For the longest time, a visit to Davao for me was usually limited to a number of activities, of course, once the business part of the trip was over. I’ve always been a creature of habit and have no qualms about retracing steps, visiting familiar haunts a second, third or nth time. It wasn’t always like that.
A former officemate, who found out I had filed for PTO to go to Laoag City, again asked me why I enjoyed going on a road trip by bus that took 10 hours, one way. I looked at her askance, unsure whether or not her question merited a reply. Instead, I shrugged and filed the form.
During a recent trip to Davao, I made it a point to have my fill of durian, that pungent and polarizing fruit one can only eat outdoors—unless you want to incur the ire of the hotel or inn where you’re billeted. I ended up sampling four different varieties (Kob, Puyat, Aracillo and one that only had a number) in the span of a few days. Each had its strengths: creaminess, smaller seeds, firmer flesh or aroma but I liked them all.
Souvenirs at Poblacion where vendors from Aldevinco were transferred
One morning, I made a beeline for Poblacion, the two-level shopping destination that now houses many of the vendors at Aldevinco that has since closed down. The mix at Poblacion is still the same with tiny stores packed high with malong and sarong, brass necklaces and pearl earrings, batik and t’nalak. I enjoy looking at the merchandise even if they seem to hardly change. Wasn’t that wooden eagle, batik terno and pack of identical coin purses already there in that same spot when I visited a few years ago?
This time, however, I had the chance to take a closer look at two different places outside the city center and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw and experienced.
Durian-shaped dome at People’s Park
The 12-hectare Malagos Garden Resort (Baguio District, Davao City; +6382-2211545) has been open for over three decades but is a welcome respite from the traffic jams and urban sprawl. It was initially limited to an orchid garden, restaurant and swimming pool but has since expanded to include guest rooms, a chocolate spa, and the country’s first chocolate museum.
Durian by Ang Kiukok at the museum
On weekends, they are often full of families with young kids in tow as the resort offers several kid-centered activities like a petting zoo, papier-mache painting, horseback riding and pizza making. On weekends, there is a bird show at 10 a.m. and a falconry show at 1 p.m.
The chocolate museum is worth visiting because you get an idea how Malagos grew their well-regarded chocolate business from bean to bar. They have a separate farm nearby where they tend to their cacao trees but they also source from other cacao farms within a small radius to ensure freshness.
As you walk around the compound, you will catch that unmistakable aroma of chocolate. Malagos doubles down so visitors get that full chocolate experience. They’ve kept a few cacao trees on the property bearing reddish yellow fruit so children know that chocolate doesn’t just come from the grocery. In the lavatories, guests wash their hands with liquid soap that smells like chocolate while at the spa, they can get a massage where the oil used is infused with chocolate.
I even got to make my own chocolate during the visit. First I choose sultanas and dried mango from the toppings laid out on the countertop before I was handed a tiny pot filled with melted chocolate and instructed to layer the ingredients into a mold: a bit of chocolate followed by the fruit, and then topped with more chocolate. To cut through the sweetness, I sprinkled some sea salt as a finishing touch.
It’s a fun activity not just for kids. After the chocolate has been given time to cool and settle, you’re handed a box of handmade heart-shaped chocolates to take home. The two little girls at the next table chose tiny marshmallows with one of them saying she was sharing hers with her mother.
The restaurant onsite serves meal combos and fresh salads but one dish not to be missed is their pork humba flavored with cacao. The result is rich, dark and altogether decadent. Best eaten with hot steamed rice.
Later that week, we once again fled the city center, taking the new road that hugs the coast and leads to Eden Nature Park and Resort at the foot of Mt. Talomo (Barangay Eden, Toril; www.edennaturepark.com.ph). Eden has also been open for three decades now and is a popular venue for seminars, conventions, and team-building sessions because of its facilities including function rooms and open-air halls. They also have standard guest rooms that can accommodate couples or small families as well as villas and cottages for larger groups.
View of Davao Gulf from one of Eden’s highest points
Daytrippers are also welcome at the resort. Eden attracts locals who come for lunch at Vista restaurant and to avail themselves of the resort’s other attractions including sky adventure rides (not for the faint of heart), pickleball, mountain treks, and a chance to hook a fish or two at the fishing village.
Keep an eye out for the resident peacocks and hens that roam around the property freely. During our visit, a magnificent albino peacock attempted to catch the eye of several hens to no avail.
They have a daily buffet lunch that includes salads and dishes made with lettuces, tomatoes and cucumbers grown on the property. Try their Vietnamese-style spring rolls that members of the marketing team learned to make during a recent trip to Vietnam where they signed up for cooking classes.
After lunch, book a seat on the guided shuttle tour that includes stops at a flower garden (a favorite for prenup shoots), a traditional tribal house, and a giant bamboo copse with an expansive view of Davao Gulf from an elevation of over 700 meters.
Our tour guide was a human “drone” and knew how to take a video using one of our phones. She made it look like a drone zooming in and out, and flipping upside down.
Noah Go of Grateful Bread
Back in the city, I squeezed in a quick breakfast at Grateful Bread, a fairly new brunch place that serves assorted breads, sandwiches and coffees. I settled on a garlicky Montreal bagel dotted with sesame seeds, and a flat white while waiting for corporate chef Noah Go.
He told me that he and his family had moved back to Davao a few years ago after spending 17 years in Canada. He was only four or five when they left Davao. His father Jeramie worked his way up in the kitchens of several Canadian restaurants, gaining the necessary experience and courage to open his own specialty restaurants—Pilgrim and Bairrada Churrasqueria—after resettling.
“For Grateful Bread, we wanted a place where we could get breads and pastries that we were used to getting in Canada but that weren’t available locally,” Noah said. “The items you’ll find here are those we liked to eat there.”
While it’s nice to revisit favorite places and do the same things again, it’s also good to seek out new experiences and flavors when one travels whether it’s making chocolates by hand, mugging for a human drone, or sampling a Montreal bagel in the middle of Davao City.
