In The Midst of Eden (A Resort Review)

the bar/restaurant and the owner's residence

The Biblical name Eden has always been synonymous with paradise. And true enough, the next destination in our Cebu trip proved to be just that.

the volcanic rocks and white sand beach make for a dramatic walk along the shore

Situated 3-4 hours away from Cebu City, Eden Resort has well appointed rooms, beautiful surroundings, and the blessing of Mother Nature to boot.

We chose to book at this establishment, due to its close proximity to Oslob, a whale shark interaction town.

storm clouds may have obscured the sun, made the temperature drop, but it sure didn't stop us from having fun!

As with what happened to us a couple of years back, a storm warning was raised on the night of our arrival in the Queen of the South. On the plus side, at least this time, we landed. Postponing our whale shark for another day due to the rains, we were so thankful that we booked at the Eden Resort. 

our home for 3 days

This gem of a place is great for R and R, prompting me to tell Phil and MAX as soon as we got in our room, that I wasn’t going to come back with them to Baguio and that I was going to move here. Phil said he’d love to join me too.

nesting :P

marbled walls and floors keep things cool on top of the ac and ceiling fan attached to the lights

The entire room is made of marble, with a few small abstract paintings dotting the place. The furniture is simple, quaint wicker pieces..from our wood/wicker headboard, the small desk and chair at the side of the bed to the armchairs, side and coffee table in our mini living room, not to mention the shelf housing the coffee and tea service and the personal fridge.

best part of the room

Our bed overlooks a marbled balcony that houses all weather wicker furniture, set to make sea watching easier. Yup, you read right. All the rooms at Eden overlook the sea. What’s cute is that two years ago, while we were in Dumaguete, our room overlooked the sea and the not so distant island of Cebu. This year, our room in Cebu overlooks the Tanon Strait and the not so distant island of Negros (where Dumaguete is at) :D

It is air conditioned, has a spacious en suite bathroom (decent shower) and clean.

An infinity pool outside, by the resort’s restaurant/bar  is opened to all guests. You also have beach access, passing through a charmingly set up pathway. White sand, corals and clear waters…need I say more?

the beach at low tide

the walkway to the beach

below the infinity pool, along the beach pathway

wonder if the water reaches the wet part of the stairs during high tide...

Though the resort is along the highway, you won’t have to be bothered by sound of vehicles and what have you as the resort a five minute walk or so from the main gate.  Not sure if there are nearby food establishments nearby, so all our food had been ordered from the resort. 

chicken adobo seasoned like pata tim

calamares made from fresh squid

spicy Hunter pasta, while the sea breeze cools you down :)

chili squid

pancit canton

Portions vs price, the food is price reasonably. The Caldereta that we ordered though was a bit tough. The sotanghon was veggie and chicken laden, but a bit bland, the chicken adobo seemed to be a combo of pata tim sauce, but was rather delicious and the calamares was cooked with fresh squid.

Eden's Pizza...soooo good!!!

Best in the menu were the pizzas…huge, tasty and packed that the crust seems to be an afterthought; you can’t go wrong especially with the fact that it costs around 300 pesos. I had pizza dreams the first night :D

On the negative, while the staff is nice, they tend to be slow moving and seem to need a replay of your previous instructions. I could’ve blamed it on the language barrier, but as I can speak the local dialect with passable fluency, I only had them to blame (service water almost never gets to your room):P

They also offer massage services at 350 php/hour. Look for Rizza. I’ve never felt this recharged. It’s a little of shiatsu and some traditional hilot, and no surface is left unrelaxed. Plus, if you don't want to head out, they've got satellite TV hooked up.

Should you want to make arrangement for scuba diving, or for transportation to Oslob (the whale shark place) or to get a ride to where you could take the bus back to Cebu, talk to the folks behind the bar at Eden’s restaurant. They’ll hook you up.

I seriously could get used to living here (if that were even possible). It’s peaceful, activity filled yet quiet..except for the gentle sound of the waves on the beach. 

As I end this blog entry, I am occasionally gazing out on to the Bohol sea for signs of wild dolphins, the very same variety we “chased” 2 years ago in Bais Bay. And yes, they too feel that this place is indeed paradise.

For more info/reservations, check out their website:   http://eden.ph/ 

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!