Traveling to Cotabato might sound a little bit off to others, it may not be an appealing travel destinations to some but hey! – Cotabato is now an emerging tourist place in Mindanao. There were hidden wonders such as Lake Sebu, Asik- Asik Falls and many undiscovered places. Cotabato is rich in hiking destinations and waterfalls. Before I was really scared to go there and limit myself traveling those places. But it proved me wrong when I went to Pigcawayan, North Cotabato. The locals are very nice and accommodating. There was a saying that, you’ll never knew if you don’t try it or witness it by your own eyes. And of course, you must know their culture too and maintain an good travel etiquette. Being a traveler, a foreigner to a certain place, your character counts as well.
The Isla Vista Resort is really not a planned trip. But with friends, sometimes, we decide very quick out of boredom. A friend of mine instantly invited us to visit Isla Vista Resort in Midpapan North Cotabato. He knew the owner of the resort. We were enticed by his words and the wonderful description of the said place so we immediately packed things up and found ourselves sitting in a van going to North Cotabato. While sitting in the van, I enjoyed the views we passed by. I am thinking how nice the resort can be and if it’s worth it to travel since it was a 3 hour trip, more or less. We stopped at Pigcawayan highway and waited for a PUJ going to Midpapan 2.
And from the PUJ terminal in Midpapan 2, we take a motorcycle going to Isla Vista Resort. It was a quite long journey. As we were riding on a motorcycle, we pass by a lot of rice fields. We stopped over in front of the rice fields. And I was looking and puzzled, did we stopped at the wrong place? But hey! I was amazed when I found out that the resort was located in the middle of the rice fields! Amazing, quite unique.
Before we reached the resort we needed to walk for a few kilometers in the middle of the rice fields, it’s a cool view, all you can see is a very green rice field. We also crossed and walked along the dike or irrigation.
What to Expect in Isla Vista Resort
When we reached Isla Vista Resort, the owner meet us and welcome us inside. He was very hospitable, friendly and nice. The place is cool too, ambiance is good, stress free environment since it’s away from the city and very relaxing.
They have a swimming pool. The swimming pool’s depth is 7 feet. There were no other guests except us. I looks like we rented the whole place exclusively. We enjoyed the whole night at the pool and I made a promise to myself that I should learn how to swim so that I can enjoy every aquatic events in the future.
Isla Vista Resort has a kid’s pool too. There were cottages near the pond. There are two large ponds which is divided to separate variety of fishes like Bangus and Tilapia. The cottages are located between the two ponds. It was designed like that for you to go fishing while you are in the cottage. The fishes you catch is considered sold at the rate of 120.00-180.00 per kilo depending on the fish variety and sizes.
You can grill the fish for free and cook rice in there, you just need to asked the care taker or the owner. Videoke system is also available for additional entertainment.
All I can say that Isla Vista Resort is really a relaxing place and far away from crowded city. It is worth the travel. They aren’t that famous outside the town, but hoping this blog post will be a key for the resort’s discovery.
You must include this place in your list of travel destinations and I would recommend this resort if you will visit North Cotabato.
Things to Do in Isla Vista Resort
- Swimming
- Fishing in the pond-lake
- Videoke
- Tour around the rice fields and dike
- Overnight stay for a country side feels away from traffic noise
Food & Drink
You can bring foods with you. You can also order from the resort. You can do fishing as well and have them cook your catch and serve it for you.
How To Get There
In order to get there, from Davao City simply take a van going to North Cotabato. You can find the van terminal at Ecoland, Davao City. Van fare is only 210.00 and will take 3-4 hours before you can reach Midpapan 2.
From Midpapan 2, ride a PUJ with Pigcawayan route and stop at the jeep terminal. From the terminal, there are motorcycles parked and just asked them to take you to Isla Vista Resort. Motorcycles cannot go through the rice fields pathway so you need to walk for a few kilometers to reach the place.
