Dole Kalsangi sits at the foot of Mt.Matutum, a mountain famous of its challenges and large old century trees. It has been always my dream to visit this place as I heard a lot of good comments and saw a lot of grandeur photos from some of my friends whose family members work at Dole Philippines (Dolefil). But as backpacker stories and pictures are not enough, thus when I happened to be invited for a Corporate Social Responsibility day tour, with the end part of the itinerary to dine at Dole Kalsangi, without a doubt I registered for the tour. On the way to Dole Kalsangi (highest point), acres of full grown pineapples welcome us with the almost perfect cone of Mt.Matutum as the backdrop. The road to Kalsangi is a slight uphill dirt road, perfect for all terrain vehicles, motorcycle, and mountain bikes. You could easily notice if you're already closed to the exclusive residential once you feel the cool breeze of the wind and the hundreds of Norfolk Pine trees along the road (left and right side). This grand entrance to the golf course serves now as the top destination for those who wanted to take a pre-nuptial photos and videos, same as what happened to my friend Jaime Espina. Once you reached the entrance gate, you will be asked for your reservation and the Dolefil regular employee should appear in front of the guard on duty. One Dolefil employee is only allowed to bring a maximum of 10 guests, then atleast one of the guest should present one valid ID and afterwards the gate will be wide open.
When we entered the vicinity the first thing which I notice was the design of the managers and directors houses, it reminds me of the architecture, atmosphere of US as I had seen from movies, magazines and books. The houses have no gates, the surroundings and lawns are very well maintained. Everything seems to be perfect, this type of environment would surely make anyone feel comfortable and stress free from the buzzing city life. It was mentioned also that Norfolk pine trees before usually are cut down to serve as Christmas trees for the Expats managers. But nowadays since mostly of the managers are from the locality of the Philippines, the trees were never cut down anymore and have grown taller making the place a more peaceful and cool environment.
We arrived at Dolefil past the hour of 12:00pm a perfect time to taste the continental foods. There were different viands for their continental dishes, there were shrimps, beef, pork, fish and it is all garnished very well with healthy vegetables and the plating was excellent. It was also the first time; I happened to see a number of chefs working hand in hand while the guest/visitors could freely looked at chefs as they prepare the sumptuous meals. I was served with a slice of salmon, the taste was very perfect and it reminds me of our product tasting with Big Bay Glory. The garnish not only served as decoration but was also perfect with their vinegar. I don't know exactly the name of the vinegar, perhaps I was carried over of its superb sour taste, a perfect partner for all types of viands. Each one of us was also served with Kalabasa (squash) soup which was very creamy, smooth and delicious. It was mentioned also that their sandwiches and giant burgers is a must try. After we had our free lunch, we were treated with nestle chocolate temptations as our dessert. To make our Dolefil experienced complete, we were served with their famous pineapple juices and it was very refreshing.
Within the area, is an 18 hole golf course club, the picturesque was very perfect, to the point that I wanted to lie the lawn under shade of the Norfolk pine trees but since it was not allowed, then I have no choice but just to stare the beauty of Kalsangi has to offer. Aside from the golf course, they also have Olympic size swimming pool, children's playground, tennis court, a view deck where you could see Polomolok and a portion of Gensan, Sarangani Bay and of course Mt. Matutum. They also have large board games of snakes and ladders and chess with giant pieces. Since the whole place was occupied due to a number of guest and visitors, we haven't tried playing it.
Note:
Dole Kalsangi is an exclusive residential, in order to witness and experience the place, you have to ask a sponsorship from any of Dolefil regular employees and he/she will booked your way to this magnificent place on Polomolok, South Cotabato. Ask your sponsor also to guide you on your way to the club. Enjoy Kalsangi at its best. Jump shot :) hehehehe. This was just a side trip after the Dolefil Chairs for Trees visit.
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