Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Malalag Davao del Sur - Simplicity is Beauty at Eagle's Eye Beach Resort

Eagle's Eye, which my trike driver said was "Eagle's Point Beach" in Malalag, Davao del Sur




Eagle's Eye Beach Resort is an under-the radar "hole in the wall" resort without much guests. There are no grand entrances leading to it, thus finding the place isn't an easy task. We initially reached the Malalag Wharf and had to back track to find our entrance. The resort is situated beside a hill where a lighthouse languidly props up. Though the place doesn't ask for an entrance fee, it has a bench and a limited number of huts you can rent. I had to get one of those open-air benches so there's a place for me to sit down.

A concrete bench and table without a roof will set you back by P150, while a cottage is worth P250 - a rather ridiculous price for an underdeveloped resort obviously lacking visitor amenities (no shower halls, no toilets, no restaurants or stores to buy food and drinks from). On the plus side, you have the whole beach to yourself. This, despite the fact that its neighbors comprise a fishing village and a wharf.

What we found interesting - it's located beside a hill where a white lighthouse nestles atop. We made our way up the hill, and despite treacherous steps and the grassy mound, the view from above is nothing short of spectacular. Malalag Bay stretches eastward, opening into the Davao Gulf and further into the tempestuous Pacific Ocean. Just imagine, if you could sail further eastward, you will eventually reach the Island of Palau.

BASIC INFORMATION

Malalag is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Davao del Sur. It has a population of 33,334 people, spread over 15 barangays. As we've earlier mentioned, it boasts of a wharf - Malalag Wharf, where ships dock. These cargo ships are seen from the beaches that dot the coastline. Malalag is located 25 kilometers south of Digos City and 88 kilometers from Davao City. Some barangays carry interesting names: Rizal (the Philippines' National Hero), Bagumbayan (a town in Zamboanga where Rizal was executed); Bulacan, Bolton, and New Baclayon, among others.


Next up: The Lighthouse on the Hill



This is the Eye in the Sky!








This table-and-bench will cost you PhP150. There are no restaurants so make sure you bring your own food and drinks (although there's a small store - a tindahan - just outside your entry).


These cottage will cost you PhP250.






This is probably the owner's cottage at Eagle's Eye.




Longest raft. These rafts will probably be carried off shore where fish pens are located.







POST SCRIPT:

An anonymous poster referred to us as a "travelling whiner" just because we pointed out facts, i.e. that this resort during my visit did not have the conveniences expected from a resort with hefty price tags for their cottages: no toilets, no canteen, no shower halls, heck - not even a sign board to say what its name was. This anonymous troll, so inept to even use a pseudonym, actually offers an unsolicited advice to the owners when he could have directly nudged the one seated beside him. "Don't worry about pleasing them", he consoles morosely. 

NO BRAINER

Which entrepreneur doesn't have a basic objective to please his guests? Idiots, right? If you've never heard of such a grandiosely moronic idea (that customers need not be pleased), this one should take the cake! Which begs the question, is there brain activity here - or has Elvis left the building? You can't keep sputtering English words in a sentence without valid thoughts. You have to make sense! Otherwise, it is wise to shut up!

This neuter further adds with a sarcastically conciliatory statement "... but tnx to ur whining it caught d resorts owner attention and deal with it directly". Now isn't that great?

If I were indeed a whiner aka someone who writes facts, it is imperative that I write as I see it! Let's not even forget the fact that I was a paying customer. Thus I was somehow covered by customer's rights, i.e. to voice my thoughts regarding services paid or rendered. I paid PhP150! I wasn't peddling lies. Most entrepreneurs listen up and try to be better, and they move on! These onion-skinned troglodytes may do well by improving their services - or the the lack of it! I don't subscribe to the asinine excuse of "appreciating simple rural life" to make up for the absence of a toilet in a place where an unroofed table costs PhP150.

So I urinate by the bushes in my own country which I don't do in poorer nations like Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, etc. That's how simple rural life is appreciated, right? And that's supposed to allow me to see "miles of beauty"? The stench of urine?





7 comments:

EAGLE'S EYE said...

I would like to edit the name of the resort you are referring to,it is EAGLE'S EYE BEACH RESORT AND LODGING HOUSE.Not Eagle's Point Beach...Also,you mentioned in your article that the resort don't have any shower halls,but we have a shower corner (outdoor),of course we have comfort rooms,as you stated that we have no toilets, we do have short orders for you to sit down and eat.And lastly we have drinks to offer you such as juices,beers and liquor.Thanks for the free ad but quite misinformed.You can view us at our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE>>EAGLE'S EYE BEACH RESORT AND LODGING HOUSE.

eye in the sky said...

Thanks for the correction then, but there are valid reasons why the details here are, according to your views, "misinformed":

1. There is NO SIGNAGE ANYWHERE IN THE VICINITY that says your "resort" is called EAGLE'S EYE! None at all! If I had no driver with me, I'd have called it "Anonymous Resort"!

So unless you want people to guess what your resort's name is, then I think people can call it whatever other people say it is! Because you keep tourists like me GUESSING!

