Getting High at GenSan's Highland Resorts

Imagine yourself having a candle-lit dinner with your special someone somewhere up there in the highlands, with the night sky illuminated by a full moon casting an enchanting iridescence on the dark blue waters of the deep sea. Ah, such a highly romantic evening up in the hills!

Together, you share a lovey-dovey meal—a variety of seafood, steaks, poultry and chops, with an odd mix of sweet temptations, and of course, a bottle of red wine. Now, where’s could be the perfect venue for this tryst? A faraway island in the Bahamas, the Mediterranean, the French Riviera, or the Aegean? Well, any of them is possible if you’re filthy rich and famous.

A glimpse of Sarangani Bay and the mountains of Sarangani Province

(pic courtesy of www.saranganihighlands.com)

But for us, lesser mortals, that would be quite an extravagance. So, why waste your hard-earned dinero in some pricey resort abroad just to get high when you can have practically the same experience right here in the country—up there in the hills of the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines”?

Yeah, you heard it right. The highlands of General Santos City or GenSan, particularly in the coastal village of Tambler, have what it takes to conjure the perfect tryst for lovers. So far, there are two highland resorts I’ve had the chance to visit recently where hopeless romantics can find some enchanted evening: Sarangani Highlands Garden and Mt. Sabrina Panoramic View and Hotel.

(pic courtesy of www.saranganihighlands.com)

Sarangani Highlands boasts of a hotel-in-a-garden ambience that never fails to dazzle visitors searching for a hideaway that provides them a chance to commune with nature. Mind you, the resort isn’t just your typical garden or hotel; it’s also a paradise-in-the-city neatly tucked up there in GenSan’s hilly outskirts.

 

Sarangani Highlands: a touch of Spanish Mediterranean architecture

The resort, which is fast turning into one of SOCCSKSARGEN’s sought-after weekend home-sweet-homes for lovers, families and friends, is about 15 to 20 minutes away from the downtown area—a leisurely drive along the smooth national road that connects GenSan to the towns of Sarangani Province’s western side (Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum)
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The moment you go up the resort, the cool sea breeze suddenly caresses you, placating your heart and pacifying your soul. You know you’re at the highlands when you see the hazy outlines of the mountains beyond Sarangani Bay, whose blue waters are dotted with vessels of various shapes and sizes, a scenery that could have leapt out of the pages of a travel magazine!

The resort caters to a wide variety of social and corporate events—be it birthday and baptismal parties, weddings, debuts, conferences, seminars, and what-have-you. It boasts of several open-air and glass-walled function halls, a covered court, a restaurant, a kiosk, and of course, a garden.

If you’re staying for the night, Sarangani Highlands has about twenty-five Spanish Mediterranean-inspired  suites that can accommodate between one to four guests per room. It also has family rooms that can house as many as eight persons per room. 

And here’s more that would surely make Sarangani Highlands your money’s worth—all the hotel rooms there have a stunning view of the garden or Sarangani Bay! 

Roaming around the resort, you’ll surely be fascinated by the resort’s simple yet soothing landscaping and the numerous flora growing in its lush garden. Here’s a place where the beauty of nature is amplified, not altered—a hideaway in the hills where visitors get a chance to commune with the sun, sea and sky. 

(Here are a few more pics I grabbed from the resort's website, www.saranganihighlands.com; credits to the owners).

 

(pic courtesy of www.saranganihighlands.com)

 

Whether you’re a first-time sightseer or a frequent visitor, you’d surely find the place simply irresistible. Why, you could be prompted into saying, “Magandang Gensan!”, after making it to the resort!

 

The resort at night


 

A glimpse of the Santorini-inspired villas

Mt. Sabrina, on the other hand, is a luxurious resort—I guess “posh” would be the right word for it—that’s still a work in progress (at the time when I visited it). I came to know about it from a fellow wanderer who found its tuna-shaped swimming pool and Santorini-inspired villas quite awesome.

