Guests enjoy the white sand beach of Olango Paradise Resort. The resort is near the Olanago marine and bird sanctuaries in brgy. San Vicente, Olango Island. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Social media posts led to the discovery of this paradise located close to the bird and marine sanctuaries in Olango Island.
Over a hundred people would visit the Olango Paradise Island Resort in barangay San Vicente on weekends to enjoy its white sand beach or just frolic on its beachline.
The three-hectare property has been with the Diores family for three decades but it was only in November 2014 that they allowed outsiders entry into their resort.
Couple Ben and Sandra Smits manage the resort.
Ben said the resort became popular after the November 2014 photo shoot of Ms. Earth International candidates.
“Mostly local people would come here. About 90% of our guests are locals with about 10% Japanese,” he said.
Ben said they opened the resort to the public in March 2015.
To get to the resort, visitors take a pumpboat ride from the terminal located near Mövenpick Hotel in barangay Punta Engaño for a fee of P15 per person.
The pumpboat docks at the Sta. Rosa Port in Olango Island after a 40-minute ride. From the port area, travelers take a tricycle for hire to the resort located about five kilometers away for a fee of P120.
An option is to hire a privately-owned pumpboat for at least P1,500. Private pumpboats can dock at the San Vicente Marine Sanctuary Boardwalk, which is located just beside the resort.
Guests are charged a P50 entrance fee. Native cottages by the beach may be rented for P350. Those who occupy tables with beach umbrellas pay P200.
Sandra said the resort has nine fully air-conditioned rooms for overnight accommodation. Charges range from P1,500 to P3,000.
The white sand beach of Olango Paradise Resort (right) is surrounded by both a fish sanctuary and the bird sanctuary in barangay San Vicente, Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City. The boardwalk leads to the fish sanctuary. Today marks the annual observance of World Oceans Day.
(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
The resort also has a gazebo, which serves as the dining area. A fish feeding area is located in one corner, close to the neighboring marine sanctuary.
Ben also said the resort has its own generator set to make sure that they have enough power supply for their use.
Ben said most of their clients are families on a weekend outing, call center agents conducting team-building activities and Japanese nationals who drop by the resort after snorkeling or scuba diving.
This early, Ben said, they already received bookings from bird watchers planning to visit the nearby Olango Island bird sanctuary in December.
Wanting to further improve their services, Ben said they converted a small fish pond in one corner of the resort into a swimming pool.
Some of the resort rooms have native designs. Its two VIP rooms feature the melding of the Thai and Filipino cultures.
The beds are made of bamboo while the VIP rooms are adorned with Thai wall decors, chairs and tables.
Ben said the resort is barely three months old, but is popular in social media sites. Their Facebook page already has at least 10,000 likes.
The resort is near Olango’s marine sanctuary, which is often visited by divers who would dock their privately-hired pumpboats on the resort’s beachline.
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