The joy of Christmas 2018

Rhea and her family spent their 2018 Christmas here with us.  They were here last Dec23-25 and spent 3 nights in our resort.

On their first day, as they were tired, after their lunch they slept for long time in the afternoon.  And when they woke Niña, their tour guide , took the family to Sawang, for snorkelling and swimming.  Niña taught the youngest daughter, Sam,  to swim and happily she learned to swim quickly. They enjoyed the white sand in sawang, and loved the marine life under the sea.

When night came and all guests had finished their dinner, they watched Niña with her fire dancing.  Everybody yelled and clappped their hands when Niña blew fire. When the bonfire was started.  They drink a few bottles, sharing stories that made their night fun.

On their second day, Dec. 24, the family woke up early to have breakfast and get ready for a boat tour.  Niña showed them the parts of the island.  They went to San Agapito, Cueva, Mahabang Buhangin and Lalaguyin.  Places they can have snorkelling and swimming and her husband, Bong, who is a free lance Photographer,  had the chance to take photos of  the places they visited.

They came back in the afternoon, and all were happy as it was Rhea's kids first time to have a boat ride. Tired from their boat tour, they slept well and woke up late.

I was in the kitchen preparing dinner, when the couple came to cook for dinner.  I asked them if they would join us for Christmas eve, but Rhea told me that they were going to bed early as they had to get up early tomorrow for trekking to Mt. Dagit-dagit. While we were in the kitchen, talking with each other I learned that her kids don't each much meat.  And, because they won't have their noche buena,  I gave them a free meal a relyenong bangus (stuffed milk fish decorated with fresh vegetables) with sauce and macaroni salad.  Rhea told me that she thinks her kids will ignore the food she prepared.  And she was right her kids finished the food I gave first!  Dinner was done and time for their bedtime.

The family woke up early and we greeted each other "Merry Christmas". All of them were excited for their adventure to Mt.  Dagit- dagit.  They met Mang Winnie, who has a house  where our guests usually stay while they exploring the mountain.  He even picks fruits for the guests to share like pomelo and coconut.  And he shared his horse with Rhea's daughter.  Sam loves horses and enjoyed her riding on the mountain.

They came back to our resort in the afternoon.  Tired but all were happy as they told us its their best Christmas vacation.   And when the night came again, they went to Wangyu's place, one of my workers and they had dinner.  Rhea's daughter, Shelley, said she enjoyed the food very much after trekking to mountain.

When they returned to the resort, they shared their stories with us and this is what Rhea wrote to us:

    Aside from the breath taking place, the warm welcome and awesome service of the resort owner and staff made our stay memorable.  Thank you for helping Bong and I make this vacation memorableand meaningful to our kids.

                                Bong and Rhea

A note from one of our guests :-)

Recently we received this lovely message from one of our guests - Earl Tan

As the trip ends like the sun sets in a day. We remember those great memories being inside an isolated island. An isolated island seated in the center. The calm, silent island filled with all the beautiful sea creatures and the fresh air from the sea breeze made our trip a romantic vacation.

In addition to the refreshing nature, the staffs of the resort where very accommodating. They gave us more than what is paid for. We had a wonderful stay with the island with their tours plus a tasty food cooked by the owners of the resort.

In every hardship, there is always a good thing at the end. The trip going to the island is rough but the place made it worth every rough wave we experienced.

Attached is our photo together.

Respectfully yours,
Earl Tan

Marie, A Swiss Girl from Taiwan

Marie is a Chinese doctor, who teaches German language in Taiwan.  She always comes to Mnila for her holiday, but this year she didn't realize her passport was due to expire soon.  When she saw that it was close to expiry, she went to the Swiss Embassy in Manila to renew her passport, the Consulate told her she could still stay for a three month holiday in Manila.  So Marie began looking for a place near Manila where she could have a 'staycation'.  After checking Google, she found our resort and sent me an email, then booked a five day stay with us.

