There are only a few hotels/resorts in Lake Sebu but given the number of tourists attracted to visiting this part of Mindanao (thanks to social media), I believe a lot of other accommodation options will surely pop up here and there in the next few years. I just wish that the local tourist office will be able to control this influx and ensure that the natural beauty of Lake Sebu will not be exploited and the culture of its T’boli tribe will be preserved.
Compare prices or book here:
- Dolores Lake Resort thru Agoda
- Dolores Lake Resort via Klook
- Direct booking via Dolores Lake Resort Facebook page
Why We Chose Dolores Lake Resort
One of the most famous accommodation in Lake Sebu is Punta Isla Lake Resort however I was drawn more to Dolores Lake Resort for several reasons:
- It was a relatively newer resort in the area.
- It had a pool, which I don’t know if we had time for, but it’s there.
- It was right beside the lake and based on its location, it should offer a good view of the sunset.
- It was offering an introductory promo during our visit.
- It seem to be the only 4-star hotel in the area at a relatively affordable price.
- And most important of all, it had a sister resort in General Santos City which allowed us to leave our huge luggage behind as we went on an overnight trip in Lake Sebu.
Location
So expectation versus reality….LOCATION is perfect as expected!
- It is located right smack at the edge of the lake so it actually has direct access to it. Unfortunately, Dolores Lake Resort does not offer boat rides or lotus flower tours (as of our visit) which Punta Isla Lake Resort was already offering. Hopefully, it will soon.
- It is not directly facing the sunset but you are able to see the gorgeous sunset colors from the property.
- It is also a 3-minute walking distance from Punta Isla Lake Resort if you plan on taking a day trip to this more established resort. Apart from their boat rides, Punta Isla Lake Resort also have a Floating Restaurant, several cultural shows scheduled throughout the week and they are known for their tilapia dishes. If you want to know more about Punta Isla Lake Resort, you can check out this blog here: https://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2014/05/resort-in-lake-sebu-punta-isla-lake-resort.html
- It is a 5-minute walking distance from the T’boli Museum and a 10-minute drive from Lake Sebu van terminal. Restaurants are limited with only Dolores Lake Resort’s own restaurant and the one in Punta Isla Lake Resort as your choices but you should be able to drive to the highway for about 10 minutes to find decent restaurants with overlooking view of the lake.
Click on the map below to see Dolores Lake Resort’s exact location:
Superior Room
We booked a Superior Room which is the cheapest room for two. As much as we would like to get a matrimonial bed, Superior Rooms only had options for 2 separate beds. Otherwise, if a couple prefers one bed then they wouldn’t have a choice but book the Deluxe Room for P600 more.
At the time of our stay, the resort has four (4) different kinds of rooms and the room rates per night are as follows:
- Standard Room (good for 1) – P1,800
- Superior Room (good for 2 with twin beds) – P2,600
- Deluxe Room (good for 2 with 1 queen bed) – P3,200
- Executive Suite (good for 3 pax with 1 king size bed) – P3,800
If you need an extra bed, the rate would be P600 per person with breakfast. The rates above are inclusive of taxes and includes free breakfast, welcome fruit and drinks, free use of swimming pool and free parking spaces for guests.
These rates as subject to change without prior notice, so make sure you contact the resort and double check before booking.
The rooms are fully air-conditioned with cable TV and free WiFi. The bathrooms have hot and cold shower and they provide free toiletries (body wash, hand soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste and the usual hand and bath towels). The room is also provided with a safety deposit box, telephone system and free bottled water and coffee in your mini-bar.
The superior room that we booked is actually pretty comfortable. The bedding, blanket and pillows are similar to 5-star hotels in terms of quality, cleanliness (judging by the look and smell) and comfort. The lightings are sufficient and you have your lamp shade to use as reading light or night light while you sleep. There is also a safety deposit box under your bedside table where you can keep your valuables while you go out on your adventures.
The only struggle was that there is only one lampshade in the middle of two beds instead of one for each bed. In which case, you have to share the lampshade with your roommate and this means that if the wife wants the lampshade on but the husband doesn’t, the husband has to submit to authority, meaning the wife of course! It’s like that meme I saw online that says “My girlfriend wanted a cat. I didn’t want a cat so we compromised and got a cat.” LOL! Having said that, I wanted the lampshade on so the husband can’t do nothing about it!
Another complaint was having no phone available to call reception, so you would have to go all the way up to the front desk if you have any requests or questions. This is a minor issue but would be very helpful if they have a phone in the room for convenience, which I think goes both ways. If the reception needs to speak with the guests, then it would be more efficient and less time-consuming for them if they can just give the guests a quick call.
