Leyte Golf Hotel

Eastern Visayas’ summer paradise beckons

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Enjoy summertime and all your vacation trips at Leyte’s paradisiacal hideaway with family, friends and flings. The San Juanico Golf Hotel is an intimate 30-room enclave surrounded with breathtaking verdant landscape of flat and gently sloping greens: a panorama of endless rolling hills and mountains offering world-class amenities and accommodations to tourists and travelers visiting Eastern Visayas.

Guests at the hotel get an exquisite view of the famed San Juanico Bridge, a historic structure and engineering marvel that spans a meandering 2-km stretch of road across the strait that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte provinces. “There has always been a need for quality accommodations in Tacloban. With this in mind, we have more to share especially with the growing number of local and foreign tourists discovering what the whole of Eastern Visayas has in store. We join the long list of Tacloban destinations, including the MacArthur and Santo Nino shrines as well as the beautifully-preserved churches,” intoned Victor Domingo, the Kapitan of the San Juanico Golf, Park & Country Club (SJGPCC).

“Tacloban is also very accessible with 10 flights arriving daily. We are proud that our new hotel can offer our members, their families, friends, balikbayans, tourists, vacationers, and all other travelers the best of the famous Tacloban hospitality, food, convenience and comfort,” he added.

Situated within SJGPCC’s sprawling fairways in Brgy. Camansihay, the hotel is quite close to the airport and downtown area. Now in full-swing and well-prepared for the tourist peak season, they proffer a complete menu of upscale services and amenities for all those seeking a relaxing stay away from stressful urban routines.

Golfers, too, will definitely enjoy their respective games at the 18-hole course as the rest of their family and friends have a fun time at the hotel’s private patio, enclosed within the beauty of elegant yet laid-back interiors. The delicious gourmet cuisine at the country clubhouse, coupled with the impeccable service of highly-trained attentive staff, satiates any and all cravings. Hotel guests will definitely enjoy gourmet fare at the spacious clubhouse with its mouth-watering Filipino dishes, international cuisine and freshly-made smoothies.

According to CEO Mimi Acacio, the hotel’s design was envisioned to cater to all ages so as to make them feel relaxed and at home while enjoying the beauty of both Nature and the modernity of its facilities. “We had to find a balance between the already beautiful landscape outdoors and our goal to provide a relaxed, aesthetically-pleasing look indoors. I am pleased we have achieved a homely, yet elegant, interior design with some rooms having porches.

“Once inside the hotel, all your concerns simply melt away. Just sit back and enjoy our services or you could go outdoors and check out Mother Nature, bond with kith and kin, or simply take early morning walks or late afternoon strolls along the fairways and pathways. Our swimming pools - one for adults and another for kids – are a great way to have fun, relax and exercise,” she said.

Acacio further stated that they paid attention to details for every guest’s comfort and enjoyment. Even the drapes, sheets and other room accoutrements were customized for a homey yet elegant touch. “Liza Cahilig, who supplied the drapes and beddings, did a wonderful job styling. Here at the hotel, we make guest convenience and satisfaction an absolute priority. We represent the best that Tacloban and the rest of Eastern Visayas can offer. Our goal is to make every stay as comfortable as possible by providing for every convenience and need.”

The amiable CEO pointed out that the interior and exterior design in each of the rooms was one of her innovations, including the architectural blueprint affording an unobstructed panoramic view of the fairways, endless rolling topography, and the famous San Juanico Bridge. Also, the hotel sets itself apart by its ultimate offer of exclusivity – when patrons opt to own selected rooms that are available for purchase.

“It is the ultimate in exclusivity. Buyers will have ownership of a unit in a world-class, full-service hotel with all the amenities and excellent service at their beck and call. Would-be owners of these few units will have the best of condo-tel living, as second home or leisure hideaway.”

A new offering for young guests to try is the horseback riding for kids. For those who wish to enjoy the same equine fun and commune with the wonders of Nature more closely, mount a horseback yourself with the assistance of experienced equestrians as guide or handler.

For inquiries, booking information and/or accreditation about the San Juanico Golf Hotel, simply email sjolfhotel@ymail.com or visit their Web site, www.sanjuanicogolf.gov.ph. You may also get in touch with Philip Cayubit through (02) 404-6513 and 0917-7957085 or Anton Llano at (053) 341-7969 and 0929-484-9517. Those who wish to inquire about draperies, beddings and other room accessories may contact Liza Cahilig at Joann Ashley Garments Mftg. & Design through mobile # 0999-9935888.