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Pro
Beaches, Waterfalls, Coral Dive Spots, Cheap Seafood
Con
Commercialized, Very Near the City
In a nutshell
Water and Mountain Adventure in Paradise Island
Paradise Island: Swim, Eat & Explore!
suroyista Says: Swim, Eat and Explore the Paradise!!!Paradise Island Parks and Beach Resort is one of the famous and oldest resorts in Samal Island. I, personally, grew up witnessing how this resort has evolved - from being the locals favorite weekend picnic destination, and now one of the...
A Cold Splash at Hagimit Falls.
bike_packer Says: Actually, we made this as a Rest Stop 3/4 done with our MTBike trail ride of Samal. A splash into the cold fresh water relieves the tiredness after a few hours of pedalling.Hagimit Falls is easily accessible by jeep/vans. About 2 kms from Peñaplata, it features low-drop...
adventurousfeet Says: http://adventurousfeet.blogspot.com/2010/06/davao-monfort-bat-cave-in-samal-igacos.htmlDo not miss bat cave in Samal Island. One of the best experience is having to sight thousands of bats!!! Creepy but super fun.
Pearl Farm Beach Resort day trip
KookieDough Says: For PHP1550net per person, my husband and I enjoyed a day trip to the exclusive Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Samal Island. The package included a buffet lunch; use of the huts by the beach (cabanas), shower room, and beach towels; and, a round trip boat ride (Davao Marina to...
happythoughts Says: go island hopping. rent a motorboat and get a sea view of the different resorts of the island: paradise island, costa marina, blue waters, chema's, punta del sol, and the famous pearl farm. if going inside pearl farm is out of your budget, this is one good way to get a...
bike_packer Says: Recommended for low-budget backpackers or day-tour-only visitors.There's a small fishing village within the vicinity of the ritzy Pearl Farm Beach Resort that have a mini-beach resort. FREE Entrance. WEll-kept, maintained by community volunteers. Cottages and tables can...
FISH FEEDING - SIMPLE PLEASURES
DarleneCMF Says: If you are traveling with kids, this will be one thing they are sure to enjoy. You can walk to the end of the dock at Paradise Island in Samal and just scatter bread on the waters. Just throw it, and they will come. :)
Kaputian Beach Club: By some fish and have them cooked here
shi612 Says: Bought some fish - red fish like alfonsino, eel and something I forgot the name - at a local shop and asked the beach club to cook. Cooking was simple but taste was so nice, as the fish is very fresh. Enjoyed eating at the table on the beach.
Gimmix Resto and Bar: Fresh and Cheap
julia_r Says: The food is great, though you have to wait for quite a while to have them served specially if you come in early for lunch. Most of the staff report at night where there are more guests, according to the cashier whom we got to talk to. We had grilled Tuna which they have...
paradise island: food and ambiance
happythoughts Says: the right combination of eating fresh local meals while enjoying the sea breeze. not to mention a very efficient service. truly the feel of paradise. just a word of caution though, don't expect too much when its a weekend or holiday 'coz they are usually cramped. pinakbet...
Helpfulness
There is no disco at the resort, no loud music either... only nightlife is having a drink at the bar, and meeting fellow guests.. Parola is beautiful at night as its well lighted and with mellow music playing.. Perfect way to cool down after full day swimming..
Dress Code: No dress code required, opps.. no bikini if you plan to lounge on the chairs, bring a sarong..
Updated Apr 26, 2005
adventurousfeet Says: http://adventurousfeet.blogspot.com/2010/09/part6-davao-experience-guide-to-samal.htmlDavao city to samal can be reach through roll on roll off bus. There are also provate boats servicing to each resorts
julia_r Says: The most common ride you would find in the island of Samal is the Habal HAbal - a motorcycle. They charge P200 per ride depending on where you are going. In our case we hired the man almost half of the day to bring us to some unusual spots in the island. You will see them in...
bike_packer Says: The only bus company that services the island, Island City Express is owned by the Davao-Samal Ferry operator. This is the only option for the public land commuter to ride on when travelling from Davao to any major Samal destination. The ferry won't take passengers unless...