We were also expecting a room with a view. Our room had a view but not quite what we were looking for. You wouldn’t be able to see the view from your window but instead, between you and the lake view is the corridor leading up to the rooms. You can roll up the curtains and be able to see the lake — obstructed but you still see it — but you also see people passing by, which doesn’t really give you any privacy. So instead of enjoying the view, we ended up just drawing the curtains close. But looking at the bright side, when you go outside the room, you are able to see this gorgeous horizon over the lake. The photo above was taken around 3:00 PM so you can expect a more beautiful and more colorful sky when the sun sets.
Free bottled water and coffee are also provided daily. The bottled water is a bit too small but I think you can always ask more water from reception or from the restaurant if needed, especially if you want to make coffee in your room. Chips are also provided in case you get hungry in the middle of the night but as with all other resorts, you’ll have to pay for it. You also have some other beverages available in the refrigerator for a fee and some chocolates which I only noticed now when I looked back at the photos. Prices are provided in a list so you can contemplate on whether spending significantly more or just wait for a few more hours and buy the same thing for half the price in the nearest store. And oh by the way, I didn’t really notice any sari-sari stores in the area so I guess, you’ll have to go all the way to the town proper to buy your chips and beverages.
Bathroom
Dolores Lake Resort can not be more generous with their towels. Towels of all sorts are provided in each rooms. They’ve got face towels by the sink, hand towels and bath towels by the shower area. And if you think that was enough, they also provide guests with beach towels in the cabinet, which you can use if you want to swim by the pool. I was thinking of also saying “if you want to swim in the lake” but I haven’t really seen anyone do that during our stay. The water is too murky and a bit smelly but you’ll never know.
Sufficient toiletries are also provided — body wash, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, toothpaste and toothbrush. And everything comes in two’s.
And as with all other 4-star and 5-star hotels, you’ve got your free slippers, too!
Reception
The reception was very helpful and courteous but a tad bit slow. There was not a lot of guests during our stay but for some reason, it took us nearly an hour to be checked in. I took this time to enjoy the view from the restaurant and take good photos for the blog. My husband chose to stay by the front desk in the hopes of expediting the process of checking in. Not sure what his strategy was (maybe display his tired and sleepy face all over the reception area) but it obviously didn’t work.
Restaurant
The restaurant was by far my favorite part of the resort. It is overlooking the lake and provided a better view than our room since it was one floor up. It was also very well-lit having all glass windows from floor to ceiling on both sides. It also had these cute abaniko ceiling fans which reminded of some beautiful 5-star resorts in Panglao. The restaurant was also very clean and very well-maintained.
We went for breakfast right after our lotus flower boat tour and after a quick visit to Punta Isla Lake Resort. They would start serving breakfast at around 7:00 AM and closes at 10:00 AM. I really appreciated that there was no other guests when we were having breakfast and we got to chat with the restaurant staff. We got topnotch service and undivided attention from them obviously because there was no one else apart from us. There was not a lot of choices for breakfast but it was sufficient. And basing on the number of guests during our stay, the serving and food choices in the buffet were more than enough. The food was surprisingly quite good especially the bacon and sausages. My husband was also able to ask the staff to prepare an omelette just like how he prepares it at home. Customized service at its finest!
But my favorite of all during that breakfast was the blue ternate milk tea!!! And I can’t stress that enough with exclamation points. I am a huge fan of blue ternate or butterfly pea or how others playfully call it clitoria ternatea.
Not a lot of people know and appreciate the benefits of this tea and I was so surprised that this resort actually serves it. This is surely the first time that I encountered any hotel, or any restaurant for that matter, that serves blue ternate tea. And it was really good!!!
I was too shy to ask how they did it or what the ingredients were but this is definitely not how we do it at home. I ordered the hot milk tea but would have loved to try out the Asian Pigeons Wings juice, too, which is probably equally good. I would have also tried the Blue Bell Tilapia Ice Cream, which is basically blue ternate ice cream with tilapia flakes sprinkled on top. Weird but definitely worth a try!
We ran out of time to try them out as we had to leave for our tour then leave for General Santos City right after. At least we have something to look forward to when we plan to come back.
Overall, I would rate our stay with an 8.5 out of 10. A few improvements in the check-in process and few more fixes in the rooms, and it would be a perfect 10. The price might seem to be a bit expensive but given its location, the amenities and the service you’ll get, I think it’s really value for money.
If you’d like to check prices, you can compare prices here:
- Dolores Lake Resort thru Agoda
- Dolores Lake Resort via Klook
- Direct booking via Dolores Lake Resort Facebook page
You can also call them up using the contact information below just in case they have promos.
Address: Sitio Tukofol, Lake Sebu,South Cotabato
Mobile number: 0917-830-2330
Email: [email protected]
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/doloreslakeresortofficial
Website: http://doloreshotels.ph/dolores-lake-resort-2
