Costa Marina: A Relaxing Beach Destination Without the Crowds

Dabawenyos are lucky to have easy access to the white sand beaches of Samal Island. Any day of the week, they can just take a pumpboat or barge from the Sasa area and they can reach their destination after 15 minutes (particularly the resorts in Babak fronting Davao City).

One of my favorite beach resorts now that I highly recommend is Costa Marina. It's adjacent to Paradise Island Resort but is smaller in area and with less crowd. I learned from one staff that the owners of Costa Marina and Paradise Island resorts are cousins from the Rodriguez clan.

Costa Marina Beach Resort

Costa Marina has a different ambiance. It's more laid back and what I like the most is it's not very crowded even on weekends (although this depends on the season because sometimes, large groups also go there).

Food is not a problem as there's a restaurant serving many kinds of Filipino dishes. Their prices are very affordable.

The main reception area where you can order food. 

This beautiful garden at the side of the main reception area caught my attention. 

There are cottages as well situated in different areas. There's one big cottage close to the beach while the others are on the hilly sections of the resort with balconies that offer a great view of the sea.

If you're not staying the night, there are tables and chairs (including the lounging type) on the beach area that are free to use.

Entrance fee to the resort is P150 per person while the fee for the pumpboat is P15 per person. If you don't want to wait long for the other guests, just pay P150 for the entire trip (one way). Costa Marina and Paradise Island share the same docking area in Sasa.