Mika's Gapo Beach Resort
From Nathalie's Resort on Araw Beach, a morning snack at Marcela's Resort, it was then time for check-in at Mika's Gapo Beach Resort, still in Gamay, Northern Samar.
Finding the resort.
Where is this place? Aw, an expansive beach property just behind Marcela's. While it is still distant from the highway, you won't miss their signage in big and bold letters.
Here here, for clarity, I grabbed an image from google maps' street view. Got it? No?
Aw, bahala ka sa buhay mo, malaki ka na haha! Sige na nga, let's describe the arrows:
Starting from the right...
White Arrow - the southward way to Lapinig, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, etc.
Black Arrow - the northward way to Gamay proper, Araw Beach, Mapanas, Palapag.
Red Arrow - the entrance gate and swimming pool of Marcela's Resort Hotel.
Yellow Arrow - that perimeter wall signage shown in the picture above.
Blue Arrow - the multipurpose, convention, events, whatever hall at Marcela's.
Pink Arrow - water fountain, pergola and picnic cottages at the end of Marcela's.
Green Arrow - my destination on this trip/topic: Mika's Gapo Beach Resort.
Orange Arrow - the entrance gate to Mika's, where I was going (photo below).
This is where that orange arrow above points to. Entrance at left guarded by a fish!
And I said 'ayan na naman si walang kamatayang stainless steel na di naman mabasa'!
Even up close, the letters are not as clear as we travelers would want them to be.
We all know stainless steel can withstand the elements for longer periods, pero kung di naman makita ni traveler, lalo na ni blogger who wants to tell directions, not helpful!
Tara na nga, let's proceed inside and enjoy this resort!
Obviously, from the highway, kung matino ka, you can't walk to the resort. kaHarayo!
That road is not even straight by the way: it goes straight, turns right (you could see Marcela's in the distance to your right), but this whole wide field is owned by Mika's.
Then it turns left, and you reach the resort proper. But don't get too excited yet!
You still need to turn right at this corner (lower right corner of photo) to find check-in!
Exactly where? There over there hehehe! Across the first coconut tree on this path!
Serious yan! Those are the rooms at right, and the 10th is where the caretaker lives.
That's it? Yes, that's it. But before you start hallucinating, it actually looks like this:
The rooms are numbered from right (Room 1) to left (Room 11 yata). Let me clarify, rooms are of the same size. They just look getting smaller due to my camera angle!
The rooms and general amenities.
Rooms 1 to 6 are air-conditioned, the rest are not. Those are also the only ones with wifi (they told me). It's on a very fast Starlink, and free! No passwords needed, at all!
There is even no aerial antenna for cable or free TV. Why? Because all rooms are on internet TV. So you want to watch Eat Bulaga or 24 Oras? Just find their live stream.
Like thatan na? Good! Signs of how technology is improving our lives!
Now, if there's no password required (you just find their wifi name), why did they tell me only Rooms 1 to 6 have wifi? Won't it be received at Room 7, 8 or 9? How come?
They live at Room 10. Alangan naman wala silang wifi, eh I kept in touch with them via fb msgr! And everywhere, pati sa garden, sa beach, the wifi was available to me!
Ano yan, naka-jammer ang ibang rooms para lang masabi na "no wifi"? Hahaha, not likely! That is very expensive to install and anti-civilization! Ah, I should have asked.
Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm trying to "analyze" how that was possible. Dahil I'm not anymore up-to-date with rapidly advancing technologies. Napapag-iwanan yata ako!
The wonders of traveling, diba? If I didn't come to this isolated place, I wouldn't have been challenged to explore and learn more about that no-wifi thing. Now I'm curious!
Oh this one I intended to, and almost asked, but I realized I knew the answer, so why ask: why don't they make passwords for access to their wifi? Answer: para que pa?
How did I know that answer? Hmn, I just looked around. Sa lapad ng fully fenced na lugar na ito, sino ba naman kaya ang makakasagap ng wifi nila na hindi authorized?
About 500 meters in any direction (or probably even more) from this building, is still part of the resort. So, any human here, could only be either a guest or one of them!
Outsider or gate crasher? How, where do you enter? Para lang maka-wifi? Gosh! You will either be accosted by the caretaker and his family, or be kindly received by dogs.
Whichever comes first!
