Club Tara Resort is one of the pioneer resorts that created stilts type of cottages. It has been more than 10 years since Club Tara Resort in Surigao Del Norte was built.
Website: https://www.clubtara-surigao.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clubtararesort/
Contact Number: 0917 522 5500
Email: [email protected]
Address: Bucas Grande Island, Socorro, Surigao del Norte, 847 00 Mindanao, Philippines
Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/bgMCZZMgo1bDXFNRA
Where to Book?
We highly suggest that you book through Agoda because sometimes the prices here are cheaper than booking in the actual website. Plus, sometimes you can choose the free cancellation and pay later option.
Quick Links
- Where to Book
- Arriving in the Resort
- Jacuzzi Water Cottages
- The Vicinity of Club Tara Resort
- Activities in Club Tara Resort
- Food
- Menu
- Room Rates
- How to get to Club Tara Resort
- Happy and Busy’s Smileys
Arriving in the Resort
When we entered the vicinity of the resort, we immediately saw the stilt cottages.
Then our boat parked in the dock.
There is no other way of going in the resort aside from riding a boat.
We were soon greeted by Bongga, the resident dog. She is a gentle loving dog who loves to bark on boatmen and show affection to tourists.
Here is the dining area near the reception. We did not immediately checked in because it was just 8AM. Check in time is at 2PM, so, we had a tour in Bucas Grande first, then we checked-in when we returned.
Jacuzzi Water Cottages
After our half day tour in Bucas Grande, we checked in our cottage.
We were immediately awed by the beauty of the cottage. Yes it is already old, but it still looks good.
Furniture
The rattan chairs are the old style which were made by real rattan.
Bed
Our bed was decorated simply.
Other features
A refrigerator, toiletries, bottled water, and a large desk is available. The refrigerator is already old, the inside looked a bit rusty already, but it was fine.
There are also some native decorations to complete the ambiance of the cottage.
The view from the window
Our view out the window was spectacular. We can see the ocean and the forest.
This is what we see when we wake up.
Comfort Room
One of the main features of the cottage is the Jacuzzi of the comfort room.
So, of course we had to enjoy it.
Busy and I stayed in the Jacuzzi for a few hours. It was nice looking at the view while taking a rest in the tub.
There is also a shower area, a sink, table, and a toilet bowl. The divider of the areas in the comfort room were made out of Rattan, which is already deteriorating.
The Vicinity of Club Tara Resort
While we were in the resort, we explored the vicinity of Club Tara Resort.
The vicinity is just so majestic, The biodiversity is so rich! There are a lot of trees on the islands, the water is so clean, there are a lot of corals, and there is a lot of fishes, sea urchins, and crabs around! We can even see some small fishes jumping because they are being eaten by bigger fishes. Plus, you can just sit there and relax and hear different sounds of birds and animals.
Plus, just right below the cottages, reception area, and dinning area, there are a lot of fishes!
It is also nice to see the stilt cottages from a far. We stayed there in the first cottage, the first renovated cottage. The resort is renovating the roofs one cottage at a time.
Activities in Club Tara Resort
Paddle Board and Kayak
There are some Paddle Boards and Kayak available in the resort, guests can use it for free.
We first used the paddle board, but we shifted to the kayak because we wanted to watch the bats at dusk. Then, in the morning, we again used it to go to the nearby beach, which is a bit far.
Go to the Nearby Beach
There is a nearby beach so Busy and I went there to explore it.
It is a bit far from the resort, but we can still see the resort from here.
The sand on the beach is white but nit that fine. But it was great relaxing there because it was like an untouched area. There are a lot of dead leaves and s few small stones.
Fruit Bat Watching
During our first day, we went to a part of the cove wherein there were a lot of fruit bats.
Here is a quick video on what we saw.
Swimming
Aside from the ocean, a swimming pool is also available. We did not use the pool because we enjoyed swimming in the ocean.
