BOHOL hogged the headlines last month because of the great devastation brought by the Magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the province on October 15, 2013. The rest of the country watched in horror as images of destruction, especially of old, historic churches in Bohol, were shown on TV. What followed were search and rescue efforts followed days after by recovery efforts and distribution of relief goods with the aim of helping Bohol get back on its feet again. While the earthquake brought massive destruction to the main island of Bohol, fortunately, the resort island of Panglao was spared. Panglao felt the shaking of the earth, followed by aftershocks, but it was relatively unharmed. Perhaps it was by divine design that Panglao was spared, so that it could, mainly through its tourism efforts, lead the rest of the province in “rising from the ashes” like a phoenix.
Last weekend, my husband Raff and I joined a group of Manila-based media people who spent three days in South Palms Resort Panglao, a new resort development that is slated to open its doors to the travelling public, both foreign and local tourists, on December 1, 2013. Occupying a huge portion of the former Bohol Beach Club, South Palms is a 9.3-hectare tropical enclave entrenched within a 45-hectare spread of beachfront property. A group of young and vibrant managers, led by its 25-year-old managing director Hope Marie Uy and her 22-year-old cousin, Lolita Lyn Uy, who serves as F&B business development manager, South Palms Resort Panglao is an aggressive new player in the resort market and will leave no stones unturned in making sure that its guests get to experience what its tagline promises: “Finally, the way a Bohol beach holiday should be!”
Management debated on whether or not South Palms should push through with its December 1 opening in the light of the recent developments, first the earthquake in Bohol and then the storm surge brought about by super typhoon Yolanda to neighboring Leyte, where Panglao gets most of its electricity requirements. But then, life indeed has to go on and it would be better to push through with the original plan, as the tourism it brings would help the entire province of Bohol get on the road to recovery much faster.
Enter the South Palms property, and the first thing that would put you in awe is its infinity pool that “flows out” to the crisp and clear-blue waters of the Bohol Sea, crowned by lounge chairs with bright orange umbrellas and lovely beach chairs in vibrant yellow, orange, violet and lime green. The main dining facility, the al fresco Oceanica Seafood Restaurant, stands right behind the pool. In front, the white-sand beach, which stretches 700 meters within the South Palms property, beckons.
Unlike other resort properties in Panglao which built hotels, South Palms opted for a horizontal development, building villas and rooms that are modern on the inside and yet resort-type with cogon roofing on the outside. The guest rooms are private sanctuaries tucked within the tropical forests of South Palms, connected to the main activity area – Oceanica Restaurant, the infinity pool, the Coast Pool Bar beside it and the main beach area – by a mini man-made forest lined on both sides by young mahogany trees. Also tucked within the tropical forests are cabanas for a good massage by the well-trained therapists of Palm the Spa.
From the accommodations to the food to everything else, down to the smallest details, South Palms Resort Panglao’s creed is to pamper its guests with a kind of Boholano hospitality that they would never forget. This, we experienced during out visit to South Palms last weekend. I’ve been pampered a lot, been impressed by even more, but South Palms’ pampering has by far been the best.
During our visit last weekend, the pampering started the moment we stepped into Tagbilaran Airport. Some of the resort’s officials led the welcoming party, got our baggage claim tags from us and immediately whisked us away to the vans, where we had our first welcome drink, Lemongrass Iced Tea. A short drive to South Palms Resort in the island of Panglao and, when we got there, there was drumbeat, singing and dancing, and buko juice to welcome us. The rest of the management team, led by Hope and Lyn, were there waiting, and so with the rest of the staff. And, lo and behold, we had our own “butlers” assisting us in checking in and bringing us immediately to our rooms.
Members of the media group were assigned adjacent Deluxe Pool View rooms that had the resort’s other swimming pool, the Adult Pool, directly in front of us for easy access should any of us want to go swimming. I loved our room, which was simple and yet hip and chic, and the work area in front of the bed is spacious and comfortable. It’s the first thing I check, next to the bed, because I always bring work with me on trips.