I met her in Tabangao, and while waiting for the boat we had an interesting conversation.  She is a cheerful person and not shy, so there were no no dull moments when we were together.

On her first day, after having her lunch she took a walk in the local community with Hikaru as her guide.  Hikaru showed to her the rural life in Isla.  When they were in Mahabang Buhangin, they passed the house of Gean, who is celebrating her birthday and she invited  them to eat and since Marie doesn't eat red meat Gean offered her a cake.

Marie does not eat red meat, but does eat fish so because she loves fish, I prepared some special food for her.  Stuffed milkfish with green veggie salad, tuna cooked in cocunut milk with radish salad, grilled cunning fish with Japanese sauce, sarciado, a fish fried and sauteed with tomatoes, onions and eggs, fried fish with eggplant salad, carbonara with deep fried fillet and the Isla Verde express, its a seafood prawns, squid, clams with cocunut milk hot and spicy.  For veggies she had a taste of sauteed mixed veggies, brocolli with mushroom and oyster sauce, Sayote with tomatoes and she likes miso soup very much. Marie said that the food at our resord was delicious.

Marie, brought a diary with her, where she writes her daily activities.  She even showed to me some paintings of a few of the fishes she saw while snorkelling and of the boat she had in coming here, the St. Paul.

She was fond of snorkelling with Niña and Hikaru.  They went different spots for snorkelling and never tired of swimming everyday and enjoyed watching schools of fish and star fish among the rocks and corals.

Niña took Marie to visit their place. While she was there, Marie had a taste of coconut. It was a new experience for her and happily  she liked the coconut juice and ate the coconut meat  She even asked Niña to bring some back to the resort.

And before she left, she wrote something in our Visitor's Book:

"I stayed on Isla Verde for five days and I enjoyed it so much

Tita Jo's food is delicious and everyday I went snorkelling with Niña.  Jaka alwaya set a very romantuc table and the sunsets are stunning.  When I woke up  at night I saw the milkyway and little Jaro who is still a puppy but who guarded my tent very well.

I will dream of yhe blue, blue sea and the colorful fish when I'm back in Taiwan anf hope I can come back next year.

Marie Louisr Martina Marbach
Switzerland"

Habagat - 2018 - Isla Verde Resort

As the summer ends, the wet season 'Habagat' arrives.  It is a month when the sea is rough on the west coast of Isla Verde, and even though it is the beginning of out monsoon and typhoon season, we still have groups and couples of guests arriving from foreign countries and also from other parts of the Philippines.

Recently we had a guest from Germany, Adeline, who came here from an event set by Yellen.  While she was here, she taught me my first yoga session.  It was an interesting experience, and at the end I felt quite relaxed.

During Habagat there are still times when the sea is calm, and the guests often still have the chance for free diving and snorkelling and exploring the underwater coral gardens in front of our resort.  If the sea is rough near the resort, often it is calm enough to snorkel just a short walk away at Mahabang Buhangin, or at Sawang Sampalukan or in Patong.

Mostly, visitors who come here are looking for a chance to get away from the stress of their daily work in the city.  Because our place is quiet and peaceful, they feel relaxed and they enjoy the chance to sleep in for long hours with no traffic noise or loud clubs and street sounds.  Sometimes I even have to knock on their door to wake them so they can have their meals :-)

Often, if it is raining, I see my guests outside just relaxing in the rain as they say it is so clean compared to the city.  We have a small infinity pool which they also enjoy playing annd splashing in, and they often just relax there swimming and taking pictures.  The sides of the infinity pool are also popular as an easy way to get in and out of the water for snorkelling to the coral gardens.

Even in Habagat, it is not boring at the resort.  No matter how bad the weather is, the guests find things to do.  Often they like to play indoor games including card games like Uno, Tong its, Pusoy and Crazy Ace.  We also have Scrabble and Chess.  Often I sit happily listening to them teasing and cheating each other.

