|
get their open water
diving certification here), snorkeling, kayaking, hobie catting,
windsurfing, and fishing are booked and coordinated. Next to that
are the recreation facilities: basketball, volleyball, tennis,
billiards, ping pong, PlayStations (including dance revo), card
tables, and another bar (with the second TV set; movies are shown
every 9 PM). Also in the area are the conference facilities (for
meetings of up to 250 people) and the marine research
center.
What makes the island such
a pleasant place are the gardens, thoughtfully and imaginatively
landscaped, with attention to detail and respect for the island
character. The coconut trees were there long before the island
became a resort, and thankfully are left to lord it over the
realm.
Chief of them all are the
two 80-foot tall buri palms that give the resort its name, visible
like twin spires as you approach the island. One of them has reached
maturity and is fruiting now, leafless, while the other is
still lush with its fan-like fronds. Locals say the former will die
off in about a year, and although there are many other buri plants
on the island, none nearly tall enough to take its prided place.
What happens then to the resort's name? It remains, and the absent
palm will probably become part of the lore of the island, adding to
its exoticism. |
A grounds staff of eight
takes care of the over 150 varieties of plants on the island.
Palawan cherry trees and fire trees abound, as do hibiscus,
periwinkle, talisay, bougainvilla, beach pandan, and over ten
varieties of palm, including red, blue, champagne, and royal palms.
All of them are casually but carefully choreographed: the garden
cottages, for example, are each landscaped differently, yet, are all
similar in the feel of ordered lushness.
Pathways wind through the
lay-out, skirting the beach front and also cutting between the
cottages. And herein lies the resort's greatest charm. In the early
morning, waves oh-so-gently caress the white sands and the sun
softly illumines the still slumbering island. And in the late
afternoon, the sun mellows and sets and in the evening under the
stars, a stroll through the grounds is as refreshing for the mind as
the sea breeze is for city-polluted lungs. Let your sandalled feet -
you are instructed to be shod to avoid stepping on broken shells and
jagged pebbles - take you where they will, for you will never get
lost and will always end up back at the main pavillion, where
chances are a sumptuous buffet awaits you in the main dining room,
the open terrace or even the beach. |
|
