WHAT’S your idea of summer fun? Is it frolicking in the waters with the kids or having a relaxing swim? Maybe curling up on the couch with a good book in an air-conditioned room? Or singing your heart out with your friends in a karaoke room? Perhaps fishing at your own leisurely pace and patiently waiting for a tilapia (St. Peter’s Fish) to bite the bait? Or being surrounded by a herd of sheep in a farm-like setting? Maybe even feeding a lion or ostrich? How about testing your physical skills in a game of tennis or challenging your mind in a game of chess or figuring out how to get out of a giant maze?
If your answer is yes to any—or maybe all—of these fun activities, then Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite, just might be the perfect destination for your summer retreat. Proximity to Manila and easy access to the place via Coastal Road and CAVITEX (Cavite Expressway) makes it an even more ideal haven to hie off to this summer.
Island Cove is not new, yes, because it has been around since the 1970s. Once known as Pulo ni Burunggoy, the 36-hectare island just off Binakayan proper was bought by former Cavite Governor Johnny Remulla in the early 1970s. He built it into a resort and opened it to the public as Covelandia Island Resort in 1976. Because of its deluxe facilities and close proximity to Manila, it instantly became a favorite destination for both foreign and local tourists. But when the Philippine economy suffered a big blow in the 1980s, Covelandia had to close, and it remained closed for 12 years. It was redeveloped and reopened to the public in 1997, brandishing a new name—Island Cove.
The resort is not new, yes, but a lot has changed since it first opened. So much development has taken place, and new attractions continue to be added to it. Aside from its swimming pool with four giant slides and giant inflatables and is manned by lifeguards who are certified in standard first aid and basic life support by the Philippine National Red Cross, Island Cove now has a 350-square-meter splash park equipped with splashers and sprayers imported from Australia. The splash park happens to be the biggest in Mega Manila.
Also in the area are a playground for kids to have great outdoor fun as well as an interactive game room for when they want to cool themselves in an air-conditioned room and play computer games instead. The game room has Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox consoles, so kids will surely have fun.
The newest addition, the King Crawler, located near the playground, is also meant to keep kids happily occupied. Designed by the Dutch company Carve, which designed the original King Crawler for a schoolyard in Purmerend, The Netherlands, is a vertical play structure that combines several functions for different types of play and climbing opportunities. Complying with the American and Canadian playground safety standards, the King Crawler comes with brightly colored ribbon-like platforms that look as if they are floating between the muted posts and wire mesh walls.
For more adult guests who love active fun, Island Cove also comes equipped with a tennis court, a basketball court, a giant outdoor chess set, a challenging maze course, a paintball arena and an airsoft game site. Guests can also go biking because biking facilities are available.
For guests who like to stay indoors, billiard and table tennis tables are available. Then there’s the full service gym for stress-busting workouts as well as the Island Spa for relaxing massages and other spa services. The spa’s healing Filipino massage therapies hilot and dagdagay come highly recommended.
But if your idea of fun is singing your heart away, Island Cove’s Bayside KTV is there to keep you happily entertained. A colorful structure by the sea made up of containers that have been transformed into nine private air-conditioned KTV rooms that can each accommodate groups of 2 to 30, the state-of-the-art facilities make it possible for guests to choose from among 3,000 songs in English, Filipino, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
A big favorite among families visiting the resort is the wildlife sanctuary or animal island, which is home to different species of reptiles, mammals, birds and other animals. Here, guests can feed the ostriches, lion, crocodiles, monkeys, even Bengal tigers. You can see Philippine deer grazing around and observe a 15-foot python. And if you want to have pictures taken with the python wrapped around your neck, shoulders and back or a baby crocodile cradled in your arms, you can! A shaded area in the wildlife sanctuary even resembles a meadow, the prairie-like kind you see in old American movies, and, surrounded with sheep, you can go ahead and be Bo Peep or Mary (as in Mary Had a Little Lamb) for an afternoon.
For foodie guests who enjoy having a good meal while on vacation, Island Cove offers three major options, although Bayside KTV also serves mean pica-picas. Top choice is The Fishing Village, which is the resort’s main dining facility. It’s a Filipino-themed restaurant whose dining areas are composed of 21 bamboo huts on stilts set atop the waters facing Manila Bay. Here, you can simply order what you like or spend a few minutes fishing for your catch and having it cooked afterwards. The Fishing Village’s specialties are seafood, particularly the bountiful mussels and oysters in the whole of Cavite. Just recently, it introduced the Lechon sa Pugon, which is pork belly slow-cooked in a brick oven for up to three hours, so that its skin is golden and crunchy and its meat is tender and juicy. It’s a relatively healthier version, considering how much oil drips off the pork belly as it slow-cooks in the oven.
Another gastronomic option is Sangley Point, which stands right next to the pool and splash park area. It serves flatbreads (better known to Filipinos as simply pizzas), pasta dishes, salads, burgers, sandwiches, chicken, ribs, steaks and cocktail drinks. The Sangley Burger is a particular favorite of many guests, as it is a 200-gram Wagyu beef burger served with mayo-mustard, complete with all the works, in a bun, with Caesars Salad on the side.
Then there’s iCafe, which is like any typical café that serves cakes, pastries, sandwiches, coffee, cookies and quick meals. It is a cozy and comfy place to hang out, especially since it is located at the lobby of the hotel.
Incidentally, the hotel recently underwent renovations and expansion, and it now has 121 rooms divided into several room categories—Family Deluxe Room (with two Double beds or one King size bed, bathtub and private veranda, among others), Premier Deluxe Room (with two Queen size beds or one King size bed, bathtub, private veranda, assorted pastries and complimentary minibar items), Junior Suite (with two bedrooms, private veranda), Single Villa (for two adults and two kids), Half Villa (for four adults and two kids), and Whole Villa (for eight adults and four kids).
So, yes, when you’re at Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park, you can do everything that lets you relax, recharge an enjoy life—eat, drink, sing, fish, bike, feed the animals, swim, play, challenge your physical skills or your mind.
(Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park is located at Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite, with telephone no. (046) 434-0210. The Makati sales office can be found at Suite 1416, Cityland 10 Tower 1, De La Costa St., Makati City; with telephone no. 810-7878.)
