Dissecting Davao – Day 2

Still high from yesterday’s tour of the city, Joyce and I woke up early today for a day trip to the Island Garden City of Samal. Of course, if you think of Samal, you would automatically think of:

It’s the prime destination for anyone who hops into a motorboat and leaves any of Davao City’s wharves to cross the narrow strait to Samal Island. It lies at the southern part of the island, at Kaputian, just across Talikub Island.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort is on top of Joyce’s places to visit in Davao. A lot of people truly say that it’s the place that one shouldn’t miss. To get to the resort, one needs to make reservations at their satellite office in Damosa Gateway.

For a mere PHP 1,550 (USD 33) for a day tour, the package includes a round-trip boat fare to the resort, a lunch buffet, and off course access to the amenities such as the infinity pool, Malipano Island and other beaches and the complimentary drinks.

The pick-up point was near Davao Beach Club in Lanang. At a  private wharf, 2 motor boats were waiting for us and other tourists for the 8am trip to Samal.

It was a 45 minute ride to the island. Tourists often go to the resort on Saturday. We tried in vain to watch Davao City offshore but it was a bit hazy. On a clear day, the boatmen said that Mt. Apo could be visible. That time, the skies were gray and the sun hid behind the clouds.

Samal Island is a city itself, created in 1998 and renamed as the Island Garden City of Samal or IGaCoS. It is part of the province of Davao del Norte, but the city also constitutes Metro Davao.

Pearl Farm was already established before the island became a city. Years before, it was indeed a pearl farm. But now, the name refers to a wonderful resort where one could relax and enjoy.

Joyce and I could pass as a Korean couple. What with our color-coordinated shirts and our vacation spirits so high, resort staff and other tourist thought that we were on our honeymoon.

But we don’t care. The trip to Pearl Farm was initially planned by Joyce, and our friends Giselle and Mae. Going to the month of September, we find it difficult to sync our free time so things ended up with only me and Joyce fulfilling the plan.

So allow us to show you around.

This is the Parola, the resort’s symbol. It has a bar in the upper level.

This is the resort’s infinity pool. I was quite shocked to know that it’s only 4 feet deep.

Butik (Boutique) – the signage that led to the souvenir shop.

There are foot paths that led us to the southern beach front (Mandaya Beach) where another swimming pool was located. Joyce and I decided to try the pool, even though it’s just 4 feet deep.

Lunch buffet is at the Maranao Pavilion from 11 am to 3pm. Buffet usually happens during weekend or when there’s huge number of day tourists. On regular days, lunch is served plated. After a few hours in the pool, we decided to trek back to the restaurant and tried their wide food selection.

One thing I learned from the buffet at the Maranao Pav is that my friend is a bread person. She likes anything baked from the boulangerie. I personally liked the soft bread. She liked everything bread.

After lunch, we decided to proceed to Malipano Island, a 5 minute speedboat ride from Samal and hit the beach and the sea.

This part of the resort has the best beach front. Powdery white stretch of sand facing the open sea. The water is aquamarine, shallow and clear. It’s a perfect quiet place to just pass the time and to wait for the sun to set somewhere in the blue horizon. The there’s a house on the hill with a rustic wooden-framed gates. It was the original Malipano House designed for Ms. Margie Moran who’s husband is part owner of the resort. Seven similar houses dot this little island.

We swam for a few minutes and we headed back to opposite shore where we were fetched by a small boat and returned to the Parola. The motor boat would finally leave the resort at 4pm.

Joyce made a last-minute photo ops, taking pics of the resort and the view from the island. I asked her if she would visit the Pearl Farm again. She took a few more photos, reviewed the pics and looked at me and said, “I’ll return to Pearl Farm, that’s for sure but I don’t know when. I’m certain though that I would return and try scuba diving on my next visit.”

Asking myself the same question, I thought of my Kuma Bear and imagined us visiting Pearl Farm and just let the time fly and the sun to go down beautifully in the horizon.