Kaya, di na nga kelangan ng password ang wifi nila.
No need to ask. Gets ko na!
My room.
Room 5. This was my view the first time I entered. I'd say, no frills, and/but clean.
Natawa lang ako dyan sa wardrobe cabinet. It is the same model and color I have at the V&G Tacloban and V&G Consolacion Apartments! Pareho kami ng "taste". Apiiir!
From the sink area, this would be the view of the room. Pang-luxury hotel ang size!
TWQB - Twin Queen Beds, therefore good for 4 adults. Yet the extra space is wide!
And this is the toilet and bath. I liked the shower's strong water pressure!
Me tabo? Yes, because there was a balde (not seen in picture, nasa kanan likod eh)!
That's basically what room 5 has. Yep, better if there was a fridge kahit maliit lang.
Let's go out of the room, my tambayan (Dahil pwede mag-smoke. Walang kokontra)!
Fact: I spent more time in that comfy nook, than inside the room or any of the beds!
If I needed anything, I just called the caretaker via msgr or even holler from here!
Beside that scooter, that's where Sonny (caretaker) and family lives. Often, some of the younger staff stay at the day use cottages, ready if/when guests need anything.
What do they do when no one asks for assistance? Alams na - mobile legends!
What's that broom doing in a corner of my lanai? For sweeping the sand away, since guests' feet bring them from the beach, whether they like it or not! Sweet exactitude!
Why's "spot" sitting there? Wala lang, tambay, baka sakaling itsahan ko sya ng kung anu-anong mangangata! I called him spot kasi ang daming parang freckles. Unique!
Okay, makinig! This is very important. Let's interpret this scene... my lunch!
The mug: hiniram ko sa kanila. Hiram kaibigan lang. The resort doesn't provide any!
The plastic supot: food binili ko sa bayan. There's no restaurant here nor any nearby eatery. The nearest you can go to is Marcela's! I'll discuss this matter 'bandang end'!
Teka, where's the beach?
By the beach.
It's out in front of the day-use cottages. The view from my room was like this:
I had the option to walk on the concrete path going left then right to those cottages; or going right then left to those cottages. Ah you can also pass dyan sa damuhan o!
Out there, I noticed the concrete path connects everything. Kalsada talaga. Ayos!
Talisay trees, though mostly still young, provide a natural breezy shade too. Oks din!
And of course, it is always safer to be under a Talisay than a Coconut Tree. Korek?
Aba, even if that 'Lubi' is not that tall, isang bunga lang nyan ang bumagsak sa kahit anong parte ng iyong pagkatao, di ka lang masasaktan, GO-goodbye Philippines ka!
Oist by the way.., for those not used to my kind of story-teeling-a-lie hehehe. See and not just read behind the lines ha?! While I may be talking talisay or coconuts, do look at other things in my photos 'for your own perusal'. Like the lovely day-use cottages.
Materials, design and build... classy di ba? And look, lahat ng yan me sahig, not just the usual bare-sand or bare-earth. From family-size to pang-community workshop!
Even ideal for the hybrid indoor plus outdoor team building activities.
Well, for those who want it really outdoors and under the sun, there are also these:
Tip: they're the best for early mornings, late afternoons, even late into a starry night!
Huwag lang umulan hahaha!
In all my stay, almost all of them had been my tambayan! And I was always honored with the company of esteemed, revered, distinguished... askals! 4, 5 or more of them!
Hehehe, they have a lot of dogs. At first, on your arrival, they'll be incessantly angrily barking at you. In a while, especially if you have (alams na) food for them - Barkada!
So okay, where is the beach na nga?
Teka lang, you're so atat naman!
The Beach.
As I lounged at one of those open-air sets, I looked to the left and this was the view:
That is going north, about 2kms of white sand until Gamay River at the town proper.
Then I faced front (that's the east), looking straight out to sea...
If you notice, this beach is in a cove. That's the Pacific Ocean where the sun rises! If you keep going straight out there for 2,000+ kilometers, you may already find Guam!
And then I looked to my right (that's the southern end) and this was the view:
So Mika's is on this cove's southern end. Oy, no people on the beach, on a Saturday! And to think, all of Rooms 1 to 6 were occupied. Maybe I was lucky, again, as usual!
So that's it? Yes, anopangaba!
