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[travel-one]

This is a story of a vacation that turned into a nightmare. I am sharing our experience because I DO NOT WANT YOURS TO END UP JUST LIKE OURS.. TRAUMATIC AND DISASTROUS L

READ ON AS I TELL YOU OUR STORY. SO YOU'LL BE AWARE AND BE ADVISED,

...SO THAT THIS INCIDENT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.



FORWARD THIS TO YOUR OTHER FRIENDS SO THAT WE CAN CREATE AWARENESS IN THEM AS WELL...


To give you a glimpse of our story, we were robbed inside our cottage during our sleep inside a PRIVATE resort. (

Last June 11 - 12, 2010 we went to Caliraya Re-creation Resort or also known as Caliraya Resort Club in Lewin, Laguna. (Well, if you're not yet familiar with the place, this is the one printed on the "pamaypays" being given in the LRT whenever you ride)

We were 8 in our group and rented 2 cottages for our trip. We went to this place because we thought it would be great to go to a resort with different activities to do. On our first day, we enjoyed our stay. Yes, the place is nice and had attractions that surely was FUN. We even said this resort was a good one. We rested in our respective cottages at around almost 11pm. We got so tired of our activities and travel going to the place so we slept at around 12mn.

Suddenly, at around 4:30am one of my cottage mates awoke and checked her phone. To her surprise it was not there and afterwards, she saw that our window was already slashed and open. She immediately looked for her other phone stationed beside the socket for it was charging. But, to her dismay this phone was also gone including the charger. Afterwards, she woke us up to tell us what happened. As we got up, all of our phones were already gone too. ( As for me, my bag was beside me, as I checked it was already open and my wallet was missing. So, all in all the robber got 6 cellphones (2 Blackberrys, 3 nokias and 1 samsung) and 1 wallet.

Afterwards, we rushed to the resort's lobby. Since it's in Caliraya, we had to go up on a hill before we reach the lobby. On our way to the lobby, the place was not well lit and had no guards stationed near our cottages at that time. Upon our arrival at the lobby, we saw a guard (not in uniform) sitting on a couch. We told him of our dilemma and were directed to the Assistant Manager. To our disappointment, the Assistant Manager and guards did not show any sense of urgency. That made us totally mad at the resort already.

As we went back to our cottage with the guards to review the area, we saw a scaffolding resting on our window wall. We found out that this scaffolding was a property of the resort. (this has led our suspicion to an inside job robbery).After 2 hours, at last, we were able to talk to the resort manager. He was nice and very apologetic, but, we did need more than 'nice' at that time, but action and urgency.

Our dismay continued and we then had to contact the police ourselves to further investigate on our incident. The cops then came immediately, got our statements for the blotter, took pictures of the crime scene and gave us advice on what to do. Since we didn't have a suspect they can't arrest anyone. ( The resort made their own investigation, while doing so, they had us to stay back at our cottage that had a slashed window. We didn't receive any accommodation from the management as they say the resort was "fully booked". So we had to stay in that stinking place AGAIN! (

We WAITED and WAITED. And had only 'I will give you feedback as I will be forwarding the documents to the head office' as the answer of the general manager to our complaint. We had to go home. We were tired and traumatized by this so-to-be perfect vacation ( Good thing we were fetched by relatives and had a safe way home.

Until now, we have not had any concrete answers from the management. The last email we got from them is from three weeks ago, saying that they were investigating. But as we followed up last week, no answer/reply was given to us.

This is very disappointing, indeed. ( When all we wanted was to have fun as a group ( Never did we thought of our lives being at stake during our stay. Since, they claim that they are a PRIVATE RESORT. ( We paid worked hard money for this trip, but we went home losing EXTREMELY MORE than we paid for. (

We got robbed inside our cottage while we were asleep, what if we awoke, what will happen to us then? Our situation was like being robbed inside your home but the difference is that you paid and there should have been protection when we needed it.

