the ultimate luxury is time
charot! ^_^
Rob made an online reservation some weeks ahead of our birthday trip. Since it's already the lean season, he only paid P6,400 for an overnight stay in a Samal House. This also includes buffet breakfast for two. Thank you Rob!
Tip: Book directly with the resort. It's cheaper compared to Agoda and other booking sites.
The Marina wharf is just a short drive from Park Inn by Radisson. From there, we just confirmed our reservation and waited for the boat. Since we chose to go there on a Sunday, not much guests are around.
the Marina wharf has a pool. sushal!
The Resort
In all fairness, the 45-min boat ride to Pearl Farm became comfortable because of the foam-cushion seats.
hello Pearl Farm!
the most famed Parola in Pearl Farm
True enough, website photos are always more amazing than the actual place. Pearl Farm Resort looks good but not really outstanding. For the record again, it's actually better than Club Tara in Siargao where the website is sooo awesome, but in reality walang wow factor. Sorry fans.
these Samal Suites really brought a tropical ambiance to the resort
the rate is P9,000 per person per night
Samal Houses, same stilt house style with the Samal Suite but without the loft.
Welcome drinks were served upon our arrival. The resort looks simple at first glance, but it's okay. As long as it is peaceful and clean, I'll keep my mouth shut. =)
lounge chairs fronting the beach
After the briefing, we immediately proceeded to our room. Our Samal House is the nearest accommodation from the reception area. Lovely. Siguro alam nilang tamad kami maglakad? There's a shuttle yes, but you have to call first and wait for the service.
our Samal House is the nearest room from the reception area. super like!
Samal House
Over the years (yuck long time ago na talaga), I've been loving to do hotel room photography. However, this Samal House is very difficult to photogrpah. Not enough artificial light + strong natural light = napakahirap picturan na room. Argh!! Good thing, I brought this Nissin Speedlite, else I'll never be satisfied with my photos.
Samal House
twin beds with comfy mattresses
from another angle
Okay, the room is not new but I think the rustic feel is what Pearl Farm is aiming for. Foreigners wold pay more just to have a native room like this.
very inconvenient bathroom style
i hate it, bakit magkahiwalay ang toilet at shower area?
sink area
Pearl Farm toiletries
Nonetheless, the bathroom is the only area I disliked. Ang inconvenient talaga.
Moving on, all Samal Rooms have this fantastic sea view.
behind the door is the fantastic view of the sea
bench on our veranda
now this is how it feels like to live in a stilt house
the underwater life just beneath our stilt house
view from our room
The Food
Unfortunately, the restaurant in the Parola and the infinity pool are under renovation. The management built this temporary restaurant by the beach. Honestly, it looked cheap, pero pwede na.
temporary restaurant by the beach
grilled chicken (P450) and 2 peanut butter banana milk shakes (P360)
As expected, the food are expensive. Same goes with the other exclusive resort food like in Misibis Bay, Bellarocca, etc. Since the grilled chicken alone costs P450, we decided to just have a light snack in the afternoon and avail the buffet dinner later on.
We strolled the resort after eating. Lakad lakad. IMHO, there are more beautiful resorts in the Philippines compared to Pearl Farm. It would just take time to build a name and a reputation to be famous. Now being famous has a price.
fire alarm, char!
Mandaya Houses are located near the pool.
At 6:30pm, we proceeded to the restaurant again to avail the buffet dinner. The rate is P950 per person. Honestly, I didn't set any expectations because a lot of people I know told me that the buffet in Pearl Farm is so so. To my surprise, the buffet spread is good. They served Chicken Cordon Bleu, Pork Sirloin something, Stir Fried Veggies, Tanigue, Creamy Soup, Salads, Sushi, and Fruits.
buffet dinner is served!
the buffet spread
To my bigger surprise, the restaurant offered a live station area for stir fried prawns, crabs, and squids! Sulit! The buffet dinner rate also includes unlimited servings of fruit juice.
stir fried seafood station
Indeed, I enjoyed the taste of each dish. I liked the soup, the bread, and everything I placed on my plate! Haha
my dinner plates. what diet?
my 2nd round of stir fried prawns and crabs
Availing this buffet is much cheaper compared to getting ala carte meals. The dishes were good. The staff were very attentive. What I appreciate most is how the staff continuously refilled the food from 6:30pm to 10pm. Maybe this is what the management gives in return of the renovation inconvenience.
oldies but goodies
And oh, these oldies but goodies entertained us through their soothing songs. They mostly sang Beatles songs and the likes. The applause was harder when they sang a Justin Bieber song for the finale. Astig.
