Juvie's Resort Hotel & Restaurant

I have never heard about this place until I learned that this was to be the venue of a meeting I needed to attend. Well, maybe I heard this being mentioned in passing by a friend or two, but no descriptions or anything beyond just being mentioned. I'll be honest, this resort changed how I look at Catbalogan!

It is not great nor is it the best I have seen/been. But for/in Catbalogan, this is something like, WOW!

Juvie's is far from the city. It's about 11 kms out going north (to Calbayog). From the national highway in "Sulangan" (formally Brgy. Silanga) you turn left going to the airport. 50 meters short of the runway, you veer left on a narrow downward road to Brgy San Roque, AND, diagonally cross their 'basketbolan'!

Those are the red roofs that the arrow points to. Just follow this narrow road, it's a sharp left at that bend, then you have no choice but to cross the entire length of a basketball court - a barangay plaza!

And then you see this...

Oh ha?! Mala-floating-cottages, di ba?! Actually, all those posts, all floors are concrete! Therefore safe!

Here's a closer look of the first 5 cottages before the main 'pavilion' (entrance)

It might not be clear in the picture, but I liked it that each cottage has a name (of a fish)! Those are Lapu-lapu, Sapsap, Tamban, Dilis, Maya-maya! Isn't Sapsap "dashed" as in Sap-sap? My driver says no. But we agree, those names are Tagalog, not Waray-waray. Otherwise the "Dilis" should be "Bolinaw", or even "Usu-os" to be more specific! See? Interesting resort, approach pa lang conversational topic na!

And this is the main pavilion or whatever it is called...

Actually the main and only entrance to any of the cottages - unless you want to swim and clamber up those concrete posts of the cottages! That open area is a restaurant but is usually booked for events.

This is what I mentioned above - a function hall...

It's bigger and brighter in there than it looks in the picture. A waiter showed me photos of parties and events previously held in this place. Where that man walks is a concrete ledge, viewdeck or walkway.

And this is one of the views from that ledge, wiedeck or walkway, whatever it is called...

For memorable wonderful shots, all you need to do is walk along that concrete path connecting all the cottages, and choose your preferred vantage - because the views are great wherever you stand. As in!

It looks something like this, when you look to your left...

And when you're inside one of the cottages (I shot this from Maya-maya, I think) they look like this...

Note the electrical outlet and light switch at right. Driver exclaimed "ay salamat puydi mag-charge"!

On the right side, they look like this...

If you look up at the bamboo beams, there are "rollable" bamboo blinds on the sides - for privacy daw!

Oh, I noticed the end-point cottages are bigger than the others!

That big cottage at the end is named "pagi" (stingray, manta ray - any of the ray species). Isda ba yan?

Ah btw, here is a view of thosse right wing cottages...

They are Malasogi, Bangus, Tanguigue, Danggit and Pagi. And I said "wheh, Malasogi is not Tagalog, Pagi is not fish, Bangus is not form the sea"! Hahaha kasabid, pati cottage name pinag-disketahan!

Oh and by the way too, in this region (Samar, Leyte, Biliran Islands), few or I think virtually none of their bangus is grown in fresh water ponds or paddies. They grow them at sea, at the very least at brackish water areas. And I have known no one who feeds their fish with poultry manure like they do in Bulacan or Pampanga. Thus, in any restaurant or turo-turo, there is no bangus that's "lasang-gilik". I'm serious! In fact, try asking fishfarmers if they use manure as feed - their eyes will grow wide. Many will squirm!

Anyway, now that we're talking food, look at this...

I can't recall the exact name but I think this is their smallest boodle-fight menu. Prito lahat! I know some friends may not be happy with this all-fried-style, but I loved it! It came with 4 different sauces.

Note: that whole bila-o rendition looks small in my photo (because I took it directly above, I stood on the bench hehe), but just compare the whole thing with the plates and the 'kubiertos' (spoon & fork)!

When I asked for my 3rd bottle of coke (8oz lang) our jolly talkative waiter rolled his eyeballs and said "OMG, sir mayada kami mineral water, you like?" to which I answered with "aw sige SanMigLight nala"!

That's his name, and he pronounces that as "Baby"! We asked why his name is spelled like so, and he said he changed the spelling because the original "Baby" does not fit his "macho image"! Hagiii hehe!

