Siargao Series: Siargao Bleu Resort & Spa

It’s been more than a month since our Siargao trip at hindi pa rin ako maka-move on sa kanya. Hahaha! I think I need another trip, or can I just go back to the island and stay there for the rest of my life? Seriously, it’s the best!!!!

I have been to some places in the country but this island, OH MY GOD I don’t know what magic it has but it really captured, and still capturing my heart. Parang pag-ibig, mahirap maka-move on unless may dumating na iba! CHAROT!

So much for that!

We have been lucky enough to have stayed in one of the luxurious resorts in the island, Siargao Bleu Resort & Spa. Originally, we only wanted to stay at Bravo Resort — because I just wanted to drink sangria by the beach ’cause I have heard that they have the best one in the island (and yes, MASARAP TALAGA SYA!!!!) — but one of my good friends told us that there was no available room that could accommodate us. Fortunately, she was able to help us look for another resort. “Ok lang ba kung sa Siargao Bleu kayo?”, she told me. I have done some research prior to this and I should know, that resort is off my list because it’s beyond our budget, nakakaloka sa mahal okay!!! My first question was “Will it be same price, though?” She said YES. Of course, I immediately said yes!

Let the photos I have taken speak for itself.

Who would say NO to this, huh?!

We stayed at Siargao Bleu for 3 days and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Everything seemed perfect.  As far as I know, it is the biggest and the only spa resort in the island. If you are on a bigger budget, splurge and spend a night or two in here. We stayed in their garden deluxe room; you may check the prices here: http://siargaobleu.com.ph/accommodations

PJ and I are huge fans of anything buffet that’s why we were very happy that the resort serves daily breakfast buffet. Happy tummy!!! No photos, though. We devoured the food as soon as we could!

Swimming pool and floating rooms

We were greeted by the hotel staffs and they immediately handed us our welcome drinks. They were accommodating and they have attended to everything we needed. They even let us check in earlier than the check-in time.

Welcome drinks!

Another thing to note is they offer free shuttle service around General Luna. It was hassle-free for us whenever we want to go from one place to another. Customer service at its best!

Surf spot near the resort! 

 

Hey! ♥

The resort has a private beach front where we spent most of our time chilling. The sunset here is amazing!

Look at that!

The morning view is equally as beautiful!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR_3fjpAxyb/?taken-by=adellepauline

 

We totally had fun bumming around their huge swimming pool every after our activity for the day. We had the place all to ourselves!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFHmHcg2H0/?taken-by=adellepauline

Kayaking around the pool. Only in Siargao Blue 😉

The resort also offers spa and gym amenities. PJ was able to experience the massage and he said it was one of the best. For all I know, he fall asleep in the first 10 minutes.

The view from the gym/spa.

If only we could stay here for a longer time, we would. If ever we go back to the island, I would still consider staying in Siargao Bleu.

That’s all for now – I have yet to write another post about our island-hopping and Sugba Lagoon experiences, respectively, but  I would save that for another day (or week, or maybe another month, or never at all?) Let’s see! 😉

 

Second Anniversary Celebration

On our first anniversary celebration last year, PJ and I had simple dinner at a restaurant in SM Megamall and continued the celebration by visiting El Nido two weeks later. This year, we wanted a more chill vibe — so a weekend staycation would be perfect. A week before our anniversary, my friend, Kaie, told me that she has a friend that can help us get discounts to some hotels in Manila. Since I had vouchers for Ace Water Spa (that was given to be my office mates as a birthday gift), we decided to look for a hotel in Pasig area. Thank you, Kaie, for helping us book at Discovery Suites. 

We went to Ace Water Spa at around 10 in the morning, and immediately checked in for the 4-hour water spa service. It was a relaxing and much-needed experience for us. We started at the Lazy River, where the strong current would take you around the pool, and you’re just there, hanging on to the giant square floaters. Next, we tried the different types of hydrotherapy massages (soft, moderate, hard) for the next 3 hours. My personal favorite was the rainfall acupuncture that I almost fell asleep while I was there. SO GOOD!!! There were also hot herbal pools with different temperature, and the water came with different colors. We tried two of the hottest ones: 38C and 40C, respectively). PJ taught me a technique: You just don’t dive into the water. You have to dip your body gradually so it can adapt the water temperature.We also tried the Sauna Room but I didn’t like it; I was having a hard time breathing. Unfortunately, cameras or any gadgets were not allowed inside so I didn’t have any photos, but PJ and I really enjoyed it. We grabbed our lunch at Longganisa Sorpresa just across Ace Water Spa.

At 3PM, we checked in at Discovery Suites. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect about this hotel but I’ve read good reviews online. We were given a Serendipity Junior Suite with buffet breakfast for two (2). First they let us stay at the waiting lounge at the 22nd floor, and I was wondering why it’s taking so long before we actually get into our room. You will know why in the photos below!

Hotel lobby

Welcome drinks while waiting for our room assignment

Lo and behold, our room! It’s spacious and cozy. Complimentary water, tea, and coffee were available, of course! In the closet was a steam iron and ironing board along with a couple of bathrobes.

Surprise #1: The staff scattered rose petals on the bed and on the floor. They also hung a banner that says “Happy second anniversary, Adelle and Paul” Wow, that’s so thoughtful and sweet! I thought that PJ arranged it with the hotel, but it’s all the staff’s idea! Superb!

Even our bath tub had rose petals!

Surprise #2: One of the staff delivered this to our hotel room, and this was actually the second piece as the first one had a “Happy birthday” message on it, which we actually finished eating already!

Our room was located at the 14th floor, and it offered a relatively good view outside (The Podium, SM Megamall and other buildings out there). It could have been more perfect if it was at a higher floor so we could have had a view of the sunset. Nonetheless, it’s all good!

