Visiting Malabuyoc’s Fern Valley Resort

When my friend Anne posted some photos of a new spot in Malabuyoc, I knew I had to check it out right away. Her roots are from Malabuyoc and she’d been talking for days about it. I had been to Malabuyoc several times in the past, and as a matter of fact, I had also visited a number of its amazing natural spots. But I couldn’t recognize the spot that she was talking about even though she swore that I’d already been there.

So, one fine Saturday morning, I decided to get on my bike and head south.

Here’s what happened.

It turned out that this new spot was actually located just below the Kabutongan Falls in Barangay Looc in Malabuyoc. (Please read my post about Kabutongan Falls where I talked about its location, parking space, expenses, and experience HERE)

After parking my bike at the parking spot in front of a small house by the river, I started trekking towards the resort. Anne’s instruction was to just follow the path across the river and towards the waterfall. That’s it. And true enough, around 100 meters from the reception area of Kabutongan Falls, I saw a new development that wasn’t there during my previous visits.

As soon as I arrived at the resort, I saw a guy who told me that entrance fee was Php 20 per head. After paying twenty pesos, I was able to ‘enter’ the resort.

The resort’s main feature is basically just the natural river (fed by the Kabutongan Waterfall system.) They, however, managed to make the river look like a giant pool by placing concrete embankment on both banks.

Near the mini drop which feeds the pool, they also placed a long slab of concrete to make the water deeper.

Here’s a closer look at the drop that feeds the Fern Valley pools.

The water here is a bit deep (so naturally, I didn’t swim here. *wink*)

Water flows from the deep pool down to an even bigger pool.

The water is crystal clear and very refreshing. It’s perfect after a very long and tiring trip from the city.

Here’s a view of the huge pool (which is thankfully not that deep.)

This huge extended flat area is perfect for young kids who couldn’t swim.

I spotted some fish in the water.

That’s me enjoying the water. I was the only one at the resort at that time.

There are several huts or ‘cottages’ scattered along the river. You can rent one for a low as 150 pesos. I, however, didn’t get one because I was there for only for around an hour. Good thing they weren’t too strict about that.

So here’s one thing that puzzles me: What is the real name of this resort?

Is it Green Villas Resort?

Or is it Fern Valley Resort?

Anne told me that they refer to it as Fern Valley. On my way back to the main highway, a guy also asked me where ‘Fern Valley’ was. So, that explains why I decided to call it Fern Valley as well. I apologize if it turns out that this isn’t exactly the actual name.

Anyway, this is what the edge of the pool looks like. They have created a barrier to hold back the water to make it deeper and more suitable for swimming. The spillover is what continues flowing towards the ocean.

I enjoyed the water for around thirty minutes before finally going back to my motorbike. Another thirty minutes later, I was in the beautiful southern town of Santander.

I later made a snack stop in the town of Boljoon to enjoy the view of the deformed Ili Rock. (Now referred to as the Ili Rock Viewing Deck)

And of course the big open sea in front of the town church.

What do you think of Fern Valley aka Green Villas Resort? Do you think the development can help increase tourist visits in Malabuyok? Do you know what the official name of the resort is? Let me know in the comments below!