Real Texture: April 2010

I've been long invited by a friend to visit La Emelia as he always bragged about it. Honestly, I was never impressed at first when I saw some pictures posted in the net & when asked about its location. Brgy. Ranzo nor Pinamalayan are not within our geography of dream vacation(s).

After several proddings, I gave in. I said to myself, why not try it? Anyway, the cost of staying in the resort is not that high. Before I took my vacation leave last Holy Week, I made sure that we'll be booked on a next long weekend as I've heard that while the resort is relatively new, local & foreign tourists are always frequenting.

I tagged along a friend & his family on this trip to combat boredom as I anticipate it. After several hours of travel, we headed to Brgy. Pili, Pinamalayan, where the service boat was waiting for us. The boat is big enough to sail even on rough waters. We were told that it'll take us 30 minutes to reach the place.

Along the shorelines, you'll see wonderful rock formations like on the upper photo. I always loved to look at these creations. The water also is so clear that you can view its bed.

After a couple of minutes, we saw a tower similar to the one in Pearl Farm. "Oh my God!", I quipped. I cannot believe that such kind is existing in this place. My friend is right, it's a wonderful place indeed!

My party were attended to immediately by the resort's courteous staff while I rushed elsewhere to look for angles of the tower. I almost forgot to eat lunch due to amazement. Below are the shots of the tower at different angles.

At our lunch, we were served with the daily catch of the locals as I understand, Ranzo is the only barangay in Pinamalayan with a marine sanctuary.

Kids holding giant squids is just a normal thing on this part of Pinamalayan.

Who said that staying in the resort is boring? Not me! Aside from swimming, you can practice being a belter on their videoke, play billiard, do snorkelling (maybe I need to save for an underwater camera) or just simply watch the waves while sipping a coffee in the terrace.

Lifeguard is always on-duty. Life vests & shoes are also available for a minimal fee.

La Emelia has 5 cottages. The main cottage has 5 big rooms & each room has individual toilet. The other 4 are typically designed just big enough for couples with individual toilets, too.

The main cottage.

The color-coded cottages

For health buffs, you can do hiking to El Sotero via 350 steps and you can have your buko at the top or have a glimpse of the seascape. A lighthouse known as Dumali Point can be seen from above.

For religious ones, a grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be reached thru a hundred-steps concrete stair. It has been provided with steel railings for those that requires one.

The resort never fails me, it has a breathtaking sunrise too.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND LA EMELIA RESORT

La Emelia Resort is owned & operated by a local of Brgy. Ranzo. He envisioned not just to enjoy the fruits of his labor but rather create jobs among his neighbors.