Siargao, the surfing mecca of the Philippines, has again been picked by Condé Nast Traveller editors among its top choices for holiday travel in 2020.
The teardrop-shaped island in Surigao del Norte was ranked Top 8 in the 20 Best Holiday Destinations for 2020 choices of CNT.
The Philippine island is the only Southeast Asian spot in the “places that are coming into their own next year” listed by CNT’s Lizzie Pook and Tabitha Joyce.
CNT especially mentioned Siargao in their article, saying, “here at Condé Nast Traveller, we always have one eye on the surf scene (where boarders flock, eco-entrepreneurs, independent hotels and small businesses tend to follow), and we’re predicting that during the next year a tiny Philippine island will be stealing a cool crowd (whether they surf or not) from Bali,”
Check out how the Condé Nast Traveller describes its top Philippine island choice:
8. Siargao, Philippines
The tiny Philippine island giving Bali a run for its money
Ask the surfers: something special is happening in Siargao. The teardrop-shaped tropical island in the rarely trod south-east of the Philippines is luring legions of right-on sorts to its shores, with its gnarly surf breaks, including the legendary Cloud 9 barreling wave, which counts Kelly Slater and Anthony Kiedis among its riders.
Siargao is fringed with pristine beaches, tree frog-green mangrove forests and sweeping groves of coconut palms, and its little wonder tourism here is gathering pace. Less than a tenth of the size of Bali, the island feels the way the Indonesian hotspot did three decades ago: scooters with surfboard racks ferry people about the streets, convenience stores pour petrol from glass Coca Cola bottles and farmers sell rice – dried on tarpaulins at the side of the main road – at the local market.
Of course, after the surfers come the eco-entrepreneurs, and Siargao is welcoming a slow glug of new independent hotels and small businesses to its bone-white beachy shores. 2019 saw the likes of Bulan Villas in the lively hub of General Luna, and the refreshingly stripped-back homestays at the two-unit Kubo join the exquisite Nay Palad Hideaway and the sustainability-conscious Harana Surf Resort as the island’s most appealing accommodation offerings.
Those who’ve had their fill of surfing can sail to the nearby white-sand-ringed islets of Daku, Guyam and Naked Island or explore Siargao by motorbike. To escape the (relative) crowds, pay a visit to the almost-deserted beaches of Pacifico and Alegria to the north, where palms trees cast dancing shadows on the sand.
This island idyll won’t stay low-key for long – 12 flights a day now land at Siargao’s tiny airport, up from two per week – so pack your surfboard now.
Siargao was the Top 3-ranked travel destination in the 2018 Condé Nast Traveler Editors’ Choice.
The world’s renowned surfing mecca is receiving help from Globe, Cebu Pacific, and celebrities to preserve its marine biodiversity amidst the influx of tourist arrivals.
SEND congratulations in the comments below to the people of Siargao for their top rank in the CNT 2020 list!
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