FINALLY, I had an opportunity of having an overnight stay at the famed Bluejaz Beach Resort and Waterpark. I had been to the famed Samal resort but several times but didn't have the time to stay longer.
So, when my friend Armand A. Mortejo told me that he will be celebrating his 24th birthday soon, I suggested that he spent it in Bluejaz. He agreed to the idea. So that was what we did last Tuesday.
But before that, we bought some drinks and snacks which we could consume at night. There is food corkage of P200 for one to five persons and the price is even higher if there are more: 6-10 persons is P300 while if there are 35 or more, the food corkage is P5,000. That payment is for a day.
From downtown, we hired a taxi going to the Beachside Resort at the Maryknoll Road in Barangay Vicenta Hizon. That's where you start your trip to the resort. There were some people ahead of us, so we waited for our turn to register at the logbook. After doing so, we waited for the boat that will bring us to our destination.
Bluejaz operates its own passenger boat service seven days a week from Davao to the resort. First trip is at 6 a.m. and last trip back to Davao is 5 p.m. Boat frequency is every 15-30 minutes, depending on time of day and demand. Boat ride to and from is only P30.
"Immediate charter service is available on request," said Noel B. Martin, the resort general manager, who met us at the waiting post. (Entrance fee is only P90 per person.) He brought us to the reception area to get our key. Then, he accompanied us to the Presidential Suite, where we would stay for the night. Adjacent to our place is the Ambassador Suite.
Actually, there are several cottages you can choose from, depending upon how many is there in the group and the budget. The price per night for two persons ranges from P2,500 (Jazmin rooms) to P3,500 (Fiji cottages). If there are more than two, you can avail the two-storey White house at P12,000 for eight persons.
The non-airconditioned Tropical room can be rented at P1,900 for two persons. In all these, there is a charge for additional person at P300 per person.
After taking a nap, we went out and took a tour around the resort. Ten minutes during our walk tour, Noel called us. "Look, who's here," he said.
Before I could make a guess, I saw the smiling face of Jazmin Middleton, owner of the resort who just arrived from the United States. "It was such a long trip," she said.
There is an interesting story on how Bluejaz got its name. It was Jazmin's husband, Richard, who coined the name. His favorite company is the Jetblue Airways, where he works as a pilot. From it, he dropped the word "jet" and added the first three letters of Jazmin to come up with "the unique if not romantic name -- Bluejaz."
As the sun set, we went to the suite. At 7 p.m., we did have our sumptuous dinner: beef steak Tagalog, sinigang na lapu-lapu, and a vegetable. We ate them with much gusto. After that, we had a slice of chocolate birthday cake.
At 9 p.m., Armand went to Blue Bling Bar and Restaurant to check his email. "The bar and all our rooms are covered by Wi-Fi," Noel said, adding that it offers international and Oriental cuisine to all its guests and visitors.
It is the ideal location to relax and enjoy the tropical climate and fresh ocean breeze of the resort.
The following day, I woke up to the sound of waves gently lapping on the shore. I went from the room and saw Armand swimming at the crystal-clear waters of the beach. I went down at the beachfront and did my exercise by walking at the white powdery sands.
From the beach, we went to the infinity pool that is overlooking the Davao Gulf. It was a sight to behold. Some children were having fun at the children's pool with waterfall just below the infinity pool.
A few children were taking their turn to slide in one of the three shorter slides. Although there are guards to watch over the kids, the presence of parents or guardians is urged. It opens at 9 in the morning. Adults can also use the slides while waiting for the two high-speed gigantic flumes, which open at 10 in the morning. Unlimited use of the slides is P90 per person.
"The slides are 130 meters long and consist of two serpentine flume rides that drop 30 meters from top to bottom," Jazmin said, 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. However, the two slides are installed by the famous pool builders in Davao headed by Noel Nicolas of C.C. Nicolas Pool and Spa Builders.
According to Martin, there will be three more giant slides that will be installed in the next two years.
Other aqua sports you can do at Bluejaz are body surfing, wake boarding, waterskiing, kayaking, and skimboarding. Also coming soon are two breathtaking ziplines and white water rafting, the latter 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.
"On May 9, in appreciation of our customers, we are offering free use of our two giant water slides," Martin informs. "We also offer 50 percent off to most of our aqua sports, facilities, except for jetski."
So, what are you waiting for?
(For inquiries, call (082) 302-8411 and (082) 303-1117.ÿ For room reservation, call (082) 304-6501. E-mail address: info@bluejaz.net)