Jasmin Beach Resort, Marabut
Now now… if I thought Marabut was such a small laidback town, this is where it comes big… the resorts. It has a handful of resorts that offer accommodations for those who want to stay in this idyllic little paradise of a town. Either they’re before or after the town center. Handful as they are, I think if you combine the total land area occupied by these resorts, it’d be enormously wider than the poblacion itself hehe! My purpose in visiting this town was these resorts – just to see if any would be worthwhile bringing my friends and family to. Here we go…
Where to and how?!
After roaming the small township, I asked around on how I could go to Jasmin Beach Resort. One man I asked offered me a very comprehensive reply on how to do it hehe! He told me that I could actually walk going south of town and the resort would be about 1.5 kilometers or so. Or I could hitch a ride with any of the passing “single” motorbikes. Or I can wait for a tricycle as they come by from time to time. Otherwise I should wait for the buses or vans on their way to Lawaan, Guiuan, Borongan and other places in Eastern Samar (which are more frequent than tricycles). Wow!
I opted for the last option. However, a tricycle was the first to come by. His baby on left arm, he even had the courage to hail that trike for me with his right hand signaling with his forefinger that only one passenger wanted a ride, and pointing at me. That, since the trike looked real full. It was not hehe. It still had room for me and my backpack topload. But I saw that there is that steel grilling on the outside of the cab covering its 3rd wheel, and I know people use it as a seat too! So I opted to let my backpack sit on the seat while I clung to the trike sitting on that grill. Breathtaking (a.k.a… makapigil-hininga hehehe)!
Jasmine Beach Resort
On arrival at the resort after my 7-peso trike ride, I immediately noticed this one is not in the so-so category. It has buildings and huts not just huts. All are properly maintained by a pack of jolly workers who will probably all willfully perish if song and music were outlawed! When I arrived, the guard was humming and whistling a song, a lady was sweeping the grounds while singing, front desk clerk, waitress, kitchen and another boy were silently watching a sing-along song on TV, older ladies were cooking up a feast at one of the huts farther to the left, and they were humming and gyrating to "nobody nobody but you"!
Oh this resort has a big capacity as I could see a lot of rooms in the three buildings but only one was available for me if ever I wanted to bunk in – an air-conditioned room at P1250 with 4 (take note FOUR) single beds! I played hard to get and tried insisting on a nipa hut or a regular single bed room. None available! I asked why since the place was even devoid of guests. Ah I learned that all rooms (except the one available) were taken by a group of doctors from America and elsewhere who were out at some nearby place doing a medical mission. Whoa! Oh so that’s why hehe! And I learned that was also reason why the older ladies were out on a cottage seemingly preparing a banquet!
The beach here, though narrow and not too long is a fine white (okay, cream) almost like bora but with a scattering of sea life like grass, rocks, stones and corals. Its alive! Hey, a friend told me that that is what a beach should be – alive with marine life. Ah the waters are OMG clear! I went knee-deep just to have a feel and I think I’ll be back there soon! There are floating cottages that can be rented, kayaks and all the works! Savoring the ambiance, I ordered breakfast (tapsilog) and it was good! There is a barkada of 4 to 5 dogs romping and rolling in the sand and I easily befriended them!
My observation… to be able to fit the resort’s accommodations and other worldly things, their development went too far towards the water that there is just a narrow strip of the sand not part of their big lawn of wonderful coconut trees and patches of grass. Oh well, we/they can also blame that on the highway that sits too close to shoreline so there is not much of a wide space if you wanted to erect a big resort. But there are open huts on water. Ah yes, they have those gazebo-like huts there, connected to land by a nice bridge of wood and bamboo combination. The tables there can easily fit 50 or so. There is a big and wide air-conditioned function hall while there is also a similar thing but out in the sand al-fresco!
