Barefoot Luxury in Dedon Island, Siargao

We'd been in the resort for two hours or so before I realized what had been nagging at me since we'd arrived. It was almost eerily quiet. Sounds silly, I know, but being a full-on, born and bred city mouse, it takes a while in real QUIET to fully grasp how tremendously noisy a city can be.

Had a massage at 3:30PM in the afternoon, heard ONE motorcycle, that's it. No other engines of any kind, no radio, no TV, no karaoke (thank heavens!), no telephones. Perfect.

Now it's 6:30PM, and someone's got a generator going somewhere but you almost have to strain to hear it. The main soundtrack for tonight seems to be cricket songs. There are a lot of them out here, and I think they're all in love. Perfect.

Dedon Island

PERFECT. No other words to describe the place. 

A few years back the Big K and I were in one of our quick getaways in Mactan Shangri-La when I first came across the name. It was the brand of the resort's outdoor furniture. DEDON. Sounds foreign. I later learned it was indeed an international brand but was locally made right here in Cebu. They were really nice, well-made chairs. Looked sturdy enough (read: cat proof) and had clean, simple lines. This was the kind of furniture that would go well with our future beach house. Mental bookmark! 

Fast forward to the present with a beach house in the works. Was it by chance or simply great timing that we had a change of travel plans for our anniversary trip this year when we decided to re-visit some of our favorite island getaways, Cebu, Siargao and Bohol. 

The Big K and I already booked our stays in Cebu and Bohol. But where to stay in Siargao? You guessed it! Where else but at Dedon Island! Yup, it's the very same brand we took notice of years ago. And what's a better way to check out their latest collection than trying it out in a beautiful setting. Sure beats any showroom! 

We knew we were in for something special when our Dedon experience started even before we arrived at the resort. On the day of our flight to Siargao a Dedon staff picked us up from our hotel in Cebu and brought us to the airport. Now who else does that? 

After a short flight on Cebu Pacific, we arrived at the small island known for its surfing waves. At the arrival area we were greeted by a smiling Dedon staff named Larry and led to a pimped-up jeepney and promptly offered cold drinks, snacks of dried fruit from the resort's kitchen and cold towels. Aahhh! I'm feeling pampered already!  

Our limo awaits! This is no ordinary jeepney, even the interior has been Dedon-ized.

With blue skies and the sun shining brightly it was a pleasant hour's drive through Siargao's scenic countryside. So much improvement from the last time we visited, concrete roads for one! 

At the resort we were warmly welcomed by the Dedon team lead by resort managers Nicolas and Lucia, adventure manager Sean and chef Justin. Seeing most of them on barefoot already set the tone for our stay. Barefoot luxury, indeed! 

On the way to our villa there was a lot of oohing and aahing from us. Well, who wouldn't? I'll just let our photos do the talking.....  

We couldn't wait to find out what's in store for us beyond the resort's impressive entrance. 

The resort's inviting sunken lounge. A perfect place to curl up with a good book and a glass of 
wine.

The outdoor bar and library.

The game and dining pavilions overlooking the pool. 

Et voilà! This gorgeous villa will be our home for the 

next few days. 

Looove the shower!

The iconic Nestrest with the Sea Pagoda in the background. 

The Mangrove Pagoda.

Living in the slow lane

Slow, blissful, pampered. That perfectly summarized our time at the resort. Daily massages, lazing at the beach or at our villa's porch swingrest, watching the sunrise along an empty beach or waiting for the sun to set at the sea pagoda or at the mangrove pagoda with a bottle of chilled champagne to keep us company. We even went on surfing lessons at Cloud 9 (never thought I would have fun, little ole me who didn't even know how to swim. Sad! I know.) 

Oh! And the food! Oh my word! Let's not forget the tummy-bursting-gourmet-cooking-should-earn-a-star food prepared for us. Meal time was always a feast fit for a king. Literally. And to showcase the mouth-watering food, we would have our table set up in different parts of the resort complete with floral and foliage arrangements. The dinner set-ups were particularly romantic with candles and fire torches all around. 

If Dedon Island were a train, it would be the Orient Express of resorts.


Thank you Dedon Island for letting us experience a luxurious barefoot state of mind.


A special shout-out to Dedon staff Larry, Ryan, Edmer and Joan who took care of us during our stay.

More photos in our Facebook page.

How to get there:

Cebu Pacific Air flies once daily to Siargao from Cebu.