Boracay is in itself a paradise. So, it was such a joy that we were finally able to have our offsite office teambuilding at Boracay. Everyone was just excited that of all the places we could have the teambuilding, it was in the beautiful beaches of Boracay that it was held. While we had a lot of activities to do because of the teambuilding, and in Boracay there’s also a lot of things they have for the tourists, we were able to create our very own activities too.
One of our colleagues brought Sky Lanterns with him. During our last night, we helped launch about 4-5 of those sky lanterns. It was such a great sight! I bet the other Boracay visitors thought it was one of the gimiks of Boracay hahahaha! We had like tons of people for an audience in just several minutes!
Sky Lanterns which are also called fire balloons are lanterns that go airborne. They are created from oiled rice paper & a bamboo frame. At the bottom, there’s sort of a ball of wax that you light up in order to heat the lantern and make it go airborne. Sometimes, a candle and a base for the candle is used instead of the ball of wax. Either way, it’s the flame that heats up the air inside so that the lantern can rise.
It was said to be created by the Chinese & was considered the 1st hot air balloon. Wow, who would have thought that these simple yet elegant beautiful little lanterns could have been the first ever hot air balloons!
Lantern festivals are actually held in countries like Thailand & China. Well, we, on the other hand, created our own mini lantern festival in the beautiful beaches of Boracay! 🙂
In the video below, you can see the sky lantern in action. It was such a great joy watching them rise and go airborne. Especially when I realized that it was in the dark of the night, with the beautiful beaches surrounding us, and the waters just beside us, it was really such a wonderful sight to personally see. When the lanterns are far, far away, they will look like stars in the sky but with a different color though hehehe 😛 Instead of color white, they look like small yellow stars. Well, as long as the flame is alive, the sky lantern will be airborne.
I’m glad I was part of the mini-lantern festival that we had at Boracay. Since lantern festivals don’t happen in Manila, it was great to experience first-hand what sky lanterns are & how it works. And having the mini-lantern festival in the beautiful beaches of Boracay, it turned out to be just perfect!
Living near Banawe in Quezon City, I’ve often passed by the Maki Haus that’s located there, but just haven’t been able to dine in and try the restaurant until just last week. But boy am I glad that I finally did try because the food is just sooo delicious! And from reading the menu, apparently the recipes that they use go as far back as 50 years ago from their very own ancestors and succeeding generations have tried to preserve these recipes that have been passed on by their ancestors. The result is D’ Original Maki Haus with some of the most delicious and authentic Chinese food that I have eaten.
Their specialty is obviously Maki, so that dish was already one of the dishes that we definitely knew we should get. We also asked the servers what they recommend, and the girl swears that their oyster cake is the best! We followed her advice and I must say, she was right!
Jen said we already ordered enough, but for me, I really always want to try to get as much variety as I can, so we decided to order just one more dish.
We had the ff.:
Maki-Mi (Php 120)
Maki soup a Chinese soup that is usually made with pork, although sometimes beef is also used. It’s slightly similar to eggdrop soup in consistency, is usually a bit more rich, and the color is brown because of the seasoning and usually because of the added soy sauce that goes into the dish. It is also a cornstarch-based soup which gives it that thick consistency too.
The key to a good Maki, according to those who regularly eat this soup is that the simplicity must never be overdone, and the key to that is to always just use the least amount of ingredients, but always cooked with the right amount of seasoning too. I must say, this Maki soup that we had was just fantastic and perfectly delicious. I can see why they kept their ancestor’s recipe, because there really is nothing to add or take away from it already.
At D’ Original Maki Haus, they have two sizes available. The regular order is at Php 100, but since we were sharing the dish, we opted for the large one. And the serving was generous with ample amount of noodles & meat. I loved the soup though so I asked if they could refill the soup which they did! I loved it! Now, I don’t need to go to Manila just to have the yummy Maki.
Kiampong (Php 35)
Kiampong, for those who don’t know what it is or haven’t tried it yet, is a modified version of fried rice and is actually a marriage of Filipino and Chinese cuisine. It in fact originated in the Filipino Chinese community. It’s really one of those types of fried rice that seems easy enough to make, since it is just fried rice, but always hard to execute and prepare so that will actually come out delicious.