At night if the rain has stopped, we still set a bonfire for the guests so they can enjoy their bonding, sharing a few bottles of drinks and some finger foods.

Special date of Love with Marcus

Kunwari blogger ako and im writing my review to this new island we have recently visited. 😂 para makatulong sa mga lagalag na kagaya kong walang ginawa kundi gumala dahil may taling sa paa at daig pa si dora 😁

How i learned about this island? Well wala. Nakita lang namin siya nagtrend sa fb. Nacurios kami. Nagbasa ng reviews at comment. Ayun nafeature na pala siya sa #KMJS so xempre kapag nafeature na for sure patok to at talagang maganda.

Dahil birthday celebration ni jowa at bet nia daw dito e di go kami dalawa. Ayaw ba naman ng tropa , magagaling magdrawing 😂 eh di kami na lang who cares?

Kapag gumagala kami super research muna ako sa lugar na pupuntahan namin kasi mahina ako sa direction at gusto  ko kapag pumunta eh lahat nasusulit at nasusuyod. Pero this time ewan ko ba hinayaan ko lang si jowa , naisip ko adventure to ala amazing race churva di namin talaga alam kung san ung lugar. Pero xempre uso naman google at waze. Anjan pa ang mga mababait na pilipinong kahit anu itanong mo di ka pagkakaitan ng sagot. So gow kami. Wala reservation bahala na si ironman na lakad.

3am . April 27 2018  alis sa bahay . Punta sa south station bus terminal. Sampa ng bus batangas pier. (P137 Each pamasahe) 1 and half hour andun na. Xempre madaling araw wala traffic. Pagdating dun we found out mali kami 😂 1980s pa huling may sakayan dun pa isla verde sabi ni manong barker ng bangka. Sabi nia labas kami batangas pier sa may stoplight. Sakay kami dun jip na dadaan ng TABANGAO . Jan yung sakayan na pa isla verde . Sabi ko pa sa jowa ko "kala ko ba tama tong way natin " sabi nia "eh un sabi sa post eh ". Kung sino man ang nagcomment na ang sakay eh batangas pier taz 1 hr boat ride pa isla verde salamat sayo 😂. Anyways balik sa adventure .

To si jowa ayaw nian pababa sakay ng jip dahil mejo malaki siya 😂 (labyu ) eh sabi ni manong dalawang jip sasakyan. At napakahilig netong magtanong kung kani kanino. Ayun para kaming pagkain ng isdang dinumog ng mga trycycle driver dun sa labas ng pier. (Mejo badtrip na ako kasi suplada po ako sa personal 😂) P300 daw ihahatid na kami sa tabangao  . Xempre nanlaki mata ko at dahil sanay kami sa tawaran nagtapos kami sa P230  😂 . Sakay tryk. Ang laki ng tryk nila kasya kami dalawang majubis  😂 sabi ni manong driver nakikita nio ung bundok n yan jan tayo punta. Ngstart na kmi mglakbay. Sabi ko bakit ang lamig sa batangas. Unlike satin sa cavite impiyerno 😂 . Kakamangha din. Ang batangas may oil depot na kasing laki ng araneta coliseum pero nagtataka ako same price ng oil nila sa manila. (Wala maisip ko lang isingit 😂)

Siguro around 20 minutes ung travel time namin. Sakto alas sais andun na kami sa tabangao. Maliit na port lang siya. May lalapit na sayo barker. Tatanungin ka san ka pupunta. Sabi namin isla verde. Ask nila sang resort. Xempre IslaVerde Tropical Friendly Resort po sabi namin. Sabi ni manong ahh may booking na kayo kay ATE JO? (Sikat talaga si ate sabi sa fb din) sabi namin oo which in fact eh walk in lang talaga kmi 😂

Sulat kami sa log book ni manong. P120 each pamasahe. Eh xempre atribida ako. Sabi ko manong pang 20 pa lang kami tong listahan mo up to 50 so pupunuin?? Sabi nia hindi madam. Basta normal 10am pinakamatagal na oras alis ng bangka. Araw araw pala 5am anjan na sila nagaantay ng pasahero. Once everyday day lang ang byahe so kapag naiwan ka antay ka bukas ulet. (Di pa nga ako naniwla sa sabi sa fb at sa sagot nila ate jo s fb 😂) trulalu pala haha.  Di ko naisip ung oras ng alis. Kasi curious pa ang lola mo.

