Johnnie and Angela: Philippines

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Scenic Sunday

* Every Sunday our blog features a random scenic photograph from our travels *

View from Apulit Island Resort, Philippines

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"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

~Author Unknown

To see other websites featuring a Scenic Sunday, go to www.scenicsunday.blogspot.com

Before traveling to Apulit Island, we spent two nights in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. We stayed at the New World Hotel in Makati City. This hotel was gorgeous, the staff was friendly and helpful, the M2M restaurant in the hotel had incredible buffet meals, and the hotel was directly across the street from the Greenbelt shopping mall. The shoe shopping here is phenomenal :)

All of the cabs were "named" and we saw one named just for us :)

After our stay on Apulit Island, we returned to Manila where we would catch our flight back to Korea. Our flight didn't leave until 11:30pm so we had an entire day to spend in the city. We hired a private driver for the day and got a personal sight-seeing tour.

A park commemorating Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

Fort Santiago, one of the oldest forts in the Philippines built in 1571.

The beautiful Manila Metropolitan Cathedral,

also called the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

The Casa Manila, a reconstructed 19th century mansion, has a unique mix of Spanish and Asian styles.

We stopped for lunch at the Harbor View Restaurant.

We spent some time in the Mall of Asia. This mall is HUGE and it even has an indoor ice skating rink.

For dinner we went to a restaurant called Zamboanga. The seafood was very fresh (most still alive until cooked) and everything was delicious. While we ate, we were serenaded by three men playing guitars and a bass crooning some Frank Sinatra songs. They were excellent!

During dessert, there was song and dance entertainment showing the many different styles of traditional Philippine folk dances.

Johnnie and I were invited up on stage to try Tinikling (bamboo stick dancing)

We flew on Korean Air back to Korea. In the airline magazine, there is a section informing you how to fill out immigration documents. We were surprised to see Johnny Green from the USA used as the example!

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"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends but is

played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.

The mind can never break off from the journey."

~Pat Conroy

Apulit Island Resort - Departure

After four nights at Apulit Island Resort, our stay there came to an end. We had to board a boat at 7am and then catch a plane back to Manila. We recieved our wake-up call at the exact minute we scheduled it for and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a real voice say "Good morning Ms. Green." An employee came to our cottage to take our luggage to the boat where it was again loaded into waterproof bags for the journey. Despite being so early, all of the employees we saw were bright and smiling and there was breakfast waiting for us at the clubhouse.

After eating, we officially checked out and headed to the pier with a few other couples who were also leaving. We were welcomed by song and dance when we arrived and we were farewelled the same way. The only difference was the emotions we felt. Our boat pushed away and the song ended but the staff stood on the pier waving until we literally couldn't see them anymore. It was a nice touch and made us feel special.

The boat ride was one last opportunity to soak up the tropical sunshine and marvel at the countless shades of blue in the water and sky around us.

Before long, we came upon the same wooden dock we first saw earilier in the week. Resort employees carried our luggage on their shoulders to the jeepney waiting for us.

We arrived at the airport with it's dirt-floored hut and dirt runway in time to watch the plane land. A new group of people got off the plane, obviously excited about their island vacation that was just beginning. I admit that I felt a twinge of jealousy and sadness. It was fitting moment for my favorite Dr. Seuss quote, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

We waited for the plane to refuel before we boarded which took a while because the fuel had to be hand-pumped from a barrel! This plane was a little larger than the one we flew in on. Flying back to Manila, I watched blue-green world of islands pass by below us, unfazed by our visit, continuing on with life as usual.

Our vacation to Apulit Island Resort was perfect. We easily could've stayed longer but our time there was enough to unwind, relax, and enjoy ourselves. This was our first island resort vacation and it was possibly one of the most relaxing vacations we've ever been on simply because it was so peaceful and secluded.

Pros:

The staff was incredible. Everyone was friendly, helpful, and always smiling.
The water cottages were modern and comfortable.
The resort was very clean and had a lot of environmentally friendly practices in place.
The activities were easy to schedule, fun to do and almost all of them are included with the price of your stay.
This was an amazing place for taking photographs. I had a camera with me at all times :)
The food was fresh and delicious and the drinks were heavenly.
Although the resort is child friendly, it is more suited for a romantic getaway than a family vacation. There was only one older child there during our stay.
There is nothing on the island besides the resort so it is secluded. There was no loud nightlife, no vehicles, and no one there except other guests and staff.
The resort is small and therefore very personalized. We were always greeted by name.

Cons:

There is a generator on the island to provide power and it hums constantly. I would equate it to the hum of the engines on a cruise ship. It did take away from some of the tranquility of the resort. Perhaps a sound barrier wall in front of the generator would help.
Those darn tiny jellyfish that kept us out of the water for a day or two. However, the resort is not to blame for this as there was nothing they could do.
Pancakes should be light and fluffy. The resort needs a new recipe.

Disclaimer:
Johnnie and I are not affiliated with Apulit Island Resort, El Nido Resorts, or any of their employees. We are simply a couple who chose to spend our vacation at Apulit Island for no other reason than "it looked nice." I've created this multi-part blog posting for three reasons: 1) to have a photojournal of our trip, if for no one else but ourselves 2) to showcase some of my photography 3) to provide detailed information about the resort for anyone looking into it as a possible vacation destination.

Related Posts:
Apulit Island Resort - Arrival
Apulit Island Resort - Amenities
Apulit Island Resort - Activities
Apulit Island Resort - Food/Drinks

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"Our memories of the ocean will linger on,

long after our footprints in the sand are gone."

