One Destination, Endless Possibilities (Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park)

Member Name: dragonone

Product:	Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park
Date:	14/05/02 (3384 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to city, Clean, well maintained, lots to do

Disadvantages: mini zoo

After two weeks living with the in-laws, we were ready to get out and about and see some of our friends So after phoning around, our friends from Cavite drove in to Makati one evening to collect us. Cavite is south of Metro Manila and is home to a large number of commuters, something like Surrey’s relationship to London. After a night spent drinking San Miguel beer on the roof deck, we decided to have a day in the sun and fun at the Island Cove Resort before returning to the city. My wife and I did not know this resort but our friends assured us of a good time.

~~~ Some Details ~~~

The Island Cove resort and Leisure Park occupies a 12-hectare island south of Metro Manila in Cavite province. Facilities available include hotel accommodations in the main hotel or Cottages, three restaurants serving a variety of native and international cuisine, conference & banqueting halls and a number of sports, entertainment and recreational areas.

~ Getting There ~~

Most people arrive by road from Metro Manila: from EDSA follow Roxas Boulevard towards Paranaque, and then follow the Coastal Road to Cavite Province. Keeping Manila Bay on your right, follow the signs for Bacoor and then for Island Cove, the resort is along Covelendia Road. This trip should take about 30 to 45 minutes from the junction of EDSA and Roxas, about an hour from the international airport. When you arrive at the main gates tell the security guard you are ‘Checking in’, otherwise you will have to pay the day visitor’s fee of 100Php. If you do purchase a Day Visitors pass you will receive a voucher that you can use as part payment against many of the facilities, including food, in the resort.

NB. Bringing your own food and drink is forbidden.

~~ What we did ~~

Our visit to this resort lasted no more than six hours, during this time we nosed around and found out as much as we could. As we spent a lot of time either chasing our
daughter around or sitting and catching up with our friends, I will not describe our wanderings in great detail. However, I will give a brief summary here and describe each of the facilities we visited in more detail further on.

Once past the front gate you drive over a white bride onto the island it self, car parking is plentiful and well sign posted. After refreshing ourselves with a cool drink in the main reception we wandered through the neatly laid out grounds in the general direction of the ‘Fishing Village’ where we looked out over the bay towards Manila. After watching various guests catching their lunch, and ensuring Lorraine did not have an early bath, we headed towards the Oceania swimming pool visiting the mini-zoo and the giant chess set. Our friends took us to one of the large pavilions where they held their wedding reception. Feeling hungry, we headed back towards Island Grill for a buffet lunch, unfortunately we arrive too late. The Island Café, next to the hotels reception, provided us with lunch, after which I pretended to be a prospective client and persuaded one of the reception staff to show us a hotel room. After a quick visit to a very clean restroom, we picked up a complimentary 2002 calendar and headed back towards the cars for our trip back to Manila.

~~~ Accommodation ~~~

Island covers offers around 130 air-conditioned accommodation units of varying types from Superior and deluxe rooms to family cottages. The room I looked at was a Deluxe with a King sized bed and a veranda in the main hotel. Simply decorated with good solid furniture with included bedside tables with lamps, vanity table and mirror. Cable TV, IDD telephone, safe, mini-bar and en-suite bathroom. Rooms are available with or without a veranda, in double, twin and king-sized bed format.

Cottages are scattered around the island, decorated in the same style as the hotel rooms with the same facilities. Available in three formats;
Simplex – Single unit with two air-conditioned bedrooms (1 double & 1 twin) sharing a living/dining area, veranda and bathroom. Half Duplex – same as Simplex occupying half a Duplex unit, Duplex (4 bedrooms) – A single Cottage unit consisting of two half duplex units with connecting doors.

~~~ Food ~~~

During our wanderings we found a number of Kiosks selling refreshments such as Water Melon, sweets and iced drinks, at fairly reasonable prices – 50% more than outside the resort. There are three major dining areas within the resort, each with its own character and cuisine.

~ Island Cove Café ~

Situated in the main hotel, across the lobby from reception. This pleasant café is open 24 hours a day and provides room service for the hotel & cottages. The menu is varied, catering for simple sandwiches to fine local dishes such as Adobo and Afritada. The Café also has a reasonable bar with a variety of beers, spirits and cocktails. We found eating here to be pleasant, with good food and service, prices were reasonable at around 250Php for a two-course meal.

~ Island Grill ~

In the centre of the resort, close to the Oceania Swimming complex and hospitality pavilions, located in the same building as three function halls and a souvenir shop. This is the resorts main dining area and servers Lunch and Diner, you can choose from an ala Carte menu which has many local and international favourites, or try the all-you-can eat themed buffet: -
Monday - Korean Spice
Tuesday - Sariling Atin (Philippine)
Wednesday - Chinese, Chinese
Thursday - A Taste of Europe
Friday - Bounty of the Sea
Saturday - Asian Flavours
Sunday - International Cuisine

~ Fishing Village ~

This is a great themed restaurant built on solid bamboo still out in Binakayan Bay, the main section is in the shape of an octagon. The main section is connected to seven
‘private’ dining areas via stilted bamboo walkways, each dining area can hold between 16 and 20 people. You can do your own cooking using ingredients supplied or have it done for you. A nice feature of this restaurant is that you can elect to catch your own fish from the waters around you. We spent a pleasant half hour here watching the fishing, enjoying a quiet drink and looking over the bay to Manila.