Curious, I visited Mt. Sabrina during a weekend escapade in GenSan. The sojourn to the resort was a leisurely twenty-five-minute drive from downtown area. Arriving there in the afternoon, I was excited to explore the sprawling resort. 

Hunger, however, got the better of me so I immediately looked for the restaurant—Don Pepe Clubhouse, as they called it—where I grabbed a quick bite. Found at the summit, the clubhouse offers a sweeping vista of the whole resort and its environs.

 A portion of the tuna-shaped pool

Down below, I caught a glimpse of one of Mt. Sabrina’s interesting come-ons—the tuna- shaped pool. Whew, it was delightful to see the cool pool and the villas dotting the resort’s hilly landscape. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay there or take a dip the pool (I got myself billeted at Greenleaf Hotel in the downtown area) but I was instantly smitten by resort and its fab amenities.

Incidentally, the five-hectare estate offers an interesting array of accommodations that guests can choose from. They include the pool villas as well as a cluster of apartelles, stilt houses, suites and standard rooms. Mind you, they’re reasonably-priced!  

Visitors would also find it fascinating to explore Mt. Sabrina’s pavilion. Nestled on the edge of a hill, it provides a breathtaking view of the blue waters of Sarangani Bay as wells as the faraway mountains of Sarangani Province’s eastern side (Alabel, Malapatan and Glan). Geez, it’s the perfect venue for weddings, debuts, birthdays, family reunions, and other social events!

A glimpse of Mt. Matutum

Now, there’s a special treat awaiting those who go up the pavilion—a picture-perfect view of one of South Cotabato’s precious plums—Mt. Matutum! For more about the highland resort, visit their Facebook page or their website, http://mtsabrina.com (Here are some snaps I grabbed from the resort’s Facebook page; credits to the owners). 

As the holiday season sets in, you’d probably be out of your wits looking for the ultimate venue for rejuvenation, revelry, recreation and relaxation with your family and friends. Here’s a tip: Why not try these two exciting resorts in GenSan—Sarangani Highlands and Mt. Sabrina—where you’d get a different kind high? :-D

Subdued in Sultan Kudarat

Off the beaten track, Sultan Kudarat (perhaps with few exceptions like Tacurong City) is probably one of those places in Mindanao most people would rather skip in their itinerary for “security” reasons. I’ve been wanting to explore it myself a long time ago as I happen to have a few relatives in the provincial capital, Isulan. But the “fear” of entering a land “just a stone’s throw away” from a dreaded conflict zone kept hindering me from pushing through with my plan. 

Isulan is the seat of the provincial government

Monument of Sultan Kudarat in Isulan

Monument of Sultan Kudarat in Isulan

Sultan Kudarat (or the SK in the acronym of SOCCSKSARGEN Region) happens to be near one of the most notorious war zones in the country that hugged the headlines not too long ago—remember the bloodbath that took place in the infamous town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao?

From what I’ve gathered, SK was named after a fierce leader who ruled a huge part of Mindanao in the 1600s. Sultan Kudarat a.k.a. Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (sometimes spelled as Qudarat or Corralat) headed the Sultanate of Maguindanao who successfully opposed the Spanish colonizers who attempted to conquer his land and hindered the Christianization of the island.

Kudarat (1581–1671) was a direct descendant of Shariff Kabungsuwan, a Malay-Arab missionary who brought Islam to the Philippines between the 13th and 14th century. It was many centuries later, during the reign of former President Ferdinand Marcos, that the sultan was declared a national hero. Eventually, the late dictator issued a proclamation that created the province, naming it after the revered Muslim leader. 

Panoramic view of Sultan Kudarat's imposing capitol building

Sultan Kudarat is made up of eleven (11) towns and one city, Tacurong, that is. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang) are found along the coast while the rest are landlocked. Tacurong is the smallest in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered as SK’s commercial center. Other growth centers are the towns of Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital.

