Isla Jardin del Mar, Glan’s newest white beach resort opens

Bariles  just received an invitation from the owners of Sydney Hotel and Isla Parilla to the “soft opening” of their newest baby – the Isla Jardin Del Mar, a beach resort at Gumasa, Glan, Sarangani Province on Saturday, January 23, 2010.

Situated at what was once a secluded cove along the shorelines of Gumasa, right after the property of the Salazars and the Adarna’s,  the whole resort occupies a total of 34 hectares, half of which have earmarked for development.

Isla Jardin Del Mar which literally means “Island Garden of the Sea” in Spanish is managed by Charlemagne “Wanchin” Tan-Delfino.  She gushes about how the provincial Governor Migs Dominguez and Glan Municipality Mayor Yoyong Yap were instrumental in the resort’s development with their provision for a road to be built from the highway to the beach.

Why that name?  Because if viewed from the air, Isla Jardin del Mar looks like a “peninsula connected to a small island… with the cottages and a restaurant floating over two separate white sand bars.”, according to the Sarangani Provincial Office P.R. The P.R. continues:  “The pinkish white shoreline stretches and curves 750 meters, which gives one an impression that the beachfront is part of a small island”.

Each available airconditioned bamboo cottage with terrace and private bathroom may be rented out for P2,000 per day and is inclusive of free breakfast for two.  Ten more fan-equipped cottages are cheaper at P1,500 and is good for four people.  There is also a line of open cottages for those who don’t plan to stay overnite.

There is a lagoon at the other side of the road and a fish pond is being readied for fishing hobbyists.  Mountain trek activities have been arranged for would-be nature enthusiasts and the views from the hills which serve as boundaries for the property should delight everyone. Just at the other side of the road is a lagoon.

“There will be crabs and a fish pond in the future so we can do fishing,” Wanchin disclosed. The lagoon has a breathtaking view of a small lake and the Sarangani Bay atop the hills which serve as the boundaries for Isla Jardin Del Mar.

At the beach there is a coral garden about 25 meters from the shoreline which can be enjoyed by snorkelers and divers due to this thriving school of colorful coral fish.

So what are you waiting for?  Get that phone and contact the following numbers for your reservations:  Sydney Hotel – 552-5479 to 81 or 0910-758-1239.   Tell them Bariles sent you. 🙂

Watch out for a follow up article on Isla jardin del Mar, this time with more pictures.  Bariles and his friends will be at the opening where a Beach Volleyball competition and an SMB Beach Party with live band await them. Yey!