Reading good reviews about this place that is the next door
neighbor of the famous Pearl Farm Resort, we decided to book a room for a two
night stay before heading out to the last resort in our itinerary.
My initial impression of the place, before even reaching it
was not so nice due to the free ferry transfer of the resort.
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| a miserable wait |
Case in point #1: we were instructed to head out to pier 1
at the Sta. Ana Wharf in Davao 30 minutes EARLIER than departure. When we got
there, the end of the pier was THE waiting area. No shade or seats were
provided against the summer heat. There are also no stores or restaurants in
this wharf that could offer refreshments of sorts. We paid extra to our cabbie
to allow us to just wait in the cab till the boat arrived.
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| blaming these folks for showing up late |
Case in point #2: to add insult to injury, we did wait till
the boat arrived at around 2:00 PM. It’s quite hard to spot if it is indeed the
resort’s boat from the parking spot parked in front of the pier as the
lettering was quite small at the side, but still we got in the boat on time.
The person I spoke to at the resort, Rommel, insisted that they were going to
leave with or without us at 230. We left at 245. He told us to be there by
2, so the 45 minute wait without AC and with our febrile 5 year old was just
the pits (and then some since we got there early).
The late departure was
caused by a 4 person group who arrived looking fresh, laughing and carefree
with their newly bought popsicles. I have never wanted to drown people so much up until that day. Rommel should not have played the role of a stickler for on
time departures, when clearly, they waited for the other group to arrive before
taking off. JERK.
The resort DID make up for all my prior issues when we got there. Arriving at
their wharf, nature’s beauty and the way the owners developed the place to
blend into its natural surroundings was quite impressive. The dock, the welcome
pavilion and the great service that we encountered as soon as we got off the
boat was just sublime.
Watermelon-lemon flavored welcome drinks and ice cold face towels
were handed to us by no less than our personal butler for the duration of our
stay.
It is Erven’s personal duty to ensure that all our needs from check in to
check out be met, at no extra cost!
Poor dude earned his keep the first day of our arrival as
the house we were to stay in was a long walk up to a hill. The romantic in us
decided to get rent the entire attic, at the 3rd floor so lugging
our bags could not have been healthy for the poor butler. Here's what he had to go through to get to our room:
There are no paved
roads for vehicle to bring up our things or to bring around and about the
island to tour sites like the Monfort Cave and the Hagimit Falls. Motorcycle
rides may be arranged, but with a 5 year old, that so wasn’t going to happen
any time soon.
Looking out or attic terrace, one could imagine living in
Tarzan’s tree house with the village below us. Real pretty stuff here :D
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| it initially felt weird to ring for the butler |
Since our son was sick for the first 2 days of our stay
here, we literally had to stay locked up in the attic. It really helps to have
a butler to set up your meals with a ring of a bell!
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| standard table settings in our room |
Food at Hof Gorei is a bit pricey but the portions are quite
big and the dishes, tasty. Fresh seafoods abound here, so take advantage of the
catch of the day.
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| Sunriser breakfast |
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| an omelette with everything on it :) |
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| Fisherman's Catch. Fresh Malasugue fillet for breakfast is the best! |
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| Gambas Pasta |
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| Beef stew ala stroganoff |
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| fried ice cream. The Hof take on a baked Alaska |
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| Pasta Gregorio - fettuccine in cream sauce with lots of chopped prawns |
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| grilled talakitok |
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| fried bananas |
Owned by an Austrian, expect schnitzels and goulash in the
menu, but a whole lot of other nom noms are available for Filipino palates and
dietary requirements. The menu is so extensive they actual have 2 kinds. One for breakfast and another for everything else! Check it out:
Our room was beautifully furnished. A bamboo/Filipiniana
motif was employed, with 2 ACs installed at opposite sides of the room to
ensure the cool interior. No cable though as well as wifi. They also have a
pretty decent bathroom with a hot and cold shower and a toilet with a bidet.
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| two ACs cooled our attic room |
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| our mini living room |
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| rustic cabinets |
The boat ride out to next door Pearl Farm was so much
better. No long waits and the parola bar/wharf had wi fi and shade to boot.
Lots of tiny fishes in the clear waters surrounding the area.
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| better this time |
All things considered, we had a great time despite not
leaving the room. The pool area, Jacuzzi at the chalet and the white sand,
clear watered beach not to mention the resort’s horses looked real fun, wish we
got to go around.
Our photos can never do this place justice ( with Phil's iPhone taking a plunge at the Pearl Farm's waters and our 2 extra batteries for his Canon 60D were drained before we even used it. Add no battery charger and we're left with these photos)
The gardens surrounding the area are beautiful and obviously well cared for. Kudos to Ms. April, the owner, who we met briefly. It's her green thumb and lovely soul that makes sure it's all lovely.
If you’re in the area, give it a try! Here's a look at their website for more info:
HOF GOREI
From TMW, may all you wanderings be
better than ours!