I always miss my mom’s version of kiampong, so whenever I see kiampong in any of the restaurants that I go to, I make sure that I order it. Kiampong is basically rice with meat, mushrooms, onions, and it won’t be complete without the peanuts on top. This restaurant’s version of kiampong did not disappoint, and I was pleasantly happy that the meal was going well in terms of just how delicious even their kiampong was.
Fried Squid (Php 185)
I love their fried squid! It’s perfectly cooked, breading is not too much and you can taste the wonderful squid (or pusit in Filipino). Sometimes, with fried squid, if the batter is too thick and too much, you don’t really get the full flavor of the squid, and the breading should always just be a compliment to the main ingredient anyway. I liked their style of how they cooked this dish.
However, the sauce was just a little bit off. It tasted good, don’t get me wrong, but just weird in its consistency and flavor. I think they put too much corn starch, which I think can sometimes happen with dipping sauces, and thus it ends up with a starchy taste to it. I think it’s always important to remember that starch is just a thickening ingredient, and should never be tasted in any sauce that you eat. My friend asked for vinegar but I decided to just stick with the red starchy sauce since it still tasted pretty good and went well with the fried squid. 😛
Oyster Cake (Php 155)
The oyster cake was definitely my favorite among the dishes we ordered at Maki Haus, and every time that I would bite into it, I just kept thinking that it was great of our server to have recommended this dish. If it were just us deciding on the dishes, I don’t think I would have ordered. Which just goes to show, that whenever you go to a restaurant and you’re not sure of a good dish to try, always ask the servers or the staff since they will probably give you a good idea of what they like or what is popular for diners.
The oyster cake is mainly an oyster omelette. I do love omelettes, and I am admittedly a seafood fanatic, so the combination of these two was just a great dining experience. I think I was able to finish like half of it. I think I’ll try to eat some of those tomorrow. Writing this blog post just made me crave for it. Grrr!
Black Gulaman (Php 25)
If it isn’t obvious to you yet, Maki Haus is a Chinese restaurant, and what is a drink that is usually known to be Chinese drink? Well, it’s none other than Black Gulaman! hehehe! I’m really not a fan of just plain water & I decided to quit drinking softdrinks almost two months ago, so I decided to order black gulaman instead.
The dinner was somewhat a late birthday celebration for me, but I still felt so happy coz I was with a long-lost friend. Jen & I had been out of touch for more than 4 years and I missed her dearly. Glad we were able to catch up. Hopefully, we’d get to hang out more often.
This is me with the food. And who wouldn’t be smiling with all that good food in front of you, not to mention a great and wonderful long lost friend to share the dinner with.
Awwww, I already miss eating at Maki Haus. Their prices are reasonable plus the taste of the food is just so good! You must definitely try out this restaurant which is located in Banawe, Quezon City. And don’t forget to try their oyster cake, it’s a definite must-try aside from their famous Maki soup. Such a great restaurant with homemade recipes handed down from generations!
——————– D’ Original Maki Haus
683 Banawe Street, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 411-8767
Plantation Bay Cebu has definitely got to be one of the best resorts in the world! For couples and families, for business or personal vacations, it’s a destination where there is something for everyone who wishes to be bathed in great beauty and atmosphere.
I was in total awe when we were walking around the resort. It’s really a paradise in its own, like escaping from the world and being dropped into a beautiful island. We went to Cebu and headed straight to Plantation Bay. I thought that we would be able to head out and tour the rest of Cebu, but once you step into Plantation Bay, you quickly realize that you won’t have enough time because Plantation Bay has just so much to offer, and admiring the beautiful beaches, the different sections of the resort, and not to mention just walking around and taking in all the beautiful scenery will take most of your time.
This is the last of a series of posts that I will write about Plantation Bay. I have shared with you our experience that Plantation Bay has to offer in terms of their delicious food and not to mention their buffets! I have also written about the spa package that we availed of at Plantation Bay. But I just have to write a separate entry about the different areas of Plantation Bay Cebu as well as the whole experience itself. It was just so beautiful, so picture perfect! I just loved it! See for yourself as you browse through the pictures.
The Plantation Bay experience really starts out even as early as the airport when we arrived, we were greeted by a staff of Plantation Bay in the arrival/baggage area. We were then escorted outside of the airport and waited for the shuttle to Plantation Bay. The ride from the airport to Plantation took around 35 minutes.
Attention to detail and the great accommodating staff was just great all throughout our stay too. Minutes after we got settled into our Spa Indulgence rooms in Mogambo Springs, we were delivered some nice cold fresh coconut juice still in the coconut shell. Not to mention a letter right on our bed, welcoming us and explaining the package that we availed. Attention to detail, Plantation Bay really strives for it.
Now aside from being able to appreciate the wonderful scenery, swim in the salt water lagoon & fresh water pools, Plantation Bay also has vast other options for its guests. We were even given a small booklet titled Hitchhiker’s guide to Plantation Bay. The activities are as follows:
Learn to Scuba Dive
Read their building signages & actually win a prize if you take their namegame quiz afterwards.
Do the Plantation Bay Duo-decathlon – swimming, rowing, biking & climbing. Challenging enough?
Go Island Hopping
Para-sail
Wall Climb
Visit a World Heritage Bird Sanctuary
Jump off their Dive Rock, located at the main swimming pool. Just make sure you can swim before you do this.
Watch a vintage movie – we actually did this! hahaha! We watched Sleepless in Seattle & I remember it was our 1st night stay at Plantation Bay.
Buy a Timex Watch – apparently Timex are made in Cebu, Mactan!
Firing Range
Experience the Giant Water Slides
Pamper yourself with their Spa – We experienced this & never regretted that we spent most of our time here. It was very relaxing & enjoyable.
Check out the secret cave in the main swimming pool.
Sing your heart out with their private karaoke rooms.
Play games – they have billiards, air hockey, foosball, board games, pinball machine & computer games in the gameroom.
Take the botanical tour
Go fishing or feed the fish
To go around the place, you can either ride the shuttle, the kalesa (yes the ones that we see in Binondo, Manila), ride a bicycle or just walk. Nick & I opted to walk as we wanted to see every part of Plantation Bay. We only took the shuttle bus when we checked in & checked out. Plantation Bay is circular in shape, and in the center there are the different portions of waters, pools, and mini beaches that you really must walk through to truly get the feeling of just how much a paradise it is. Walking through the boardwalks, the docks, feeling the sand underneath your feet, and seeing the tourists just enjoy themselves. A walk through Plantation Bay is really the only way to experience its beauty.
Plantation Bay Cebu is also well known to be one of the preferred places to wed, propose or have a romantic getaway. They actually give the best spots for guys to spring the most important question of their lives: “Will you marry me?”:
volcano-looking island in the lagoon near Dune House
the end of Galapagos Wharf (at night), it’s funny that they even mentioned to tell the guards to get lost hahahaha!
the desert island in the lagoon by Havana House
the rooftop of Leblon Hall (especially during sunset)
dangling your feet in the water from the coffee shop island-annex
triangular gazebo on Xanadu beach
And with all the many beautiful spots at Plantation Bay, it’s really just perfect for romance, rest, relaxation, or all of the above! And watching either the sunset or the sunrise is great too in many parts of Plantation Bay, in fact, the first picture you see in this post is where we decided to experience the sunset. We decided to start our scenic walk just before sunset, we arrived near the outskirts of Plantation Bay where we were able to walk out into the beach and towards their boardwalk that stretched out into the waters — then experience the beautiful atmosphere as the sun started to set.
Below shows the area where wedding receptions are held (which is where we had that memorable seafood buffet at). Just by the water side. Pretty cool!
How about arranging a romantic date at the Lover’s Rock by the Fiji Restaurant? You can just make prior arrangements with the Fiji staff and they’ll prepare one of the most romantic setting for you and your partner. As a trivia, the rock is actually 2 millions years old. Wow!
And so, by now, you probably understand why I had to write a separate post to provide you with a better look at the overall experience, give you a description of the other activities that Plantation Bay has to offer, as well as a glimpse of the many beautiful places within Plantation Bay itself. It seems, from sunrise to sunset, from the edges of the resort all the way to the front of the gates, behind every tree or beside each building, there’s really something so wonderful, romantic, and beautiful about this place.
The experience we had even just watching an old classic romantic movie, it’s always even just a bit more special in a place like this. The air is fresh, and the sounds of the waters, the beaches, and the people laughing and enjoying, you really feel the resort atmosphere all around you.
Our visit to Plantation Bay Resort & Spa was truly an unforgettable experience. To share those moments with someone special and at a place that I’ve always wanted to go visit, it’s really just so romantic. The room service, the spa, the waters, the beautiful scenery, the food, but most importantly the company. I’m so glad that Nick brought me there. I had the most wonderful vacation and I was with someone very close to my heart. There’s really nothing more perfect than that..
——————– Plantation Bay Resort and Spa
Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines 6015
(02) 505-9800
If you noticed, I’ve been blogging about the food served in Plantation Bay. There’s breakfast, seafood buffet & room service. Right now, I’m going to share with you the room package that we availed of at Plantation Bay Cebu.
There’s actually a lot of choices of rooms in Plantation Bay, you can choose to have their conventional rooms or their specialty rooms. We chose the Spa Indulgence Room, mainly because we wanted to just relax. I’ll share to you the list of rooms being offered in Plantation Bay Cebu. Guests can choose which room to avail based on their liking.
Lagoon View – Rooms that has a great view of the lagoon but are located on the 2nd floor.
Lagoon Side – Rooms closest to the lagoon plus you can get in the water in seconds.
Water’s Edge – best for couples who sought romance, located at the edge of the lagoon.
Poolside Room – built around a pool, rooms are more spacious too!
Club Room – suitable for large group of family or friends.
Club Room w/ Loft – same with club room but with a queen size bed in the attic.
One Bedroom Suite – a large suite w/ complete amenities. Best for executives.
Two Bedroom Suite – while 1 bedroom is best for executives, this one is best suited for 2 families vacationing together.
Riverboat -this is one of a kind wherein the room is actually built over flowing water.
Penthouse -I’ll describe this as a presidential suite, 2 bedrooms, 2 floors, it’s purely luxury.
Quantum Villa -If you wanna have your private moments in Plantation Bay. 4 detached bathrooms with private pool & gazebo.
Spa Indulgence Package – learn more by reading the post in its entirety 😉
There’s really no other choice if you really want the full treatment rest and relaxation in a weekend trip, than getting Plantation Bay’s Spa Indulgence Room (US$238++). Usually for couples, there’s a choice of the lagoon side rooms or the spa indulgence rooms. But when you realize just how secluded, quiet, and romantic the rooms are when you avail of the Spa Indulgence Room, you’re in for a treat.
There were actually only 3 Spa Indulgence Rooms available in Plantation Bay Cebu which makes these rooms not only a great retreat from all the noise, but it gives you a sense of exclusivity and privacy as well. We stayed in room MS1 (Mogambo Springs 1). When you enter the room, you’re immediately taken in for that old world Japanese ambiance, with the low lying bed, with the stone walls, and even the blinds, I just loved it. And all throughout the day, the one thing that I noticed was the peace and the quiet of the whole place. Definitely the best place to stay if your goal is to get away and just relax.
Mogambo Springs is where the Spa section of Plantation Bay is located, and it’s also where the Spa Indulgence rooms are. It really does have a great atmosphere of old world Japan, with the stone floors and walls, coupled with the wooden trimmings, decorations, and even the rooftops too! The view outside of the rooms is also amazing, just check out the picture of me below, not a lot of people too which is just so great if you want to get away from the busy atmosphere and just relax.
When you realize, that at anytime, you can just walk out of your room, and dip into any one of the jacuzzi or water spas, and even avail of their massages, this place can really take all your stress away!
The package includes free use of spa facilities in Plantation Bay. Gee, the spa was just marvelous. We practically spent our entire 1st day in Mogambo Springs! We tried out each & every facility in the spa. They have wonderful jacuzzis, hot pools, massage waterfalls, needle shower nook & sauna! Check the slides & imagine how good our spa indulgence was.
In slide 1, was the jacuzzi that I liked very much, because it was just so warm and soothing, and when you sat in front of the water spouts, it also was just a great feeling too. There were a few people that availed of a massage in this area, it was just a head and shoulder massage though, but you can really tell how great the staff is, even accommodating a jacuzzi side massage.
Slide 6 was their waterfall section, that flowed into a mini pool, and in the same slide, you can see me taking advantage of their spray area, it’s nice, but definitely not as relaxing as it looks because the pressure of the water spray really is quite fast. This area is also best for maybe afternoon since the water is pretty cool to cold, and is definitely more refreshing during those hours. And the last slide is their sauna area, which is definitely a great way to rid your body of all that toxins by just sweating it out. First few minutes you feel that it’s hot, but then it just keeps getting warmer, and all of a sudden you really start to feel how hot it is. I recommend only a few minutes, but even just a few minutes in the sauna is worth it!!
And you’d think the Spa indulgence package included just that? no, no & no. Herbal bath (Php 1,500) was also part of the relaxation package! Oh wow, it was my 1st experience to bathe in water combined aromatherapy oils plus lots & lots of rose petals! And I thought it’s only in the movies!! hahaha! I’d be able to experience it after all!
Usually, they ask you in advance at what time you would like to have the herbal bath, then they came in during those hours, usually later at night, and prepared the bath for you while you wait. The first time that we opened the door and saw just how beautiful it was, with the candles, the rose petals, and the bubbles, it was just pure heaven.
The herbs were hung inside the tub. The herbs were actually contained in this large bag, looked almost like a very gigantic sized teabag, which in a sense, it was. The water was definitely soothing, warm, and relaxing.
Last but definitely not the least, what good is a spa indulgence package without a massage? Plantation Bay Cebu has thought of it (ofcourse!) & also included an aromatic therapy oil massage for 2.
Behind the japanese-inspired doors was where we got our awesome massage. There are 3 kinds of massage for us to choose from: Japanese Shiatsu (energizing), Swedish (relaxing) or combination/fusion (rejuvenating). We have tried both Swedish & Fusion (we stayed for 2 nights).
In both cases, since both Nick and I were a bit ticklish, we ended up laughing quite a number of times during the whole massage sessions. I remember that Nick had to tell the masseuse not to massage certain parts because he was just too ticklish, and I had told my masseuse not to massage my ankle since I was still nursing a fractured ankle.
The combination and Swedish massages ended up not being too different since it was still a full body massage. The Swedish massage however did have more stretches to it, more rubbing and and also a little less pressure than the combination/fusion massage. The massage bed had a small circular hole at the head portion so that when you were lying down they had also incorporated an aroma therapy during the massage session too.
First, we were asked which oil to use: Peppermint & Ginger, Lavender, Ylang-Ylang or Lemongrass. The prep for the massage is that you had to take a shower and only wear disposable underwear that they provide for you. And each massage room already had a shower inside which made it convenient as well.
You’ll then lie down on the bed and just enjoy & relax. The massage starts out with you lying down, then the next stage of the massage is with you facing up.
It was truly an experience. I believe we were able to achieve our goal w/c was to relax & enjoy. When we went home, we even got good spa souvenirs from Mogambo Springs! A complete spa indulgence indeed. If you want to be alone, have some privacy and just want to relax and get a complete pampering, the Spa Indulgence Rooms at Plantation Bay is the way to go.
——————– Plantation Bay Resort and Spa
Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines 6015
(02) 505-9800
During the 1st night at Plantation Bay in Cebu, we ordered room service, but for our 2nd and last night, we really wanted to experience some good food and eat out. It was great timing that there happened to be a seafood buffet being served on that 2nd night. I’ve always loved seafoods but my specific favorites will always still be shrimps & crabs. So, I was really hoping that they would have a lot of my two favorite seafood items at the Plantation Bay Cebu Seafood buffet. Well, guess what? I got my wish & more!
All the seafoods that you can think of was probably at that buffet. And it was so fresh! I was truly in heaven during the course of the dinner. I remember my nonstop smile and wanting more and more of all that seafood. I was actually craving for more after 2 hours of eating but the buffet was done by then. The waiters were already packing up… I guess I just loved what I was eating that I didn’t realize how full I was already.
Actually, we were just walking around waiting for the buffet to start, so were actually one of the first few that arrived, and we were able to reserve a table that was near the musician as well as close to the water. Even the table was a great touch as we were able to enjoy our meal by a candlelight!
There were different kinds of fish, shells, crabs, shrimps, lobsters & a lot more out there for us to choose from. As you can see in the picture below, the seafoods were still raw because we were able to request a few ways in which we wanted the seafoods to be cooked. For most of the items, we had it grilled. There’s really nothing better than fresh grilled seafood. The taste is just so delicious.
Basically, we just choose whatever seafood and put on our plate, get a number, and then the cooked food will be served to our table. Fresh seafood & cooked on the spot! What more could you ask for? The best thing is it was just Php900! Just imagine the lobster alone costs that much and more in most other restaurants.
You could probably tell below from that seafood spread, that I was really focusing on the lobster and all that shrimp, hahaha!
Cooked food are available too! I loved the stuffed crab there, I do however forgot to get a second serving as I was too busy eating the crabs & shrimps that I asked the chef to cook. I couldn’t get enough of it!
This part of the buffet, everyone just races to get on their plate. So, constant were the lines that would you believe, behind this specific station there were probably around a dozen cooks grilling, prepping, plating, etc. Every 5 minutes they had to keep refilling the plates. That was how successful the buffet was. And the wonderful smell coming from the grills, all that smoke, it was just a seafood grill heaven :p
Now, what would any buffet be without desserts? With Plantation Bay’s Seafood Buffet, we also had some great choices of delicious desserts. There were turon, baked goods, leche flan. But you know, I was only able to sample 2 desserts. As I said earlier, I was eating nonstop that I didn’t realize that the buffet had already ended. While the other areas are being packed up, I quickly went to the dessert area & checked if there were anything left, only the leche flan & macaroons were left and which I decided to have. And the desserts capped off my seafood buffet heaven at the Plantation Bay Cebu Seafood buffet.
Oh! Sorry readers! hahahaa I was talking about the food so much that I almost forgot to share that they do actually have great music playing during the buffet. So, not only did we have great fresh seafood in abundance, but we also had some wonderful live music accompanied by the flute.
Before I end this post, lemme share with you my favorite from the seafood buffet. See them? Lobsters & crabs!!! Yes!! I was able to eat lots of it. By the way, a very important tip if you want to go to Plantation Bay Cebu and try their seafood buffet. Go EARLY, get the lobsters, crabs & shrimps first. Believe me. It was great that we did that or else, we won’t be able to experience how yummy they are. Everyone wanted it as well, though the buffet was unlimited, their supplies weren’t. So be wise! 😉
Here’s Nick’s favorite: Sting Ray. It’s really rare for buffets to serve this, and shows just the great amount of variety that Plantation’s Seafood Buffet had. I was able to try it but it just isn’t my fave. Glad though that Nick was able to eat this. They were so accommodating that they were able to cook the sting ray just like Nick had requested. It was cooked in coconut milk.
The Seafood buffet is situated in the center beach area of Plantation Bay Cebu. And at night, under the dark sky, with the delicious food, dining with some soft and unique music accompanied with the flute, not to mention the ambiance and feeling as if you’re on the shore of a beautiful beach. With the sand under your feet, the waters just a few meters away, the fresh air, and a great companion, it was truly a wow, wow dining experience! 😀
——————– Seafood Buffet
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines 6015
(02) 505 9800
