Samal island is not part of Davao City, but is most accessible from here. It’s actually a chartered city now, and is officially called the Island Garden City of Samal. The past few years have seen a steady increase in the number of beach resorts on the island, the newest of which is Hof Gorei Beach Resort. The name is pronounced hoff go-rye; “hof” is German for “farm”. The resort is owned by an Austrian couple, Mr. & Mrs. Kröll, but run by the Filipino-turned-Austrian wife, Madame April.
Photos courtesy of Alex D.
Travel agent par excellence Alex, BisayaBloggers.com aggregator site’s Ayeza and I went to Hof Gorei last Sunday (26 August). We were supposed to stay only for the day for a quick look-see, but the very gracious Mme. April had different ideas for us. Good thing we let her convince us to stay overnight. And good thing Monday was a holiday!
From Sta. Ana Pier (beside Magsaysay Park) in Davao, the resort is a 50-minute to one-hour ride by motorized banca. It’s actually a couple of private beachfronts away from the Pearl Farm Beach Resort.
Hof Gorei is already open for business, but you can see that there’s still some construction going on. Mme. April is busy extending the current inventory of rooms, plus more facilities for meetings. What you can see now are airconditioned cottages and hotel-type rooms, and an expanse of greenery all around. The layout of the resort encourages you to go on a relaxing stroll around the property, and then take a stress-relieving dip in the pool.
Ayeza and I spent hours lounging in and around the swimming pool, which has a sunken bar. Beer never tasted so good! 
Speaking of good taste, the cuisine at Hof Gorei is fantastic! Featuring a fusion of European and Filipino cuisine, they serve dishes that excite the palate. We had noodles, Filipino-style steaks, chicken curry, a lumpia dish, sinigang — all of it was satisfyingly good! Mme. April says that she will always make sure that her ingredients are fresh and that they maintain the quality of their cooking.
For dessert after dinner on Sunday, we were served a durian concoction that was absolutely to die for! I’m not sure how it was prepared, but I’ll give it a shot: there was some durian meat that had been lightly cured in cognac, and surrounded by vanilla ice cream. I have no other words to describe it, it was too good!
The three of us felt well taken care of while we were at Hof Gorei, not only by Mme. April but by her well-trained staff. It’s a beach resort that’s ideal for quick getaways, or for extended stays. If you’re of a mind to relax and destress, I’d recommend Hof Gorei.
Click here for their website. For bookings, contact Alex Divinagracia via email.
