A Taste of The Good Life... only at Pearl Farm Beach Resort

Tucked in the Island Garden City of Samal and Malipano Island is a picturesque resort that will surely take  your usual R&R to a higher level. What I am talking about of course is none other than Pearl Farm Beach Resort. The resort sits on a scenic part of the island of what used to be a south-sea pearl cultivation area. 

Before reaching the main resort, first timers will be in awe of the magnificent native interiors used in the hotel as they are ushered in the posh Pearl Farm Beach Resort’s Davao Marina. This is the drop off point to and from the resort where guests will board the boat on a 45 minute ride. The Davao Marina in itself is a hotel where rooms and accommodation plus a few of the luxuries of the resort are made available for overnight  guests who wish to stay in the city. Also very convenient for guests of the resort who still need to catch an early plane to another destination since they can opt to stay there for a night after their sojourn at the beach resort.

Upon arrival at the beach resort, guests are welcomed by Maranao music along with the gracious staff handing out fruit juices at the Parola Bar. The Parola Bar transforms as entertainment center at night, where guests can enjoy different draft concoctions while enjoying the view of the sea and the sunset.

My favorite part of the resort is the Maranao infinity pool, a well photographed sort of landmark of the resort.  The Mandaya pool on the other side of the resort is also another good attraction of the resort (not to mention near the Mandaya house where we stayed) which has a sort of Jacuzzi pool and a mini waterfall cascading to the main pool. The only setback is, the pool is only open from 9AM to 5PM. It might have been a terrific idea to be able to enjoy swimming  at the pool since we are mighty scared to swim in the beach at night. For guests with kids in tow (who don’t enjoy movie nights) it might’ve been an added plus for them to go night swimming at the pool. Hoping they extend the usage of the pool until 8-9PM at the least.

Apart from that minor glitch in swimming pool hours, the resort exudes luxury. It has 70 well-appointed rooms, executive suites, cottages on stilts perched on the sea, and exclusive villas scattered in the resort. The interiors are mostly inspired by the rich Mindanaoan tribe’s cultures with mainly bamboo and wood used to decorate the entire resort.

For us, we stayed at the Mandaya house facing the ocean which offers a relaxing view of the sea and the resort and very close to the Mandaya pool.

What I love about it is the big king sized poster bed hung with billowy clouds of mosquito netting. Perfect for honeymooners or a small family of three like us.

Inside the main bedroom is a huge dressing area complete with toiletries and a pocket garden at the back with an outside shower! How good is that? :) My little girl can’t even contain her excitement on whether to try the outside showers or raid the well-stocked mini bar first. But of course I had to remind her that the mini-bar was stocked not for us to devour as we please since we have to keep in mind that everything in it was there to be added on top of our bill and she’s gonna have to turn over her piggy bank to mommy should she consume all the candies in the ref. :)

During our stay at the resort, we were treated to a fire dance which earned a lot of screams as well as delight from the guests (including me and my daughter :) ) while we had dinner al fresco at the beach. 

The food of course is also worth mentioning as it was a truly delightful experience dining at the resort, with gastronomic feasts well-prepared by their superb chefs. We enjoyed the buffet banquets whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner as there are always an array of mouth-watering  dishes and a wide assortment of cuisine to choose from. Our hats off to the chefs of the resort for always coming up with glorious fare.  A good culinary experience for us altogether. 

Another good point worth mentioning is the courteousness of the staff. Whenever we pass by a staff, they never fail to greet us with a smile. Our needs were always met, towels always available, our room always clean. Even from the start when we booked our stay, we were assisted by their gracious Reservations Officers.  I always believe that the secret to a successful resort or hotel is in its staff.  They are the ones who make the resort a home away from home. 

So with a heavy heart, we leave the resort with a mental note to return once again once our schedules and pockets allow us to. We absolutely love Pearl Farm Beach Resort, a  resort that makes us Mindanaoans proud to have within our shores. 

Tips for tourists:  Since the resort is a AAA class resort, be prepared to shell out about US$150++ (to as high as US$680++ for a villa) and above for an overnight stay. Local tourists can avail of their promo packages which are way cheaper than the rack rates by more than half. You can view their existing promos and packages here. For a taste of the resort experience, you can book a day tour for only Php1,750/pax which includes round trip boat transfers to and from the Davao Marina, and 1 lunch. 

