Since the COVID-19 pandemic restricted me from receiving my usual double dose of Vitamin D and Sea, it made my trip to Malamawi Beach twofold memorable—not to mention visiting the province of Basilan for the first time. As part of the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines’ Influencers Program aimed at promoting destinations across the country to restart an industry hit hard by the pandemic, I joined other travel writers, bloggers, and vloggers on a trip to the Zamboanga Peninsula. After spending a night in Zamboanga City, we boarded a ferry for a two-hour sea journey to Basilan. Among the places we visited upon arriving was Malamawi Beach.

A few days after typhoon Odette got us holed up in our hotel in Coron, we finally saw blue skies and the green light from the Philippine Coast Guard to set out on a sea voyage to Culion Island. Returning to the island formerly known as the “Leper Colony” had me revisiting memories of dread when I first found out about its history from a prior visit almost a decade ago.

Formerly the Amigo Terrace, a homegrown hotel located within the heritage district of Iloilo, the rebranded Citadines Amigo Hotel now boasted a beautiful fusion of nineteen-eighties architecture and post-modern interior styles. The blending of the old and new flairs commanded a double dose of retaining its already familiar homey ambiance among Ilonggos and the addition of appealing aesthetics to the city’s visitors.