Outstanding resorts are supposed to be by the seaside and cut a chunk out of your wallet. The staff should all be dressed in uniforms and you should never meet the owners. They are designed, planned and built to a “T.” The roads to these resorts are always well paved and the parking lots are ample.
Well, if that’s what you expect, you’re not going to find it at The Haven’s Peak in Maragusan, Mindanao, Philippines. In fact, this resort breaks all these rules and is all the more endearing for that very reason. You’ll love the place in spite of its imperfections – maybe even because of them.
When I stumbled off the well-worn bus in Maragusan after a two-hour ride on a road that was part semi-paved, part unpaved and rocky, I then had to climb onto the back of a motorcycle to ride up a steep road with loose rocks that I feared would slip under the tires and send me sprawling on my face. That never happened; we made it to the parking lot safely.
The adventure continued when we got to the parking lot. There, our crew had to mount 208 steps up the side of a mountain. Fortunately there were seats placed along the stairs where we could stop and catch our breath. A couple of young men with strong lungs and legs skittered down the stairs to fetch our bags and carry them back up.
The stairs were crafted from stone, brick, concrete and metal. I’m sure the owner needed a million bricks and a whole year to build them. When we finally reached the top of the stairs, the picture changed completely. The view opened up onto an intimate plaza that was part lobby, part foyer and part restaurant. The restaurant sat solidly on the edge of the mountain and provided a comprehensive view of Maragusan below and the large valley beyond. All of the noise and inconvenience experienced on the trip here was simply not important anymore. I forgot all about it within a few minutes.
As usual, I was operating on a tight budget but I didn’t feel the crunch at The Haven’s Peak. My partner and I stayed in the dorm for less than $14 US per person. Chicken dishes generally topped out around $7 US, a full breakfast less than $2 US.
Interestingly, the owner never set out to build a resort. Her goal was to build a mountain escape for her family, a weekend place where everyone could relax from the hectic city life. As she invited more people to join her, the place became popular among a handful of people who were willing to pay. Over time, the number of paying guests climbed considerably. She built more cottages as the demand grew and also a couple of swimming pools – one for adults and one for children. She then built a function hall. The resort did not grow with a predefined master plan, it grew opportunistically. As a result, the resort has a personal touch – a sense of humanity – that one never finds in resort chains.
The Haven’s Peak is a destination in itself. There is nothing much to do there during the day except perhaps sign up for one of several half-day tours of the local waterfalls or the banana plantation. Simply being at The Haven’s Peak with nothing to do all day is a wonderful experience. The air is clear and unpolluted. The tempo is slow. The landscape is natural. Simply being there allowed me to catch my psychic breath. I truly felt like I was in a haven because I had just left Davao, a city that irritated my throat mercilessly. At The Haven’s Peak I never had a bronchial problem.
Things often picked up at night with karaoke. Karaoke is an integral part of Philippine life and this resort will not disappoint its guests who love this national pastime.
The resort is small; it has 5 cottages and two dorms. The cottages have names drawn from the local tribes in the surrounding hills – Mansaka House (1 & 2), Bagobo House, Ifugao House, and T’Boli House. All of the cottages are cozy, inviting, unique and affordable. None are institutional.
I had the sense that each member of the staff felt that the resort was ‘his’ or ‘hers’. Quite different from the staff at large resorts, where they are trained to comply with a documented set of corporate rules of behavior. Not here. The staff members here are palpably proud to be associated with the resort; it is not simply a place of employment.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the resort is the owner, Edith Julian. Edith started life like tens of millions of other poor Filipinas. Her possessions consisted of little more than a pair of flip-flops and the clothes on her back. However, she was blessed with an innate sense of business, a commitment to succeed, an unwavering commitment to her Christian God and a personality that attracts others to help her reach her goals. She is authentic, down-to-earth and approachable – proud of her achievements without being boastful. When she talks to you, you can feel that she speaks from her heart and that she is only concerned with you. She is focused and never distracted by the hundreds of other issues that must certainly be on her mind. If you visit The Haven’s Peak, do not miss the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about the history of the resort or, for that matter, her own personal history.
If you think you might want to visit this almost-secret hideaway, visit The Havens Peak.
Photo Credits
Photos from thehavenspeak.com
Thank you for sharing it. It really help me narrowing down my choices regarding mountaineering activities this summer. I wish I can visit the place soon.
Jan, this is quite incredible. Seems you are having a blast on your travels. I really enjoy your stories. It makes me want to visit this place one day.
Wishing you all the best.
Hi Jan!
Thanks for sharing this. Looks like such a great and interesting place to visit.
Hope your travels remain safe and filled with good things!
Cheers,
Gil