For reservations:  Davao Sales Office: G/F Alflocor Corporate Center, Damosa Bldg., Lanang Davao City;  Tel No:  (63 82) 235-0876, 234-0601 Fax No: 235-0873

Getting There:

By plane: From Manila, three (3) major airlines fly daily which takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. From Cebu, two (2) major airlines fly daily which takes approximately 50 minutes. (If you are coming from Gensan, Davao to Gensan takes about 2 hours 30 minutes’ drive) 

By Boat: Two (2) shipping lines have regular trips to Davao from various points of the country 

From the Davao International Airport, guests will be transported to Pearl Farm Beach Resort’s Davao Marina – where guests will board the boat which takes about 45 minutes to Samal Island where the resort is located. There are four (4) trips to and from Pearl Farm daily.

REGULAR BOAT TRANSFERS SCHEDULE (Sccheduled to change w/o prior notice)

From Davao Marina ( Lizada Road) to Pearl Farm Beach Resort:

8:00 am / 1:30 pm / 4:00 pm / 6:00 pm

From Pearl Farm to Davao Marina ( Lizada Road):

  6:45 am / 10:00am / 1:00 pm / 4:00 pm 

**NOTE: **The COMMENTS FORM is found below the last comment. Pls scroll your mouse, sometimes it just disappears since my background is black.. looking for someone to help me fix it. Sorry for the inconvenience dear readers. :)

Casabella...a home away from home

As it name implies, Casabella is a ladies dormitel located right in the heart of downtown Davao. It is one of the few of its type that has very good facilities, clean and very much worth your money.

They have rooms for single occupancy if you are in Davao alone to attend a meeting or a workshop for a few days just like I did when I was there,  and rooms for sharing if you intend to stay there for a month or a year.

I love that each room has its own toilet and bath, a table for your things and a closet if you intend to stay longer. I only stayed there for three days and yet there were towels, clean linen and a few toiletries already laid out for a meager P500/day rate in a single bed room. :)

It is conveniently located near Davao Doctors Hospital and the Tower Inn . There is a nearby chicken house and lots of small restos so you don't have to worry about food. There is also a convenience store downstairs if you need to buy water and other personal effects you might have forgotten to pack.  But what I like the best is that there is a "Fagioli"coffee shop right downstairs as well. So I get to enjoy a cup of my favorite coffee while blogging. :) 

For inquiries, you may visit their office at E. Quirino Ave corner Gen. Luna St, Davao City, or call them at 082.301.5439, Mobile: 0917.702.4838 Email: ivy ‘@’ davaodorm.com

or visit their website here.

**All pictures are from their website at http://davaodorm.com/tour/ ..It was so unfortunate for me to have left my camera at home during my entire stay there :(

Effigy - A Definite Success!

Just this weekend, Mr. Omar Gallinero (aka Mr. OSG in this blog :), had an advance birthday celebration by giving back to his fellow photography hobbyists a little of what he learned in this art. The portraiture workshop dubbed as "Effigy" was a resounding success with the number of interested hobbyists all vying for the coveted slots. But it was only to the first fifteen participants who settled the measly workshop fee at Montage who were given priority. I just realized how popular Mr. OSG have become since we had to turn down a number of interested participants even during d-day! :D

Effigy was held at Lagare (yes as in "saw) resort in General Santos city. The participants had a wonderful time spending the morning shooting the versatile model Ms. Ghen Mutia, currently the Ms. Gensan pageant titlist.  HMUA (hair and make-up artist) and stylist was..ahhmm..yours truly :)

Mr. OSG started the workshop with a brief lecture before the participants had the chance to shoot Ms. Mutia around the resort. The afternoon was spent with a comprehensive lecture and discussions on Mr. OSG's basic portraiture workflow.

Lunch and free flowing coffee was served during the entire workshop. And from my point of view, considering the participant's output photos, they learned a lot from Mr. OSG. I was even a little scared looking at the future competition we may have in these participants :) Great job guys!

To our resident photographer, a happy happy birthday and continue shooting great portraits!

To view the participant's output photos, please click here. For information on future workshops of GCC - Gensan Camera Club or Mr. OSG, please "like" their Facebook pages here.