A taste of Spain at the Pearl Farm
May 4, 2003 | 12:00am
The Spanish influence in the Barcelo Hotels and Resorts may have rubbed off on the world-renowned Barcelo Pearl Farm Island Resort since its owners, the Floirendos, signed an agreement with the international chain nearly three years ago.
It was in the 1980s when the Floirendos, who are into banana plantations and other related business interests, acquired what was then the Aguinaldo Pearl Farm where quality pearls were cultured. The 11-hectare farm had lush vegetation and a white-sand coastline. In 1992, the Floirendos decided to transform Pearl Farm into a resort, and eight years later, entered into a management agreement with the Barcelo international chain.
Very Spanish, they say. But still Pearl Farm has remained unmistakably Filipino and has maintained its distinct reputation as one of the most favored tourist destinations in this part of the world. And setting foot in this private retreat, one feels truly proud of being a Filipino.
The partnership between the Floirendos and the Barcelo chain is undoubtedly working in this serene cove in the southern tip of the Island Garden City of Samal, just 45 minutes away by a relaxing boat ride from Davao City.
From the food, the place, and yes, to the people of Barcelo Pearl Farm Island Resort, it’s definitely a Spanish conquest with a twist.
It was as if the gods descended from Spain last April 5 as the buffet tables and food stations at the resort’s Maranao Restaurant were filled with different Spanish gourmet products and other gastronomic delights in an exciting convergence of Barcelo executives, Spanish Commercial Office officials, Cebu Pacific representatives and over 200 guests who came to the island for the sumptuous lunch.
And no less than the Floirendo patriarch, Don Antonio Sr., flew in aboard his private helicopter to join in the merriment of the Spanish Food Festival that Saturday. He even gamely danced to the Spanish beat in his summer attire.
Spanish Ambassador Ignacio Sagaz arrived a day before the food festival and took a dip in the waters of Pearl Farm together with Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon. The swimming pool in front of the exquisitely appointed Maranao Restaurant was definitely alluring, but the waters by the Parola were more inviting to both dignitaries who splashed the afternoon away.
Ignacio Gandarias, the resort’s vivacious 25-year-old executive assistant, graciously brought this writer on a merry tour of Spain through the dishes in the Spanish gourmet food presentation, starting off with the hot dishes, such as Fabada Asturiana, long beans with chorizo served with meat sauce. There was also the incredibly tempting Mar y Montana, meatballs with mixed seafood in tomato sauce. Lapu Lapu ala Vaska and Callos ala Madrileña were also sure winners among the guests.
Guests also savored with gusto Pearl Farm’s fried rice with Spanish sausage, the Patatas Bravas and the ever-present Spanish omelette with red peppers. And for paella lovers, there was the Fideua, which had everything paella but using noodles instead of rice.
And what would a Spanish food festival be without the tapas station? There was an assortment of Pan tumaca, Manchego cheese, chorizo and Sobrasada, all served with bread and crackers.
Spanish red and white wines also flowed that eventful afternoon. Guests also did not miss Pearl Farm’s desserts like Crema Catalana, Arroz con Leche, Marron Glace, Brazo Gitano, El Almebro, and yes, the famous Turron, a Christmas fare in Spain made of peanuts baked in white caramel.
But more than anything, Gandarias said Barcelo Pearl Farm also serves a fusion of international cuisine, be it Filipino, Mediterranean or whatever. The grilled tuna is another runaway favorite at the resort, while paella can be had anytime should one feel the irresistible and refreshing Spanish aura of both Gandarias and Xavi Gimeno, the resort’s general manager.
The 28-year-old Gimeno never fails to flash a charming smile as he points out that Pearl Farm is not only about glorious food but also its idyllic setting, certainly a piece of tropical paradise everyone longs for.
The resort has 73 guestrooms, suites and cottages, a number of them on stilts, as well as seven exclusive villas off Isla Malipano, just across the main island. The bamboo-and-wood hilltop rooms remind one that the mountains and the seas don’t necessarily have to be miles apart but could exist in perfect harmony.
Mornings are a delight at the cottages-on-stilts, as one wakes up to the gentle sound of the waves and the sight of schools of colorful fish. Living by the sea could also get as wonderful as lounging in the six luxurious Samal Suites, opposite the cottages. Both the cottages and the suites maintain their exotic character and ethnic feel in so many ways with, for instance, large clay vases and coconut dippers, believed to cast bad spirits away, awaiting guests by the doorstep.
Isla Malipano is an attraction fit only for the rich and the famous, but Barcelo Pearl Farm has opened it for guests who want more privacy. The Floirendo children used to own the seven villas on the island so each one has a distinct character and design. Butler service is available for those who want their food served in the comforts of their villas.
One just doesn’t go to Pearl Farm to sleep though. There are different activities one can engage in for fun, aside from diving. You can swim, walk, run and do whatever you please. Or you can just simply gaze at the waters that have become a fish sanctuary.
And before resting for the night, a good massage will put your body and mind to rest at the resort’s spa.
John Cogul, chief executive officer of the Barcelo Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific, said there is something in Filipinos that makes it easy to deal with them.
"The Filipino smile is something that warms the heart of anyone. You have to teach other people how to smile but with the Filipinos, it comes out naturally," he said.
Cogul knows whereof he speaks. He has been in the hospitality and tourism industry for most of his life, having started as a roomboy in his youth. He has been to over 126 countries.
Managing the Barcelo Pearl Farm, he said, isn’t that difficult because the resort’s staffers are naturally friendly and warm, thus luring guests to come back again and again.
"Aside from the smile and the hospitality, Filipinos are also easy to train on the job they’re supposed to do and they really work hard," he added, exclaiming that Barcelo intends to stay in the country for a long time.
