Our flight to Davao was scheduled at 4am. Good thing there is a web check-in so we just had to be in the airport at least 45 mins before ETD. Thanks to Cebu Pacific's on time flight, we landed at Davao City Airport before 6am. The driver to pick us up from the airport was already waiting for us outside with a huge PEARL FARM signboard. We got into a car without waiting for any other passengers and headed straight to the wharf. Around 20 minutes later, we arrived at an empty Marina Wharf. I had time to explore the area and take some pictures. It was peaceful and clean, a very calming environment. As beautiful as it is, there isn't really anything much to do. There's swimming pool though i think it hasn't been used in a long time. The restaurant is just fine. We already had breakfast at NAIA so we just ordered some coffee to kill time. It wasn't until later that people started coming and the entire place got crowded by 8am.
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| at the entrance of Marina Whart |
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| the Marina Wharf Cafe |
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| the unswimmable swimming pool |
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| the dock |
There were a lot of boats lined up in the pier. I think there were two boats headed to Pearl Farm that morning. The one we got into had around 30 passengers in it. They gave each of us a bottle of water before the boat left the dock. Its a 45-minute boat ride to the resort, just enough time to watch an episode of a TV Series (Revenge). It was quite a smooth ride. I didn't even notice we were nearly at the resort until people started jumping out of their seats and snapping photos. When the episode i was watching was finally over (its a good TV series, btw), I decided to join the crowd and take pictures of our first look at the paradise we'll be staying in for 3 days.
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| the Samal Houses |
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| the Parola |
The island is amazing. The sea beneath us was so clean and clear you can see the fishes swimming around. On each side there are houses lined up on stilts made from some kind of wood. Lovely. There's also a small stretch of white sand beach with a couple of cottages and oh so comfortable chairs. You'll immediately notice the Parola, its a landmark in this resort. It looks old but well maintained. Its a 3 story structure - the 1st floor serves as the reception area, the 2nd floor is a bar, and the 3rd floor i completely forgot what it was for. A few staff from the resort were dancing and singing as our group arrived. They handed us a pineapple juice which i think was very refreshing. I mean, i'm not really a fan of pineapple in any form, but this one i liked. Once everyone has settled in the Parola, the host gave us a quick orientation about the resort facilities and amenities. He showed us a map of the resort, its huge. Before dismissing everyone, there was a raffle draw and we won the free snorkeling gear (which we didn't use at all).
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| Map of the Island |
The check-in time is at 2pm. The staff said they would let us check-in earlier if a room becomes available. But it was only 9am then and we had nothing to do! We were too tired and sleepy to swim or walk around the resort. So we just stayed in one of the cottages by the beach, ordered buko and played with our new iPad apps till we got hungry. We headed for lunch in their restaurant. It was still early for lunch and their lunch buffet was not yet ready so there were only a few people when we got there. The food in their restaurant is relatively cheap. We didn't trust the waiter when he said their servings are good for 2 people so we ordered 2 dishes. But we were wrong not to trust him. As usual, we had too much food on our plates. With the taste, I'd give it a 3 out of 5. It was good but not excellent.
After we finished lunch, we looked for another place to hang out while waiting for our room. We found a couple of hammocks near the pond and stayed there, again playing on our iPad apps, killing time. Eventually, a room became available. HURRAY! We dropped our bags, inspected the room for a minute, then off to bed. We slept through the entire afternoon and woke up just in time for dinner. Dinner at the restaurant was different. There were fewer people occupying the tables (I guess most of the people during lunch were only there for a day trip) and there was an acoustic band serenading the room. We went for a night swim in the pool. The water was surprisingly warm. I considered ordering a bottle of beer but backed out when I saw their price. Geez. I could order 3 bottles in Manila for that price. So we just settled for some tea to cap off the night. Our first day and first night in the lovely Pearl Farm Beach Resort.
Pearl Farm Beach Resort
Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines
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