2009

Archive for the year 2009

More Photos from Plantation Bay

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa
Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines
http://plantationbay.com

This is a photo of Brian and I at Savannah, taken during our first lunch at Plantation Bay. We had just arrived and dropped our stuff off at our room. Notice that we were still wearing our welcome leis. The best welcome leis ever! These are made of shells so they don’t wilt.

Here’s the lei up close.

Mom and dad in front of their room.

This is the pool by mom and dad’s room.

Yummy treats we found in our room, courtesy of the resort.

Man-made beach/lagoon…

These are what the lagoon-side rooms look like… They charge a premium for these rooms because you’re right on the water. You just step off your patio and you’re there.

One of the benefits of the man-made lagoon is that you don’t have to worry about stepping on sea urchins or other critters. Also, the lagoon is drained at least once a week and the floors are scrubbed clean. We saw this first hand one night while we were there. They do it in the evening when the lagoon is not in use so as not to inconvenience resort guests.

This is one of the many pools.

Pool caves by Kilimanjaro Cafe.

Brian drinking fresh pineapple juice at Kilimanjaro Cafe.

It was the freshest pineapple juice either of us had ever had. It even had bits of fruit in it. Brian didn’t like it as much because of that so he gave it to me. He prefers not-so-fresh pineapple juice, I guess. I loved it. It was delicious. Way better than any pineapple juice I had ever had!

Brian and I went biking around the property one afternoon.

We also did some exploring. The property is huge.

Mom and dad did some kayaking.

We all had a fantastic time at Plantation Bay. From check in to check out (with the exception of the time when we had an afternoon snack at Kilimanjaro and the server and hostess were inattentive) everyone was just amazing. All of the staff were friendly and helpful.

Even the pool guy who was cleaning the leaves off the water features at Mogambo stopped to help us with our bags when he saw us carrying our bags. He took our bags from us and carried them the rest of the way to the lobby area and then phoned the front desk so they would have a cart come pick us up.

Despite our desire to carry our own bags, we never had to do that the entire time we were there. Either the cart driver or one of the other staff would always beat us to it. Service was just out of this world. It was a pleasant surprise because there is no tipping at Plantation Bay.

We didn’t take advantage of the butler service because Brian and I prefer to fend for ourselves, but I read in the resort brochure that they do packing and unpacking for you, as well as shoe shines and minor sewing/clothing repair. We enjoyed our stay at Plantation Bay so much that we are already planning our next stay. I think we all agree that we will stay more days next time. 🙂

P.S. You can see more pictures here.

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Mogambo Springs at Plantation Bay

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

They also had fresh coconut water waiting for us in our room. The coconuts were chilled and the coconut water/juice was so fresh and delicious. Brian doesn’t like coconuts so I got to drink both. Yeah!

We got two free massage oils. That’s what was in the little woven bag.

Brian checking out the ceiling…

The bathroom was very nice.. 100X better than the one we had to endure at Alona Tropical in Bohol.

Brian trying our our tub…

The spa staff made an herbal bath for me on each night of our stay.

The view outside our window…

Brian and I wanted to indulge so we stayed at Mogambo Springs, the spa at Plantation Bay. We were in MS 02.

They only have three guest rooms there. The rest are treatment/spa rooms. The spa is patterned after a Japanese village. The place was so relaxing and serene. The entire area smelled fragrant and aromatic also. We loved it!

I think this is the manicure and pedicure hut.

Mom outside our room.

I loved all of the kalachuchi flowers everywhere.

This is the spa lobby.

We went around exploring and checked out some of the treatment rooms.

Lots of bamboo trees everywhere…

We had a free one hour massage for each day that we stayed at the spa. These were the massage oil choices.

Mom and dad got a poolside room which was just a short distance away from the spa. Staying at the spa cost Brian and I a bit more, but we got free massages and herbal baths so I thought it was a pretty good deal.

I think next time we go we’ll only spend one night at Mogambo and then move to a lagoonside room. That might be better because getting massaged every night was a bit much. The herbal baths were nice, though. 🙂

Plantation Bay was one of the highlights of the trip. The property is beautiful and well-maintained and all of the staff were fantastic. We will definitely go again on our next trip to the Philippines.

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Pictures from the Fast Ferry

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

The four of us rode the Ocean Jet (fast ferry) from Negros to Cebu so we could spend a couple of days in Cebu before the long trip back home. This was our relaxation time. Pictures of our stay at Plantation Bay to follow. Stay tuned!

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South Negros Geothermal Production Field

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

On Sunday, October 11, Brian and I had the opportunity to tour Tito Cy’s work in Valencia. We got to see Palimpinon I and Palimpinon II. It was my first time touring a geothermal power plant. It’s a lot like any other power plant except the energy source is geothermal, as opposed to coal, natural gas, etc.

There were so many houses (probably squatters) within the power plant premises. It was wild. Brian even saw clothes/laundry laid to dry on the hot pipes. The irony is, as close as these houses are to the power plant, they probably don’t have any electricity.

The control center terminals looked like any other control center.

Us in front of the long wall of buttons…

Here’s an example of a house within the power plant area. This one happens to be along the road.

There’s steam coming out of the sides of the mountain.

The road to the power plant is scenic. There were some great views. We took pictures on the way down as we were leaving the bukid.

It was really cool seeing Tito Cy’s office and getting a tour of the power plant. I’m glad that the weather was favorable that day and we had the chance to do it.

I wish that I could arrange for Tito Cy to tour one of our power plants over here also when he visits in December so I can return the favor. I’m not sure how to do that though. I will have to ask around and find out.