The Beautiful Morning
Like what others said, mornings are really beautiful in Pearl Farm, and I agree.
the beach area at Pearl Farm
It's eating time once again. The complimentary breakfast buffet spread is enjoyable. There's bacon, corned beef, tapa, tocino, chicken, cold cuts, salad, and more.
salads, cold cuts, and cereals
meat lovers delight
poor plating i know! ^_^
By 9AM, the day tour guests arrived. Andami nila, as in 2 big boats. The day tour rate in Pearl Farm costs P1,850 on weekdays and P2,500 on weekends. It's pricey, right? But for just a little more money, why not avail the overnight stay. Remember, Rob got our Samal House for only P6,400. Basically it means P3,200 for each person. The Hilltop rooms are cheaper for sure. So if you plan to visit Pearl Farm, go for an overnight stay. Compute compute din pag may time. ^_^
Moving on...
Pearl Farm pool area
gorgeous view of the pool and nature
one lovely spot in Pearl Farm
Some day tour guests spent their time in this pool, but most of them went to Malipano private beach area. It's a small island across Pearl Farm.
Malipano Private Beach Area
The boat transfers guests from Pearl Farm to Malipano every 30 mins. Malipano island has luxurious villas and each villa has its own private beachfront. Now that's luxurious. The rate? P9,500 per night, minimum of 6 persons. That's more or less a whooping P55,000 per villa!
Malipano island
Since there are lots of day tour guests which arrived on that day, the Malipano island easily became crowded. The front beach area is not really good for my standards so Rob and I walked through the golf course to see what's on the other side of this island.
lush green view in Malipano
as they say, the grass is greener on the other side. true!
The view is real good, but when we glimpsed upon the private beach, Rob started running towards it. We were so excited. No other guests were there.
wow for this Malipano private beach area
I heard this area is exclusive for the Malipano Villa guests, but luckily for us, no one was occupying any of the villas. We enjoyed this area all by ourselves.
three lounge chairs and zero crowd
featuring the powdery white sand While all other guests were flocking the entrance area, we were enjoying this exclusive beachfront all by ourselves.
the ultimate luxury is time. char!
The whole area is peaceful and relaxing. The sand is white and fine. The water is very calm. We both agreed that this is the best part of our Pearl Farm trip.
spot my blue umbrella. hehe
the best part of my Pearl Farm experience
swimwear c/o my last minute shopping in SM The Store in Lanang ^_^
that's me swimming in this bluish green calm waters
Rob having a great time too
Work is fun though I can't keep my still, specially when my boss understands that Im a traveler. He reminded me that "if you cannot take a vacation leave or you cannot break free from work even you're on a vacation, then you are a company slave. Everyone is important (we're only 14 in the company) but no one should be too important."
Katuwa no? And my boss just approved my 2-week leave for India. Yehey! ♥
Okay okay, going back...
Im not an anti-social creature, but most of the time, I just appreciate the place more if not much people are around. Rob and I killed time in this area and enjoyed every minute of it. Finally, we could say that it's a great getaway.
a speed boat ride back to the main island
Manong driver offered to take our photo in front of the parola. Nice no?
thank you Rob and happy birthday too!
We rushed to our room and took a bath quickly. It was really annoying when the electricity was shutdown at 12noon. The staff could have extended our stay for at least 15mins beyond the check out time. This is the first time I experienced this.
Overall, Pearl Farm is still the must-see beach resort in Davao. The resort is not really that fabulous and luxurious, unless you will be staying in one of the Malipano Villas with its own private beachfront. Anyway, the resort has on-going renovations so Im expecting a better Pearl Farm when I do revisit, in time. The beach? It wont be included in my list of top 10 best beaches, pero siguro 11th spot siya. Pwede na di ba? Kung sapat lang ba ang presyo sa satisfaction na nakuha namin? My answer is YES. For 3,200 per person, I dont think nalugi kami, specially when we're able to enjoy the breakfast, the stilt house room, amenities, and quality service + the free transfers.
Like in any other resorts, if the rate would be cheaper, it would surely get crowded. Get the picture?
More expensive = less crowd. You pay extra for the little privacy. =)
Pearl Farm Beach Resort
Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal, Davao
email the resort for ongoing promotions!
