Philippine Highlights - Papa Kit's Marina Resort

    On May 28 (Thursday) we went to Papa Kit's Marina and Fishing Lagoon.  Papa Kit's is an interesting place.  Located in Liloan just a short Jeepney ride north of Consolacion, this fairly new resort boasts some of the nicest facilities that I have ever experienced in the Philippines up to that time (we visited others of similar quality later in our tip).  An interesting mix of attractions makes it a good destination for a family (with members of different ages and interests).

     We got one of their package deals which included horseback riding, fishing, swimming, and (for my sweety and I) a ride on the 800 meter zip line (see my previous blog post for how that went...).  Also included was the hanging bridge which was (thank goodness) not open due to construction. 

      Our first stop was the horseback riding as it was right next to the entrance to the park.  Horses in the Philippines are a quite a bit smaller than the ones we are used to seeing in the states, so my kinder nature (didn't know I had one did you!) decided it would be borderline animal cruelty for me to sit on one of these poor creatures.  So I contented myself with picture taking while Daisy and our four kids went riding.  For their part, the horses were very well behaved and friendly and everyone had fun taking the leisurely 10-minute stroll on their horse.  As with everything at Papa Kit's, the staff were exemplary showing patience and courtesy through the whole experience.  For Abby and Aiden this was their first time to be on a horse, I think Aaron has done it before .

Our chariot for the day's activities

     From the horse paddock we jumped into the Papa Kit's "Shuttle" for a whirlwind tour of the entire park.  We drove by the hotel rooms (condos) built on piers right on the water.  They look very nice and modern from the outside (we did not go inside).  We got a good look at some of the private lagoon and mangrove forests that are part of this extensive property. 


     We decided to go to the fishing pond next so that there would be planty of time for the restaurant to prepare our fish to order for lunch.  This was great fun for the boys!  And I had a pretty good time too as we managed to catch quite a few fish.  We tossed most of them back (in spite of the no 'catch and release' rule) and only kept 3 or 4 of the larger ones.  The fish choices for fishing are 'Bangus' (milkfish) or Tilapia, but the guides explained that the tilapia were all pretty small so we opted for milkfish.  As for the fishing it was pretty simple, the bait is a kind of putty made of flour (I guessed) and placed on the hood to simulate the pellet food the fish are fed everyday.  As such the fish fairly fly onto the hook as soon as it is in range of them.  The trick is to keep them hooked as they really have a knack for spitting the hook out once they find out it was a cruel ruse and not feeding time.

Individual huts on the Bangus pond

     With our little bucket of milkfish in hand we paid a visit to the restaurant and gave instructions for their preparation, and placed orders for some other food to add to our lunch of fish.  Since Andy is violently allergic to fish this was kind of important, and with lunch ordered we set off in the shuttle again to continue our adventure.
     The zip line was next on the list but not before we had a look at the aviary and the monkey cage.  The zip line is covered in another blog post so I won't go into detail, and apparently the birds in the aviary have developed a nasty habbit of pecking on the visitors so we were not allowed inside.  We were pleased however to find one of their peacocks strutting around in full display which was awesome!

     Our lunch was truly a treat.  Very traditional filipino dishes nicely prepared to order.  The restaurant itself and the staff really made it special though.  I have never seen anyplace kept so clean, every time a group walks through the place someone comes along and sweeps up after them.  Again I can't say enough about the staff here and the restaurant is no different, right there every time you need them and so polite and accommodating. 

Shrimp Sinigang and Fried Bangus (milkfish)

 

      After lunch we went over to the small pool and went swimming (yes Mom, right after lunch...).  The pool is right next to a large pavilion with a full bar and two levels for large parties.  Both the Pavilion and the Pools are right next to the ocean lagoon and less than 500 meters from open ocean.
     Unlike 'most' pools I have seen in the Philippines, this one is extremely clean!  and the chlorine level did not seem over done as it is in most pools over there.  The water was very warm and felt a bit too much like a bathtub, but of course that did not stop us all from having a grand time splashing around.  They even had a very nice young man there as lifeguard and taking care of the water maintenance.  There is a very large lower pool planned but only partially constructed which will really take this part of the park to another level of  cool!

     We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Papa Kit's and happily recommend it to anyone visiting the Cebu City area looking to get away from the big city for a few hours or a few days