December was pretty hectic for most of us. A lot of gatherings like Christmas party and reunion happened on top of our day to day work. Not to mention the tons of work that needs to be done at year end. I was very elated when our firm announced that we will have an overnight stay at Plantation Bay Resorts for our team building and Christmas party.
I'm usually a heavy packer when going to overnight trips. I have a habit of making a list of things to bring, which includes extra towel, vitamins and medicines, water jug, and blanket. I know these things can be unnecessary so this time, i dropped it out of my list and just really bring the essentials. When i arrived at our meeting place, people were shock because i only brought a backpack with me. I saw some of my colleagues brought their maleta tho.
We then hopped into the van, very excited for our trip. We passed by CCLEX, the longest bridge in the Philippines.
Upon arrival, we immediately went to the front desk to check the status of our accommodation. I'm amazed by this humidifier in their lobby which is supposed to freshen people from the hot weather. After all, Philippines is a tropical country.
It's not past our check-in time yet so the rooms were not yet available. Since we're a huge group, the friendly staff offered their function room for us to wait and freshen up.
Finally, our rooms are now ready! But before going to our respective rooms, the staff gave us a map of the Plantation Bay and a quick welcoming remarks.
My friends doesn't like to hike our way to the room so we requested for a golf cart.
Around this time, i was having a difficult time personally. So the serene vibes of this place was very helpful in keeping my mind quiet and at peace. I'm very grateful for this trip because it gave me a different scenery other than my usual day to day routine. It felt like a retreat of some sort.
These local handmade candies are so delicious.
This is where we stayed during our vacation. I shared this room with 3 other girls. It has 2 queen sized bed, split type air conditioner, a TV, a comfort room, and a mini balcony outside. One thing i notice about the room is that there are very limited lights. So during day time, it feels gloomy. (Or maybe that's just how i felt)
Due to limited time, we didn't get the chance to use their bath tub :(
Below our room was a 3 ft swimming pool. We were so tempted to swim already but we still have to settle our things and have lunch. So we promised to swim before the trip ends.
We had lunch at Kilimanjaro Kafe inside the resort. The highlight of this alfresco restaurant is the painting on it's roof that screams BEACH. We ordered Crispy Pata, chicken lollipop, shanghai and shrimp gambas.
It rained heavily during the afternoon so we stayed in our cozy room and had some free time.
When the rain stopped, my friend and i decided to explore the resort and take some good photos.
Apparently, there's free bikes for us to use. But unfortunately none of us know how to bike so we only took a photo with it.
It's almost sunset when we found ourselves near the beach. It feels euphoric to inhale the smell of the beach. There are only a few guests in the beach side, most of them are Asian foreigners. We took some moments to grasp the beautiful view and just sit in the beach relaxed.
The hotel staff announced that the theme for tonight's dinner is Hawaiian. We dined at the beach side. Aside from the sumptuous food, there's live performance too. My favorite is the fire dance because i can see that the dancers really gave an all out performance. It feels like I'm in Boracay because of the Hawaiian theme.
We then headed to our disco themed Christmas party which i already shared in my previous blog (see:Disco Night)
The next day, we ate at their breakfast buffet. Hotel breakfast is always what i look forward to in every stay. Although the theme for today's buffet is Chinese, there are all sorts of foods in the buffet. They had breads, cereals, Chinese buns, bacon, omelet, and among others.
Here is my palate for breakfast. True to the theme, i opted for oolong tea as my beverage of choice instead of coffee.
After eating breakfast and preparing for the day ahead, we explored the Mogambo Springs Spa. This zen place has a Japanese architecture. I also hear Tibetan bowl sounds all over the place. Unfortunately, there was no attendant in the area so we only roam around, take some photos, and left.
This is actually my first time visiting Plantation Bay and it didn't disappoint! That's it for today's blog. See you in my next one.
Sending some love and light
Love, Jane