~~~ Mini Zoo ~~~

If I had to select the one thing about this resort that was bad, the mini zoo would be it. The ‘zoo’ consisted of about 6 pens/cages containing a number of Monkeys, lizards and a couple of Emus. All of these poor animals looked to be in bad condition, the stench was terrible. One of the Emus looked like it was being plucked ready for the oven and all look unclean.

~~~ Giant Chess ~~~

Located next to the Pavilion banqueting suites, as its name suggests, this chess set is a grid of 2 foot squares in alternate red and white with 3 foot chess pieces made from light weight plastic.

~~~ Oceania ~~~

Surrounted by bamboo Gazebos and huts, this two layered, 2979 sq metre swimming pool comes complete with three water slides of varying heights. Kiddie pools and rides are available, along with food kiosks and gift shops. This feature alone makes a trip to Island Cove worth the effort.

~~~ Other Facilities ~~~

What else is here? Almost everything to give you a relaxing break: from Bowling, Billiards, darts and video games in Sports cove to Basketball, Volleyball, mini golf and table tennis. An evenings entertainment is based in the Purple Ostrich with its concert hall, disco and café bar, listen to the Latin rhythms of samba-salsa weekdays, a live band on Fridays and a full-fledged disco on Saturday. Island Songs consists of 32 semi-private rooms you can high for your own Karaoke evening.

~~~ Web Site ~~~

This is a nice, simple and well laid out si
te, complete with a run down on the facilities and current charges, you can even book online!

~~~ Conclusion ~~~

Although we only visited this pleasant and relaxing resort for a few hours only, it was enough for us to wander around and see what was available. From what we saw, we made a promise to ourselves to visit again, maybe for a weekend and enjoy the facilities at a leisurely pace. The grounds and facilities were of top quality, clean and well maintained, except for the mini zoo described above. The staff we pleasant, welcoming and un-obtrusive.

~~~ Contacts ~~~

Island Cove Resort & Leisure Park
Covelandia Road,
Binakayan Kawit,
Cavite, 4104
Philippines
Tel: 00(63-46) 434-0210, Fax: 00 (63-46) 434-5273

Email Address: islacove@info.com.ph
Web Page: http://www.islandcovephil.com/

~~~ Rates ~~~

As with all my opinions on the Philippines, when converting to Stirling I always assume an exchange rate of 70Php to the Pound (GBP). However, while we were in the Philippines, Dec 2001 to Jan 2002, I was getting between 71 and 72 Php to1GBP from money changers, however when I used my credit card exchange rate was better, 73.5 to 74.1 Php to 1GBP.

Hotel: cost are per day Per day and do not include electricity + taxes

-Superior Double/Twin with or without Veranda 2500Php
-Deluxe Double without Veranda / King sized with: 2800Php
-Duplex Cottage: Weekdays 6000Php, Weekends 6900Php
-Half Duplex Cottage: Weekdays 3750Php, Weekends 4200Php
-Simplex Cottage: Weekdays 4500Php, Weekends 5000Php


Island Songs Karaoke room from 300Php (3 person room weekdays) to 1200Php (12+ person room at weekends.

Island Grill all you can eat buffet 350Php for Adult & 280Php for a child

Oceania Swimming pool: -
- 8am to 6pm: Adults 150Php, Child 100Php
- 6pm to 11pm: Adults & Children 180Php

Summary: