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Art, Architecture, Relaxation: This Premier Plantation Resort in the South Has It All
The Dusit Thani escape takes "all-inclusive vacationing" to the next level.
by Leana Vibal
Published on Jun 28, 2025
(SPOT.ph) Turquoise waters, powder-white sand, and towering palm trees are usually par for the course when it comes to island resorts. But on this luxe private paradise off the coast of Davao de Oro, or the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation, the idea of a relaxing, enriching island holiday has been taken a step further with the introduction of art into the itinerary.
Set on the 87-hectare Kopiat Island, Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation is a five-star sanctuary where luxury and creativity meet. It’s the kind of place where you can spend mornings kayaking through crystal clear waters, or walking along the shore, your afternoons sinking into relaxing spa rituals or sipping cocktails by the pool. And now you also can discover art in unexpected corners of the island.
Called the Lubi Art Project, this collaboration with renowned art space Silverlens Gallery brings nine larger-than-life art installations by Filipino artists into the landscape. Going beyond décor, these works are designed to spark thought, reflection, maybe even a deeper connection with the natural surroundings.
But before we dive into the art, let's take a closer look at the tropical escape that makes the above possible.
The Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation is an oasis in the middle of the Davao Gulf.
Before becoming a resort, Kopiat Island had no structures and was uninhabited, save for the birds, turtles, and marine life that have long called it home. "If you had come here in 2016, there would be nothing," says Tomas Lorenzo, CEO and President of the Torre Lorenzo Corporation which owns the island and the resort. The entirety of the place was covered with tall coconut trees, concealing several lagoons and small hills along its palm-leaf-shaped shoreline.
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An aerial shot of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Photo courtesy of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort..
Although the island has been with the Lorenzo family for over 35 years, it was only formally converted into a resort in 2019. This was because its location and topography made it challenging to develop. After all, the island was located in the middle of the Davao Gulf, with minimal access to fresh water, no connection to the mainland's electrical supply, and covered in whte sand. Had it been developed in the early aughts, it would have been more of a liability than a profitable venture.
It wouldn't stay in its barren island state for long. Lorenzo, an avid traveler, had seen his fair share of resorts and hotels with the same environmental and logistical challenges but have managed to thrive. A visit to the Dusit Thani resort in the Maldives, in particular, sparked a sort of epiphany. "Imagine seeing this luxury resort smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean with 99 swimming pools. Totally isolated and seven hours away from the mainland, but they made it work!"
Lorenzo then set out to learn what properties like the Dusit Thani in the Maldives were doing right. Drawing from his background in property development, he dove into extensive research and consulted experts in sanitation, energy, and sustainable construction. For him, it wasn't about copying what others were doing; it was about adapting best practices to suit the unique conditions of Kopiat Island.
Case in point, instead of spending millions of pesos connecting to the main Mindanao power grid, Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation leverages its vast land area by allotting one hectare as a solar farm. Not enough fresh water? No problem. They built a desalination plant that also works to replenish and not overload the island's natural aquifer. With every new challenge that came up, the team at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation assessed their resources and ran with them, eventually transforming the idle land into the five-star, self-sustaining luxury getaway it is today.
The Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation marker. Photo Courtesy of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation.
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An alternative way to get to the island is by taking a sea transfer from the visitor center in Davao City. Photo Courtesy of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation.
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A two-bedroom ocean-view villa in Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Photo Courtesy of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation.
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The resort is also home to a chapel, perfect for weddings and baptisms. Photo Courtesy of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation.
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As the name implies, sunrise beach is a great place to watch the sun go up. Photo by Leana Vibal.
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Exploring Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation
If you visit Kopiat Island now, you'll find that only 21 of its 87 hectares have been developed into a resort, which is the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation. The resort can comfortably host up to 250 guests at a time. "Comfortably" being the keyword—because while the whole area could technically handle more, this would mean compromising one of the things that makes this destination special: the sense of privacy and exclusivity it offers. For many guests, it's what they look for in an escape.
But there's more to this luxury property, of course. With a total land area that's almost half the size of Boracay Island, Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation thoughtfully and effectively utilizes its space by spreading its development throughout and creating a sprawling complex with no structures breaking the tree line.
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The buildings at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort are always lower than the treeline. Photo by Leana Vibal..
The resort is heavily inspired by the 1920s South Pacific plantation aesthetic, blending the rustic with the refined: single-story buildings with high ceiling interiors, lots of weathered wood and aluminum accents, a mix of British and Dutch colonial styles with tropical architecture. It's the kind of place where you would spend slow and languid days chilling underneath palm trees in your linen shirt and wide-brimmed hat.
A walk around the property reveals no vertical buildings that hold a cluster of rooms; instead, expansions are done horizontally. Each of its 77 rooms are single-story villas and clusters spread throughout the island, forming a neatly lined network of houses—a village of sorts.
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The buildings at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort resemble buildings you would find in a 1920s South Pacific coconut plantation. Photo by Leana Vibal.
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The villas at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Photo by Leana Vibal..
It might be tempting to bed rot your stay away but that would be a huge disservice to what being in the resort can offer. While the beds and rooms are very cozy and terribly hard to leave, you must will yourself off the covers and explore the island.
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The beds at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort are hard to resist. Photo courtesy of Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort..
In terms of things to do, there are a variety of in-property amenities available to enhance your stay and make it more enjoyable. As with any five-star hotel experience, you get the usual: access to spa facilities, a gym, pools, and restaurants. If you're lucky, a private beach. But in Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation, you get not one, but two private beaches—one for catching the sunrise, the other for sunset views.
Beyond lounging, guests can tee off at the golf course, hit the tennis court, belt out tunes inside the indoor karaoke and game room, or challenge friends to a round of giant outdoor chess. There’s also a volleyball court and a children's playground. You can also rent out water sports gear like kayaks, paddle boards, and even jet skis. But if you want to really experience the beauty of the Davao Gulf, you can go snorkeling around the island, where you'll find a thriving marine sanctuary. If you're fortunate and it's egg-laying season, you might see some turtles nesting at a protected part of the island.
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Here are some of the amenities and facilities you can find at the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Photos by Leana Vibal and courtesy of Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort.
As cliche as it sounds, there really is something for everyone at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation. Whether you're an outgoing nature enthusiast looking for your next jungle trek or ocean dive, or a homebody looking for a change in scenery, a stay in this secluded resort is bound to reawaken your senses and maybe even give you that new lease on life.
The Lubi Art Project
So, where does the art come in?
Take a walk around the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort and you'll notice several curious installations emerging from the landscape. These striking pieces—some seamlessly blending into their tropical surroundings, others boldly demanding your attention—make up The Lubi Art Project, a creative collaboration between Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort and Silverlens, one of the foremost art spaces in the country which also runs a satellite space in New York City.
The project started after Silverlens founder Isa Lorenzo visited an “art island” abroad—an entire destination dotted with installations that invited discovery at every turn. Moved by the experience, she wondered why Filipino audiences had to travel so far to encounter art in this way. Why not create a similar sanctuary for creativity right here at home?
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Curious guests take a closer look at the art pieces around the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort. Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Silverlens (Manila/New York)..
Following its initial launch in 2023, the inaugural batch of installations is now available for viewing. Nine all-original, Filipino-made art pieces can now be found and interacted with throughout the resort: sculptures by Poklong Anading, Isabel Aquilizan & Alfredo Aquilizan, James Clar, Corinne de San Jose, Gregory Halili, Wawi Navarroza, Bernardo Pacquing, Gary-Ross Pastrana, and Christina Quisumbing Ramilo.
More than just a creative curiosity for guests, the Lubi Art Project is an artistic initiative rooted in sustainability, designed to mitigate the resort's environmental footprint. Each artwork was made using found materials, meaning the artists had the challenge of building their pieces using upcycled, reused, or repurposed materials found on the island and its surroundings.
The artists spent weeks exploring the island, looking for materials and inspiration. Whether that meant entering Lubi's solid waste management facility and picking up trash along the shore, as was the case for Gregory Halili who made The Monument, a skull-shaped sculpture made from discarded plastic items; or reusing pre-loved construction materials from the warehouse, like what Christina Quisumbing Ramilo did for Builder when she reused cement mixers to build a towering yellow portrusion; or diving in the surrounding marine sanctuary for ideas, as done by Poklong Anading before he came up with recruit (no.4) where he he used ghost nets he found wrapped around corals as both inspiration and material, each piece a reaffirmation of the resort's commitment to leave the area the same way they found it if not better.
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Gregory Halili's The Monument is made from trash and discarded plastic materials that washed up the shore. Photo by Leana Vibal.
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Builder by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo is a tower of reused cement mixers from the resort's construction warehouse. Photo by Leana Vibal.
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Recruit (no. 4) by Poklong Anading is an abstract structure made from discarded nets found on the ocean floor. Photo courtesy of Silverlens (Manila/New York)..
As most of the pieces are large in scale, the artists needed solid assistance. Alongside the nine Silverlens artists were members of several communities in the area and members of the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation team which helped bring the artistic visions to life. Among the collaborators were the Barangay Pindasan Women’s Group, who worked with Wawi Navarroza and Ramilo to complete Everywhere There You Are—a sprawling 48-meter installation made of bright neon orange fabric strips that undulate gracefully along the breakwater, seemingly suspended between sea and sky. Then there were the Davao Gulf Divers, who partnered with Poklong Anading to recover ghost nets from beneath the waves.
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The Barangay Pindasan Women's Group helped tie together every piece of fabric for Navaroso and Ramilo's massive net and fabric art piece. Photo courtesy of Silverlens (Manila/New York)..
Collaborating with community members wasn’t just about getting extra hands to help build the installations—it was about fostering connection and shared ownership. The goal was to create a sense of collective pride not just in the artworks themselves, but in the island as a whole.
It was also a way to bridge the gap between luxury hospitality and local culture—to show that this isn’t just another high-end brand occupying space, but a resort genuinely seeking to be part of the community it calls home.
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The finishing touches on recruit (no.4) as done by a local "recruit." Photo courtesy of Silverlens (Manila/New York)..
Together, the nine art pieces currently viewable around the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation, is just a beginning. Soon, another batch of artists will leave their mark, creating pieces also shaped by and for the island itself. For Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation and Silverlens Gallery, the vision is to transform the resort into an ever-evolving art destination, where creativity becomes just as much of a draw as the R&R.
Like the tides, the installations aren’t meant to stay unchanged. Exposed to sun, salt, and wind, the pieces were intentionally designed to be ephemeral. “They’re meant to disintegrate over time,” says the gallerist Lorenzo. “Depending on when you visit, you’ll see something different.” Which makes for an experience that’s always shifting—much like the island it calls home.
Here's a look at the different art pieces created for the Lubi Art Project:
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Here are the art installations included in the Lubi Art Project: Builder by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo ;417 by Corinne de San Jose; How long after sunset until it gets dark? by Isabel & Alfredo Aquilizan + The Fruitjuice Factori Studio; Earth Mound by Bernardo Pacquing; Photos by Leana Vibal.
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Everywhere There You Are by Wawi Navarroza & Christina Quisumbing Ramilo. Photo by Leana Vibal.
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Builder by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo; recruit (no. 4) by Poklong Anading; Structure for Light Reading by Gary-Ross Pastrana; Monument by Gregory Halili. Photos by Leana Vibal.
With the Lubi Art Project in place, there are more reasons to visit the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation. Beyond being a serene island escape where guests can unwind and soak in the beauty of the Philippine landscape, the resort now doubles as an open-air museum—one that celebrates the creativity of Filipino artists through striking, thought-provoking works that evolve with time while also honoring and involving the community surrounding the property.
How to visit the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation
Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort is located in Mabini, Davao de Oro—just a scenic 40-minute high-speed catamaran ride away from Davao City. For those who prefer to travel by land, it’s also accessible via a 60-minute van ride plus a quick five-minute boat ride to the island.
For more information, visit Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort's website.
Guests who book a stay at The Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort can arrange for complimentary transfers from Davao International Airport to the island.
For more information, visit Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort's website.
Leana is Spot's go-to for Arts & Culture and Things to Do. On any given day, she’s either glued to her screen—or gliding underwater like the mermaid she swears she is. Contact: leana@spot.ph
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