Photographed by Gabriel Nivera for the May 2024 Issue of Vogue Philippines.
Photographed by Gabriel Nivera for the May 2024 Issue of Vogue Philippines.
Located farther up the mountain, The Dreamweavers Hill presents itself as a fitting gateway to the “Home of the Living Treasures.”
In Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, there are several hotels and accommodations that dot the edges of the eponymous lake and are popular with tourists. Sunrise offers the best view: the lake, crowded with fish pens, is shrouded in a painterly mist, while the pink water lilies open their petals to a few hours of early daylight. Visitors who opt to forego the lakeshore experience and main poblacion energy for a more curated escape can choose to stay at The Dreamweavers Hill, which is further up the mountain in Brgy. Lamdalag. With expansive views of the valley, the resort combines the best of tropical mountain living. Airy bamboo architecture and thatched roofs give you a sense of place, while modern amenities make the stay more comfortable.
The resort offers a variety of rooms, from villas with private pools and rooms that can sleep up to 10 people, to air-conditioned glamping tents that come with its own bubble bath, dipping pool, and bonfire pit. Guests can also stay in a traditional Tboli-style house or gono. The room named Gono Datu, for example, replicates the house of a datu, where his many wives and their respective children would sleep together under one roof.
The resort does not lack for photographic spots, with its own water lily-studded mini lake where guests can row an owong or dugout canoe at their leisure. Pieces of furniture made of bundled twigs—clearly designed with the ’gram in mind—are strategically placed on viewing decks high above, while pocket areas with deck chairs and picnic tables are scattered around the property for those seeking some private time in nature.
For an up-close encounter with the ikat dyeing process, you can visit the nearby Kesesonom Weaving Center of Barbara Ofong, who was recently named a National Living Treasure for her contribution to the art of weaving. Ofong is what is often referred to as a dreamweaver—a weaver who has visions of the tnalak patterns they will create in divinely inspired dreams. The Dreamweavers Hill takes its name from this word, and while catchy and tourist-friendly, the term is actually a modern coinage; the weavers have just called themselves “weavers” in the Tboli language.
Still, it’s an apt name for a place where anyone can check in for a long staycation or short rests and weave their own dreams in their heads, inspired by the music and dancing of the Tboli cultural performers who will send guests off to the dreamworld with ringing bells and chants of epic heroes and visions of guardian spirits.
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