Where to stay in Baler

The accommodation was at Ate Baby's. We shared the room with two (2) young ladies. The house has three (3) rooms, 1 downstairs and  2 upstairs.Our room has two (2) double deck beds and one (1) single bed. There are 2 comfort rooms and living room w/ tv and kitchen w/ equipment and dining area. Breakfast was included in the package so no one bothered to cook. Dinner is also served at P150/head with two (2) viands with unlimited rice, juice n fruits in season. Busog much ka.

There is also another house (painted green) beside the pink house where we stayed and other rooms at the other side of the property near the main dining hall. There is also a  plan to put a swimming pool to complete the resort.

Mineral water is refillable st the main dining area, good for me coz i had to drink 3 liters of water a day,

we stayed at the 2nd floor of the pink house, our veranda is on the right side

1st day breakfast - scrambled egss, hotdog, milo, skyflakes instead of rice

 2nd day breakfast- chicken fingers and pork flakes

main dining hall

breakfast 

living room

our room

hallway of the 2nd floor, that's our room, door near  the table

DOLE plantation

The visit to South Cotabato will not be complete if you will not drop by  the Dole plantation at Cannery road, 9504, Polomolok, South Cotabato. Though you need connection to be able to go inside Dole's Kalsangi club, we were privilege to  have joined a group that had that connection.

According to Gobal G.A.P-

The company operates on about 15,000 hectares as its base plantation. About 8,000 hectares of which is being leased by the company from the Dolefil Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (DARBC), and about 5,000 hectares is also being leased from 1,600 individual landowners. Another 5,000 hectares are grower plantations. There are about 1,500 pineapple growers belonging to five (5) grower cooperatives. The grower program ensures the growers better return compared to farming traditional products like rice and corn which suffer from market price fluctuations and poor post-harvest facilities.

We were really amazed by the vast plantation of pineapple , unfortunately it was raining thus we were not able to go down our van and have a closer look at the plants and a photo session.

crane is part of the truck that is use to harvest the pineapple

the vast plantation from the viewing deck

Kalsangi Club House is such a great place. The exclusive residential and golf club complex for Dole managers looks so much of the US, maybe because of its lay-out and architecture, open lawns, trees and cool climate. The whole place sits at the foot of majestic Mt. Matutum.

golf course and pine trees

Dole mascot (banana & pineapple)

giant chess board

by the fire place

merienda

We found a new product in their chest freezer,  Dole Banana Dippers, a frozen banana covered in chocolate, a new dessert at P20.00 only.

The food is really cheap but delicious and meaty like this burger and club sandwich that cost less than P200 each.

Unleavend bread freshly baked is only P40.00

Isla Jardin Del Mar Gumasa Glan Gen San

                                                                                                                                             June 21, 2016

The best beach in Saranggani is in Gumasa Glan, that is according to the friends I asked, I will not disagree since it's the only beach I've visited in the province, though if you've been to Boracay, this is probably the closest they have thus they call the place the Boracay of the South. The sand is fine and white (yellowish white  I think).

                                     

The best resort in Gumasa Glan is Isla Jardin Del Mar, again according to my friend from Gen San.

The accommodation is nipa hut (bahay kubo) but very modern with air con, pull out bed , hot and cold shower. Complimentary toiletries, bedding and towels are fresh and clean.

The restaurant serves delicious food with good presentation, serving is also good for 2 persons, it is also the only place with TV.

breakfast - corned beef

breakfast - bangus

nilagang beef

There is a fishing area though there is no signage that guests can do fishing, we saw bangus (milk fish)  in this area.

There are lots of coconut trees thus local drink '"tuba" is very cheap , 5 gallons is just P100.00

There is also a sunset boulevard at the other side of the resort though the receptionist did not inform us of this lovely area, guests should just take the liberty to discover them. I would love to explore this area had I known of it earlier, when I took this photo , it was high tide thus the water is splashing on the walkway, making it unsafe for me to try to cross the area.

During low tide, the beach is full of stone thus swimming is out of the picture, to the dismay of my husband but there is a 24 hr on duty life guard.

Another down side of the resort is the security of the room, the door lock is defective, it was difficult to open the door but the staff were accommodating enough to transfer us to the next room.

Another challenge, is the distance from the city, it's about 1 hour & 45 minutes travel. From the city you need to ride a van (P100/head) then another tricycle ride (P200) to the resort, though the road is cemented and the scenic view of nature (coconut trees lined the rode and the mountain speaks of the distance you are travelling) makes the ride enjoyable.

Jack's Ridge Davao City

If you want to see the whole city of Davao City, best place to be is here. Jack's Ridge is located at  Shrine Hills Matina Davao City.

panoramic view of Davao City

 

A  rotonda which highlights the best of Davao (durian, waling waling, eagle,mt apo ) will welcome you to Jack's Ridge.

There are also signs of useful information about Davao.

Jack's Ridge is one of the premier dining ares in Davao though we visited only for the view and not to dine. There are lots of restaurant , Taklobo is the main restaurant, Kai's bar & grill, Karlo's gourmet & coffee, there is also a swimming pool and am phi theater.

The land on which Jack's Ridge now stand once formed part of the headquarter of the retreating Japanese forces towards the end of the World War II. The Americans had landed in Davao on May 1, 1945, forcing the Japanese to beat a path to Matina Hills where they had a commanding view of the Davao Gulf where the American ships were anchored. The Japanese airplane that crushed on the mountain was a witness to that event ( just follow his pointing finger).

Today, more than half a century later, Jack's Ridge is filled with reminders of its historic past.