Isla Verde Tropical Friendly Resort is Still Here - CoVid 18 UPDATE

Since my last post in April 2020, the year 2020 - 2021 has been a strange one for our lovely resort.

Covid-19 has caused lockdowns and restrictions that have severely limited the number of opportunities for people to visit the resort. On occasions when those restrictions have been lifted, guests have come to enjoy a stay here.

Jo and some staff have worked hard to keep the Resort looking as clean and smart as possible so it is always ready to be open each time restrictions are lifted.

Except for the top picture, the photos in this post are from March and April 2021 :-)

I have just received this Advert from the Resort Management:

Discover the beauty of this new paradise.  Get in touch with nature as you find a new home in this island. Isla Verde tropical friendly resort is your new abode. Located in Sitio Sampalukan, San Augustin kanluran Isla Verde, Batangas City, it enjoys the company of the majestic Philippines Sea outlined by the Rocky and sandy shorelines.  It lies beyond the borders of Isla Verde passage separating Mindoro from Batangas City. 

Our island is a home to the rich fauna and flora variety. Considered as the Center of Marine biodiversity, it is a main Sanctuary to coral reefs and underwater marine habitat.

Environmentalists and nature lovers treat this place as their new haven where you can take nothing but pictures, you can leave nothing but footprints and can kill nothing but time.

Entering the resort, you will be greeted by a fresh natural scenery with a touch of Japanese design and architecture, surrounded by a serene landscape.

Paths are paved, and bordered with green grandeur and detailed with delicate oriental arts. 

Stone benches and swing cottages offers an inviting ambiance for relaxation and rest. Mixed with soothing beach air and warmth of the sun, you can enjoy it with company of great friends or quiet pace to meditate on your own.

Islaverde Tropical Friendly Resort offers a wide arrangement of accommodations with privacy, security and convenience to maximum of 50 people, whether a family gathering, or a small company team building.  It has family rooms, stone units and nipa huts (kubo) that guests can choose from. 

Visit our Website  to see more.

ISLA VERDE@FIGHT COVID 19

COVID 19 is pandemic.  

We were temporarily closed last March 22, 2020, the start of the Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the whole island.  

We are not allowed to go out from house, unless it is necessary like to buy food to the store.  

We are not allowed to leave the island nor to receive people who wanted to come here especially if they  coming from Manila.

But as time passed by, we went into lockdown.  

There are no more normal boats trips.  A special scheduled trip is issued to buy stuff in mainland Batangas.  

Even the road became more quiet as you cannot hear kids' voices yelling and laughing and a Curfew was imposed especially to minors.  

Thus kids had quality time bonding with their parents- helping their parents doing chores.  They fetched the water.  Sweeping in the ground in the morning.  Doing the laundry.  And in the afternoon neighboring kids gathered together playing ML ( MOBILE LEGEND) to spend their afternoon.

The local mothers have time to weave mats in the afternoon and gossipping among locals stopped as need for social distancing.

The boats who were busy transporting guests and for boat tours around the island became fishing boats.  The construction workers became good fishermen waking up at early dawn to catch fish, which they sell for an income, and some share with friends and other relatives.  

For this month they always catch BALAKWAS (plotting fish), they dry them and cook like sinaing, adobo, fried and skrewed them and fry too.

As lockdown was extended till April 30, our Baranggay Offers became more busy.  We received reliefs from our National/Local government which were deliver to our house by our Baranggay Councilor and Baranggay Police Officer to their designated areas.  We received rice, canned goods, sachets of coffee, biscuit  some sachet of soup and box of Vitamins.

There were good samaritans who spread love, gave sacks of rice, bread with sachet of coffee.

In time of needs Filipinoes are always in Bayanihan- Filipino custom where people work together to accomplish task.

Salute and Thank you to our frontliners -  locals who are Baranggay  Officers, Health Workers,  Teachers, Volunteers who look after us in this pandemic. 

Lastly,  I want to share to you a local guy  ONAD singing ISLA VERDE HISTORY. 

November 2019 - Dogs are indeed a man's best friend.

Meet our adorable, huggable and lovable little pal, Jaru.

Everybody loves Jaru for his friendly features.  Who would have thought that our furry friend would be an excellent tour guide and a great companion in times of boredom. 

Every morning, he would be running enthusiastically towards approaching guests,  welcoming them with his wagging tail and a cheerful bark.  He could be seen visiting the units of every guests to check if they are doing fine. And by night,  he would be joining you by the campfire under the presence of the moon and stars.

Jaru is a stray dog  and is adopted by the son of the resort owner, Hikaru. He is found wandering aimlessly on Tabangao port on October 2018. As an afraid little puppy, he is very hesitant to meet people.  Weak and hungry,  he simply approached Hikaru and gently frolicked at his feet,  waiting for Hikaru to return the gesture to him. Feeling pity towards this creature,  Hikaru picked him up and brought Jaru to the resort, raising it as his own.

Jaru is raised and fed by Jaja, one of the resort's employees. Jaja gave the puppy an extended unconditional love that it learned how to show care and attention in return.  Thus he is named Jaru,  as a combination from the name of his caretakers.

Jaru is always present on photo ops on guests and a shout out in their reviews. He is known for his expressive eyes, that reflects his warm emotions. He is also known for his energetic stamina of accompanying guests in the village tours and for taking a  tireless swim with them on the shore.  His charming smile is something worth remembering and you would enjoy taking selfies with. Just don't forget to give him a bag of doggie treats as a tip for his extensive service.

Your Isla Verde experience would not be complete if you did not encouter this happy creature. Surely,  he will give you that perspective that animals are great companions and their love and affection is something that could really comfort us, especially on times of solitude and loneliness. 

A Bigger Room for Big Groups

Since we began receiving guests in 2013, Islaverde Tropical Friendly Resort has not just been a popular place for families and couples, but also with groups for meetings and bonding sessions.

As the resort has become more well known we have added more kubos and units, and even camping facilities. 

Some time ago, To cater to small groups and families, we built what we call our 'Japanese Style' unit, which accommodates small groups on sleeping mats instead of beds.  We have been surprised by how popular this has become with our business guests.

Because the island experienced fully booked reservations in the summer, It was difficult for business groups to find accommodation on the Island.  So Isla Verde Tropical Friendly resort decided to offer another level of service to our business guests by offerring a special accomodation for larger groups.


So we took advantage of the start of the rainy season to expand out business and groups offering.

Introducing our latest project, our 'Group Fortress', a Japanese Inspired Room that could fit a maximum of 20 people.

The project started early August and in September 2019 it is still a work in progress, with hopes of completion around early October. It is located in a vacant lot next to the stone units.

When it is finished, it will consist of two rooms separated by a customized divider and an outside patio that will serve as a receiving and a dining area. It also has is own kitchen and common toilet for convenience. The walls are made of bamboo for natural ventilation and with pawid roofs as a shade from the heat.

Interiors and design are made one at a time so it is slow work, but we think when it is finished, this unit will be a place to relax as a group, with an air of class and elegance.

Rates will be PHP500 per person per night, which we hope is very affordable and reasonable for group bookings, given the design of the unit and the access to the facilities.

This new unit should help us to cater to the increasing demand for group activities, especially on the summer vacations.