Dun sa pangpang dami ka na din mabibilhan na food and other things na kakailanganin mo sa isla. Dahil nga adik kami mkarating di namin pinansin (sabi din kasi ni jowa for sure meron din nian sa isla) . Kaylangang sumakay ng maliit ng bangka papunta sa malaking bangka na magdadala samin sa isla. SUPER MARIO name ng big boat. (Parang boat na pa puerto galera) may bayad na P20.00 paghatid sayo. Ang galing keri kaming dalawa kahit ang bigat namin. Sabi ko pa paano pg nahulog kami. Sabi ng bangkero wala pa naman po nagkaganyan. 😂

Dun daw kami sa dulo kasi last stop ang isla. May ready na life vest sa taas nakasabit. For safety di ba di natin masabi. Siguro limang big boat ung andun sa mini port. Sabi ni manong bangkero lahat yung pa isla verde depende na lang kung san ka resort nakacheck in. Picture dito picture dun ako. Video ganyan. Nagmake up. Nagmasid s nadating na pasahero.  Naginternet. Lahat na. Inip na ako. 😣😂 so mejo naubos patience ko s pagantay umalis ang bangka. 8:45 finally umalis na siya. Puno na kmi. Sabi ko sana wala ng humabol. Gutom na ako eh.

1 and half hour ang byahe. Kala nio sanay na sanay ako sa sea travel? Sang ka sinuot ko bracelet kong rosary and nagdasal ako through out the travel. Kasi po takot talaga ako sa dagat hahaha. Gala lang talaga pero duwag talaga ako. Hahaha at xempre di kami binigo ni dagat. May part na super mega ang alon. Pasok sa loob ang tubig. Binaba na nla ung trapal kasi nababasa ibang pasahero.

Tumigil yung boat sa isang isla.  May mga bumaba na din.Sabi nla MAHABANG BUHANGIN na daw kami. Di pa daw dun yung isla verde. Pero infairness ganda ng tubig dagat. Green na green. Super linaw. And unlike sa ibang dagat ng batangas na napuntahan ko. Mukang masarap paliguan to. Then andar ulet ang bangka. Sa kabilang side daw kami ibaba andun dw ung isla verde. So iikot kami. And so aztig pag ikot namin ung tubig sobrang calm para xang pwedeng lakaran. And then finally narating namin ang SAWANG . Mini boat ride ulet kasi mabato sa pangpang. Masisira ang super mario kasi sasayad sa ilalim. (Kala ko may bayad ulet ng bente 😂 unli ride na pala un paghatid samin ) sabi nla konting lakad na lang daw malapit na kmi sa tropical resort.

Naalala ko sabi ni manong bangkero if puno na sa resort pwede kami sa knila P350 per night lang daw. Ang house nila nasa tapat ng Sawang dive camp. So if ever pagpunta nio dun may mga mag aalok din sainyo ng stay. Pero we prefer to go to the resort. Yun talaga bet ng bday boy eh. Pagbigyan 😂 sa shore dami nagaantay na motor (single) P20.00 per ride dadalhin ka na sa resort. We choose to make lakad 😂 kuripot. Charot. We want adventure di ba. Bago kami maglakad may nagtitinda ng ng ice candy P7.00 chocolate flavor. Sarap. Pantawid uhaw at gutom kasi 11 na po. Huling kain namin gabi ng 26 pa so imagine 😂 . Picture picture na naman ako. Galit na photographer dahil tirik na tirik po ang haring araw. Its around 20 minutes walkathon. Di ka maliligaw kasi ung mga resident sobra accommodating at ituturo talaga sayo.

