We stayed at Precious Garden Resort on Samal Island. Actually, it was recommended by a business affiliate. I searched for it on the net, I’m lucky they have a website. The owner is German who was very friendly to the guests. Kristeen, the resort staff, was very accommodating and made sure that we enjoyed our stay there. The place is relatively new. If I’m not mistaken, it was constructed about a year ago. Renovations for improvement are still on-going.
There are several ways to get to Samal Island from Davao City. You may take a lantsa - a boat that carries passengers from the City to the Island. Just tell the taxi driver to take you to the lantsa terminal in Davao City, it’s in one of the alleys located within a wet market. Cost of lantsa is P 13.00 per head. From the lantsa port in Samal Island, you then take a tricycle going to the resort. It’s P 7.00 per person per trip. We hired the entire tricycle on a special trip for P 49.00. The resort is a good 10 to 15-minute travel from the terminal. Tell the tricycle driver the name of the resort and they’d know where to take you.
Another option is to take the Island City Express bus that brings passengers from Davao City to Samal Island. The bus takes the barge to get to the island. You only pay for the bus fare. The bus takes care of the barge fee. On Samal Island, you get off on a bus terminal. From there you take a tricycle. If you are on a taxi or have a private vehicle, you may get to the island through the barge. You need to find the barge terminal in the city and pay the corresponding fee. Most resorts normally offer transport services from the airport to the hotel – this is the most convenient option for travelers.
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| Island City Express Bus On the Barge |
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| The Barge That Takes Vehicles and Passengers To and From Samal Island |
Precious Garden Resort
Precious Garden Resort has 10 rooms; ours cost P 1,800 per night. The bed is matrimonial. The furniture and fixtures are well-appointed. There’s constant supply of water, heater is functional. Each room has a veranda. It’s where Marcial and I have our breakfast each morning. The room is good for 2 persons, but I think it can accommodate up to 10 persons (standard is 4, though). They have air-conditioned and fan rooms. Each checked-in guest is entitled for a breakfast. During our stay, they were offering cornsilog (corned beef, fried rice and egg) and bangsilog (fried milkfish, fried rice and egg). Each meal comes with coffee. The room has no TV, but it was fine because we were out on tour for most part of the day.
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| Our Room at Precious Garden Resort |
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| A View of Our Room's Veranda |
The resort is famous for its restaurant. Even Samal locales frequent the place just to dine. They have a wide selection of dishes to choose from. Their specialty is the thin-crust pizza. We’ve tried it on our second night and it was great. Other dishes that Marcial and I tried and recommend include Sisig, Buttered Chicken, Spaghetti, German Sausage, Breaded Pork Chops, and Tuna Sandwich. The price is very reasonable. They prepare the food only when you order them.
The place is famous for its tarpaulin slide which, I think, is about 20 meters long. Entrance fee is P 200.00 per person which already covers free use of the cottages, the slide and vest. From the entrance, you need to descend around 50 steps to get to the cottages. Aside from the slide, there’s not much that you can do here. There’s also a diving board which is right beside the tip of the tarpaulin slide. A Staff can take your picture as you slide or dive. Each printed picture costs P 60.00. If you don’t take the slide, you need to descend around 30 steps to get to the water. The stairs are very slippery, so be careful! There is no shoreline. The water after the last step is deep already. If you’re not a swimmer, make sure you have your vest with you. There are no restrictions on the swimming attire.
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| Entrance to Maxima |
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| Maxima Tarpaulin Slide |
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| Marcial Diving Into the Waters of Maxima |
HAGIMIT FALLS
This is very near Maxima, it’s on the opposite side of the road where Maxima is located. There’s an entrance fee of P 40.00 per person. Our driver said that entrance to the falls used to be free. I guess they imposed the fee to form part of the budget to maintain the place. The falls is a good 5-minute walk from the entrance. The steps going to the falls area is not as steep as those of Maxima’s. There are cottages for rent. We didn’t get to the main water falls. There are lots of streams that you can soak yourself into. The streams vary in depth. The water is cold, fresh and generally clean. There are no restrictions on the swimming attire.
BLUE JAZZ RESORT
This is just a detour from the itinerary agreed with Precious Garden. Blue Jazz is one the most famous resorts in Samal Island. There’s an entrance fee of P 90.00 per person. The resort is not spectacular. If you want peace and quiet, this is not the place for you. The resort offers accommodations - just check their website for details. The resort has a beach which is just okay. Quality of water is same as that in Precious Garden as they are basically on the same stretch of shoreline of Samal Island. The resort has a souvenir shop, giant slides and zip line. The zip line is around 50 meters long and worth P 70.00 per person. There are three slides, all of them leading to a 3-feet deep pool. The slides are normally taken with a salbabida. You need to pay P 90.00 per head if you want to take the slide, the fee is good for one hour only. We were told that there’s fire-dancing and clubbing at night but we didn’t get to see this anymore. There are no restrictions on the swimming attire.
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| Bluejazz Beachfront |
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| Bluejazz Giant Slides |
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| Souvenir Shop Inside Bluejazz Resort |
MONTFORT BATCAVE
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