Friday, our
second day in Davao and the official start of this vacation since we
arrived there late Thursday night. Our itinerary for this day is mainly for
enjoying and exploring Samal Island but unfortunately upon waking up 'twas already raining cats & dogs *wink*. We went on with our "beach day" in Chema's by the sea. On our way to
Waterfront Insular Hotel Pirata Bar Area where we will be picked up by the
resort's ferryboat, it was still raining but nobody can stop us even the gloomy
weather. It took us about 5-10 minutes to get to the resort, 'twas actually a
short distance from the city. Surprisingly, when we arrived in the resort the
rain already disappeared but the sky is still gloomy, but thank God for
stopping the rain. We were all surprised seeing the entrance of the resort, it
was simple but classy. The staff were already there to assist us with our
luggage and to direct us to our cabanas and cottages. Upon walking the pathway
which I consider as the center stage of the resort, I already noticed how clean
and peaceful this resort is. The shoreline was quite small but definitely nice.
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Clockwise; Photo1:
Entrance and pathway of Chema's by the sea. Photo2: Full view of the resort's
path way from the entry point. Photo3: View of the beach front from the pathway.
This is it! We entered the resort; it was
enchanting, lovely, clean, peaceful, the music was relaxing, the staff were
accommodating and they lead us to our cabana number 3. I, my Mom and two of my
college friends were room mates while on the cabana 3 and cottage 1 were my
elementary friends. I was particularly excited to see our room because the
photos in their website were not that good, but hey photos can actually
deceive. Our room was lovely, spacious and clean, we took off our slippers
right away so as to maintain the cleanliness of the veranda and the room.
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Counterclockwise;
Photo1: Roommates at Cabana 3. Photo2: Facade of our Cabana 3, well manicured
vines that serves as the shade of the veranda. Photo3: A sofa set which served
as an accent and a space to rest in the veranda.
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| Cabana 3 has two queen-sized bed, A/C, wall-mounted LED TV, mini ref, hot & cold shower and can accommodate maximum of 4 guests. Basically their four cabanas have the same lay out and capacity. The cottages located in the beach front are very spacious with one king-sized bed and can accommodate only two guests. (I guess it's designed for couples *wink) |
After a few hours of
settling down and fixing our things we wore our beach attires and put on our
sun block then went to the shore right away. At around 10AM we ordered our
morning snack, kamote fritters and kalamansi shake. What I like about this
place is that your group gets to have a staff to assist you from the moment you
step in the resort until you bid goodbye and for us we were lucky to have Ate
Marisa who attended to all our needs at all times. After giving us our morning
merienda she already asked us about our orders for lunch and what time do we
want them to served it and which place do we prefer to have it served, although
the main dishes are only served in the pavilion (restaurant) and on the cottage
or cabana's veranda while the snacks are allowed in the huts along the shore.
By the way, the resort don't allow guests to bring their own food so you really
have to order in the restaurant.
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| Top to bottom; Photo1: View of Chema's by the sea from the shoreline. Photo2: Poolside veranda of Chema's by the sea. Photo3: Chema's by the sea shore line, view from the poolside. |
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| The Pavilion has a nice ambiance and relaxing music as well. Mr. Gueco, the resort's owner hired a great artist to design its wall so please spare me if I photo-bombed their wall. |
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| The pavilion at night. Cozy and relaxing. |
'Twas a long day indeed but whenever I'm in the beach I never get tired or at least "don't feel tired" at the end of the day. Me and my Mom usually wake up early so we can enjoy the last few hours that we have in any particular place that we visit. I always feel like running out of time during vacations. I wish there's just a 3 day work-week in the Philippines. Hahaha!:)
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Photo1: Nipa huts along the shoreline and the
upper deck. Photo2: Path walk going to the bar and common rest room.
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Path walks to and from the bar area and
resort's entrance.
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The name of the resort Chema's by the sea came from the owner's nephew's nick name,
Chema. His real name is Jose Maria. We would also like to commend the resort's
owner for a great conversation around the afternoon and spending some time to
tell us how he started constructing the resort few years ago. And he even gave
us free ice cold San Mig light beers while chatting with him in the pool side
area, that's how you accommodate guests! His treatment felt like we visited an
Uncle's vacation home. Kuddos to you, Mr. Gueco! :)
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| Small port area of the resort where guest are welcomed. (I call this area as "THE PORT") |
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| Photo1: Resort's pool area. They implement strict rules with in the pool area, wearing of t-shirt is prohibited. If you wish to wear t-shirt you will be asked to pay for Php200. |
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Top to bottom; Photo1: View of cottage 1 from the path walk.
Photo2: Cottage 2 fronting the beach. Photo3: Beach swim area.
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Finally, we had to bid goodbye to beautiful Chema's by the sea resort. We had a wonderful overnight stay and this experience really made us all feel relaxed. We will definitely come back. 'Til next time Chema's!
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| Photo op with the resort's owner, Mr. Gueco before we leave Chema's by the sea! Thank you for a wonderful stay in your beach resort, Sir. |