And finally we are here!!! Sarap !! Ganda!! 😱😱😱 tapat ng dagat ung resort. (Check nio na lang pics dto ) presko.  Pasok kami at hanap ng receptionist. Nakilala namin si kuya/ate DIETHER . You can call her/him diet for short 😂 . Sabi nia mukang dehydrated na kayo at gutom. Wait kayo jan sa kubo pakuha ako ng water and food.  😂😂😂 trulaley yun itsura namin dami dala then pagud at haggard sa byahe. Ang relaxing ng kubo. Duyan on the side ung upuan. Dami puno at over looking ang calm beach  THIS IS VACATION!!! Napawi lahat ng pagod.. if you want to go here. Better call them for reservation. Kami we have tent and that is P300.00 per night pitch in ang tawag nila. May free unan kami. Super bait kasi ni ate diet. She found out kasi bday ni jowa at ang dami nilang in store for us na in the house!!! 

While waiting for the food. May lumapit saming bata.siya daw si BUGOY. 7 yrs old na daw siya. Later we found out apo siya ni ate jo . Bata pa lang mrunong na din siya magentertain ng guest. Dmi nia din kwento. Tinawag na kami ni JAJA assitant ni ate diet (sila ni ate jo ang owners ng resort) ready na daw ang food  .pasok kmi sa TESS CAFE. japanese inspired ang kainan nla . Sobra mamamangha ka. Every details of it. Its says JAPAN! Its like a museum turned into a cafeteria. Figurines, tableware, display , samurai named it. May mini gym , cr and yung office ng resort. Nga pala since this is an island. Ang electric supply is thru solar. So kapag gabi wlang ilaw. Ang water nla is run by genset; . Feeling mayaman ka kasi pagsisilbihan ka nla. Ang gagawin mo is kakain na lang at mabubusog. They dont have menu by the way . Kung anong meron iseserve nila. P150.00 Per meal. Na talagang sulit dahil sa sarap magluto ni ate jo. Pero you can bring food if you want. May bayad lang ata pag gamit ng kitchen or paluto (ask them na lang). We have sisig; and lumpia , juice and fruits. Kakaiba ung sisig nila pero the best ang lasa.

Sa labas ng cafe makikita mo si JONNELLE, the monkey. Mejo magugulat ka lang kasi maririnig mo siya padaan daan back and fourth sa kawayan na pinagdudugsong ng dlawang puno ng mangga. Nakikipglaro siya sa mga guest and pwede mo siya pakainin. Sabi ni ate diet gay daw si jonnelle kasi she prefer to play with boys and pag girls mejo galit siya 😂 hanggang pic at vid lang ako saknya. Haha

Tinulungan kami ni ate diet mag set ng tent. Super chikka na kami of course at andami niang kwento samin. Pati ata buhay nia nakwento na nia. 😂 eto siguro dahilan bakit sikat sila. Their entertainment , hospitality sa guest? Dito mo lang mararanasan. Ive never been to an island like this. Ung bang mageenjoy ka na lang talaga. If you need anything tawagin mo lang sila . They have around 5 persons na mag aassist sayo. Customer service nila is 5 star definitely recommend ! Promoter! Nga pala P100.00 entrance sa resort per person. P300.00 naman for the tour guide.

Then niyaya nia kami sa sawang dive camp. Snorkling daw kami. After we put our swimming attires, lakad na kami. Ako si jowa si ate diet ksama of course si bugoy. Ganda ng dagat. Mababaw pa lang my corals na at fishes. Sabayan pa ng nice sunset. It was a perfect view talaga. I didnt bring my camera with me (wala din pic) you better experienced it with your own eyes. Dahil duwag ako sa sknorling (feeling ko kasi my lalabas na shark) si jowa ang nagsawa. 2 hrs siya. Manghang mangha sa ilalim ng dagat. Dami nia daw nakita fish; sea urchin etc. Next time bibili na kami under water cam. Paglubog ng araw mga 6 we decide to back na.

