Pearl Farm Beach Resort — Hotel in Samal

This is not our first time it’s our 4th times, but we were really surprised how they are not prepared this time. They informed us that our rooms will be 2 queens since we are 4 guests total. But when we arrived the bed , towels, etc were all only good for 3 guests. Informed them that night but only arrived with extra bed, but not with other stuff! We stayed 2 nights and 3 days, coz we booked it were there was a promo for 10% off ( for araw ng davao promo) if you purchase it from Feb 17-March 17 when I ask the lady if I can avail but our date is March 29&30 she said it’s ok as long as we purchase it during promo day and use it in the month of March. Called the pearl farm number, but it was choppy signal, and there were so loud a lot of people talking around, I was not able to hear the name but was ask if I use Viber, I said no. And he advise me right away to just do the reservation online! Which I did. I emailed about the 10% off after 4 days no reply I emailed again and responded fill up the form , which I did. They were able to give the total for 3 adults and 1 child total guest. 4 days before our stay no call or email, so I decided to check , phones were busy no email reply still. 1 night before our stay I called again and they said everything is set. We arrived as usual, service is awesome! But When it was checked out time we were ask to pay the balance for ₱8,500 coz they forgot to charge my kid. So i asked how it happened I thought we were able to get the discount bla bla bla… only to find out that we didn’t avail the discount because I did it online, ( which is the front desk advice me to do it since I don’t have a Viber!!!) if he only informed me that I would not be able to avail the discount if ill do it online!! I told them no one give a courtesy call to inform us , not even replying my email I thought when they ask me to fill the form I thought they were aware about I was trying to book for the 10% off. They also told us that the promo is only when you use it till March 17, which is not the info we received from the promo lady at abreeza. It’s considered luxury resort , but having a person who will give wrong info about the promo, ( it’s ridiculous coz that’s what makes us decide to do 2 nights coz we were able to get a discount!!!!) perfect for our anniversary! Luxury but, can’t reply on your emails for inquiry , found out that it’s automated reply, so I told them how would we know and why put in your site that we can contact through call or email if nobody is really reading them!! and lastly having a front desk staff who did not inform about can’t avail promo if you do it online! It’s just frustrating. All they can say is sorry. But the sorry can’t bring back the money we paid.

Don’t get me wrong! The place, the ambience, the service all good! It’s the reservation staff that has...

Pearl farm can be a bit pricy but not without its merits. You get to the private resort by a 45-minute boat ride. The minute you step into the pagoda you're treated like VIPs with warm towels and some refreshments. You get a quick orientation and your luggage is allocated to your rooms. Me and the wife got the suite which was a 2-floored rest house complete with a veranda overlooking the beach and a "duyan" + summer bed underneath. You also get a view of the whole place from the bedroom which was very nice especially waking up to it. The food is buffet style and serves a lot of Asian delicacies - mostly Filipino. We also got treated to a live band/performer during dinner. There are other places to stroll around including the pool tables in Mandaya area, coffee shops in the centre and the tree top rooms overlooking the whole island. All of these can be travelled by foot or you can request a private shuttle. Now, the beach... The beach close to the pagoda was heavenly, with sand to keep your feet warm and not too pebbly. Wearing beach shoes is highly recommended. On the other hand, our private beach just below the suite was also good but it did take a while to get used to as it was quite scary swimming on your own. You are also entitled to a 30-minute kayak or 1-hour snorkeling/day. There are island tours offered by the resort but I highly recommend going for the "Taklobo tour" it might cost a bit but me with a group of 11 people got it for a very cheap price - I don't know why but the people there are very nice! - it was a very unique experience, I quite enjoyed the snorkeling here than in Boracay! The resort will definitely make up for itself for the hefty cost as it is a very nice experience but I think what highlighted this trip for me were the people. Everyone at the resort was just nice and courteous and helpful. I never had a hard time requesting for anything. They made my stay feel like I was coming back home from a hard day's work and that there's no more stress, just living the life that you always wanted: Relaxed and Fun. (Can't post a lot of photos without breaking other people's privacy but just search on Instagram or YouTube and you'll see the same...

Our first stay in Pearl Farm last year, 2022, was magical and perfect. We were looking forward again to visit this year to spend our anniversary and my partner's birthday.

The check in process at the wharf was welcoming and inviting. The staff there were kind and professional. We love the touch of the welcome drinks and towel when we arrived in Pearl Farm after a boat ride. The staff were professional too. The front desk were great. The food was amazing. Just like how we remembered it from last year.

However, we had some issues with our stay this time. First, our room, we reserved for a king bed, but we got 2 twin beds that were pushed together. It created this dip in the middle and the bed would start to separate. It was uncomfortable. Second, was our ride up to our room at around 2 pm, the driver was talking in bisaya to his colleague, he said that "we disturbed his lunch break" and he also judged the other guests walking around saying "who were those people walking around? Are they even allowed to walk around freely like that?" It was very uncomfortable to hear him say those things. Unprofessional and not a five star experience. Lastly, our experience at buffet for lunch. My partner had a motion sickness from the boat ride and she needs a raw ginger asap! We waved one of the servers, he came and my partner started to ask for ginger but she was struggling to get her point across so I helped and spoke in bisaya "nalipong siya sa boat ride, gusto niya og luy.a." He completely ignored and did not acknowledge me, he kept talking to my partner and taking awhile. For the rest our lunch, he would only tend to my partner. Body language and eye contact only to my partner. We were waiting for the tricycle to go up to our room and he ran, walk past me like I did not exist, went to my partner, and asked her to sign the check. My partner was so confused and told him to hand the check to me to sign. There was no courtesy of asking us who to hand the check to. I never felt discriminated like that at a 5 star resort and in my own hometown. We had better treatment at Acacia Hotel which is a 3 to 4 star hotel. Some of your staff are getting...