No Better Time, No Better Place

Day 1

I am writing this at Discovery Shores in Boracay. For the first time in my life, I am spending my birthday on a holiday trip. In the past, I had always planned to go on leave on my birthday so that I could spend the special day exactly as I wished. But it seldom happened. Something always came up at work. So for my first birthday after my retirement with no work to stop me, I decided to go to one of my favorite places in the world, Boracay, and to stay in my dream resort, Discovery Shores (as recorded in my previous post “The Bride Wore Flipflops”).

So this morning, Manny, Jog, Tif and I took the 6:30 AM Cebu Pacific flight at the Terminal 3 in Manila. It was my first time at Terminal 3 and I was impressed. Jog described it accurately - a smaller version of the Hong Kong International Airport. But it was certainly big enough.

There were 3 rows of Cebu Pacific counters checking in flights for different places. The staff were very efficient and friendly so checking in was a breeze. We queued up to pay the P200 terminal fee. Again, there were many booths so it didn’t take long. Security was separate for males and females, and the female queue was shorter so I had to wait for my men. While waiting, I checked out the different food outlets leading up to the gates and there were enough choices - Mrs. Fields, Delifrance, Gonuts, Chaikofi, etc. But we weren’t ready for breakfast yet so we ended up buying C2 drinks at P45 per bottle (about 150% mark-up!). We checked out the rest rooms and were happy to see them up to world class standards – no main door leading to the numerous stalls, sufficient supply of tissue rolls, liquid soap, automatic turn-off faucets, paper towels.

I had booked our flights online and opted for the cheaper Go Lite fares with no checked in luggage. (Not much to check in when all you’re bringing are shorts, shirts and swimsuits.) Instead, I bought the choice seats and got rows 1 and 2. When we boarded the plane, I was happily surprised to see that these 2 rows faced each other. So it was perfect for the 4 of us. But right before the plane took off, I realized that I was going to have a first time experience – taking off facing the tail of the plane! I braced my foot against Jog’s seat in front of me just in case. But it felt the same.

Our Cebu Pacific flight left ahead of schedule so we landed in Caticlan at 7:15AM. The DS attendant was there to bring us to the coaster. Immediately, we knew this was going to be a completely different, totally wonderful experience. The driver had bottled water for us and Mentos candies. When we got to the pier, the DS air-conditioned boat was waiting for us. As soon as we boarded, the lady attendant gave us cold towels, bottled water and chips. We were the only guests. She then gave her welcome spiel. After an 8 minute boat ride, we were at the Boracay pier where another DS coaster was waiting. After a 15 minute road trip, we were at the resort. A lady attendant was there to welcome us with hot towels and a welcome drink (not your usual fruit juice but a refreshing buko juice concoction in a shot glass). She informed us that our 2 bedroom suite wasn’t ready yet (as expected because check-in time was still at 2PM) but they were going to give us a temporary room! (All along, I thought we would just deposit our luggage with the concierge and lounge on the beach beds while waiting for our room.) And it was a very nice room with all the amenities; plus chicken galantina, dried mangoes, chocolate chip cookies and pandan water nicely set on a table. We decided to have our first of two buffet breakfasts this morning and what a spread they had – fruits (including sweet mangoes), salmon sashimi, various cheeses, Asian noodle station, egg station, pancakes, crepes, soups, hot dishes like longganiza, sausages, cream dory, etc. Everything that we had was good. Then we went back to our temporary room and took a nap. While waiting to move to our suite, we all had the complimentary foot bath.

Around 2PM, we transferred to our suite. And it was so beautiful - very spacious and well-appointed. Apart from the two large rooms which both had balconies, there was a huge living area with a sectional sofa, a dining table for 4, and a kitchenette (with no cooking facility). Both baths had separate bathtubs and shower rooms. There were 3 flat screen TVs. We almost didn’t want to leave. But the boys were getting hungry so we went to D’ Mall using the DS shuttle (like a huge golf cart with 3 rows). We had lunch at Lemon Café where Manny and I shared the seared tuna salad (not as good as Cyma’s), Jog and Tif had soba, plus steak sandwich and Asian fiesta (kinilao and sushi). After the 4PM lunch, we walked back to DS and had fruit shakes at Jonah’s, which was midway between the 2 places. By the time we got to DS, it was almost sunset. So we rushed down to take pictures. We weren’t disappointed. The sun blazed in its full glory as it went down in the horizon. We then went swimming in the pool and soaked in the jacuzzi. When we went back to the room, we were happily surprised to find banana fritters on the dining table, the boys’ clothes had been neatly folded, the beds had been turned and our bathrobes laid out on the beds. Since we had a long day, we decided to stay in the room for dinner and ordered Yellow Cab through DS’s guest services. So now we’re ready to go to bed.

Already this much I know. Discovery Shores is a great place to spend a vacation. It may cost an arm and a leg, but it’s not just the room that you’re paying for. It’s the whole experience of seeing nothing but beauty and feeling pampered at every turn. Henceforth, I will be loath to stay in another resort in Boracay, unless it’s the Shangrila. But then we’ll have to pay 2 arms and 2 legs. (It’s P27,000 a night!)

I’ll end here. We wake up early tomorrow to hear the 6:30 AM mass to start my birthday right.