After magbanlaw ayan magpapataba na naman sa masarap na dinner na inihanda ni ate jo. We have chicken adobo in kamias. Kakaiba right? Pero as usual winner ang lasa. Sabi nga ni ate jo two more days at tataba pa kami lalo. True enough sa sarap nia ba naman magluto. Sabi ni ate diet passion kasi ng tita nia (mother nia and ate jo are sisters) her moms in japan. So alam nio na secret kung bakit ganun ang cafe nila.

Sobrang sweet nila. They have prepared a japanese greeting card for my hubby. Ganda ng penmanship ni JAJA. Kya kayo punta kayo dto pag bday nio. Di nio alam whats in store for you. Kaya sabi nga ni jowa. We will go back here for sure. Nung gabing yun naginuman kami nila ate diet. At di matapos na kwentuhan about sa island at sa; personal life nia. Sarap ng inom. Prang di ka malalasing. Fresh air, over looking sa beach and nice company. Siguro natapos kami mga 12am na
Nga pala dont forget to bring off lotion. Mind you this is an island. Wala aircon. If you want u can bring portable efan. Powerbank din. Pero sa umaga nakakapagcharge kami. My charging station sa labas ng cafe na for everyone and for free.

2nd day. we woke up at around 6am. Picturan time. Habang tulog pa ang lahat. Mega picture ako s buong resort. Kasama namin si bugoy dahil maaga din siya magising. 7am lalabas n mga assistant nila to clean the whole place. You can tell them what you would like to order as long as meron sila. We ordered coffee and japanese noodles. Pero xempre my prepare pa din food si ate jo for us which is itlog na pula with kamatis and japanese ham ba yun😂 with leche flan on the side. Sarap ng rice nila baka japanese din to haha.

Niyakag kami ni ate diet to go with the other groups na nagcheck in. Pero dahil nalate kami ng bfast sbi namin sunod kami. Punta daw sila sa MAHABANG BUHANGIN. pero after namin mag bfast. Wala na. Masyado na kami na relax. Habang nagchacharge ng mga phones and powerbanks. (Kasabay pa ng free call , text at surf ni globe ng araw na yun) ayun. Humilata na lang kami sa kubo. Siguro mga 10 we decided to swim. Humiram kami ng sknorkling mask. Nagligo kami sa tapat mismo ng resort. Dahil high tide sabi ko kay hubby bumalik kami sa sawang dive camp. Kasi masarap maligo dun. Sobra linaw ng tubig. Magnda buhangin at may kakapitan ka lubid 😂😂 (dun nakadaong ung super mario ) kahit marunong kasi ako lumangoy takot talaga ako sa dagat. Hahaha sorry na po. At dun ako nagka tan lines. 10 to 12 ng tanghali; ba naman. Ang lamig ng tubig kasi di mo mapapansin si sunny sun. May nakilala pa kami nag stay sa kabilang resort. Tinuruan ni hubby mg snorkling. Sobrang naenjoy nila ayaw n ata nila ibalik ung mask 😂 nakaramdam na ako ng gutom kaya sabi ko balik na kami.

Pagdating namin sabi ni ate jo malamig na tanghalian namin. Haha kahit malamig na di kami binigo ng gatang yellow fin at nilagang baka nia. Kaloka. Sarap. Alam nia bet namin ang maanghang kaya ayun daming extra rice 😂 around 2pm ngstart na kmi maginom ng red horse. Sobra sarap n nmn ng pulutan na relyenong bangus. Juskopo kapag dito ako tumira lolobo na naman ako 😂 around 6 cguro dumating na si ate diet to join us for another inuman session haha. May iba pa kasi siya iniintindi na guest . Di lang naman kami andun no haha. Di na nga kami nakapagdinner dahil sa dami ng food at drinks. Siguro 11pm natapos na kmi at sleeping time na.