~Anonymous

Apulit Island Resort - Food/Drinks

Being an adventurous eater, my favorite part of every vacation is the food :) Apulit Island Resort offered three buffet meals a day that lasted for two hours each so there was no rush to go eat as soon as it started. Everything was so fresh and homemade with the fruits and vegetables grown locally, most on an organic farm, and the seafood was caught daily in the local waters.

Each breakfast buffet offered a variety of breads, pastries, fruits, fruit juices, yogurts, cereals, pancakes, waffles, and an omelette station. There were also some hot entrees that changed daily. Three different fresh-squeezed fruit juices were offered free at breakfast. The coffee was hot and plentiful and had a very good, locally produced flavor. The only thing I ate at the resort that needs improved upon is the pancakes... but I ate at least one every morning anyway :)

The mangos and mango juice at the resort were a-mazing!

The lunch and dinner buffets were different every day but had the same options: soup, bread, salad, appetizers, hot entrees, a stir-fry station, a grill station, desserts, and fruit. The grill station was a highlight with a large selection of fresh seafood and meat. You chose what you wanted and the chef grilled and delivered it to your table.

Homemade breads

Appetizers

Grilled fish, shrimp skewers, and vegetable skewers

Grilled squid and fish fillets

Stuffed squid - so good!

There was a variety of clams and other shellfish - fun to try!

There was often different cultural food. We couldn't pass up the kimchi :)

Fruit and homemade cookies were available at every meal. At dinner there was also at least one other delicious baked treat.

The most interesting: brie cheese wrapped in plantains. Yum :)

The bar opened at 7am and didn't close until 11pm so you could order drinks anytime of the day; whether you were in the bar, at a meal, or lounging on the beach. The prices of bar drinks were reasonable and there was a happy hour every day with different specials. There was a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks but the beer selection is somewhat limited. I am usually a beer drinker but the mixed drinks were so refreshing that I had to try nearly one of each. The Apulit Breeze was my favorite :)

A section of the drink menu

That's a real coconut that the bartender cut open and used in a drink!

"Bring me two pina coladas, gotta have one for each hand..."

San Miguel is a beer brewed in the Philippines

I love coconut water so I was super excited that I could order coconuts to drink! They were plucked from a tree and cut open for me to enjoy. I ordered at least one a day :) When you are done drinking the water, you could have it cut in half so you could scoop out the meat.

Everything we ate was absolutely wonderful and I'm pretty sure we both returned home a few pounds heavier :) The morning we left the island, we had to check out around 6:30 and board the boat at 7am. Thankfully the resort set up a special early mini breakfast buffet so we could eat before we left.

Related Posts:
Apulit Island Resort - Arrival
Apulit Island Resort - Amenities
Apulit Island Resort - Activities
Apulit Island Resort - Departure

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"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it."

~Robert Orben

Apulit Island Resort - Activities

At Apulit Island Resort, there is nothing that you have to do. Almost all of the activities and the supplies needed for them are included with the price of your stay but it's completely up to you whether you want to take advantage of everything or simply spend every day laying on the beach. Our activity coordinator, Angel, caught up with us periodically to plan an activity or remind us of upcoming things.

There are numerous chairs and umbrellas set up on the beach, enough that they were never all full while we were there. Clean beach towels were placed on the chairs every morning. While relaxing in the sun, you could flag down a staff member or walk yourself to the bar to order beverages.

It rained on our second day there but we used that opportunity to relax in the bar and try most of the drinks on the menu :)

The rain lightened up enough in the afternoon for Johnnie to take a Discover Scuba class and learn scuba diving basics. The scuba diving classes do cost extra but it was a one-on-one session that was well worth it. I'm not a fan of being submerged underwater so I stayed back to take photographs instead. Johnnie and his instructor went diving off of the main pier in 4 to 5 meters of water. Johnnie had a great time despite getting stung by jellyfish. The instructor was prepared and had a bottle of vinegar waiting on the pier when they got out of the water.

Unfortunately the rain brought shifting currents and swarms of tiny jellyfish to the resort that were the size of the tip of my finger. Despite their small size, they still stung so we had to stay out of the water.

We couldn't be in the water but we could be on it! We loaded into a kayak and explored the waters around the island. Use of the kayaks and lifejackets are no extra charge. The water was calm, clear, and so blue!

Sailing is also available at no extra cost.

We went island hopping to Isla Blanca to go snorkeling. Excursions such as this and the equipment needed are also included in the price of your stay. It was a gorgeous day, the water was like glass, and snorkeling was amazing! We purchased an underwater camera at the resort but it's film and we haven't gotten it developed yet.

We also took a trip to another island they called the Pavilion. We took a boat to the island and then took a kayak to shore. There we climbed around some amazing limestone formations and jumped into a little lagoon hidden in the rocks.

There are a lot of activities at the resort and watching the spectacular sunsets must be counted as one of them! The sunsets are gorgeous and different every day. You'll get the best views if you walk toward the deluxe cottages.

The cottages and limestone cliffs lit up at night.

A must-do for anyone staying at the resort is a private meal. You can chose the day, time, meal, and location and this is all at no extra cost! We chose to have a beach dinner just after sunset on our last night. Our wonderful waiter, Mark, set up candle lanterns around a small table in the sand and did a great job serving lots of delicious food and keeping our wine glasses filled :) It was a very romantic evening and a great way to end our stay.