Fish Feeding
As we have mentioned earlier, there is a lot of fishes near the dinning area and the cottages. We fed the fishes around with a few rice, I think it is around 1 teaspoon for a span of 2 days. If you wish to do this, please make sure that the rice has no oil, condiments, or any viand, and please do it moderately.
Food
Generally their dishes were a bit pricey for what will be served because all of their supplies should be delivered to them by a boat.
Corned Beef, Rice, and Fried Egg
For breakfast there were 3 choices, but we all ordered Corned Beef, Rice, and Egg because we think this is the heaviest. 😆
Pork Humba
For lunch, one of our viand is Pork Humba. It tasted okay.
Pork BBQ
We also ordered some Barbecue for our lunch.
The Pork BBQ is served in 2 sticks, and the meat were a bit small. It looked like some of the pork from the Pork Humba were also used here.
Pork Sisig
Sisig is a famous dish in the Philippines. It is made out of Chopped Pork, onions, some spices, and topped with an egg.
The dish was served to us with a medium heat, so the plate is not sizzling anymore. It is just okay because we still managed to cook the egg.
Chicken BBQ
We ordered the last Chicken Barbecue available for our lunch. It also tasted okay, but not that great.
Kinilaw
Filipino version of Ceviche is Kinilaw. It is made out of fish cooked in vinegar. Well not really cooked, the fish is just soaked in vinegar, so after some time the fish “cooks” in vinegar.
Menu of Club Tara Resort
Here is the menu of the resort for reference.
Room Rates based in their Website
| Room | No. of Persons | Price |
| Standard Room (Garden View) | 2 | 2,575.00 |
| Standard Room (Garden View) | 4 | 4,120.00 |
| Family Room (Garden View) | 6 | 6,180.00 |
| Family Room (Garden View) | 8 | 8,240.00 |
| Jacuzzi Water Cottages | 2 | 4,686.50 |
| Sea View Family Water Cottages | 4 | 5,356.00 |
How to get to Club Tara Resort?
(Taken from the resort’s response to our question)
From Surigao Airport:
- Ride a passenger van for Php 120/head to Hayangabon Port, or the resort can arrange a private van for Php 2,000/way/van for 1hr and 20 mins.
- In Hayangabon port the resort can arrange a private boat to Club Tara for Php 1500/way/boat for 40 to 45 mins.
From Siargao/Sayak airport:
- Ride a passenger van for Php150/head to Dapa port, or the resort can arrange a private van for Php 1500/way/van.
- In Dapa port, there is a passenger boat to Socorro. The trip starts at 6 AM up to 12 noon.
- In Socorro, the resort can arrange a private boat to Club Tara resort for Php 1500/way/boat.
- Ride a passenger van for Php 150/head to Dapa boulevard, or the resort can arrange a private van for for Php 1500/way/van.
- In Dapa boulevard the resort can arrange a private boat to Club Tara Resort for Php 2500/way/boat.
- Airport to Dapa port or Dapa boulevard is 15 to 30 mins by van.
- Dapa by ferry to Socorro is 1 hour.
- Socorro to Club Tara is 45 minutes by boat.
- Dapa Boulevard to Club Tara is 1 hour and 30 minutes by boat.
From Siargao/Gen Luna:
Happy and Busy’s Smileys
We just stayed in the resort for 2 days, but it’s not even enough to enjoy it. I hope we can visit the resort again.
Cleanliness
The surroundings are always clean, aside from the on-going construction. We can really also say that the water around the resort was well taken care of because there is a lot of fishes.
Facilities
Use of Kayak and Paddle Board are free, but it is noticeable that the board and the paddles were already old. The cottages were also old, that’s why they have a construction during our visit. They renovate one cottage at a time.
Service
Value for money
Location
The resort is not that easy to go to. We had to rent a boat to go to the resort which can add to our cost of staying here.
Ambiance
Food
We would like to thank our friend Michael Sarabia for some of the pictures.
More of our hotel and resort reviews at https://happyandbusytravels.com/category/hotels/
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