And the Barcelo Pearl Farm, Cogul said, is one wealth Filipinos can be proud of because its charm has conquered even the Spaniards.
It was in the 1980s when the Floirendos, who are into banana plantations and other related business interests, acquired what was then the Aguinaldo Pearl Farm where quality pearls were cultured. The 11-hectare farm had lush vegetation and a white-sand coastline. In 1992, the Floirendos decided to transform Pearl Farm into a resort, and eight years later, entered into a management agreement with the Barcelo international chain.
Very Spanish, they say. But still Pearl Farm has remained unmistakably Filipino and has maintained its distinct reputation as one of the most favored tourist destinations in this part of the world. And setting foot in this private retreat, one feels truly proud of being a Filipino.
The partnership between the Floirendos and the Barcelo chain is undoubtedly working in this serene cove in the southern tip of the Island Garden City of Samal, just 45 minutes away by a relaxing boat ride from Davao City.
From the food, the place, and yes, to the people of Barcelo Pearl Farm Island Resort, it’s definitely a Spanish conquest with a twist.
It was as if the gods descended from Spain last April 5 as the buffet tables and food stations at the resort’s Maranao Restaurant were filled with different Spanish gourmet products and other gastronomic delights in an exciting convergence of Barcelo executives, Spanish Commercial Office officials, Cebu Pacific representatives and over 200 guests who came to the island for the sumptuous lunch.
And no less than the Floirendo patriarch, Don Antonio Sr., flew in aboard his private helicopter to join in the merriment of the Spanish Food Festival that Saturday. He even gamely danced to the Spanish beat in his summer attire.
Spanish Ambassador Ignacio Sagaz arrived a day before the food festival and took a dip in the waters of Pearl Farm together with Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon. The swimming pool in front of the exquisitely appointed Maranao Restaurant was definitely alluring, but the waters by the Parola were more inviting to both dignitaries who splashed the afternoon away.
Ignacio Gandarias, the resort’s vivacious 25-year-old executive assistant, graciously brought this writer on a merry tour of Spain through the dishes in the Spanish gourmet food presentation, starting off with the hot dishes, such as Fabada Asturiana, long beans with chorizo served with meat sauce. There was also the incredibly tempting Mar y Montana, meatballs with mixed seafood in tomato sauce. Lapu Lapu ala Vaska and Callos ala Madrileña were also sure winners among the guests.
Guests also savored with gusto Pearl Farm’s fried rice with Spanish sausage, the Patatas Bravas and the ever-present Spanish omelette with red peppers. And for paella lovers, there was the Fideua, which had everything paella but using noodles instead of rice.
And what would a Spanish food festival be without the tapas station? There was an assortment of Pan tumaca, Manchego cheese, chorizo and Sobrasada, all served with bread and crackers.
Spanish red and white wines also flowed that eventful afternoon. Guests also did not miss Pearl Farm’s desserts like Crema Catalana, Arroz con Leche, Marron Glace, Brazo Gitano, El Almebro, and yes, the famous Turron, a Christmas fare in Spain made of peanuts baked in white caramel.
But more than anything, Gandarias said Barcelo Pearl Farm also serves a fusion of international cuisine, be it Filipino, Mediterranean or whatever. The grilled tuna is another runaway favorite at the resort, while paella can be had anytime should one feel the irresistible and refreshing Spanish aura of both Gandarias and Xavi Gimeno, the resort’s general manager.
The 28-year-old Gimeno never fails to flash a charming smile as he points out that Pearl Farm is not only about glorious food but also its idyllic setting, certainly a piece of tropical paradise everyone longs for.
The resort has 73 guestrooms, suites and cottages, a number of them on stilts, as well as seven exclusive villas off Isla Malipano, just across the main island. The bamboo-and-wood hilltop rooms remind one that the mountains and the seas don’t necessarily have to be miles apart but could exist in perfect harmony.
Mornings are a delight at the cottages-on-stilts, as one wakes up to the gentle sound of the waves and the sight of schools of colorful fish. Living by the sea could also get as wonderful as lounging in the six luxurious Samal Suites, opposite the cottages. Both the cottages and the suites maintain their exotic character and ethnic feel in so many ways with, for instance, large clay vases and coconut dippers, believed to cast bad spirits away, awaiting guests by the doorstep.
Isla Malipano is an attraction fit only for the rich and the famous, but Barcelo Pearl Farm has opened it for guests who want more privacy. The Floirendo children used to own the seven villas on the island so each one has a distinct character and design. Butler service is available for those who want their food served in the comforts of their villas.
One just doesn’t go to Pearl Farm to sleep though. There are different activities one can engage in for fun, aside from diving. You can swim, walk, run and do whatever you please. Or you can just simply gaze at the waters that have become a fish sanctuary.
And before resting for the night, a good massage will put your body and mind to rest at the resort’s spa.
John Cogul, chief executive officer of the Barcelo Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific, said there is something in Filipinos that makes it easy to deal with them.
"The Filipino smile is something that warms the heart of anyone. You have to teach other people how to smile but with the Filipinos, it comes out naturally," he said.
Cogul knows whereof he speaks. He has been in the hospitality and tourism industry for most of his life, having started as a roomboy in his youth. He has been to over 126 countries.
Managing the Barcelo Pearl Farm, he said, isn’t that difficult because the resort’s staffers are naturally friendly and warm, thus luring guests to come back again and again.
"Aside from the smile and the hospitality, Filipinos are also easy to train on the job they’re supposed to do and they really work hard," he added, exclaiming that Barcelo intends to stay in the country for a long time.
And the Barcelo Pearl Farm, Cogul said, is one wealth Filipinos can be proud of because its charm has conquered even the Spaniards.
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