Supposed to be sasakay kami ng bangka 3am dahil yun ang usual na oras daily ng pag alis pbalik ng tabangao port. Pero we decided to go with the other guest na 12pm n lng kami alis. Rent kmi ng isang boat mgdadala smin pabalik. P2500 Ang rent sa boat. 12 kami ng hati hati so around P210 per person.; Bago kami sumampa sa bangka nilibot muna namin ang isla for the last time. Ayaw n maligo ulet ni hubby. Ako naman eh dahil wla ng damit 😂 ewan ko ba bakit kulang dala ko hahah

Bumalik kami sa sawang kasi may promise kami kay ate tindera dun na bibili kmi sknya ng pasalubong. We bought hopiang yema (sobra sarap ) 16 pcs isang box worth P150.00 bumili din kami champoy P20.00 isang balot (featured sa KMJS eh) and the other one i forgot the name. Basta gawa daw sa tuba ng buli para daw xang panutsa na matamis. Nakabalot sa dahon ng niyog worth P70.00 dalawa. Bumili din kami kalamay worth 75.00 nakalagay sa microweable dun sa naglalako ng ice candy na ale. Pumunta din kami sa court ng brgy. May tindahan dun na mdami ka mabibili. Almost andun lahat. My souvenirs din cla na shirt worth P200.00 pd ka din magcharge dun pero my bayad xempre.

Dahil dinagsa ng guest dahil sunday na. Corned beef ng spicy na lang ang naabutan namin for bfast hehe. Ok lang yun ganun talaga. Masarap pa din. After that nagligpit na kami ng tent and nag ayos na nag gamit. We are about to go home na. Pinakain muna kami ng masarap ng lunch . Grilled pork chop and grilled tulingan.; Mamimiss ko ang luto at pagaasikaso nila sobra. Sabi nga ni jaja wag na daw kami umalis. Kung pwede lang girl. Dont worry babalik tlaga kami. Dahil si hubby di pa nadidive yung kinukwento ni marvin (isa sa tour guide ng resort) yun palang tapat ng resort is center for marine bio diversity. Di papayag to na di nia yan makikita.

Pag magcheck out ka na dun ibibigay sayo ung bill mo na may break down ng lahat ng nakuha nio and all the fees. In our 3 days and 2 night stay for two. Guess what. Only for 4k. Sobrang sulit ng price considering their hospitality and great food. Di kami nagsisi sa binayaran namin.

Thanks a lot ate diet , ate jo, bugoy , jaja , marvin at sa iba nio pang staff. Naenjoy namin sobra ang trip na to. And ipagkakalat ko sa iba na dapat talaga puntahan nila ang isla nio. Ate diet im so amazed with your accomodating skills. So genuine mo and hindi ka madamot. Nung fineature kayonsa KMJS sbi mo wag lang ang resort nio kundi ang buong isla. Sisikat siya lalo dahil sa mga taong kagaya mo. Sana magkalove life ka na. Charot. Ate jo continue lang po ang pagluluto ng msarap. Jaja magbati na kayo ni jonnelle hahaha. Sipag at napakaorganized mo. Smile ka mas madalas ha. Marvin hanga ako sayo bata ka. Sana makatapos ka ng college. Galingan mo pagtotour guide ha. Thanks a lot ISLA VERDE TROPICAL FRIENDLY RESORT. your name speaks for it self. Tropical resort with a very friendly staff. Youll have a lot of loyal customers coming pa. Pagbalik namin mag dive na kami at punta sa iba pang spot jan. Hopefully within this year din.

March to remember-Mike with Ameeh

Very warm welcome! The staff and owners are very gracious and accommodating.