If you're like me, a true-blue 'son-of-a-beach', here's the catch... there is really no sandy beach (whether it be black or white) in this resort. Why is that? Well, what should have been the beach is actually now the barangay road. They (the barangay) apparently did not really care much about the "waterline" in the past. So that, when the advent of "semento" came, they just paved whatever the existing foot path they had - which - was mismo on the waterline. Thus, as if by legend, it became the road that it is now!

But.., don't despair yet! Look at the photos above again, all were shot at low tide...

Like those kids, you can just step directly on to the water (from the street)! Don't worry, the water is clean, and the sand (underwater even at lowtide) is fine and light grey. But during high tides, alams na, you can even jump from any of the 10 cottages above - although it is discouraged for safety reasons.

But let's go on with the next half of my story. Yes, hindi pa ako tapos!

Eto na... I returned to our Malsogi Cottage after walking out on the barangay road to shoot this pic

As I sat down, I told my "mga ka-meeting" I wish there were overnight accommodations here as I liked the serenity of the area. But my eyes grew widest and I was dumbfounded for a moment there, when Baby the waiter who was putting down my new bottle of SanMigLight very casually said "aw, oo nga pala sir, an rooms ready na, puydi na mag-check-in". And he continued, that he already told my driver that he can already bring our things inside. I admit, natulala ako ng mahabang sandali on hearing that!

Of course I looked 360 degrees on hearing that! In my head I was asking "where are those rooms, why didn't I see them"! The companions were laughing as they said (in a chorus) "sabi mo taga-Catbalogan ka"! Still looking around, I said of course I lived here during highschool, but I come back only on pretty special occassions, usually without a chance at examining every nook of this town (aw city ngayan)!

They pointed to that high white wall/fence with an equally high gate across the road. Wha! Of course I have seen that place even during arrival. But I thought it was some residence (probably of the owner). That, btw, is the red roof on the left edge of the above photo. Yes, there's a high wall fence all around!

I guess the reason why I did not think that that area is/was still part of Juvie's Resort was - I have not yet seen any respectable resort in this city that is by the beach and has overnight accommodations. I can even make a litany of all of them - as if to prove I know Catbalogan, for I lived here once in my life!

Examples? Well, you have that new "M Grand Royale" that seems to be forever a work in progress. It's not on a beach, it's high up on a hill above a village; there is Rosario Hills - pangalan pa lang, bukid na! There is none in Buri-Baras (all are day-use cottages); none too in Payao - kung meron man, I'm sure it won't be worth mentioning. Lalo namang wala at the Catbaloganon's favorite Sunshine Beach - yuuck!

Anyway, so I went to see my room at Juvie's...

Upon entering the gate, I saw this booth... yes, I gawked!

I easily deduced - me bayad, ano binabayaran? therefore swimming pool. OMG they even have a pool!

I didn't need to look far, the wall to my right as I faced that booth was already the swimming pool...

This swimming pool is not dug unto the ground as we would normally see. This was built up from the ground going up. You see this corner of the swimming pool on foreground? That is more than six feet high from where I stood. I had to raise the camera way above my head for this shot! Can you imagine?

Here, this will make what I meant above clearer. This is the height of the pool from the ground...

To the right is the gate, behind me (behind the camera is the booth), and to the left is where you enter this swimming pool. Eto na, nangarap... I said to myself "sana that blue wall is all transparent glass"!

Teka, I was looking for my room, right?!

From that very same corner sandwiched by the pool and the payment booth, I could see this...

Wow! I went near each of them (left-to-right), not to know my room yet, but just for a closer look hehe!

Look, even the spaces between the bamboo posts in some of the cottages are decorated with shells!

My beds in my room (yes plural)... simple yet elegant... and the mattresses are comfy soft...

I think I already said this before... I like it when there is nothing around my bed... no artwork, nothing! This could have been enough for me and the driver, but the gracious hosts booked us one room each!

And across from those two beds was this... mala-living-room space!

Very nice, very homey, very me! Clear as to where's sleeping, sitting/chatting, TV and tunganga areas!

The toilet was good, the shower strong, amenities were on top of the fridge, me fake bulaklak pa!

I like it how resorts/hotels make those fancy creations out of the otherwise boringly folded towels.

And out at the terrace, this was just part of my views! Grand I must say...

A companion told me this is her favorite room as she could always see her children while at the pool.

Following day, before we left this place, I went to see my driver's room...

Also good! Just fine with me as a solo traveler. This is better than many single-rooms I have stayed at!

Thus, you will agree with me, Catbalogan has no accommodation facility near the sea or the beach that would be as good as this, right? That's why I said above this changed how I look at Catbalogan!