From this experience, I have learned the following things:



Vacation is what most of us need. This is our break from all the stress brought about by different factors (e.i. school, work, relationships.. etc). It is then our time to relax and have fun with our friends or relatives. So, we then plan carefully on where to go to that is worth all your penny. Let's face it, the money we spend on trips is no joke so we have to make sure the enjoyment we'll have on that place will surely be (at least) equal to the money we spent. The last thing we want is our VACATION to turn into a NIGHTMARE.

In choosing a place or resort, I advice you to seek (1) recommendations from your friends or family -- check whether they have gone to your ideal place and ask about their experience. Next,(2) check out for travel blogs in the internet . These are very helpful in assessing if the place you'd like to go to is really nice and worth it. (3) Never rely solely on the advertisement of the resort/place -- man, these commercials or ads can deceive. So, it helps to be really curious. Last, (3) Take high regard on the SAFETY of the place or resort -- THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Like I said, you'll never want your vacation to turn into a nightmare. (

I am sharing our story not intended to damage anyone but primarily to have everyone's awareness increased. In this way, I can help all of you who would only want the best during their trips. Again, the money we spend is no joke, our lives and safety is the least thing we want to sacrifice. (

ALWAYS BE CAREFUL, ALERT AND MINDFUL OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT. LASTLY, PRAY ALWAYS.

[kj2092]

We once taken a quick vacation in Caliraya as well. but nothing like this incident happened. Although, it is kinda creepy that our friend's mobile phone had suddenly dissapeared from where it was the next morning. Thus the reason why we were late when we checked out.

[travel-one]

From this experience, we want as many people to learn from us. :| We pay good and hard worked money during vacation. This is the least that we want to happen to us ( SOOOO SAD.

[green_archer]

So sorry to hear about your experience in Philippines.

I would like to share my experience of robbery just recently, abouth two weeks ago. We checked-in in this small resort called ASIAN BELGIAN DIVERS RESORT... located in Brgy. SAAVEDRA, MOALBOAL CEBU.

It was a 2.5 hrs of driving fr. Cebu city thru mountains and curvy roads. That afternoon (4:10pm) we arrived in the resort in simple clothes, no jewelry, no expensive stuffs showing in me. Our resort was just 6 cabanas, the rooms and toilets are acceptable and clean, the rooms and food prices are acceptable, the food was good. I thought, its ok to be in this place as long as there is an internet connection (although slow) for me to work.

During our third night we were robbed....
I left my room at around 6:pm after making order inside, it was strange that they don't want to clean up our room, nor enter inside to put our new clean towels. That third evening, I locked my valuables inside my small travel carry case, put it inside a small suitcase and locked it, then I placed it again inside a bigger suitcase and locked it, and finally placed it under my daughter's bed. I hid the keys inside a plush toy and put it in the beach bag. I turn on the light outside our porch/balcony and left the place around 6:10pm I forgot to take my beach bag with me.

Between 8:15-8:20pm we return to our room (No.2) I saw the toilet's jalousy window blades are missing. The mosquito screen was obviously cut open by a sharp knife or scissors. I looked inside my beach bag, my husband's wallet was empty and my keys are dangling out the plush toy. I looked at my luggage the lock was still there. I opened it and found that my two small suit cases padlocks are missing (the thief took it but not the keys... What was in his mind?) My celphone, cameras, worse of all cash and valuable jewelries (including my wedding and engagement ring, expensive watch was taken) around US$60,000 worth of jewelries were taken from me. Strange was the thief left me some Jewelries, (normaly thief won't left any behind) not to mention he didn't touch my small brand new laptop computer (notebook) that was just there in the bed recharging battery (it has still protective plastic stuffs on it), but my celphone charger was managed to be found, mixed along other wirings and cables it was inside a grocery plastic bag in the bathroom's cupboard. Nope my window's curtains are all down when I locked my suitcases... It was so STRANGE because our room was just 12 meters away from the open air restaurant were we were eating dinner, friends of ours went back to their room for a minute to get their camera (7:45pm), but they didn't hear nor notice anything unusual. Anyway the resort was not well illuminated in the gate and its pathwalks and sight to our room is blocked by a dwarf tree.

