360-Degree View

360-Degree View

by John Benedict N. Du

            As we were looking for a place for our family reunion, we came across a resort while roaming the city of Gensan. We got curious so we decided to explore it. We were then welcomed and the people allowed us to explore the resort to our hearts’ content with a golf cart. It was then we realized that in the city of General Santos lies a wonderful and relaxing place called Mt. Sabrina Mountain View Resort.

This wonderful place started out as a rest house of Mr. Soledad ‘Sol’ Mananquil which he gradually opened to the public. It took a year to construct the hotel and its famous tuna-shaped swimming pool which is open from 6am to 10 pm. The resort consists of 25 rooms and a function hall where the 2^nd reception of Shamsey Supsup and the prayer meeting of Manny Pacquiao were held. This resort also has an outdoor Jacuzzi, in-house food catering, city tour packages and laundry services. This resort is famous for its 360-degree panoramic view of General Santos City and is duly maintained by 40 people.

After exploring the resort, we then went to its restaurant and ordered their best-sellers. Some of them are tuna kare-kare and tuna belly but the one that amazes me most is the big eye tuna head paksiw.

The eye is even bigger than a cup of rice. It is a good thing that we ate during Christmas because we got discounts. Unfortunately, all rooms were fully booked when we arrived because of the holidays. When we went to check out the rooms, we were then greeted by employees who wore cowboy hats and plaid shirts. The rooms offered air conditioning, hot and cold shower, refrigerator with a mini bar, a flat screen TV with cable and free wifi access. We then learned that the resort has a ranch theme because of its horses and its future plans of building a horse-back riding arena. Other future plans include a wave pool, zip lines, an ATV track, and a golf course.

            According to Mr. Mark Banglaw, manager of Mt. Sabrina Mountain View Resort, you can see the whole of General Santos City from Sarangani Bay all the way to Mt. Matutum.

The resort is also proud of its head chef, Jefferson Bryan Mananquil who is the grandson of Mr. Sol Mananquil. He graduated in Australia acquiring the “Certificat de Chef de Partie”. During the weekends, the resort is full of guests and they usually go there for gatherings and for relaxation.

According to one of the customers, Jessica Yabut, she found out about it when her family had lunch there. She thought it was “an okay place” because she likes mountains but it was hot since it was an afternoon. She also liked the ranch-theme of the resort and the food is very satisfying and good. She also said that the service is fast.

            Given with what the resort currently offers, Mt Sabrina Mountain View Resort seems to be a decent place but has much to improve on, compared to others, especially resorts that have been around longer and have more noteworthy amenities. However, with future plans such as a wave pool, zip lines, an ATV track, and a golf course, they are off to a good start and were able to serve its purpose for people in Gensan to celebrate special occasions. It has the relaxing atmosphere, hotels, pools, golf carts, and a flavourful selection of food everything you need to relax and to keep you entertained. It is a very competitive resort and it is always improving. I look forward to future additions especially the zip line and the wave pool. It’s a shame that I only visited there once last Christmas but I will always look forward to my next visit as soon as I finish my homework.