There's a funny statement that says, "Calories don't count on the weekend." and so other states, "Don't mess up with someone who's hungry and angry."
Why am I stating this? Well, because we visited Punta Isla Lake Resort out of hunger. When our Skylab driver (habal-habal driver) asked us where we would like to go for our Lake Sebu tour, we opted to go somewhere there's food for our lunch because all of us were already starving, like literally looking for food!
Fortunately, there are lots of restaurants around Lake Sebu however, the best place that the tour guide slash Skylab driver could refer us to was none other than Punta Isla Lake Resort.
Welcome to Punta Isla Lake Resort
At first, I thought this was just a restaurant, an eatery but I was already told by my sister in law that this has a floating restaurant available. The truth was that I was not anymore thinking of what the place could offer, as long as they have food, I thought I would be okay.
For T'bolis, Punta Isla means the far end island or basically the last island. As per our guide, the resort faces the biggest lake in Lake Sebu and is the least accessible part of the land which has direct access to the lake.
Because it is the sole resort facing the lake, it is also very popular with the locals and even those who are visiting the municipality. Most foreigners have taken this as one of their bucket list of places to go when in Lake Sebu and so we also did.
Obviously, Punta Isla Lake Resort isn't just an eatery which offers a river cruise, it is far more than that. It offers a lot of amenities and activities and just like Lake Seloton's Sunrise Garden Lake Resort, it also has an almost unlimited supply of Tilapia fishes given that it is the biggest lake in all the entire municipality.
What to Do at Punta Isla Lake Resort?
The entire family came here to dine in, but after getting our stomach filled with good Tilapia dishes, we explored the location and found out some of their offered amenities.
I have here a list of things to do to entertain you and of which had entertained us in a way while within the resort. It is evident though that most of these activities are also available in the other Lake Sebu resorts and that is primarily because they belong to one specific area.
River Cruise, Floating Restaurant and Open Cottages
Our number one mission was to eat at Punta Isla Lake Resort. Upon entering, our hungry spirits went directly to where the staff pointed us, the floating restaurants!
Since the resort is overlooking the lake, I got a little distracted seeing the view from above, it looks really peaceful, although the waters were a little busy because of the river cruise and floating restaurant giving ripples of water and disturbing its peaceful presence, it was evident that this water part is calm and has its own beauty.
Upon learning that a river cruise would cost us more than the floating one, we thought we were fine with the latter. Although we could only see a glimpse of the wide lake, all we had in mind was the food that we will partake in a few.
But we saw numerous rounds of river cruise coming in and out of its docking port, we had river cruise experience beforehand also in Bohol so it was a reason that we could keep ourselves within that steady floating eatery. It wasn't bad at all because they have this self-service pull floating mini-boat which the kids love to take while waiting for our orders.
Aside from the floating restaurant and the river cruise, the resort also got several open cottages where guests can prefer to eat their lunch or dinner as well as brunch if that is applicable to the visitors here.
Watch and Learn From the T'boli Cultural Shows
A special cultural show is showcased too while inside those floating restaurants and open cottages. It is, in fact, a great experience to see in the flesh the cultural music instruments, the dances, music, and songs as well as their traditional dresses.
Right before we were eating, I already heard some tribal or traditional music playing randomly at several instances in some part of the resort, I didn't mind it at first thinking it might be some standard music for the T'bolis and I was not wrong at all. That was indeed their traditional music which then was presented by four local T'bolis before our food was served.
I was already entertained by the traditional costume and their patterns, the sound of the brass metal castings in their belts and their headdresses.
I personally learned about their musical instruments such as the Kubing, a Philippine Jew's harp of bamboo, the Sloli which is a flute made of again Bamboo and there's a unique bamboo one which produces bird-like sounds.
The cultural dances presented have those moves imitating animals but some of these dances were done only on rituals. We were lucky that they had given us a glimpse of this on a normal day. What really stuck in my head was the courtship dance where a woman would show her affection for the opposite gender. Watch the video below to know more of what I am pertaining here.
Taste Tilapia Specialty Dishes
Right as the food was served, the best activity to do here was to eat and treat the hungry stomachs with some pretty Tilapia specialty dishes. It was our first Tilapia treat and so tasting them was a little bit fun most especially those dishes that are not really familiar in Cebu or Bohol.
What I liked was their Chicharon Tilapia, the Lagpang na Tilapia, and even their Pinaputok na Tilapia. While they have a wide range of Tilapia dishes, they got other options too like chicken, pork and beef menu.
Prices here range from 200-250 per dish which is good for around 2-3 persons.
Souvenir Shopping
A few uphill walks were necessary for us to get back to the main resort after lunch, it was time to explore the resort. It was cool that we didn't have to pay any entrance fees though.
At their lounge area, there were several spots to get a good view of Lake Sebu. Included there were several souvenir items. Their traditional dresses are part of them, as well as the brass castings which T'bolis are known for. They also have items made of beads such as necklaces, wristbands, and bracelets as well as headdresses.
Owong Ride and Other Water Activities
An interesting thing to do in the waters of Lake Sebu was their water activities like learning to ride their traditional boats named Owong which doesn't have any outrigger. It looked very challenging, almost like kayaking except that their boat paddles are only a single one.
Aside from Owong, the got single kayak rides too as well as that one where more than two can maneuver.
Unfortunately, it was already late and raining when we were at the resort, it would also take us more time if we avail of those activities. Nonetheless, if any of you would be interested, make sure to inform their front desk about it.
Spend a Night at Their Accommodations
I know we went to Punta Isla Lake Resort with a very limited amount of time because of the weather but nonetheless, it was still great to see Lake Sebu's majestic beauty.
To those who would like to really explore the resort up to its tip, Punta Isla Lake Resort offers several accommodation options. They got fan rooms as well as air-conditioned ones. Rates range from Php 950 up to Php 3000 depending on the type of room and the number of heads staying.
As we were on our way out of the resort, I heard some of the local T'boli staffs said "Bud ye semfulek! Tey bong s'lamat!", which means to visit us again! Thank you!
Disclaimer: This is my personal blog which was originally posted on bitLanders.
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