Cordova Reef Village Resort

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Having a toddler means we don’t get to travel as often as we used to. Between the costs of airline tickets, extra weight (it still baffles me how someone so little can require so much), and plain and simple scheduling, we aren’t left with too many options of places that we can explore for a real vacation.

I’m happy to report that just a quick flight to Cebu takes you to Cordova Reef Village Resort, a beautiful property at the tip of Mactan that is the ideal relaxation spot for a long weekend with a family or group of friends.

Managers Tina and Tomo Nakayama are the perfect hosts since they make it a point to treat all their guests like friends and can accommodate requests like a dinner under the stars or a trip to Island and Sun; the resort’s private sandbar. They even offer you native fruits straight from their trees when you leave.

If you need even more convincing, here are some iPhone snaps from our weekend.

The huge 70 meter pool at Cordova. I spent my first day there doing a 1.5k swim. It was the perfect way to start the unwinding process.

The cabanas are well spaces and deceptively massive inside. You can easily fit a family of four in each one. They have the biggest bed I’ve ever slept on. I also love how the bathrooms are big enough to dance in (not that you would), and that they don’t use those little shampoo bottles that are so bad for the environment.

The view from our cabana. The resort also offers paddle boards and kayaks are available to take out. Carl and I took the paddle boards to a nearby mangrove area to watch the sunset. We didn’t take our cameras with us, but I promise it was Instagram heaven.

Tina and Tomo set up a sunset barbie for our first day that started with some ice cold beer for five thirsty.

The candle-lit dinner set up for our group. We were offered a feast of seafood (fresh from the market), meats on skewers, and lots of wine.

Waking up the next morning and feeling recharged and ready for our day on Cordova Reef’s private sandbar.

Corodova Reef has a private sandbar that you and your group can spend the whole day frolicking on. We sipped fresh buko juice, played in the sand, went paddle boarding and had an amazing lunch.

I’m going to be dreaming about our amazing Louisiana Seafood Boil lunch for a long time. Fat prawns, sausage, corn, whole onions & garlic, baby potatoes, lemon, and bay leaves all boiled together with Cajun spices for the perfect surf and turf.

We caught a beautiful sunset before our boat ride back to the resort.

A quick review of our stay at Cordova Reef:

Accommodations: Extremely comfortable. The resort has been around for a while so don’t expect new amenities, but everything is well maintained and working. A very generous breakfast is also included in your stay.

Food: Delicious. Their menu is limited, but that’s because they make sure each dish is made well. We loved their gambas, spaghetti bolognese, fresh tamarind shake (picked from their trees), and atchara made with macopa.

Activities: Paddle boarding, kayaking, island hopping tours, swimming pool. There are books and boardgames you can borrow and wooden toys for the little ones. Tina says they also plan to offer some classes for their guests.

Tips: Since there are quite a number of trees on the property, mosquitoes are a little rampant. Bug spray is essential.

For more information, please contact Cordova Reef Resort via their website.