Well, in one of my walks on the beach, I took 3 photos (like above). This was left:
One noticeable characteristic of this beach is: there aren't many big tall trees closer to shore, especially at the northern portion. Maybe since it was/is beside a ricefield.
I looked front (to the east) too...
I silently said to my self, I can wake up every morning to this kind of panorama. Only if walang bagyo ha? Hmn, now I wonder how this place looks when typhoons come.
And also looked to the right...
There are coconut trees on that southern end, yet they're even still off the shoreline. Maritess: a staff told me there's a lake behind those trees. Wah, another attraction?!
Standing on this beach, it felt like I was in an uncrowded, decluttered, Patong Beach!
It is not even discernable that Phuket faces west (Andaman Sea, and Indian Ocean), while this one faces east (the Pacific Ocean). Only sunrises and/or sunsets can tell.
Mesmerizing Mornings.
This was 4:56AM 05/25/2025 at Mika's (Gapo) Beach Resort, just before sunrise.
A spectacular natural display of colors! The reds, oranges, yellows intermingle with greens, blues and whites. It looks like a sunset on my camera, only with more blues!
Six minutes after, at 5:02AM, it looked a bit brighter, though generally the same...
PAGASA said sunrise was to be at 5:13AM. Aru, it was cloudy down at horizon level.
I waited anyway. At 5:17AM. Mr. Sun peeked, already a little bit above the horizon!
Wow! Morning has broken (I think I hummed that song) on a beautiful Sunday. And I watched it erase the darkness of yesterday! Oh, my 21,915th morning on this planet!
I wanted to shoot more photos. But I had to hasten up for the 7AM Sunday Mass.
Aw okay, enough of Mika's Gapo Beach Resort. Let's go downtown Gamay!
Next!
Finding the resort.
Where is this place? Aw, an expansive beach property just behind Marcela's. While it is still distant from the highway, you won't miss their signage in big and bold letters.
Here here, for clarity, I grabbed an image from google maps' street view. Got it? No?
Starting from the right...
White Arrow - the southward way to Lapinig, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, etc.
Black Arrow - the northward way to Gamay proper, Araw Beach, Mapanas, Palapag.
Red Arrow - the entrance gate and swimming pool of Marcela's Resort Hotel.
Yellow Arrow - that perimeter wall signage shown in the picture above.
Blue Arrow - the multipurpose, convention, events, whatever hall at Marcela's.
Pink Arrow - water fountain, pergola and picnic cottages at the end of Marcela's.
Green Arrow - my destination on this trip/topic: Mika's Gapo Beach Resort.
Orange Arrow - the entrance gate to Mika's, where I was going (photo below).
This is where that orange arrow above points to. Entrance at left guarded by a fish!
Even up close, the letters are not as clear as we travelers would want them to be.
Tara na nga, let's proceed inside and enjoy this resort!
Obviously, from the highway, kung matino ka, you can't walk to the resort. kaHarayo!
Then it turns left, and you reach the resort proper. But don't get too excited yet!
Exactly where? There over there hehehe! Across the first coconut tree on this path!
That's it? Yes, that's it. But before you start hallucinating, it actually looks like this:
The rooms and general amenities.
Rooms 1 to 6 are air-conditioned, the rest are not. Those are also the only ones with wifi (they told me). It's on a very fast Starlink, and free! No passwords needed, at all!
There is even no aerial antenna for cable or free TV. Why? Because all rooms are on internet TV. So you want to watch Eat Bulaga or 24 Oras? Just find their live stream.
Like thatan na? Good! Signs of how technology is improving our lives!
Now, if there's no password required (you just find their wifi name), why did they tell me only Rooms 1 to 6 have wifi? Won't it be received at Room 7, 8 or 9? How come?
They live at Room 10. Alangan naman wala silang wifi, eh I kept in touch with them via fb msgr! And everywhere, pati sa garden, sa beach, the wifi was available to me!
Ano yan, naka-jammer ang ibang rooms para lang masabi na "no wifi"? Hahaha, not likely! That is very expensive to install and anti-civilization! Ah, I should have asked.
Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm trying to "analyze" how that was possible. Dahil I'm not anymore up-to-date with rapidly advancing technologies. Napapag-iwanan yata ako!
The wonders of traveling, diba? If I didn't come to this isolated place, I wouldn't have been challenged to explore and learn more about that no-wifi thing. Now I'm curious!
