The Best Jump-Off Point to Talikud Island: Red Parrot Inn, Island Garden City of Samal

The last tickets I booked from last year's P88 seat sale of Airphil Express were bound to Davao City. I really do hope that Airphil Express will offer this kind of promos again, sans fuel surcharges. Imagine these tickets I booked for only P600 for the 3 of us, and its bound to Mindanao. This is definitely a steal!

We left Manila at 4:25am and arrived in Davao International Airport at 6:00 am. We decided to go straight to Sta. Ana Wharf, our gateway to Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal where Red Parrot Inn is located.

We took a cab to Sta. Ana Wharf. Davao City is known for nice and honest taxi drivers, and I can attest to that. They will really give you exact change or sometimes, if the meter stops at P50.50 and you give them P100, they will give you P50 change. That's how honest they are. Travel time from airport to wharf is about 30 minutes.

We arrived in Sta. Ana Wharf at around 6:30 am. The cab fare was P150 plus a P10 sort of entrance fee of the taxi to the wharf.

The first boat trip to Kaputian is at 9:15 am via Palbros. We stayed in a cafeteria within the vicinity and had our quick breakfast (we brought our own food). By 7:30 am we walked around the wharf and saw Palbros 2. We asked the crew if we can already get inside the boat and fortunately, he agreed.

Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) is a 1-hour boat ride from Sta. Ana Wharf. I saw this map in the cafeteria and thought this might be helpful for those who are looking for accomodations in IGACOS. If you wish a bigger version of this map so that you can see the numbers and resort names, feel free to email me and I will send it to you.

 After transversing the open sea, we finally reached Kaputian Wharf. Upon arrival, we took a pedicab/trisikad going to Red Parrot Inn. The inn is actually walking distance from the wharf but since we have a child with us, we decided to ride a pedicab. Fare is P7/ head. The pedicab will usually wait for 3 passengers before it leaves the wharf but you can opt to pay P21 instead to have a "special' trip.

The road to Red Parrot Inn and to the majority of IGACOS is still undevelop and rough. The community is similar to that of Bantayan in Cebu. Families live simply around the neighborhood. There are also cafeterias and sari-sari stores around so no worries about where to get food and other necessities.

And in less than 5 minutes, we arrived in Red Parrot Inn. I learned about Red Parrot Inn through a friend in Davao. After browsing its website, I immediately contacted the owner, Tita Cleo, and she responded promptly to my inquiry.

Red Parrot Inn is owned by Capt. Brock Hook and his Filipina wife Cleo Hook. It is situated just a few meters away from Kaputian Beach Park (a public beach in Samal). The inn has two buildings, the main inn which is beachfront and another one just across the street where the main kitchen is. If you are planning to explore the other side of Davao, Red Parrot Inn is your best bet as it is just across Talikud Island where the famous Isla Reta, Babusanta and Dayang beaches are. It is also a haven for divers as it where you can find the Coral Garden and Angel Cove. From Red Parrot Inn, Isla Reta 1 is just a 15-minute boat ride. It will not only save you time but will also save money as boat rental in Red Parrot Inn is the cheapest you could get around the area due to its proximity to Talikud Island.

This is the honeymoon suite adjacent to the main inn.

And this is the annex building where the cottages are. View from our veranda.

Tita Cleo gave us the Junior Deluxe Room which has a king bed, a sofabed, a closet, cable TV, hot and cold shower and coffeemaking facilities. The rooms are new and very clean. The sheets smell fresh. The beddings and cushions are soft. For its price, it's definitely a steal. Not to mention the owner is so nice that she even asked her staff to set-up a water dispenser inside our room for our daughter. These are simple things that matters a lot to parents like us. (Thanks Tita Cleo)

 

The main inn is beachfront. Adjacent to this veranda is the whole house that is also for rent at around P5,000 per night, good for 10 people. It has 3 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen.

Ever wondered why the inn is called Red Parrot? It's because the owners have 2 red parrots and a white one. You can see them infront of their bar.

If you stay in Red Parrot Inn, there is no need for you to go to Kaputian Beach Park since the beach infront of the inn is swimmable and clean. The staff clean the beach area every morning. There's a rocky part of the beach just like in Kota Beach in Bantayan but the water is so clear that we can even see the seabed from our window upstairs.

This is Bounty Hunter, Red Parrot Inn's boat for island hopping. In-house guests get discounts on island hopping services.

And from Red Parrot Inn's beachfront, here is the view of Kaputian Beach Park.

We also went around the island and saw this church uphill.

We passed by this old house (an art sanctuary) on our way back to Red Parrot Inn.

And finally, this is the view of Talikud Island and Mt. Apo from our room. You can see the sunset right from your room or veranda.

Should I go to Davao in the future, I will definitely be back in Red Parrot Inn. Not only did they have clean and new accommodations, they have the friendliest owners and staff as well. For that, I highly recommend this inn. Budget-friendly, good location, good food (you can ask them to cook for you for a minimal fee), nice people.

On our way to Kaputian, we passed by the famous Pearl Farm Beach Resort.