STILTS - FORMERLY ROSEGOLD RESORT THEN RESIDENCE INN ARE CALATAGAN'S BEACH HOUSES STANDING OUT AT SEA

We departed Matabungkay and proceeded south towards Calatagan where our next destination, STILTS will be.  The picturesque view of Matabungkay fades away from our eyes as the day started gloomy with the impending arrival of Typhoon Odette.  The sea was calm but windy.  The "balsa" lay empty in the frolicking waters and people just started coming out of their abodes to start their day anew.

The journey to Calatagan was met with heavy rains but eventually dissipated as we finally arrive in Calatagan.  We passed by Punta Baluarte, a sprawling ranch owned by the Zobel and Ayalas.  When we finally arrived in Stilts, I discovered that there had been a lot of changes since I last went there several years back.  The place was previously called Rosegold Resort which was eventually changed to Residence Inn.  There were still a Tiger Safari being conducted for tourists during that time but they are long gone now after having changed ownership and the tigers transferred to Subic Safari up to the present.  Its new name now is "Stilts" which is the definition for poles where it serves as the foundation of beach houses set our at sea.

We visited Stilts on a day tour.  Staying overnight will require you to make reservations because the resort does not accept walk-in guests who intend to stay overnight.  Rates are more affordable for the high-end vacationer.  I think the strategy here is keeping the guests at a lower number by prescribing high prices.  This in turn will prevent the place from deteriorating fast because number of guests are kept within the carrying capacity of the place.

This is the Calatagan Resort Restaurant that caters to the food and refreshments of resort guests.  The resort charges corkage fees for food and drinks brought in from the outside.  So all guests are pretty much required to dine-in and pay for the food they eat.  Well, the resort probably wants to maintain the cleanliness of the resort by preventing picnickers from indiscriminately littering the place with picnic trash from food brought in from the outside.

    There are 2 types of accommodation one can avail in the resort.  One would be the houses on stilts and the other one the beach side cottages.  Rates for the different rooms will vary depending on the size, number of people and location. Overall, guests will enjoy a significant amount of privacy while enjoying the different beach activities and swimming in style in both the swimming pool and beach.

The swimming pool hasn't changed since I last took a dip here several years back.  It has been maintained clean through the years.  This is the type of vacation that I usually prefer.  I love resorts that have both swimming pool and beach at the same time because you get to experience the best of both worlds at the same time.