ruthdelacruz

travel & lifestyle blog by ruth dela cruz

Uncategorized

Day Trip: Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park – Resort Near Manila

March 7, 2016

A quick 20-minute drive from SM Mall of Asia,  Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park in Cavite is the perfect destination for a quick day tour or weekend bonding with family and friends. 

I seriously could not believe that there is a resort near Manila (and why we spent hours on the road for a quick getaway?) The bonus: Island Cove Resort offers MILK BATH! What? Yes! (keep on reading!). 
We had a sweet fun tour of the island last week. It is a new discovery for me but I know friends who have already been to the place and recommended it. I tried to not read reviews of the place because I wanted everything to be a surprise. Indeed, everything was a surprise for me and a day of firsts. 
How to go to Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park via Commute?
From SM Mall of Asia, take the UV Express van going to Kawit, Cavite. Get off in the Island Cove (tell the driver – most know this part). Cross the street and take a mini-cab with sign board Island Cove. 





UV Express Fare: Php 50
Mini-cab Php 8

You can also take a cab from SM Mall of Asia. Fare usually is at Php 150 but pay for the toll fee. 
Welcome to Island Cove: Things-to-Do + Facilities



Truly, the resort is an island. I am thankful for the newly constructed bridge (we didn’t need to take a boat – that sounds fun too, but land transportation is better for me).

The property is huge! We had to take buggy car to go around (and even kalesa for some fun haciendera feels!). There is something for every member of the family. 
Here’s a quick tour of what you guys can do on a day-tour:
Oceania Swim and Splash Park



You can take a dip or play the maze. There’s a 350-square meter-kid friendly splash park to Oceana. The splashers and sprayers are even imported from Australia. Island Cove puts safety on top of their priority so they installed colorful, water safe rubber flooring to minimize the possibility of accidents.

(1) The Maze (2) Being a kid (3) Peter aka Carlo Hehe

There’s also the newly installed King Crawler designed by Dutch Company,, Carve.  It is not just brightly appealing to the kids but it has interesting vertical urban play structure. The best thing about it is King Crawler complies with American and Canadian playground safety standards. 
The adventure zone has one of the largest paintball arenas in the country. You can also check out the bastketball court, tennis court, 1.4 km jogging path and the giant chess set! 

Touch, Move!

For those who prefer indoor entertainment, there’s billiards and table tennis tables and Game Room (complete with Wii, Playstation and Xbox consoles). There’s also a Bayside KTV equipped with Chinese, Koreak, English, Japanese and Filipino songs.


Whoever invented this pose?

Island Cove Wildlife Sanctuary



If you want to see different species of reptiles, mammals and birds, check out the nearby island (accessible via buggy ride or kalesa). You can even try feeding the lion and pride of ostriches – and have a photo with a 15-foot python! Like what I did! 


Doing the YOLO thing. I am actually afraid of animals. I know they won’t attack unless provoked, but we wouldn’t know what’s in their mind, right?
I had a pic with the python. He came too close to my face. I could only touch the crocodile. That one is wild. But I tried to feed the lion and pride of ostriches. Fun!!!

Events Venue + Concert Grounds

If you are looking for a place to hold your event, party wedding and concert, Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park has function halls and concert grounds to accommodate special events. There are indoor (with air conditioning) and outdoor spaces for rent.



Food Outlets – Sangley Point, iCafe and The Fishing Village



Feeling hungry? Not to worry. The Island Cove has food and beverage outlets headed by Executive Chef Vill Purificacion. He’s a well-traveled man who worked in several luxurious hotels and grand cruises. We got to taste his interesting creations inspired from flavors all over the world.


Sangley Point features western-style cuisine and must-try items like the baby back ribs and homemade bacon barbeque! You must try it with house specialty sauces!

I only go gaga over lechon skin!

For dessert, you can try iCafe which offers coffee, shakes, quick meals and sweets. I am not a dessert person but I love the Chocolate Mousse.

(1) Red Velvet (2) Oreo Cheesecake (3) Chocolate Mousse. I love that they also serve Watermelon Shake!

Catch the sunset at The Fishing Village and enjoy some refreshing coconut juice. One of the best places to have your #ootd or #ootn taken too!

We came around dinner time because we so enjoyed the milk bath. We had Arroz Caldo and different kinds of pancit. I love them! We also got to try the Sisig Buns! Oh my, the best! Everyone’s favorite at home. They were gone before I could take photos. 😀 

During our trip, we also got to try the Binalot Offerings. They are mostly composed of Filipino dishes! I love the inclusion of salted eggs and tomatoes!

Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park Rooms and VIllas
One day may not be enough to try all the activities being offered in Island Cove. The Hotel Resort has rooms to accommodate couples, family and friends.


Island Cove Hotel has recently finished major renovation of their accommodation facilities. Per Managing Director, Gilbert Remulla, the rooms are now more in tune with the times with USB Charging Ports, wifi-internet connectivity, flat screen TVs and modern bathrooms. 
We got to tour the rooms and villas and I love how spacious the rooms are. There are also rooms for PWD per compliance with the DOT requirements.



The Premium Deluxe Queen Room
(2 Queen Size Bed 4 adults and 2 kids)
Php6,300 weekend rate
(I advise you check the website for the current promo and rate)


The Villa
(Whole Villa – 8 adults and 4 kids)
Php14,000 weekend rate
(I advise you check the website for the current promo and rate)



Island Spa and Gym Facilities: Massage + Milk Bath

Our day tour ended with a relaxing massage (for others) and a scrub and milk bath (for me and Karen!). I heard that JR and Rodel tried this relaxing bath and I was ready to go bold for it! Haha.

If you want to keep fit during the staycation, there’s gym facilities in the resort too.

The Island Spa has interesting Mediterranean ambiance that is warm complete with relaxing scent of massage oil. It is not intoxicating unlike most of the spas and massage parlors that I have visited. They say that the massage oil is not even greasy.

My Island Spa milk bath experience started with (err… photos!). I seriously wanted a bath tub in my room (not in my bathroom!).

We started with a full-body scrub. It is a perfect way to destress after my #RuthGoestoBarcelona adventure. After the scrub, we immediately soak in the warm bath. They pour in goat’s milk in our body – they even said we can wash our face with it – and I did (just like how I do with Avene’s Milk Cleanser). It smells so good!

We stayed there for a couple of minutes. We didn’t want to leave.
I took a warm shower after and I feel my skin felt so soft and smooth. And I smelled like a baby! Haha

Karen said my skin was glowing after. 🙂
A must-try when in Island Cove. #RuthApproved.

What I love about Island Cove?


It is just near Manila. 20-minute ride from SM Mall of Asia.
There’s wifi connection in every facility and room.
There are alot of things to do inside the resort.
Pet-friendly.
There’s something for every family member of different interests – music, nature, sports, adventure.
I love the milk bath experience which is super affordable at Php 1,200!
The staff is friendly and fun! Kuya zookeeper wants to make sure you have nice photo with his pets. Haha But he makes sure that safety is the priority.

Thank you Island Cove for having me and for the many firsts!!!

Which activity are you most interested in?



Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park 
Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite.
Tel. # (046) 434 0210 
www.islandcovephil.com
inquiry @islandcovephil.com
@islandcovephil
www.islandcoveHotelandLeisurePark

Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner
If you like this post, click the like button or the Facebook Share button! Spread the love. Like my Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/ruthiliciousblog or follow my updates on Twitter @ruthilicious.

If you are reading this post somewhere, it is originally written by Ruth and published in www.ruthdelacruz.com.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *