Summer at Bluejaz

LOOKING for a place to spend your summer this year's Look no further; go to the Bluejaz Beach Resort and Waterpark at Island Garden City of Samal. Just five minutes by boat ride from Davao City, you will have a cool experience.

If you want to have the place all by yourself, go there during the weekdays (Monday to Friday).ÿ But if you want to mingle with other people, the best time to visit is during weekdays (Saturday and Sunday) and holidays.

Click here for Election 2010 updates

For me, Bluejaz is far better than with the other resorts in Samal or in Davao, points out Noel B. Martin, the general manager of the resort. If you think he is boyish-looking, he is. And at 23, he is the youngest GM of all resorts in Davao and Samal.

Although it only started its operation in the summer of 2008, Bluejaz is now one of the top resort destinations of people not only from the Island Garden City of Samal but also from Davao City and neighboring provinces.

Martin is determined that Bluejaz will not only be more advanced in its facilities and amenities but also in other services that it offers. "We want that if people say Samal resort, they are talking of Bluejaz," he says.

Among its biggest attractions are the two giant slides. When Dyan Castillejo was doing a segment here for Sports Unlimited, she was told that the slides were the longest in Southern Mindanao. She begged to disagree. "I think this is the longest in the country," the sports television host, who has been to most of the extreme activities in the Philippines, was quoted as saying.

The slides are 130 meters long and consist of two serpentine flume rides that drop 30 meters from top to bottom, informs owner Jazmin Middleton adding that it took almost two years to build it.The slides were one of the things that we wanted to do to help the tourism industry in the area.

The slides were designed by the Whitewater Industries of Canada." Whitewater Industries have been designing waterparks and waterslides for the last 25 years around the world," Jazmin points out. In fact, most of the waterslides for the major theme parks in the United States come from them. With that, we are confident in the safety of our slides.

The giant water slides are not for the faint-hearted and children. This must be the reason why Bluejaz also built a play area for kids with three water slides so children can also have some fun. ÿ Parents should not be worried if their children slipped away. "We have lifeguards on duty at all our pools and waterslide areas," Jazmin assures.

If water slides are not your thing, you can take a dip at the enthralling infinity pool that reminds you of the same type of pool at the world famous Pearl Farm Beach Resort. "We enhanced the concept of our pool by adding a second children's pool below it," Jazmin says. "The result: a stunning and fun waterfall attraction for the children." The water from the top drops into the pool below just like a waterfall.

Having cooled yourself too much at the pool, you can always go to the sun-drenched beach. "Actually, we have three types of beaches," Jazmin says. "There's one for those who want a more tranquil time to get a way from the waterpark area. Or, they may opt to lounge around under the shade of our many trees. Or, they may just lie out on the beach."

But that's not all there is at Bluejaz. Soon to open this summer is the Thunder Rapids whitewater ride, which is about 75 meters long with a fast winding river effect that plunges into a number of water pools along the way producing a white water atmosphere. The raft ride drops about 20 meters with a final plunge into our slide pool and guarantee to thrill anyone who tries it, Jazmin assures.

Also under construction are two breathtaking zip lines.

For couples with children, the best time to go to Bluejaz is Sundays. "We prepare something for families on Sundays," Martin says.The day is filled with clowns, magic, games and other surprises.

Today, Bluejaz is a favorite tourist destination. Filipinos are not the only ones who flock to the resort even foreigners. People from Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, and the United States have been mesmerized by its beauty and amenities.

According to Jazmin, the total area of the resort is 11 hectares but only 4 hectares is currently utilized. "The remaining 7 hectares is planned for the development of an international hotel complex and expansion of the waterpark," she says. "We are currently looking at introducing the first roller coaster in the area."

Other future plans: "We want to add a number of water themes to the waterpark," says Jazmin. "We plan an extra children's water play area to compliment are existing children's waterslide area." We have had a number of requests to add a wave generator and new supersized wave pool. We are looking of putting up new slides into the ocean.

Bluejaz is located at barangay Calicic, Babak of the Island Garden City of Samal. From Davao City, it will only take at least five short minutes to reach the resort. For people coming from the Metro Manila area, they can fly to Davao International Airport through Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

Bluejaz operates its own passenger boat service seven days a week from Davao to the resort. First trip is at 6 am and last trip back to Davao is 5 pm. ÿ Boat frequency is every 15-30 minutes, depending on time of day and demand. Immediate charter service is available on request.

For further details, visit its website: www.bluejaz.net. The e-mail address is info@bluejaz.net. For inquiries, call (082) 303.1117 and for reservation: (082) 304.6501.