Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa is a Class A top travel destination in the Philippines where one can totally have relaxation and rejuvenation. It is famous for it's Santorini style hotel, villas and terrazas and it is the perfect hideaway for everyone. It is a short, 30 minute flight away from the busy Metro Manila and is located in the beautiful island of Marinduque.
The Travel
Going to Marinduque from Manila is either by plane which is less than an hour or approximately 10 hours by land and by ferry (roll on, roll off). The website will tell you that you can get to the island by chartered plane or a helicopter or even a private yacht as long as you coordinate with the management of the resort
If taking the plane, book a flight through Zest Air which is the only available carrier to Marinduque and flies Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays. There is only one flight from Manila in the morning and one flight from Marinduque in the afternoon. The fare is around P7,000 round trip.
From the Marinduque Airport, the Bellarocca service van/shuttle will be waiting to pick you up, ready to give you cold drinks and cold towels to freshen you up, for your 40 minute ride to the the town of Buenavista.
The shuttle will drop you off in the small town of Lipata in the Municipality of Buenavista at the small port going to Elefante Island where Bellarocca Resort is, where a speedboat or yacht is ready to pick you up. It is a 5-10 minute ride to the gorgeous resort which is visible from the port.
As soon as you alight from the speedboat, the Bellarocca staff will give you garlands and serenade you with a song and dance number to welcome you to the resort. A golf cart will then pick you up and bring you to the hotel lobby where you will be given a refreshing pandan tea drink while the Resort Manager gives an orientation on the amenities and facilities of the resort.
Our Villa
It is one of the few one bedroom villas in the resort. It has a spacious living and dining room, with a complete kitchen and maids quarters. The bedroom was fabulous with a bathroom with bathtub/jacuzzi. The entire villa has sliding doors in all rooms including the bathroom going out to the infinity pool.
The infinity pool overlooking the ocean is breathtaking. It also has a jacuzzi beside the infinity pool with lounge beds and sofa seats. It is the perfect place to get a suntan, have breakfast or even an afternoon snack.
Facilities and Amenities
With a press of a button on the phone, you can order room service. Since the villa is equipped with all the kitchen utensils like your house, everything is ready for your next meal. However, you can also go to the restaurant which is located in the main hotel. Unless you want to stroll on the road, which is a good exercise, a golf cart will bring you there by calling the front desk.
Food was great in Bellarocca Resorts. Although smaller than most of the hotel buffet tables in Metro Manila, it seems cozier to us. They offer Asian and international cuisine in the restaurant.
We have heard from other people that food is expensive in Bellarocca. For a la carte meals, it would cost roughly around P700 per person and the buffet around P1000++ per person. Well considering that it is a high end resort, the price seems reasonable. During our stay, we brought in our luggage some chips and cookies so we were able to snack out in our villa, which was most of the afternoon and late evenings, while we were swimming or lounging by the pool.
Part of the package is a trip around the resort. You can do this by calling the front desk so you can be picked up by the golf cart driver to give you a tour of the resort, showing all the villas, the terrazas, the hotel, the helipad (where you can get a good view of the sunset), the seaside pools and restaurant, the tea house and the meditation sanctuary.
The Seaside Swimming Pool with kiddie pool has a breathtaking view of the volcano in the mainland.
There is a short strip of white sand beach where you can do kayaking, snorkling, hobie cat sailing, wind surfing, jet skiing and banana boat ride.
The Library where you can rent books, board games and DVD's.
The fitness center is wide, complete with gym equipments and a table tennis table.
The Meditation Sanctuary where you can meditate and do yoga, etc.
The resort also offers:
• Private cocktails
• Romantic breakfast arrangements (i.e. by the beach or the garden area)
• Option of taking meals in their accommodation
• Private cruising/yachting
• Private movie screenings (in-door/outdoor)
• Couples’ massages and spa treatments (in spa treatment room for couples)
• Marine sports/other recreational leisure activities
• Weddings—renewal of vows, private ceremonies, anniversaries
Although during our 4 day stay in the resort, we stayed most of the time in our villa. However, during our last night, we had a private romantic dinner in the tea house with our own choice of food and our own servers. When we came back to our villa we had our end of the day massage.
Everything in Bellarocca was great. The people, our villa, the facilities: everything there was perfect. The only problem that needs to be addressed is the frequency of flights to the main island. It would be better if more carriers would provide service so people won't rely on one carrier only. Our experience was good coming to the island thru Zest Air. However, we waited for 2 hours in the Marinduque airport as the flight was delayed.
Overall, it was a great experience. We would definitely come back to this gorgeous place where one can really be at peace with oneself, renew your vows to your loved ones, amidst the beauty of nature and the beauty of the resort.
For more information, please visit Bellarocca's website: Bellarocca Resorts
Reviews on Bellarocca:
Trip Advisor
Asia Travel
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