After numerous trips to the
province of Cebu and skipping the opportunity to stay in the island of Mactan,
I must admit of never hearing about Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark before. I
have my assumptions managed to a middling level when I joined fellow travel and
lifestyle writers on a media trip celebrating the resort’s 10th year
anniversary.
Upon our arrival at the
property, reality quickly overtook my median expectations as I stepped inside Jpark’s
open-air lobby. Directing my eyes to several interesting design patterns of the
entrance hall led my eyes to the expansive lawn-covered grounds which stretches
to the waterpark—where shrieks of merriments from guests are heard even from a
far distance. At that moment, Jpark—sounding like a nom de guerre of a heroic
Korean character in a Koreanovela series—instantly
introduced its brand name to me; a 5-star Waterpark Resort and unbeknownst to me
5 seconds ago, one of the island’s tourism attraction frequented by families
from South Korea, Japan and China.
The Country’s only 5-Star Waterpark Resort
Jpark's 17-hectare property
houses a total of 568 rooms, villas and suites, six themed swimming pools, 10
restaurants, activity zones, dive shops and a private beach. Constructed in
2009 as the then Imperial Palace, it rebranded to the Jpark name in 2014 by
combining the name of the founder’s name Mr. Yong Jun Park and the now
full-owner Justin Uy—a known Cebuano businessman.
Through the years, the resort
has become a favorite family destination of tourists from Asia—and more
recently—has also started to attract hordes of local tourists from all over the
Philippines. Not resting on its laurels even if it remains as the country's
only 5-star Waterpark Resort, Jpark still continues to improve through
expansion and introduction of new innovations.
Pororo Indoor Park Grand Opening
Speaking of which, Jpark
also launched its new attraction targeting the young ones: The Pororo Indoor Park. This
indoor park based on the popular Korean children 3D anime television show “Pororo: the Little Penguin” is the first
in the Philippines and only the 18th in the world—with 11 branches located
in South Korea. The park features the show’s main characters: the tender Polar
Bear Poby, the pink beaver Loopy, Eddy the studious Fox and Crong the roguish
but loveable baby dinosaur.
The multi-level theme park
houses an assortment of playrooms quirkily designed with lavish colors and
adorned with various set-ups of interactive games and fun rides. There are more than twenty game rooms to
choose from such as: Patty’s Merry-go-round, Digital Sketch room, Aqua Play
zone, Rodi’s Racing game, Tutu’s 4D rider, Sliding ball pool, Crong’s jungle
gym, Eddy’s sliding car, Pororo Train, Pororo fishing zone and an indoor
two-story high slide.
Every day, the whole gang of
Pororo main characters perform live shows to the delight of the children. To
maximize the Pororo experience of the young guests of the resort, Jpark also transformed
more than 40 rooms to replicate the Pororo universe. These rooms come with
Pororo-inspired interiors and are furnished with ball pits, trampolines and mini
slides in the living area of the one-bedroom suites.
Celebrating Jpark’s 10th at the new Triton Ballroom
Coinciding with the
celebration of the 10th anniversary of Jpark Island Resort and
Waterpark, is the unveiling of the newly-refurbished Triton Ball. Influenced by
the mystical underwater kingdom of King Triton, this spacious ballroom is laden
with advance lighting and sound system technology and an interior design that
incorporated modern and indigenous local materials.
The Triton Ball can accommodate
1,000 people in a Banquet setting, sit 1,500 people in a cocktail set-up, and
entertain 2,000 guests in a Theatre setting.
Musical performances from
Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano, his daughter Kiana and Opera performer Zsarie
Vidal concluded the festive celebration which also saw Jpark’s employees,
tourism partners and media friends being honored on stage for their numerous
contributions in expanding the market of Jpark to all of Asia.
Jpark’s Expansion Plans
As the curtains drop at the
grand Triton Ball to cap the festive 10-year celebration of Jpark Island
Resort, each of the guests are convinced that the future of this 5-star
waterpark looks brighter than before. Earlier in the evening, Chairman and
President Justin Uy revealed plans for future development penciled in some of
the most scenic provinces in the Philippines. “We are looking at year 2020 to open our new property in Panglao, Bohol.
We also have plans for Cordova, and Oslob here in Cebu, and Anda in Bohol. We
are also considering Siargao and Palawan in the near future” Uy said.
The Jpark brand—with its
hefty goals and long tradition of high quality service—is in a great place and has
cemented its place to become a leading player in the country’s hospitality and
tourism industry for many years to come.
*Photo credits (Pororo Park c/o Jpark Resort, Drone shot c/o Wanderlass)
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