Villa Mar Beach Resort : A Wasted Paradise

My mom used to bring us here when we were kids. Villa Mar Beach Resort is probably one of the most common destinations for the people of Cavite City every summer. The resort used to hold a high reputation along with Lido Beach Resort which is just located next to it. Unfortunately, due to many reasons, Villa Mar Beach Resort seems to lost its glory. For someone like me who grew up in Cavite City, I grew up loving this place and I have been here countless times and still find ways to enjoy the place.After so many years, I decided to go back to visit this place. Villa Mar Beach Resort is located at San Rafael IV, Noveleta, Cavite. It is located along the road which serves as the boundary between Noveleta and Cavite City. Known for its black sand, this 3 kilometer long beach resort has many surprising things to offer. It is very interesting to note that two related families run the resort, but management is separate between Villamar 1, on the right side of the resort gate, and Villamar 2, on the left side of the resort gate. Each offers different kind of accommodations. We went here last Easter Sunday and as expected, we were welcomed by such great crowd. The Entrance Fee for the beach is only Php30.00 and that’s probably one the cheapest resort you could ever find. It was way too crowded that time that we cannot find any vacant cottages. We find it so impractical to rent a room either since the place is just one ride away and we are only just a group of four. The prices for tables and cottages near the beach area range from P100 to P250. We just took a spot somewhere near the shore and place our things somewhere they won’t get wet.Two concrete poles that probably came from a building that once stood here.  Villamar Beach Resort has complete facilities for daytime visitors as well as for overnight guests. There are 2 restaurants, shower stalls, shaded picnic tables and gazebos, private rooms, air-conditioned suites, and function rooms.Most of their cottages are near the shore and this is one of them. They offer wonderful accommodations in this place and the visitors have a choice to pick either an air-conditioned or regular rooms ranging from Php500 and above. I have to admit that we really had fun visiting this place after so many years. I was able to enjoy the heat while playing with their black sand but maybe I was expecting too much from this place that I still have those picture-worthy images of the beach on my mind back when I was a child. Unfortunately, a lot of things have changed. The water is so dark and is very itchy too and take note that it is not because of those stingy jellyfishes.The smell of the water is not really good at all and they said that the beach ended up in such unwanted condition because of those heavily polluted water coming from Metro Manila and nearby provinces. We still gave it a shot though!Although I enjoyed my stay, i was quite disappointed to what I saw. There were so many plastics and other garbage floating on the water which actually freaks me out. To add more horror, I even found a diaper near the shore. How irresponsible and ignorant these people are to dispose their trash on the water.Safety wise, there was an overwhelming amount of coast guards roaming around.Palm trees, palm trees everywhere…People bringing their own “Salbabida” (lifebuoy). After being terrified with all that floating trash and that diaper thing, we all decided to get out of the water but someone approached us and give us an offer we could simply resist. A guy with a boat offered us a quick tour in which he will take us on his boat and give us a ride from one end of the beach to another. We paid Php30 per head which is not a bad at all!The view of the resorts (Villa Mar and Lido Beach) from the distanceMy Verdict, well Villa Mar Beach Resort is generally a perfect summer getaway especially for those who are looking for a very affordable rates. The resort may not offer that luxurious experience but all who grew up in Cavite City or nearby towns will surely don’t mind visiting this place despite of its current condition because it brings out so much memories of their childhood. With the current condition of the beach I can say that it is indeed a wasted paradise. It has so much potential yet the beach was somehow neglected. I guess it is not the people who manage the resort should be blamed here but the people who visit the place who do not know how to dispose their trashes properly. I just hope that there’s still a way to bring the beach back to its former glory.