Now, no one will stop you if you venture beyond the resort’s frontage to the left or right even if they’re in front of other lesser resorts. At least, in this place, the sandy beach area is still a contiguous strip like how it is in PG or Bora and unlike Mactan where they have segmented everything to be called “private” short of erecting walls in deep waters! Ack!
Verdict: I must return!
Where to and how?!
After roaming the small township, I asked around on how I could go to Jasmin Beach Resort. One man I asked offered me a very comprehensive reply on how to do it hehe! He told me that I could actually walk going south of town and the resort would be about 1.5 kilometers or so. Or I could hitch a ride with any of the passing “single” motorbikes. Or I can wait for a tricycle as they come by from time to time. Otherwise I should wait for the buses or vans on their way to Lawaan, Guiuan, Borongan and other places in Eastern Samar (which are more frequent than tricycles). Wow!
I opted for the last option. However, a tricycle was the first to come by. His baby on left arm, he even had the courage to hail that trike for me with his right hand signaling with his forefinger that only one passenger wanted a ride, and pointing at me. That, since the trike looked real full. It was not hehe. It still had room for me and my backpack topload. But I saw that there is that steel grilling on the outside of the cab covering its 3rd wheel, and I know people use it as a seat too! So I opted to let my backpack sit on the seat while I clung to the trike sitting on that grill. Breathtaking (a.k.a… makapigil-hininga hehehe)!Jasmine Beach Resort
On arrival at the resort after my 7-peso trike ride, I immediately noticed this one is not in the so-so category. It has buildings and huts not just huts. All are properly maintained by a pack of jolly workers who will probably all willfully perish if song and music were outlawed! When I arrived, the guard was humming and whistling a song, a lady was sweeping the grounds while singing, front desk clerk, waitress, kitchen and another boy were silently watching a sing-along song on TV, older ladies were cooking up a feast at one of the huts farther to the left, and they were humming and gyrating to "nobody nobody but you"!
Oh this resort has a big capacity as I could see a lot of rooms in the three buildings but only one was available for me if ever I wanted to bunk in – an air-conditioned room at P1250 with 4 (take note FOUR) single beds! I played hard to get and tried insisting on a nipa hut or a regular single bed room. None available! I asked why since the place was even devoid of guests. Ah I learned that all rooms (except the one available) were taken by a group of doctors from America and elsewhere who were out at some nearby place doing a medical mission. Whoa! Oh so that’s why hehe! And I learned that was also reason why the older ladies were out on a cottage seemingly preparing a banquet!
The beach here, though narrow and not too long is a fine white (okay, cream) almost like bora but with a scattering of sea life like grass, rocks, stones and corals. Its alive! Hey, a friend told me that that is what a beach should be – alive with marine life. Ah the waters are OMG clear! I went knee-deep just to have a feel and I think I’ll be back there soon! There are floating cottages that can be rented, kayaks and all the works! Savoring the ambiance, I ordered breakfast (tapsilog) and it was good! There is a barkada of 4 to 5 dogs romping and rolling in the sand and I easily befriended them!
My observation… to be able to fit the resort’s accommodations and other worldly things, their development went too far towards the water that there is just a narrow strip of the sand not part of their big lawn of wonderful coconut trees and patches of grass. Oh well, we/they can also blame that on the highway that sits too close to shoreline so there is not much of a wide space if you wanted to erect a big resort. But there are open huts on water. Ah yes, they have those gazebo-like huts there, connected to land by a nice bridge of wood and bamboo combination. The tables there can easily fit 50 or so. There is a big and wide air-conditioned function hall while there is also a similar thing but out in the sand al-fresco!
Now, no one will stop you if you venture beyond the resort’s frontage to the left or right even if they’re in front of other lesser resorts. At least, in this place, the sandy beach area is still a contiguous strip like how it is in PG or Bora and unlike Mactan where they have segmented everything to be called “private” short of erecting walls in deep waters! Ack!Verdict: I must return!
Thanks for posting pics of the resort! Heading there this weekend! Will write my review after my trip ;)
ReplyDelete