파라다이스 아일랜드 파크 앤 비치 리조트

I had one of the worst experiences I’ve ever encountered with a resort manager during our recent trip. My friends and I arrived in Davao City from Zamboanga City after attending a wedding, and we decided to spend a day tour in Samal Island. While having lunch, we got tired and spontaneously decided to stay overnight. I booked two rooms through Agoda. As someone who is very particular about cleanliness, especially the toilet, I chose this resort because the photos looked clean, well maintained, and aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill upon check-in. The front office attendant provided unclear information, lacked proper guidance, and failed to offer available options. Instead, it felt like we were being pushed to pay more when there were clearly other alternatives. Already exhausted from travel, I requested to speak to the manager, and that’s when things became worse. The manager, Mr. JUN DIAMANTE, demonstrated a complete lack of customer service. His approach was unprofessional, outdated, and dismissive. Instead of resolving the issue, he escalated the situation. His tone was raised, his body language was aggressive (hands on his waist), and he made us feel unwelcome. At one point, we considered canceling our stay despite the booking being non-refundable. Rather than trying to recover the situation or retain us as guests, JUN DIAMANTE appeared indifferent, almost as if the priority was simply the payment already secured, not the guest experience. What was most disappointing was that Mr JUN DIAMANTE walked away and left the front office staff to deal with the situation, without any resolution. That said, I want to acknowledge that the rest of the team was excellent—friendly, attentive, and accommodating. In fact, we spent nearly ₱10,000 on dinner because the service staff made us feel well taken care of. The following morning, I had the opportunity to speak with the owner, Mr. Rodriguez. I genuinely appreciate his calm, professional, and kind approach in listening to my concerns. It was a complete contrast to the experience we had with MR JUN DIAMANTE. This resort has great potential and a strong team—but one poor leader like JUN DIAMANTE can significantly impact the entire guest experience. Additionally, there is only one socket in the entire room, and the shower handle is very difficult to twist—I almost got a sprain.

We booked three Deluxe Rooms for a group of five during an overnight stay on August 5, 2026. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. The rooms, bathrooms, porch, yard, and grounds were exceptionally spacious and clean. In-room amenities were well-stocked, including toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush/toothpaste sets, and two toilet paper rolls), a hair dryer, and a safety deposit box. Note that bringing outside food is not allowed. The beachfront area is well-maintained, though the ongoing Samal-Davao Bridge construction is nearby. The staff was friendly and attentive throughout our stay. While dinner at the resort was tasty and reasonably priced, the complimentary breakfast was fairly light—consisting of two large pandesal with butter and marmalade, fresh fruit (watermelon/pineapple), and coffee or tea. Conveniently located just 1.7 km from the wharf and close to the airport, the property also offers ample parking space.

The beachfront was beautiful, clean and the water is clear (with crushed seashells and coral pieces so bring your aquashoes) and the island itself is a wonderful destination, just 5-10mins away from Davao, from their private terminal at Sasa Port for Lansa/ motorized boats, at Php 30.00 boat fare per head, the wait is not too long so it's more convenient and faster compared to taking the ferry if you booked with a different resort. The bungalow rooms have private lawns and porches, the surrounding is quiet and spacious. The ac, toilet flush and hot/cold shower are all working properly, the room has wardrobe, safe, vanity, tv and intercom, the room is clean and well-maintained, towels, dental kits and toiletries and bottled water are provided. You can play darts, billiards, volleyball, not sure if they charge fees for these, they have kids playgrounds and gardens, they also have jet ski, banana boats and pedal boats. We loved their aviary, just watching and listening to various kinds of birds is fun and relaxing, we also tried the crystal kayak at 300 for 30mins, and fish feeding in the morning, we even saw a puffer fish! 🐡 Their staff are all friendly and welcoming, always attentive and helpful. The bridge being constructed to connect Davao and Samal is just beside the resort so you can hear the noise from the beach but it's still tolerable for now. Hopefully they'll build a beautiful one that will not be an eyesore or photobomber. Several aspects of the experience were disappointing, particularly the food pricing and transportation arrangements. One of the biggest frustrations was the resort's policy prohibiting guests from bringing their own food and drinks. Such policies are common in some resorts, but they become difficult to accept when their restaurant charges prices that seem disconnected from local costs. Their menu items ranges from Php 400-500, while drinks, desserts and snacks are around Php 100-300. The most surprising example was being charged ₱150 for a single piece of ripe mango. This was especially disappointing because Samal Island and Davao are famous for producing some of the country's best mangoes. Mangoes are abundant in the area and are typically available at reasonable prices in local markets and fruit stands. Paying ₱150 for one piece of ripe mango just sliced and plated felt excessive and did not reflect the reality of being in one of the Philippines' best-known mango-producing regions. Their room service is limited to just some cup noodles, chips and drinks (alcohol is not allowed), we don't drink so we ordered Cali during our first night, they allowed limited to 2 bottles only and delivered it to our room, but on our second night they said it's not allowed inside the room. We thought maybe they think Cali is alcoholic but Cali is already labelled as non-alcoholic sparkling soft drink, 0% alcohol content, it's just malt-based or beer-like. If you love late-night snacks, you the options here are limited. Transportation was another challenge. The resort is located a few minutes downhill from the main road, making it inconvenient to access regular public transportation on foot. If guests want to explore the island or eat at restaurants outside the resort, the staff will arrange a tricycle or tuktuk. However, these rides are usually treated as special trips rather than standard fares. Drivers often insist on waiting at your destination and bringing you back to the resort. For context, standard tricycle or tuktuk fares in many parts of Samal are generally much lower for short-distance trips. Yet, a simple trip to one restaurant and back cost us ₱350+, for 10mins travel/4km from the resort. The following day, another driver initially quoted ₱500 for essentially the same route and only agreed to ₱350 after we mentioned what we had paid previously. They also quote 2000 for the inland tour but we were able to ask for a discount as we skipped some tourist spots. The inconsistency in pricing made it

It was a good overnight stay since it was very convenient to get there. They have their own port area. Restaurant food could improve tho. Also the view is now obstructed by the on going construction of the bridge so it’s not that nice anymore. Maybe they should add a pool so guests can have another option for swimming.

The resort is conveniently accessible, as boats go directly from Davao. The location was very easy to reach. The restaurant food was excellent, especially the spaghetti with seafood and pork — highly recommended! The portions were generous and very delicious. The margarita cocktails were also great. The accommodation is a bit old, but it’s fine for a 1–2 night stay. The staff were generally friendly.