Oh this one I intended to, and almost asked, but I realized I knew the answer, so why ask: why don't they make passwords for access to their wifi? Answer: para que pa?
How did I know that answer? Hmn, I just looked around. Sa lapad ng fully fenced na lugar na ito, sino ba naman kaya ang makakasagap ng wifi nila na hindi authorized?
About 500 meters in any direction (or probably even more) from this building, is still part of the resort. So, any human here, could only be either a guest or one of them!
Outsider or gate crasher? How, where do you enter? Para lang maka-wifi? Gosh! You will either be accosted by the caretaker and his family, or be kindly received by dogs.
Whichever comes first!
Kaya, di na nga kelangan ng password ang wifi nila.
No need to ask. Gets ko na!
My room.
Room 5. This was my view the first time I entered. I'd say, no frills, and/but clean.
From the sink area, this would be the view of the room. Pang-luxury hotel ang size!
TWQB - Twin Queen Beds, therefore good for 4 adults. Yet the extra space is wide!
And this is the toilet and bath. I liked the shower's strong water pressure!
That's basically what room 5 has. Yep, better if there was a fridge kahit maliit lang.
Let's go out of the room, my tambayan (Dahil pwede mag-smoke. Walang kokontra)!
If I needed anything, I just called the caretaker via msgr or even holler from here!
What do they do when no one asks for assistance? Alams na - mobile legends!
What's that broom doing in a corner of my lanai? For sweeping the sand away, since guests' feet bring them from the beach, whether they like it or not! Sweet exactitude!
Why's "spot" sitting there? Wala lang, tambay, baka sakaling itsahan ko sya ng kung anu-anong mangangata! I called him spot kasi ang daming parang freckles. Unique!
Okay, makinig! This is very important. Let's interpret this scene... my lunch!
The plastic supot: food binili ko sa bayan. There's no restaurant here nor any nearby eatery. The nearest you can go to is Marcela's! I'll discuss this matter 'bandang end'!
Teka, where's the beach?
By the beach.
It's out in front of the day-use cottages. The view from my room was like this:
Out there, I noticed the concrete path connects everything. Kalsada talaga. Ayos!
And of course, it is always safer to be under a Talisay than a Coconut Tree. Korek?
Oist by the way.., for those not used to my kind of story-teeling-a-lie hehehe. See and not just read behind the lines ha?! While I may be talking talisay or coconuts, do look at other things in my photos 'for your own perusal'. Like the lovely day-use cottages.
Materials, design and build... classy di ba? And look, lahat ng yan me sahig, not just the usual bare-sand or bare-earth. From family-size to pang-community workshop!
Even ideal for the hybrid indoor plus outdoor team building activities.
Well, for those who want it really outdoors and under the sun, there are also these:
Huwag lang umulan hahaha!
In all my stay, almost all of them had been my tambayan! And I was always honored with the company of esteemed, revered, distinguished... askals! 4, 5 or more of them!
Hehehe, they have a lot of dogs. At first, on your arrival, they'll be incessantly angrily barking at you. In a while, especially if you have (alams na) food for them - Barkada!
So okay, where is the beach na nga?
Teka lang, you're so atat naman!
The Beach.
As I lounged at one of those open-air sets, I looked to the left and this was the view:
Then I faced front (that's the east), looking straight out to sea...
And then I looked to my right (that's the southern end) and this was the view:
So that's it? Yes, anopangaba!
Well, in one of my walks on the beach, I took 3 photos (like above). This was left:
I looked front (to the east) too...
And also looked to the right...
Standing on this beach, it felt like I was in an uncrowded, decluttered, Patong Beach!
It is not even discernable that Phuket faces west (Andaman Sea, and Indian Ocean), while this one faces east (the Pacific Ocean). Only sunrises and/or sunsets can tell.
Mesmerizing Mornings.
This was 4:56AM 05/25/2025 at Mika's (Gapo) Beach Resort, just before sunrise.
Six minutes after, at 5:02AM, it looked a bit brighter, though generally the same...
I waited anyway. At 5:17AM. Mr. Sun peeked, already a little bit above the horizon!
I wanted to shoot more photos. But I had to hasten up for the 7AM Sunday Mass.
Aw okay, enough of Mika's Gapo Beach Resort. Let's go downtown Gamay!
Next!
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