I had always wondered what I would do if I owned my own tropical island, and last Saturday I was given a chance to experience a part of that dream thanks to a call from Brenda Ocampo, the Marketing Manager of Eden Nature Park and The Island Buenavista. I was invited to be part of a media group for an exclusive look at The Island Buenavista.
From our meeting point, we took the ferry boat to Babak, Samal, and after a 30-minute ride, we arrived at The Island Buenavista’s sister resort Anamarina located at Barangay Balet on Samal’s north eastern coast with a view of both Big and Small Ligid islands, Small Ligid island is the old name of The Island Buenavista. The outrigger ride to The Island Buenavista took 15 minutes.
As the island drew closer, I had a growing sense of awe and excitement to finally set foot on another pearl of an island that are scattered around Samal Island in the Davao Gulf.
A warm welcome
As the outrigger slowly slid onto the island’s beach, I was impressed by the beach’s size as well as how my foot sank into the natural powder-white sand as most white-sand beaches in Samal are normally not as long nor as wide.
A short walk along the white sand beach leads to the island’s Gazebo made of local and indigenous materials, area serves as the main assembly area of the resort. We were immediately greeted by the resort’s staff with a welcome drink of fresh young coconuts ready to quench our thirst from our journey.
After a short walk around the island’s lush gardens, a lunch featuring Filipino favourites such as Native Chicken Tinola, Grilled Stuffed Squid, Shrimp Kare-Kare, Grilled Pork Belly, and Grilled Tuna Belly.
“We bring over the chef and staff whenever we have guests on the island,” says Brenda, “our overnight package includes three buffet meals as well as two snacks while our day tour package includes buffet lunch and afternoon snacks. Guests may also opt to have their own chefs brought in upon request.”
Luxurious to glamping
Since you do have the island to yourself and your guests, it is basically up to you to choose where to stay in the islands varied choices of accommodations.
For families visiting The Island Buenavista, I would suggest a stay at the island’s Family Villa that has three air-conditioned bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a living room that opens directly to the beach giving guests a spectacular view of the sea. Brenda says that the villa is where the owners of the island would stay at whenever they visited.
Beside the Family Villa is the smaller but still posh Executive Villa that is perfect for couples spending their honeymoon. This villa features an air-conditioned living and dining area that can also open to the beach, a large air-conditioned bedroom with a king-sized bed and a luxurious bathroom equipped with a rainwater shower head. The openness of the design ensures one can actually turn off the air-conditioning and enjoy the cooling sea breeze that rolls into the area every afternoon instead. There are also the Island Suites which are smaller air-conditioned suites.
For those who would want to forego air-conditioning and truly embrace the island glamping lifestyle, The Island Buenavista has six beautiful Beach Huts which are located directly on the beach. Cooling is provided by nature with an overhead fan to aide it. Aside from a king-sized bed, each beach hut also comes equipped with its own mosquito net, bamboo blinds, as well as its own luxurious bathroom.
Fun on land and sea
Being on an island of your own does not mean one should get bored either as The Island Buenavista offers a host of activities for guests.
Aside from frolicking on the island’s wide stretch of natural white sand beach, one can also use the resort’s own sea kayaks to explore the waters around the island. As the waters around the island are relatively shallow, one can try snorkelling to explore the island’s hidden underwater garden. More experienced divers can arrange to hire dive instructors and diving gear to go even deeper into The Island Buenavista’s secret garden. For those who would rather just relax away from the waves The Island Buenavista has its own lagoon type pool to keep water babies happy and satisfied.
Aside from the beach and the sea, I loved exploring The Island Buenavisa and its many nooks and crannies. Thanks to it being roughly 4 hectares in area, it was small enough to explore on foot yet big enough to have gardens and secluded pathways to explore. The island’s gazebo was one of my favourite spots to relax, grab a cold beer, and watch the fiery red sunset.
An island experience like no other
My experience at The Island Buenavista was definitely a unique one as I virtually had the island paradise all to myself (Imagine living Robinson Crusoe but with more comfortable accommodations.) Of course all this is not cheap as an overnight stay would cost you a whopping Php90,000 while a day trip would cost a more modest Php35,000.
The rates include accommodation for you and nine of your friends for a total of ten persons. For every person over ten, there is a charge of Php4,000 per person for an overnight stay while the charge is Php1,500 per person in excess for a day tour.
Yes the price may sound out of this world but for the ultimate island getaway and an experience of a lifetime, I believe it is worth it. Just make sure you save up for it and maybe bring along a couple of your best friends to share the moment.
To learn more about The Island Buenavista, you may visit their booking office at 3/F JFM Bldg. 848 Atis St. Juna Subd., Matina, Davao City or call ay +63.82.2992992 to 94. Check out their website at www.buenavistaislandresort.com.
Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter at @kennethkingong for more travel stories, foodie finds, and happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.