Cultured Sea Clam - Exotic Food.
bike_packer Says: The fishing village at San Jose (near the Pearl Farm) is a group of stilt houses. The locals has underwater farms, about 10m away in to the sea at the back of their stilt houses (you may call it backyard farming then), to culture sea clams locally known as "Taklobo". They...
habal-habal driver named Jay - a devious swindler
yayoy28 Says: Last week, my friends and I went to Penaplata, Samal and stayed at Fernandez Resort. A guy in the resort recommended Jay to drive us to Maxima Resort. At first, he was accomodating and offering us help like accompanying us to buy pomelo and coconut, and he was even willing...
Alledged Safety Issues concering Mindanao
AlfWilbert Says: A little comment about the alleged safety issues in Davao and surrounding Area.As Davao is part of Mindanao, one would be forgiven for having heard about safety related issues in the News. Let me say that my fiancée is from Davao and I personally have never seen any signs of...
Luggage and bags: minimal baggage for easy travel though people from the resorts are available to carry your bags for you.
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: swim suits, diving gear and lots of sunblock
Toiletries and Medical Supplies: basic toiletries are provided by the resort . mosquito repellant may come in handy during the night.
Photo Equipment: waterproof underwater camera
Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: shorts, t-shirts and sandals
Written Jul 19, 2008
Helpfulness
While MTBiking with my friends around Samal, incidentally when the call of our grumbling stomachs set in, we were at this tiny fishing village in San Jose known as ADECOR in which they have their own mini-beach resort. Well kept and FREE Entrance. We asked around if there is any way we can have food, and we found out that a fisherman family in one of the stilt-houses has freshly-catched fishes stored in ice boxes and that they could grill some fishes for us, plus rice.
Eating with bare hands was fun and ohh, this was my best lunch ever in Samal. P500 for 6 people. Beat that.
Written Nov 18, 2005
Helpfulness
Samal Island's land area is ideally explorable for those pocket day-tour CrossCountry MountainBiking. The island has a web of paved and dirt roads interconnecting the communities located mostly on the island's coast. Add to this, the single-track trails leading to the least explored best kept secret places this island has to offer. Samal is oozing with Mother Nature's Beauty >> White sand beach, waterfalls, caves.
A throng of weekend warrior MTBikers is but a normal scene boarding the ferry that crosses the Samal Strait on an early Saturday morning or on a Sunday. Any lone biker or a small group could easily hook up with the local groups which are very much happy to show their playground.
The road and trails are generally low-grade in steepness. A grade-4 400m long stretch is the hardest I encountered in my ride there. Mostly the trails are lined with trees, a canopy that shields the biker from the sun. A recommended slow-paced fun ride that would fit for a 1-day tour is the trail that starts in the wharf and ends up to the village community Adecor at the Pearl Farm Resort.
Equipment: A sturdy mountain bike, don't forget the helmet, hydration pack, and lot of pedal power. Strong cellphone (your best emergency equipment) signal almost everywhere the island.
Updated Mar 12, 2006
Address: the whole Island Garden City of Samal
Samal - Island Garden Paradise
Samal is just a 20-minute boat ride from Davao (Sasa Wharf). It is less than 800m at the narrowest portion of the strait. The roro charges P300 for cars/vans easy and more convenient way to explore...
SaMaL cItY - iSlAnD gArDeN cItY
Facts about Samal City: The Island Garden City of Samal is an island situated within the coast of Davao Gulf, and is a part of Metropolitan Davao. It consists of an archipelago of nine smaller...
Build your own Samal Island page
Comments (1)
Sure love to open a MTB rides for the Island economic eco tourism and tread Lightly " If you Build it People will come "