The resort has no safety box inside the rooms, the Belgian owner offered us his safety box inside his quarter. I was skeptic with him, I just don't trust it, it was a small vault which 2person can lift and take easily, besides he was not always around the resort at night, he's womanizing somewhere, and all his only 4 staffs go home at night after 9pm.... YES we have "no guardsman" at all, their gate was all the time open (till we were robbed -they closed it) We reported the incident to the police but the police treated it as just a so-so-so, not interested to really do something, no finger prints taken to the glass blades on the ground, they didn't even look inside, they just wrote our names, what was lost, and next day they said they didn't find the perpetrator ... and we just signed the police report... hmmmp!

I checked the internet about moalboal Cebu, when I learned from one of the staffs that just recently (July 2010) Korean couples were also robbed inside the resort and her jewellries and money was taken while they were sleeping inside their room... When we asked the owner during our first day he didn't mention a thing of that, when I told him that there was already 3-4 robberies happened in his small resort, he denied abouth it, but in his guests book I have secretly checked, this peoples name was in his guest book, in their blogs description and stories proves it.... GAHHHH... Worst I found in the internet horrible stories of robberies, sexual harrasment, hold-up at knife point on lacal residence and tourist.... Local news paper stories like, Appliance store that was just 3 blocks away from the police detachement was robbed?, A policeman sleeping in his house was robbed, his adidas rubber shoes was taken so was his cash money and his mother's jewelries.... or stories like the mother checked the noise upstairs and her family heared a gunshot, the mother found bloody and srawled on the floor.... Father and son was stabbed, when they caught surprise the thief inside their home... Tourist and his Filipina girfriend was hold-up by two men inside their taxi and hit the girl in the face?! ... Then if the thief couldn't find any gold or cash from their victims they take whatever you have that has brand names on it, even hand bags, shorts, shoes, slippers, sunglasses, diving mask (You'll be coming back home to your country partially naked!) and all this blogs and news paper stories are ALL IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR... Imagine that?

Also two years ago a child of Filipina and Australian who lives in Bohol was kidnapped for a small amount of ransom, and found the child in Cebu City. That reached my panic level, because I have a precious 8yrs old daughter with us.... of course for us tourist (that makes us easy targets) who are just there for 9 days we would give-in for 50,000. pesos ransom quickly too, just to have our child and leave immediately... Its a fact that can happen to all tourist (but stupidly trying to downplay the probability) but knowing some people around you there are living desperate its the ills that go with poverty that they do this.

Our 5th night was the last night in Saavedra Moalboal Cebu... Famous spot for dolphins sight seeing and diving in Cebu... WHO F*#$ING CARES... ITS THIEVES AND CRIME INFESTED... I couldn't take the fear, paranoia, and sleepless night (the bed foam was cheap and the aircon was noisy)... I don't wonder why the three resorts (Turtle Bay Diver's Resort, Dolphins Dive Resort, and Asian Belgian Diver's Resorts) in Brgy. SAAVEDRA, MOALBOAL CEBU is currently for sale and for rent.

But in fairness with the resort I've stayed, I still would say come and visit Moalboal, the resort was OK by backpackers and budget travellers standard, but just stay there short, 2-3days its enough to see the dolphins, dive and see the falls, otherwise its boring afterwards, its a deep province and not really safe... foolish those who would say nothing happened to them there, they just got lucky. Just take exta-extra carefull there. Just bring few clothes to wear and none branded stuffs.

SO PEOPLE BE CAREFULL IN GOING TO CEBU'S MOALBOAL RESORTS it doesn't mean that you look like a poor tourist would save your cash and valuables from thieves.... You are in for a surprise there... May this not happen to you.
Good luck!