Turns out South Palms Resort Panglao has a total of 90 rooms divided into Deluxe Garden View, Deluxe Pool View, Deluxe Beachfront, Premium Beachfront, Beach Villa, Family Villa and Panglao Villa.
A quick freshening up in the room, and we were all gathered back at Oceanica Seafood Restaurant for lunch. Executive Chef Dionisio ‘Toto’ de los Reyes had prepared an awesome buffet spread for our lunch, mostly seafood from the farms also owned by the Uy family. If you know me, you’d know I love seafood, so this was heaven for me.
The buffet setup of Oceanica can compare with the best in resorts and even hotels. There’s a soup station, which offered two choices on the day of our arrival: Cream of Squash Soup and Sotanghon Soup. Beside it was an appetizer section that had Steamed Prawns with 3 Kinds of Dips, Pomelo and Green Mango Salad, Grilled Mixed Seafood Salad, Vermicelli Salad and Baked Scallops, among others, aside from a full Salad Bar, at that. Hot dishes for lunch included Seafood Paella, Chicken Roulade with Sofrito Sauce, Pan-fried Lapu-Lapu with Lemon Butter Sauce, Prawn Gambas, Eggplant Moussaka, Beef Wellington and Crispy Pata. As if that’s not enough, the grill station had slices of fish and fresh shellfish ready to hit the hot grill, too!
And for dessert, several kinds of mousses, cheesecakes, Tiramisu, chocolate cake, Crème Brulee and stylized Cuchinta competed for everyone’s attention. The choices were overwhelming.
The group got to rest a bit after lunch and off to our rooms we all went. Raff buried himself in the memory foam bed and watched Jumanji for the nth time, while I worked on an article for FLAVORS Magazine and emailed it to the office for layout using my trusty Twinhead laptop and South Palms’ amazingly fast Internet connection.
At about 4:30 p.m., it was time for Afternoon Tea, which was set up in one of the cabanas by the shore near our rooms. Here, we feasted on kakanins (native delicacies), such as Bibingka, Suman, Bud-Bud, Nilubi, Cuchinta, Sapin-Sapin, Palitaw and Turon with cups of freshly made Sikwati (hot chocolate) while watching an amazing sunset and capturing it on our digital cameras, too.
On a full stomach again, we walked around, with South Palms Resort Panglao’s officials, including sales and marketing manager Fe Ginete, leading a tour of the resort facilities, such as rooms and function rooms, before we all landed in the Blue Palm Room for an informal presscon with Hope and Lyn and the rest of the South Palms managers. There, Hope disclosed other developments that have been planned for South Palms, including a gym, dive shop, gift or souvenir shop, business center, day care for kids, watersports facilities, and employment of a marine biologist to take care of the marine life within the property.
Our first day at South Palms ended with a Beer-B-Q Dinner by the Coast Pool Bar, where an outdoor barbecue had been set up, and choices of steaks, prawns and chicken wings were laid out with a variety of side dishes, such as Mashed Potato, Baked Potato and Potato Gratin. We dined by the beach, with an acoustic band providing live musical entertainment followed by Conga, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fire Dance performances.
Back in the room, the surprises seemed to have no ending, as we found small boxes of shell-shaped chocolate pralines on the bed for a midnight snack. Small details like this leave a smile on my face, as it shows to what extent the resort would go to make your stay a most satisfying and comfortable one. I set the pralines aside for taking back to Manila with me, as I had already exceeded my food quota for the day, and went back to work on my laptop. Yes, I have to juggle work with leisure in every trip that I make, but I’m not complaining. I love the work that I do.
When my eyes started to droop and I started to yawn, I decided to call it a night and hit the bed. The memory foam bed and pillow turned out to be such a comfort zone for me that I dozed off in no time at all.
-To be continued –
(South Palms Resort Panglao is located in Brgy. Bolod, Panglao Island, Bohol, with telephone number +63 38 502.8288.)