Over 700,000 people (based on the last censal count) populate the province’s land area of about 5,299 sq. km. Ilonggos constitute the majority of SK’s Christian population. Their native languages include Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a, which also happen to be Sultan Kudarat’s dominant language.

Tacurong City, the provincial capital

Downtown Tacurong

As fate would have it, I suddenly found myself journeying to SK, not just once but twice this year! On both occasions, I was subdued all the time I was there—so subdued to the point of being sub-rosa! Being a newcomer, I always try to maintain a low profile whenever I tread certain places perceived (sometimes, wrongly!) to be “hotspots of conflict”, particularly those in Central Mindanao like Sultan Kudarat.
  

Tacurong City's popular Rotonda

During my first trip there, I passed through what most travelers would consider the road less travelled—a portion of Maguindanao, particularly the towns of Datu Paglas and Buluan. To my pleasant surprise, however, the sojourn to SK turned out to be a pleasant one. And for the record, SK, as I’ve experience it, is one of the more peaceful provinces in the island.

For my second trip to SK, however, I opted to take the other route, the longer but “safer” road, they say, driving along the smooth stretches that connect General Santos (GenSan) City, the towns of South Cotabato (Polomolok, Tupi and Tantangan) as well as its capital, Koronadal City to Sultan Kudarat. For the first sojourn, I stayed in Tacurong City. Meanwhile, GenSan was my home away from home during my second visit.

Short as they were, the sojourns to Sultan Kudarat gave me the chance to explore a few of its interesting sites. In Tacurong, I was able to visit the secluded Baras Bird Sanctuary where thousands of birds are said to hibernate during their mating season (sometime in May). Unfortunately, I only managed to see some of the fowls when I came. But they were so elusive I couldn’t take snaps at them even from a distance.

The sanctuary's iconic sculpture

  

The road to Baras

According to Mary Ann, one of the sanctuary’s caretakers, a few egrets were seen there in the 1990s. Now, it’s a haven to about 20,000 different species of birds! The visiting flock includes doves, hawks, kingfishers, sparrows, herons, egrets, bulbuls, robins, fantails, cuckoos, monarchs and ibises. No one knows why they opt to go there, but isn’t it amazing that these migratory creatures chose Badas as their “halfway home” in Mindanao? 

Isulan, on the other hand, offers visitors a glimpse of the grandeur of Arabic-inspired architecture through the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Capitol. The imposing five-storey structure, with its magnificent dome (that used to be painted in gold), is said to be one of the most attractive government buildings not only in the country but in Asia, too. I took a tour around the building and saw for myself how grand it is.
 

Whew, everything inside the capitol looked expensive and luxurious! Huge chandeliers, fine window drapes, intricately designed chairs—geez, the massive structure was oozing with opulence! Of course, a capitol building isn’t complete without a monument to the greatest leader of the Maguindanaoans—Sultan Kudarat. 

One of the huge edifices inside the massive government complex

Aside from the Muslim leader, there’s another popular local figure that caught my attention—Don Juan Garcia—whose bust adorns the main lobby of the capitol. Garcia, who was instrumental for the progress of Isulan, is also known as the prime mover of the development of the palm oil industry not only in Sultan Kudarat but the whole of South Central Mindanao Region. 

A palm plantation on the way to the bird sanctuary

From what I’ve heard, there are a number of waterfalls and caves found in some of the inland municipalities towns like Bagumbayan (the largest town), Columbio and Senator Ninoy Aquino. The coastal towns like Kalamansig and Palimbang also offer pristine white-sand beaches for beach bums. A hot and cold spring in Esperanza and a hot sulfur spring in Isulan are also waiting to be explored. Unfortunately, I didn’t dare tread into those interesting sites. Perhaps at some future time when I’ve already found a trusted guide who can lead me to them.   

I’ve barely scratched the surface of the alluring province. Geez, I couldn’t get enough of what I’ve seen so far! Here’s wishing that before my hands shake, before my legs break and before my eyes close, I’d be able to drive my way back into Sultan Kudarat to explore it some more. :-D