The room had a living room where you can read your newspaper in the morning while sipping a cup of coffee, or just basically hang there if you are tired of lying down.

At night, we went to The Podium just across the hotel, and had dinner at Shi Lin. The food was amazing! We loved their noodles and shao long bao that PJ regretted that he only ordered 6 pieces of them!

Noodles with double-boiled chicken

Hakaw and Shao long bao

Shao long bao

We walked back to our hotel room and called the night early with a smile plastered on our faces and all cuddled up in our suite. ♥

When we woke up the next morning, we went down to 5th floor for breakfast at Restaurant 5. It had a breakfast buffet spread set up. There were cereals and drinks, the usual Filipino and continental breakfast, salads, omelette, fruits, and whatnot. I think that it was the most sumptuous breakfast that I have had in a long time! I didn’t even bother taking photos, I just enjoyed the food. 😀

Right next to the restaurant was the indoor swimming pool.

We were not able to swim as it was fully-packed right after we changed into our swimming attires. Good thing I have taken photos before people flocked the area. We went back to our hotel room and killed time in the bath tub until it’s time to check out. It was a great experience staying at Discovery Suites, and I would definitely come back if given the chance.

The celebration didn’t end there: in the afternoon, we attended the Holy Mass at Don Boco Church, and in the evening, PJ brought me to La Cabrera for a fancy dinner. La Cabrera is located at G/F 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

PJ had a table reserved for us and upon arriving, the staff welcomed us with a warm smile. We ordered pasta, empanada, and their best-selling steak. OMG the food was so good I couldn’t recall how many times I told PJ that it’s so delicious and worth every penny!

Steak is life!

We stayed there for almost two hours, just filling our stomachs with good-tasting food, exchanging stories about our lives and our future, while music is playing in the background. It was the perfect way to end our second anniversary weekend celebration. I loved every bit of it!

Dear PJ, 

Two years ago today, you asked me to be your girl friend, and I said “Yes.” Two years, and here we are now, engaged to be married — time flies really fast and it doesn’t get any better than this!

I can write a thousand words but I will leave it in another blog post or better yet, in my wedding vow. You say that you are lucky to have me as yours, but for me, I am blessed for you are mine, and that you love me unconditionally (yes my parents and friends can attest to that). 

I know in my heart that my parents didn’t regret a single thing in giving you my hand in marriage because they are confident that I will be in good hands. I love you with all my heart, and I can’t wait to walk down the aisle and spend the rest of my life with you.

Always and forever,
Adelle

 

My Twenty-Fifth Birthday

I remember when I was a little girl, my parents always prepare something for my birthday; may it be a grand or a simple celebration, they see to it that we have food to share on my special day. As I grow older, the celebrations become simpler every year. Grown-ups never seemed to be excited about another birthday but that is not my case. I love birthdays — I love celebrating my own — I feel like I am a celebrity because people, my friends and family, are giving me their birthday wishes.

Yesterday I turned 25 and had the honor of spending the day with my friends and boyfriend. It was a holiday (at least for me) so I had the day off from work. Did you know that the past year has been a true eye-opener of all sorts for me in terms of developing myself as a grown-up young lady? It feels like I am in a whole new world. Some say that 25 is the age when you will experience quarter-life crisis, but not in my case. That came a year ahead and it was beyond painful. I quit my job in a consulting firm, had my heart broken by an asshole who didn’t deserve my love, went back to my hometown and lived with my parents without a single cent in my pocket. I was really devastated and I came to a point that I didn’t see the good future ahead of me anymore.

Sunny day for the birthday girl

My 25th year is different, and it’s different in a good way. I have people around who love me unconditionally. They are very few in number, but as I grow older I realized that the quality of friends I have is better than quantity that most people aspire for. The number of important people that I have now is not too many compared to others but I am sure that what I have are for keeps — forever.

So how did I really spend my 25th birthday?

It feels like home. ♥

I went to UST to get my year book, (which by the way, three years in-the-making before it got published). I met up with Kaie, have brunch at Pancake House, and she got me the cutest birthday “cake” aka banana split ice cream.

Brunch

I also bumped into Paul in the campus and we went to Tapsi to grab some drinks. The rain poured so hard I got stranded inside the campus. It started to flood in some areas but I insisted to leave the place to make it to my dinner date with PJ.

Stranded birthday girl. I will always come back to UST no matter how many it gets flooded. ♥

PJ fetched me at home and we went to Rustique Kitchen for a fancy dinner. We were the only people there. Celebrity chef, Bruce Lim, PJ’s former employer and a friend, happened to be there and even entertained us the whole time. PJ’s choice of food did not disappoint. I enjoyed it so much!

Fancy dinner with my love. ♥

Yup, my private chef, the one and only, Chef Bruce Lim. I was so kilig the whole time he was sitting with us in our table, serving us great-tasting food. God I love birthdays I feel like I’m a celebrity (with a celebrity chef beside me hahahaha)

At least I got to pretend that I was Adele, the singer, even for a night, on my special day.

There are still lots of things to say that I don’t even know how to end this post. When words tumble this quickly I tend not to filter or fight them, but instead am content just to funnel the torrents as they flow into straight lines that hopefully make sense. I thank God for the gift of life. I just couldn’t ask for more. I feel so blessed and honor to live this life that I have right now. I am forever grateful to everyone who stick with me through the good times, most especially the bad ones.

Love,

Adelle 🙂

*Quick Update*

A day after my birthday, my CampaignTrack family surprised me in the office with a birthday cake and a backpack as a gift. Thank you so much everyone. You have no idea how happy I am to be working with people like you guys, and for a company that loves its employees back. I couldn’t be more grateful!