The snorkeling sites of Isla Verde  is one of the best I have seen so far even comparable to Coron at  very minimal expense.  I was able to experience/see coral formations which are still very pristine  and untouched and better yet with the experienced  guidance of  our tour guide,  kuya Diet,  I was fortunate enough to see lobsters, baraccuda, and sea turtle. How cool is it!

The kubo accommodation that we got was good for 4 pax.  2 bunk beds with our own sala. It is very charming and cozy.

The best of asset of this reason is their people.  All are very nice,  that makes the experience a whole lot better.

If you will ask me if i will come back,  my answer would be a resounding " HELL YEAH "and next time,  I'll  bring my bestie along so he can can experience  this as well.

For the food they would tell you to bring your own,  but I wouls suggest that let them cook for you.   The price is very reasonable and Ate Jo and Jaja can even make the experience  better by preparing a romantic  candlelight  dinner for you.  A hint for incoming guests,  you can ask for Miso soup,  it is authentic  as you can get locally.

We came here as turista looking for a new place to experience,  but we came out with  new friends  and whole lot envigorated ready to face the world of work again.

This may sound cheesy but I tell you must go to this place/ resort and you will understand.

Mike

New Year 2018

 

My sister,  Ate Tess with her husband Papa Tomu,  as we used to call him, came last Dec 31 to spend their first new Year here in our resort.  My brother Abner with his family and our mother came too.  Josa, my daughter, and Coco with their kids joined us. Hikaru, Dieter and I,   met them in Tabangao aplaya and we all went to the market to buy food for our new year's eve.  I even bought firecrackers for New Year Eve celebrations.   When we reached our resort, they met the family of their  guest from Japan, Kawahada san with his family who will also spend  New Year with us.  While they having chit chat, I started to cook for our lunch.   When they finished their lunch they  took a rest for a while, and Papa started  trimming down the trees around the resort grounds. 

Japanese people believe  that you need to clean all the surrounding to welcome the New Year.

Since everyone was busy helping Papa in cutting the branches of trees, I started cooking for our new year's eve meal. We call it  media  noche, where we gather together to have a meal at midnight.

When clock struck at 12 midnight, we started lightning  our fireworks.   Guests and my family started to play horns while watching fireworks to welcome  the year of the dog,  2018.  After the fireworks, Niña performed his fire dancing, which Papa and our guests enjoyed and they clapped their hands when he blew fire from his mouth.

When the fire dancing was over, we started calling our guests to join us with our meal.

The kids enjoyed the barbecues and hotdogs most, while the adults had their spaghetti and menudo and barbecue as well. Some had their drinks before we all went to bed.

On New years day when they finished their breakfast, our guests left to go to Mahabang Buhangin for swimming.   Their  kids brought some floats for swimming.  Papa, Hikaru and Dieter went trekking to Mt. Dagit dagit.  Papa wanted to try trekking to understand what guests had written in their experiences of going up to Mt. Dagit dagit.

They returned at lunch time and we all had lunch together.  After Lunch, everybody had their siesta, then when Papa woke up he finished his trimming his trees and other plants.   Now, the resort looks brighter in daytime and Tess Cafe can been seen from the shore clearly.

January 2nd was my mom's 90th birthday and we brought her here to enjoy it at our resort.  .  My sister and I hired a photographer to take pictures of our family.

 After the photographers finished taking the family photos, they went with Jayson's group on their boat tour around the island where they went to different places in isla and did photo shoots.  They got back at noontime, took lunch and prepared themselves for another photo shooting of our family.

As the photo taking was finishing, and  mom blew out the candles on her cake and we celebrated her birthday.  It was a simple celebration with just our close family

As this is their last day,  everyone spent most of their time together, sharing laughter.  At night Papa and my sister had a few drinks while watching the sea.

We all went to bed early as we all leaving for mom's house in Cavite.

We do hope that this will happen again next Yuletide season.