Villa Paulina Main Building
Island hopping is fun but beach hopping and let alone spending hours on a boat as well can take a toll. One moment I’m looking at those beautiful islands and in seconds I’m looking at the wooden paint patterns on the boat. I think I was bobbing my head up and down getting minutes of those micro-sleeps. While I enjoyed the tour in Ambulong and Ilin Island, I was also yearning to go back to the resort and rest up a little and check up what’s in store at Villa Paulina Gardens and Resort.
Villa Paulina “Paulina” Room
I love my room at Villa Paulina. The Paulina Room as they name it is one of their better suites housed on their main building. I have to admit, I only get to sleep in these class of accommodations when I’m working on assignments. And I sure do welcome them. The room is exquisitely designed. A Big soft bed, airconditioning, elegant shower and tub and cable TV. Beautiful room, honestly. Now if only I have wi-fi at my room everything would be perfect.
Villa Paulina Lily Cottage Room
There are other cottage type rooms as well that are also well decorated. Just look at those bedsheets. Nice isn’t it? I also noticed the furnishings which are clearly designer stuff from the sofa, tables and also table decors. They sure have eclectic taste.
Villa Paulina Al Fresco Dining
The food is also something worth mentioning here. It’s not your typical resort food, their menu’s are comparable to high end hotels. Believe me I’ve sampled a lot from their pesto fish, mushroom pastas and even garlic crabs and most of them are very good. They have a chef that used to work in one of the known hotels in Makati to make sure they serve high quality dishes. People of San Jose frequents the place even if they’ll just dine in. The resort can also be booked for different functions or occasions.
Villa Paulina Outdoor Spa
Another surprise here is their fully furnished spa service. I was able to try their shiatsu massage. It was actually my first time in a steam bath and I felt like a steamed dumpling and saw how the dirt and grime get flushed out from my body as the steam fills in the chamber. Then there was the actual massage, the room has has that balinese design and atmosphere that sets the mood for relaxation. The massage was pretty good but I do miss the extensive body stretches from thai massages. Their spa is pretty new but it is very promising, especially when they have fully trained their people with their signature Ambulong Island Massage which I should try in the future.
Villa Paulina Twilight beach
The beach at Villa Paulina doesn’t really have powdery white sands but black sands. It does still have nice waters to swim in. But if it’s not your type of beach, the resort can arrange boat trips to nearby islands of Ilin and Ambulong for their white sands.
Villa Paulina Black beach
Villa Paulina Gardens and Resort is a nice find in Mindoro. I wasn’t really expecting to find such a classy resort in these parts so it was a pleasant surprise. Own and named after Paulina Lavarias who I had the pleasure of meeting. She is a well traveled lady but very strong and adventurous for her age . It is also managed by her family the de Lemos which surely made my stay there very pleasant and felt like I was part of their family.
Essentials:
Villa Paulina Gardens and Resorts is at Bubog, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
For reservations and inquiries you may call 0928.524.7394, 0910.340.7450 or 0917.847.4732
Check here for El Nido Reef Strand Resort online bookings.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
