Kahuna briefly opened its doors as the area was cleared by the Department of Tourism and the local government. However, the persistence of the COVID-19 virus has pushed local authorities to implement new restrictions. These new restrictions hope to reduce chances of transmission. Consequently, it affects the livelihood of countless families relying on the town’s tourism. Despite this, Kahuna Resort strives to continue to serve despite stricter travel restrictions and limited operations. At the moment, we are hoping that our collective efforts will lead to the ease of our operational parameters.
Temporary
Kahuna Resort & Spa was built years before La Union was ever #elyu and the country’s surfing capital. Our vision was to build a world-class destination in paradise. Throughout the years, we continued to expand as tourism in San Juan La Union grew. We made it a point never to sacrifice quality of experience and customer service for volume of customers. This worked in our favor when La Union entered MGCQ status and we were given permission to reopen at a limited capacity.
Challenge
However, COVID-Free celebrations were cut short. In response to new cases, the Municipality of San Juan La Union made a dutiful and diligent compromise. Accommodation Establishments with proper permits and certifications will continue to operate but only for guests from Region 1 (Ilocos Region). While we are optimistic that this will keep our province safe, there’s a downside to further limited operations.
Temporarily closing means not being able to continue working with all of our staff and local suppliers. It also means we are not able to support their families, and ultimately, the San Juan community. Though it was difficult, we understood it was necessary, to turn away hundreds of guests. Guests like frontliners taking a temporary break from their duties, those visiting or traveling for work and humanitarian reasons, and families coming back home to the province.
New Normal Ready
Despite this, we never compromise in implementing health and safety measures. No matter how few we are now, we were all trained for the new normal. We are required to wear face masks and take cleaning and sanitation seriously. We place sanitation kits in guest rooms and reduced tables and chairs in the restaurant for social distancing. In fact, only a few rooms are allowed to be booked to ensure social distancing.
Although, many in our industry continue to push us to keep on. The Department of Tourism has started pushing for domestic travel. “Sec. (Bernadette) Puyat believes that domestic tourism should be the catalyst of restarting the industry all over the Philippines,” says Tourism Undersecretary Arturo Boncato. The Provincial Government of La Union will conduct online learning series “to provide local stakeholders tools and methodologies to plan and prepare for post-Community Quarantine/Post-COVID-19 situation. This program also offers many opportunities to work on current, real-life management problems.” This will happen on July 31, 2020 at 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Registration can be made here.
Our Commitment
It is surreal to see Kahuna’s walkways almost empty and not to hear liveliness outside the compound. The vibrance of the beach and sound of the waves are not always enough to encourage us, but we always look ahead. We always need to look ahead. Though we are not able to support all of our staff, suppliers and other people we work with like before, we still look forward to the day. We will continue to stay operational within reason without compromising quality of your stay. By doing this, we ensure employment for some of our staff and income for their families.
We will keep the restaurant doors to the beach open so guests can enjoy the striking sunset view. We will continue to offer the best dining experience to both guests and local diners in our restaurant. We will always make our guests feel safe and secure while being closer to nature, even when they are inside their rooms. We will do all these as we continue to put value in implementing new health and safety standards.
If you find yourself in need of a place to stay, work remotely, stop over or dine, please feel free to message us. If you are based in the region, message us for bookings. If you’re missing #elyu and Kahuna, contact us and send us your email address so we can send you updates.
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