2. In my case, it's my tricycle driver who said it is "Eagle's Point." Where else will I get the correct information when your caretaker was hardly there. I am not gonna doubt my tricycle driver because he was obviously from the area. I have nowhere to double check that because of the obvious. You were not there to correct my misconception otherwise.

3. I asked your caretaker early on (and I paid for those round tables to him). He said there's no food to be had! Not even drinks. He pointed me to the small "tindahan" right up front! And he also told me that there are NO TOILETS for day tourists! It couldn't be my fault I wasn't pointed to one, could it? How can I expect “short orders” when basic stuff like beverages isn’t even available? I am sure you have toilets at the sleeping rooms, but I am also sure you didn’t have toilets for day visitors.

4. If indeed there's a degree of "misinformation" read on my page, your "resort" is largely contributory. You have to EDUCATE your caretaker then. I write this article based on my experience during the visit! I am not going to start making up stories because this, after all, is a travelogue. This is factual and I take notes to document them whether I am abroad or here in the Philippines.

5. You may have "shower rooms" as well, but these weren’t made available to your day visitors - unless you have started to do so AFTER my visit.

6. Most entrepreneurs invest on SIGNAGES so people do NOT guess what's available and what's not! Signs for:
a. Your Resort's Name
b. Directional Signs for Amenities (if indeed there are any) like toilet, shower, bathroom, stores, etc.
c. Signs that say where and how much to pay.

Finally, I suggest you do not leave your "resort" unattended – as it was during the good part of my 3-hour visit.

7. This much is true DURING MY visit as a DAY VISITOR last year, the following were NOT available:
- Shower hall, canteen or store, toilet, resort sign bearing its name

If these are all available NOW, good for you. I liked the laidback atmosphere of the place – despite obvious absences of amenities.

malagtricycle driver said...

look beyond amenities and signs,you can look for miles and see so many beautiful things that people like you do not take time to see...;-(

malagtricycle driver said...

look beyond amenities and signs,learn to appreciate the simple rural life,look for miles and you can see so many beautiful things that people like you do not take time to see....

eye in the sky said...

I did look "beyond" your paltry, leave-much-to-be-desired amenities, honey! Otherwise I wouldn't title it "SIMPLICITY IS BEAUTY AT EAGLE'S..." or were you too blind to read beyond the objective assessment.

People like me have indeed traveled "miles", people like me have taken the time to leave the comforts of my Manila home to visit places that most people have never heard of, but that doesn't mean I have to turn my face AGAINST what is obviously lacking! I don’t write fiction novels for a living! That is the difference between "sincerity & truth in advertising" and "gratuitous advertising".

Now if you get off your high horse and actually treat such visitor's observations as "constructive criticism", then there maybe hope for you & your resort; instead of IMPOSING on your visitors to like the services and amenities that were obviously HEARSAY, or to the very least, IMAGINARY!

When I visit places hundreds of kilometers away - and travel far - then pay P150 for a mere round table to use - and none else, the least I should expect is a toilet to use when I need to, unless you suggest that people who bathe at your beach resort urinate in the ocean! You say you have toilet, let your guests know! Don't keep it a SECRET. Secrets are so 70's & have dissipated along with the Cold War! Toilets are basic even in piles of crap that dreamers hastily call a "resort"! People like me will ask what my P150 was worth, unless you're one of the morons who believe your guests should keep mum over inadequacies!

As a final suggestion, instead of being myopic with regards to objective criticism, do yourself a favor and understand this - "Simple rural life" doesn't mean the absence of basic services, especially when there is money involved. That premise is as basic as ABC. It connotes services available as well as services rendered.

Basic entrepreneurship goes way beyond "appreciation of simple rural life". FYI, it actually entails investing on stuff - because if you do NOT, then you have NO RIGHT to be the "proud resort manager/owner" that you are! Simple rural living is NOT worth P150; it is "FREE". When you place a "tag price" to it, an insightful brain should dictate that you should offer MORE than MERE SIMPLICITY - and nothing else! Oh yes, a round table! LOL

Now stop littering my space with your inane, droll and self-indulgent quotes and philosophizing as an excuse to your shortcomings and inadequacy. Teach yourself basic entrepreneurship. Furthermore, teach that Malalag Driver that indeed your name is "Eagle's Eye". A mere cartolina and pentel pen will suffice if you can't afford a simple signboard! That is better than NOTHING! And feel free to open a blogsite of your own to praise & advertise your resort, regardless of how deceptive they are. For all I care, you can mention your gazillion amenities (despite secrecy on their absence to the public). But in MY BLOGSITE, facts are as basic as having a toilet in a resort!

Anonymous said...

mmm..it was funny reading all comments and replies posted here...I've been in this place too...for me, the writer did it the way it really was--it may just sound unpleasant then...well, the writer was a customer and being so means that the writer has all rights to share what he/she had experienced. for the owner, reading this it a wonderful way to assess things up...do not think of it negatively, but with optimism...try to think of "how come the customer had that idea?", then proceed on thinking of the "right and excellent customer service"...:)...a good businessman always accepts criticism constructively for the improvement and betterment of his business...

eye in the sky said...

Amen to that, anonymous!