Carolina

Sections

Location & Setting

Carolina sits at the base of Mount Isarog, ~20 minutes from central Naga City. The property is a clean-titled 1-hectare lot directly behind Penafrancia Resort — one of the oldest, most established resorts in Camarines Sur — placing Carolina inside an already-proven visitor destination.

• Mount Isarog rises to the south; the Inharihan River runs to the east.
• Free-flowing mountain spring water on the property.
• Cooler microclimate than coastal Ragay — supports high-altitude vegetables and a comfortable guest experience.
• Coordinates / market: Naga City's growing middle class plus the established Penafrancia Resort visitor base, already arriving on this exact road.

The Property — 5,000m² Front to Back

Front — Arrival & Ceremony

• Bamboo archway entrance through the existing orchard.
• Sampaguita garden leading to an open ceremony lawn — natural fragrance, white flowers, Isarog as the backdrop.
• Weddings require no construction — the garden is already the venue.
• Steel-framed bamboo-clad gates (6m wide) with volcanic-stone pillars and climbing vines overhead.

Centre — The House

• Existing house partitioned: commercial kitchen + function prep on one side, caretaker quarters on the other.
• Cool room — insulated PIR/PU panels, integrated into the kitchen section.
• Covered terrace facing the ceremony garden and mountain; guest bathrooms and amenities.

Rear — Accommodation & Sanctuary

• Two A-frame luxury units facing south toward Isarog; Inharihan River behind as permanent ambient soundtrack.
• Private spa decks fed by free-flowing mountain spring water — no chemicals, pure flow-through.
• Kitchen garden between house and A-frames supplying the chef directly.
• Complete acoustic and visual separation from the function space at the front.

The A-Frame Units (×2)

Two steep-pitch A-frame structures built simultaneously, each with a full glazed front wall facing Mount Isarog. Nipa over EPDM waterproof membrane roofing; bamboo and sawali internal lining; air-conditioned against a sealed insulated envelope.

Each has a private east-facing timber deck over the Inharihan River for the morning sunrise, with a spring-fed spa unit that drains naturally after each use.

Guest experience — arrival to departure

• Arrive by decorated kariton from roadside parking through the orchard.
• Function or dinner on the front terrace as Isarog catches the last light.
• Night in the A-frame, the mountain silhouette filling the glass wall.
• Morning river sunrise from the private deck; coffee from the garden kitchen.
• Soak in the spring-fed spa; breakfast from produce grown 20 metres away.

Orchard Degustation Dining

On nights with no function booked, the property runs an intimate private dining experience — maximum two couples. Private tables in the Sampaguita orchard, string lights through the fruit trees, Isarog in the background.

A single chef cooks a 4–5 course menu built entirely from what the garden, the farm, and the local market produced that day. No printed menu, no choice — what is perfect today is what is served tonight.

• Minimal waste — chef controls every element of the menu.
• Maximum story — every dish has a provenance the chef can tell.
• Two couples only — intimacy is the product, not scale.
• Books weeks in advance — scarcity drives demand.

One Chef — Three Revenue Streams

The chef is a single fixed cost generating revenue across three channels depending on the day:

• Intimate orchard degustation — 2 couples, high margin, minimal waste, ~10–15 nights/month.
• On-site functions & wedding catering — full service for Carolina events.
• External catering — corporate and private events in Naga City, transported via the farm vehicle.

The chef lives on site; the kitchen is commercial-grade from day one for all three outputs. Profile required: able to execute a 4-course degustation for 4 on a Tuesday and feed 150 wedding guests on a Saturday — best recruited through UPLB or Slow Food Philippines networks.

Revenue Projections

Conservative monthly estimates once fully operational:

At the conservative end, Carolina recovers its ₱6.5M land acquisition cost within ~6–8 years from venue income alone — before accommodation, dining, and catering are factored in. With all streams operating, recovery is significantly faster.

Supply Chain

Infrastructure & Phasing

Immediate — before first booking

• Caretaker placed on site now.
• House partition — kitchen / caretaker quarters; basic commercial kitchen fit-out.
• Decent bathrooms for function guests; covered terrace over the ceremony garden.
• Access track gravelled and drained for wet season; roadside parking negotiated with neighbour.

Phase 1 — two A-frame units

• Two A-frames built simultaneously — bamboo frame, nipa/EPDM roof, glass front, aircon, private decks.
• Two spa units on east-facing decks with mountain spring-water inlet and natural drain.
• Solar system + battery bank — independent power, no grid dependency.
• Cool room — insulated panels, integrated into kitchen.
• Garden beds established between house and A-frames.

Staffing

• Chef (live-in) — degustation + functions + external catering; UPLB / Slow Food PH recruitment.
• Caretaker (live-in) — grounds, guest turnover, garden, security.
• Casual function staff scaled per event; external catering crew drawn from the wider team.

Compliance & Land

• Land: 1ha clean-titled lot, asking ₱6.5M — tourism-asset pricing (not farm-land), held under the OPC.
• DAR / CARP: confirm CARP-title conditions permit commercial events use before building.
• Permits: engineer/architect to certify bamboo-frame construction for BFP and LGU permits.
• Boundary: resolve ownership of the vegetated strip between the southern boundary and the Inharihan River — negotiate access or purchase.

Working plan, not final fact. Entity names ("the Business", "the OPC") are placeholders pending confirmation.