Wanderworld

If you think about it, in a small and remote second-class municipality as Sta. Ana in Cagayan Valley, Costa Carina Beachfront can actually be considered a mid-range resort/hotel when it comes to facilities.

Unlike others which offer basic creature comforts such as a small room with fan/aircon and bathroom, Costa Carina offers other facilities such as a small bar, gift shop, a beachfront (I don’t know the name of the beach in the area, but it’s not a white sand beach), and a huge area with chairs where you can hang out if you don’t feel like retreating to your room yet.

The best thing about the resort: rooms come at an affordable price.

Here are what I liked and disliked about the resort:

PROS:

They reply to inquiries immediately

As I said in my previous post, the staff of Costa Carina is among the few who immediately replied to me when I inquired via text. And they didn’t stop there. They even called me up to ask about my travel details and even gave me instructions on how to go to Cagayan, including the schedule of the van going to Sta. Ana from Tuguegarao and vice versa. They also didn’t ask for a down payment or reservation fee; they just asked for my name so they could take note of my reservation. 🙂

They have a website and a Facebook page

As I also mentioned in my previous post, I typically choose resorts with their own website so I’d at least know how the resort, especially the rooms, look like. Costa Carina can be easily found on the Web through their site as well as Facebook page where you can see the resort’s amenities. Right now you’ll also find a number of reviews by bloggers who’ve stayed there which will give you an idea on the kind of experience you can expect during your stay.

The beachfront

Well, technically it’s not a beachfront because the beach is at the back of the resort, haha. Though it’s not a white sand beach, as I’ve said, the beach area is actually a nice place to chill out at night while enjoying a beer or two before going to sleep. That’s exactly what Joseph and I did during our first night there. After our short island hopping, we went back to the resort just in time to catch the sunset. We ordered two bottles of beer and stayed there until dark. Bonfires by the beach is allowed too, though the resort’s site says its seasonal.

The outdoor area

As I said above, the resort has a huge area for simply hanging out. You’ll find huge wooden chairs all around the resort where you can take pictures or enjoy conversations.

CONS:

The staff are not that warm in person (haha)

The staff, including the receptionist that was there when we arrived, couldn’t seem to care less about us, which was a stark contrast to how they were when we talked them on the phone or via text. Haha. They just stare at you when you come and go, and they were even surprised that we were checking out already on our last day. 😀

No restaurant

This wouldn’t have mattered if there were loads of decent dining options in Sta. Ana, but unfortunately, there weren’t. The closest thing you can get to enjoying a “fastfood meal” here is a burger/hotdog joint, which is similar to Big Mak, and a mysteriously quaint pizza place/bar/museum with weird artifacts. Haha. Other available dining options are carinderias. 😀

NOTES 

Rooms. Though I didn’t include the room in the things I liked, it doesn’t mean I hated it. The room was just right for the price, was big enough for Joseph and I and was good enough to crash into after a day out of island hopping. 🙂

Location. If you’re planning to go island hopping in Palaui, Costa Carina resort offers an ideal location; it’s just a short tricycle ride away to Sta. Ana port where you need to take a boat to get to Palaui Island. The resort’s location is actually where most of the other resorts are situated, since you won’t find one that’s right on Anguib Beach, at least as far as I know.

When you get off the van from Tuguegarao in Sta. Ana town proper, you can easily get to the resort via a short tricycle ride or you can easily take a walk going there too. The only problem about walking to the resort, especially at night, are the scary dogs along the way, which would incessantly bark at you and even come near you as you walk by. They won’t attack you though, don’t worry 😉

Next post: last installment for this series: Cape Engano lighthouse and Anguib Beach