Introducing our Caretakers Estrellia and Roger

Caretakers

Our caretakers Estrellia and Roger have lived at Nao Nao ( pronounced Now Now ) in Port Barton where Gilligans is located all of their lives. Estrellia has been our caretaker for around 5 years now and since her husband recently passed away, Roger, who was previously our boatman, has stepped up to assist her. Estrellia has 3 children who board in Port Barton during school times and return to Gilligans on weekends and holiday periods. They all live in a cottage 40 metres from the main house. The children are quiet and shy, but help their mother with washing clothes and other chores outside the house.

Estrellia will take care of house keeping duties for you and meals as required. Don’t worry about getting sand on the floors at Gilligans as it’s just a simple beach house, and Estrellia will sweep regularly. She has basic cooking skills and can provide tasty Filipino meals as well as those listed in our Menu. Feel free to download our Menu on the homepage which shows the meals that she is capable of preparing. Please note that most of our meals are prepared fresh and we don’t stock a lot of food, so we’ll need some notice to prepare certain meals. She’ll prepare 1 or 2 dishes from the menu as requested for each meal, so you won’t be able to order multiple choices of meals in most cases, as Gilligans isn’t a restaurant. There are no shops near Gilligans so we’ll deliver goods and supplies every day or 2 from Port Barton or as needed. Estrellia is also available to do your washing and folding.

There are beds for 8 at Gilligans, but 8 is too many for our caretaker to comfortably prepare meals for. She asked us to limit catered meals to 6, otherwise an assistant will be required to assist her. Groups over 6 are welcome to self-cater or you’ll need to get in and assist Estrellia with food preparation and cooking, as well as clean up after.

Roger is a gentle and quiet man and is generally involved with maintenance of the property and the grounds and you’ll sometimes see him assisting Estrellia grilling meals outside on the barbecue. Ask Roger if you’d like a bonfire on the beach and he’ll usually be able to organise this for you. If you’re nice to Roger, he may even climb a coconut tree and cut some fresh coconuts for you. Try adding a dash of Malibu or the local equivalent to the juice.

Our caretakers will give you all the privacy that you want, so if you don’t require assistance they will stay away from the house. All you have to do is ask.

Payments for our caretakers

Estrellia and Roger are paid their basic monthly wages by us to maintain the property and for housekeeping duties. Estrellia is also paid to cook breakfasts if they are included in your rental package. When you order from our menu, her cooking and washing up services are included in the menu price. Self catering guests should pay her direct for her services if she is preparing meals from groceries that you have brought with you.

Should you ask our caretakers to provide additional services or washing duties you should offer to pay them for their work. Wages are around 300 pesos per day in this part of the Philippines, which equates to around $ 6.50us or € 5.5.

Estrellia and Roger won’t ask for gratuities, but it would be much appreciated if you leave a tip to show appreciation for their services. Consider inviting them to join you for your last meal.

Oh….by the way, we expect our guests to be kind and respectful to our staff, otherwise they may end up having to swim home…