Playa de Paraiso

I was invited by the Provincial engineers of provincial capitol Iloilo over the weekend at Playa de Paraiso at Guimaras. It was my free time and i did not miss the opportunity because i've never been to that place.

It was Saturday at 7:00am in the morning that the group met up at parola. Parola is the station of the pump boats going to Guimaras. The Guimaras has two ports the Buenavista and Jordan. Going to our destination, we need to dock at the Buenavista port. The trip will take about 15 minutes. The fare is so affordable it cost 15php. The sea is calm during our trip.

Parola station in Iloilo

 When we got there at the Buenavista port, we rented a jeepney for a 30 minutes drive to Playa de Paraiso at Brgy San Enrique, San Lorenzo. Guimaras is a small island that composed of five municipalities and ninety eight barangays. Jordan is their capital town. Guimarasnon's languange is Hiligaynon. Guimaras is known to produce the sweetest Mango in asia.

We arrived at Playa de paraiso and looking at the facade, you will be awed. This place is owned by McDougall, a German who married a beautiful lady from Negros. I just can't wait to get in and see what's inside the big mansion. The moment you enter, you will be welcomed by the beautiful and elegant native sala set. The living room is a perfect place to take a rest while waiting. The receptionist who happened to be the sister of the owner entertained us. Playa de Paraiso is an almost 3-hectares land area with the beach at the back of the mansion. The mansion has 7 rooms. The two rooms in the second floor are suite rooms. We planned to take the two rooms on the first floor. It costs 2,800 php good for 8 persons and an additional 150php for the excess person.

facade of playa de paraiso

backside view of playa de paraiso

living room

the second floor

room at first floor

Since the check in time is 2:00pm, the group decided to stay first at the cottage. The place has a lot of "kawayan" cottages fronting the beach. The ambiance is so cool and the cascade of the water is relaxing. You can bring your own food and cook it there. They have available pugon (a local stove) and grilling stations for cooking. This is a time of bonding for us. For our lunch, we have shrimps, kinilaw nga tabagak, gusaw and kalampay(baby crabs). The tabagak, gusaw and kalampay were sold to us by the fishermen from the place. Just using our bear hands(kinamot) we had a very sumptous lunch with the group.

cottages

shrimp (pasayan)

grilled gusaw

kalampay

lunch time

The rest of the afternoon is spent playing Majhong, a Chinese game. The place has also a 4ft-7 ft swimming pool and I decided to jump in! Night is fast approaching and the group organized games. The games were held in the balcony of the mansion. After the dinner, we enjoyed the videoke,drinks, and disco lights. We never get tired of singing and dancing till 3:00am. The night was ours because we felt at home with their accommodating and caring staffs.

swimming pool area

Sun is up! And I decided to walk on the beach with my camera thinking I might capture some intresting scenes. And yes, I did capture moments. Fishing is a major hanapbuhay(livelihood) in this place because of the sea. As early as 7:00 am, there are already boats that have arrived. I saw these couple of people watching if they have a catch. Some may have but unluckily some doesn't have any. It's a big risk going to the sea not minding the changing weather we have today. The waves might be strong in any moment. But these fishermen would be willing to risk their lives just to have a food on the table.

calm beach

fishing boats

fishing boat on guimaras island

 

fresh fish

I was really moved when I saw this liitle kid of about 10 years old pushing his boat to the sea. This boy will surely go fishing alone. At this early stage, how sad it is to see this little boy who must be in school at this moment. But who knows, I did not ask the kid if he is studying or not. But it's also an amazing thing to know that a young boy knows already how to catch fish.

fishing alone

 ready to sail

 Our breakfast was served at the balcony of the second floor. It was well prepared. Their is a free breakfast for two for each room. They also serve foods for an affordable price. But again we decided to cook. We have the ampalaya(bitter melon) with egg, sinabawan(soup) nga gumasa and fried tabagak. We then again enjoyed laughters and good conversations together.

breakfast at 2nd floor balcony

fried tabagak (salted sundried fish)

Ginisang Ampalaya

We planned to leave at 2:00 in the afternoon. So we still took our lunch there with sugba(grilled) pork and kinilaw(made of raw ingredients) nga tabagak in our menu.

grilled pork

Playa de Paraiso is worth going especially if you are with a big group. Because the place is exclusive and you will really enjoy without any whereabouts in your mind. This is a good escapade from the city life. A place where you can take a break even just for the weekend. Simple moments with this beautiful scenery will always be remembered. When you will leave the place, you will surely say that "I will come back!". 

Graphical information about this beautiful place:

 

Plan /Land Area

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