Raymond Roldan and his wife Janeth Roldan pose amid the scenic view of the family-owned resort, Vita Isola. Contributed photo
The couple Raymond and Janeth Roldan, known in Boholano society as the stalwarts in the local business scene, only wished to build a retirement home but instead created an awesome resort.
After 25 years of working in the technology retail industry, Raymond and wife Janeth looked forward to enjoying retirement here. The husband and wife team owns the establishment called Save N’ Earn, the largest telecom chain in the Visayas islands with over 40 retail outlets and a few wholesale clients, too.
The couple bought a property overlooking the Bohol sea in the town of Loon and built a rest house there that was eyed to be a retirement home too. At the same time, the couple started a small organic farm in the property.
That was the original plan.
Yet, an article Raymond read in a magazine inspired him to expand the retirement home idea into something much more spectacular, thus the birth of Vita Isola, a resort farm located in Loon town.
“I read in a magazine that another telco guy opened a farm and tourism concept somewhere in Luzon,” Raymond in a magazine interview said.
“It’s called Costales Farm. I also attended a conference on agritourism, with former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor. And one of the speakers was [current] Tourism Secretary Berna Puyat. That’s when I realized, pwede pala ito.”
Today, Vita Isola, is a scenic property hosting an organic garden, aqua farm, restaurant, events space, and boutique resort, among others.
The 1-hectare property in Loon is perfectly designed to create a world-class resort atmosphere. The property features a two-story house with a restaurant on the ground floor and the couple’s private living section at the second floor.
The property has a two-bedroom house named La Casita that caters to guests for overnight stay.
What started to be a property with an organic farm is now a spectacular resort area considered as one of Bohol tourism’s best kept secrets. The property was opened in 2018 and it is just an hour away from the international airport located in Panglao town.
Vita Isola’s main attraction is its soothing to the eyes landscapes, coupled with its unbridled peace and quiet.
“Before the pandemic, we got mostly European guests here,” Janeth said.
“We’re not far from Cabilao Island, one of the best dive spots here in Bohol,” she added.
Vita Isola offers a lot of beautiful things to do for the guests such as water sports activities including kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding. One can also have the best time as he goes fishing.
Moreover, the property features an aqua culture farm where guests can catch some bangus, kitong, pompano, and abalone, among others.
The resort may also help guests arrange tours like island hopping or a mangrove tour.
The in-house organic restaurant serves the guests homemade, delicious Boholano dishes
For the Roldans, running the property as a resort was never the original idea.
The pandemic impacted the resort’s operations but during the Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) on Sept. 2020, Tourism Secretary Puyat paid the couple a visit. Puyat told the couple to be ready once Bohol reopens for tourism activities.
“This was one of the destinations (that DOT chose to highlight),” Raymond said.
Future plans of the resort include building of more rooms as the current accommodations are limited.
The open spaces in the resort are used in open-air events where social distancing is a must such as wedding receptions.
So if you are looking for an out of the ordinary vacation in Bohol why not try Vita Isola.