They took us through quiet villages, across small rolling hills, and to the island’s other edges, where lakes shimmered behind cliffs that could rival Palawan's. It wasn’t the picture-perfect kind of beauty. It was something else—raw, real, and strangely moving.