Days seem longer, temperatures get hotter, clothes get skimpier, and everyone gets happier. Yep, it’s summer! For us down south, it’s time to head to Cavanico Resort! But did you know that technically, there is no such thing as summer in the Philippines?
Summer is one of the four seasons in temperate regions of the world and since we only have two in the Philippines, the term isn’t exactly applicable here. But SUMMER has been used by Filipinos since time immemorial and is always accompanied by thoughts of no classes, beach escapes, ice cold fruit shakes and generally happier moods. So yes, it’s here. It’s summer in the Philippines!
Adie’s classes ended March 4th and we wasted no time going to the beach! This is her reward for enduring the tedious work required in Nursery school (haha). We headed off to the beach the very next day! Instead of going to our usual beach haunts (Villa Amparo, Paradise Island or Golden Bay), we decided on trying out a new place: Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort.
Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort used to be called Pacific Heights Residential Resort after the high-end beachfront village located within the same property. I guess the old name held us off in the past; I’ve always thought the resort was exclusive to Pacific Heights homeowners and invited guests. But I was pleasantly surprised when one of my friends, Judith, told us it’s open to the public. So there we went on a very hot Saturday morning, excited to experience our first summer hurrah.
How to Get to Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort
You have to go the usual route to get to Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort: ride the ferry crossing the Davao Gulf to Samal Island. From the port you have to turn left and follow the national road until you see the huge signage for Pacific Heights. Travel time from the port to the resort is less than 30 minutes if you’re on a private vehicle. If you’re commuting, simply hire a tricycle and tell the driver to take you to Pacific Heights or Cavanico Il-Ma-Re Resort or simply Cavanico or Ilmare. The ride will cost you more or less P200.
My Impressions on the Resort
You need to go downhill for a bit to reach the actual resort. There is ample parking outside and spaces are actually roofed (yey!). Entrance is charged per head and small kids get in for free. The fees cover the use of umbrellas, tables, chairs and their outdoor pool. Too bad the pool was under electrical maintenance that day; we would have loved to get our money’s worth.
Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort is a sight to behold. I was in awe of the place, especially because I have not heard so much about it. The pictures I saw on the Internet were either old or low-def so imagine my delight when I saw how beautiful the resort is! It instantly went up several notches in my top Samal resorts list (I still have to officially add it, though).
The resort is becoming very popular among local beach goers, judging from the amount of guests coming and going. We easily found a spot by the water and had a very nice view of both the main shoreline and the floating cottage.
Adie wasted no time and jumped into the water. She’s a mermaid; she can stay in the water for hours even when it’s blazing hot. The water was inviting: clear blue, no sharp corals to hurt your feet and had just the perfect temperature to keep the kids happy. It’s also a plus that they have water gear rentals for cheap. Adie and her friend Benedict had a blast riding water bikes (?) for an hour before they gave up and jumped back into the water.
Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort has a restaurant by the water but since moms are generally cheapos, we brought our own food and just bought drinks from their bar. We had unlimited helpings of rice, carbonara, chicken curry, grilled fish and pork and kinilaw. Very typical of a Filipino family weekend trip.
We would have loved to stay overnight at Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort. Had I known that they allow tents or that their overnight accommodations are quite affordable, I would have booked an overnight stay. A day just wasn’t enough to explore everything the resort has to offer. If we had more time, we could have enjoyed the variety of water sports activities like the banana boat rides and kayaking. There were a couple of jet skis but it’s for P3k an hour so no way!
But I’d love to go back though and stay overnight. I noticed they have plenty of cottages and villas still under construction so maybe we can stay in brand new accommodations then. Would that be a treat? Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our day tour at Cavanico Il Ma Re Resort. Let’s visit the resort again soon, yes?
Check out our Facebook page for more photos of Cavanico Il-Ma-Re Resort.
