A paradise in Guimaras

By MICHAEL APOSTOL

April 13, 2011, 11:28am

Garden enthusiast Neptune Pittman with her husband Charles at the front entrance of their Guimaras place called Neptune Pittman's Garden Resort.

GUIMARAS, Philippines -- The small island province of Guimaras is fast becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the  Philippines.  The island’s beautiful beaches, verdant forests, and picturesque landscape are just among the highlights of Guimaras. Also, its friendly people have made tourists want to revisit the place. Among the more prominent residents of the island is Mrs. Neptune Pittman, who lives in a colorful house surrounded by an equally colorful garden. The property, which covers roughly 1.2 hectares  of  land, is home to a fabulous collection of exotic and organic plants.

Neptune Pittman is a retired microbiologist who worked as a medical technologist in Saudi Arabia. In 2003, she and her Australian husband Charles, a retired pilot, decided to turn their home in Buenavista into a garden paradise filled with blooming flowers and willowy trees. In 2006, they became hoteliers when they transformed their home into a botanical garden resort called Neptune Pittman’s Garden Resort. Today, she’s among the island’s biggest champions. She now serves as Chairperson of the Guimaras Tourism Council.

Mrs. Pittman has long been a garden enthusiast, so it was natural for her to have a beautiful garden in the house. “It started as a hobby, I love collecting and taking care of plants. Then people started visiting the place and marveled at my exotic plants. And more and more people wanted to see them so, I thought of turning the place into a garden resort.” she said.

The garden is a repository of many rare plant species. Guests who might have a green thumb are always welcome to have a chat with Mrs. Pittman who loves to share interesting information about the plants. She also gives advice on how to maintain their own gardens.  Among the plants that can be seen in the garden is  the Jadevine. Mrs. Pittman describes the plant as the “Pride of the Philippines.” It’s said to thrive in the deep jungles of Quezon province. Also in the garden is the Zarraca, dubbed as the king of the flowering trees. And there is the Brownia, which Pittman says is the Zarraca’s female counterpart. And believe it or not, Pittman has a Japanese maple and fig tree in her garden! Also, there are several varieties of Gumamelas, and flowering vines and varieties of Macopa trees.

The main house and the guest rooms in the Pittman resort are also sights to behold. The place can accommodate up to 60 guests. It has a conference hall,  a Spa Cottage, and an outdoor tennis court.

There are three guest rooms in the Pittman house, all of which were decorated by Pittman herself.  In designing the interiors, she went for the eclectic by mixing Meditterranean, Indian, Asian, and Australian styles.  The walls and ceilings of the  lobby and lounge areas feature hand-painted flowers that make the indoors feel and look as serene as the outdoors.

Apart from the main house is a wooden guest cottage adorned with ornaments from the various countries the Pittmans have visited. The staircase uses recycled wood and it’s said to have been sourced from a centuries-old sunken Spanish galleon. The cottage can accommodate up to 15 people.

The garden furniture she designed are made of recycled materials. The tables and chairs, for instance, are made of motorcycle tires. The benches are made of cart wheels and tree logs.

Mrs. Pittman has managed to infuse her own charming, generous personality into her own home. Any guest who enjoys the charm of the resort in turn, also gets to learn more about the lady who owns and built it.

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For more information about Neptune Pittman's Garden Resort, call 0916-2352791 or (033) 580-2286. E-mail woodpit@yahoo.com.