Since we practically slept through most of our 1st day in the island, we decided to make our 2nd day more eventful.
The breakfast buffet is until 10am only. The plan was to eat as much as we can so it can serve as our brunch. I was excited for breakfast because I know there will be unlimited bacon. Oh I love bacon. They have plenty of food choices in the buffet. But I decided to concentrate on rice meals and then took all the bacon I can get. Brewed coffee is free, thank God.
After brunch, we went to the other side of the island, to where the Mandaya Beach and Mandaya Houses were located. Its a short walk from the restaurant. On the way, we passed by a small garden with a pond, a man-made falls and a couple of bird cages. The Mandaya Beach is larger than the Maranao Beach but much more deserted. As in no one was swimming in the beach. Rocks and shells are scattered on the shore. It has white sand though its not fine at all. Much like the ones in the beaches of Batangas. There's also a huge rock in the middle of the shore and we were wondering how the hell it got there. But then maybe its been there ever since and they just left it there as a landmark or something. There are a few large cottages by the beach, but of course, they are occupied as well. We also saw the "game room" that has a billiard table on the first floor and a gym upstairs. Further off the beach are the Mandaya Houses that surrounds the pool. This pool is a bit crowded and all the cottages here are full. Found nothing special about the place. Maybe you'll get to enjoy it more if you stayed in one of the Mandaya Houses since its just a few steps away from the pool and the beach. We left shortly and went back to our usual hangout.
 |
| the secluded Mandaya Beach |
 |
| Mandaya Swimming Pool |
We rushed to the Maranao Beach hoping we could still get a cottage but all we got was a chair. It was fine since we were not planning to stay for too long. Even though all the cottages are taken, there were only 2 other groups swimming in the beach with us. Maybe because it was almost noon and the sun was striking hard on us. But we didn't mind at all, the sunblock lotion will have to protect us from the sun's harmful rays.
 |
| our favorite Maranao Beach |
Eventually, we got tired and hungry from all that swimming. The restaurant was too much crowded already so we just decided to have lunch delivered in our room and rest for a while before we breeze out into the sun again. We ordered pizza and pasta, and as usual, it was too much for us. They didn't taste that good either. I'm okay with cold pizza, so we just finished all the pasta and placed the left over pizza in the fridge.
Next on our itinerary is a visit to the Malipano Island. Its like a 2-minute boat ride from Samal Island and going there is free. Yay! In the Parola Wharf was a speed boat waiting for us. We have it all for ourselves and the driver was very friendly. He even offered to take our photo on the way. As we got near the island, I noticed the water there was really deep. There is a small swimming area around the shore and that's where I plan to stay. When we left the boat, another group came in heading back to Samal Island. Then I realized there wasn't really a boat schedule like they said during the orientation. People can actually come and go the island as they please.
 |
| Malipano Beach |
Malipano Island is as secluded as any other beach in the resort. There are a couple of chairs hiding under the trees near the beach. We crashed in the best set of chairs and appreciated the view for a while. Its breathtaking. I can compare the sand to the ones in Boracay and Bohol. So white and fine. Though there are many corals on the beach. You'd have to wear your slippers if you want to go farther away from the shore. Its also quite difficult to swim because the water level in the swimmable area is just below my knee. We got out of the water in less than 5 minutes. It was too uncomfortable. But we didn't want to leave yet so we took a quick tour around the island. We followed the track around the Pavilion that leads you back to where you came from. There's nothing special there to see. Just a pond and a vast number of coconut trees. There is another trail that leads to a private area, its probably for the guests of the villas on the other side of the island. They have their own private beach there but I kinda feel we have our own back in Maranao Beach.
The speed boat arrived shortly after we've requested the staff to bring us back to Samal Island. Its already late afternoon and the sun is about to set. I grabbed my tripod hoping to get a good shot of the sunset. We went back to Maranao Beach and I set up my gear there. While waiting for the sunset, we ordered another set of buko and took a swim in the beach. But the sun was hiding in the clouds as it sets and the sky gets darker as evening approaches. Its quite dangerous to swim the beach at dark, so we transferred to the pool and luckily found a spot to settle in. We stayed there till early evening and then went back to our Samal House to prepare for dinner.
 |
| Before sunset |
 |
| Maranao Pool at night |
For dinner, we ordered Hainanese Chicken rice and I bet any Singaporean would protest to their cooking. Its quite cheap for a 1/2 chicken serving so we didn't expect much from it. Later that evening, we just chilled in our room watching TV, waiting for midnight to come. (Its our anniversary, btw) As midnight came, we prepared coffee and ate our leftover pizza. Its not that romantic, I know. But we thought, hey we're in Pearl Farm, anything we do here is special.
And just like that, our 2nd day in paradise has ended.
Pearl Farm Beach Resort
Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines
http://www.pearlfarmresort.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment