Monday, May 28, 2007
Firm sets up spa resort to develop Boljoon
By Malou M. Mozo
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE quiet town of Boljoon, Cebu is set to become a burgeoning tourism destination in the south.
The Gould-led South Granada Beach Resort and Spa Inc. (SGBRSI) is mulling plans to develop its first beach resort and spa venture dubbed, Baluarte Granada Beach Resort and Spa, in Boljoon, Cebu. It will be a five-minute drive from the town proper.
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“We saw the potential of tourism in Boljoon,” said Antonietta Alesna-Gould, SGBRSI vice president.
Although the family has initially scouted for a property in Bohol, Gould said, she and her British husband, Antonietta, has decided to invest in Boljoon since it is her hometown.
“And 90 percent of my relatives are in here,” she added.
Stuart, who is also the company’s president, said Boljoon boasts of world-class diving sites, which, he said, is a “diver’s paradise and one of the best” in the Visayas.
“It’s a taste of Tuscany and Greece,” Antonietta said, adding that the 2.5-hectare-Baluarte Granada is highly elevated, providing a view of the sea and the mountains.
A tourist, she said, once described the property as a place where the “mountains and the seas kiss.”
Haven
It is also a haven for artists, who are into painting and sketching, because the view is “breathtaking,” added Stuart, adding that they have plans to put five easels around the area.
Baluarte Granada is accessible by land, a two and a half hour drive from Cebu City, and by sea, a three-hour pump boat ride from Lapu-Lapu City, she said.
With an initial capital investment of P30 million, including vertical and horizontal development, the beach resort now includes eight luxury suites, a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. They plan a soft opening in August.
With foreigners as its target market, Antonietta plans an introductory price of $100.
She said there are already inquiries from her daughters’ and sons’ friends abroad, apart from the their friends, who want to take a vacation.
Long term development plans, include a dive shop, water sports activities, tennis court, a bowling center, a spa, mini-golf area and a hiking trail.
“After it becomes self-generating, we plan to build self-contained cottages,” Antonietta said.
To promote her love for nature, Antonietta plans to put up a bee farm offering organic food to the guests.
Antonietta said Baluarte Granada will be their first tourism project for Boljoon, as they plan to set up a tourism clinic aiming to develop the town’s tourists’ spots.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 28, 2007 issue)
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