Picnic at Nuvali: A First for 2014

I consider this as my first blog after a long time of not writing blog entries. It's the first day of the year 2014, and I am just so proud to share a new experience. Well, Nuvali is a budding eco-business hub here in the South. For first time visitors, Nuvali can be a really cool place for hanging out, dining, a venue for events and other family activities like PICNIC! But for someone like me who passes by the area every single day, it could just be another ordinary place where I can drop by and do my personal errands.

However, on the 1st day of the new year, I finally experienced sharing a hearty lunch under the shade of the trees along Nuvali. It was a fantastic start of the year matched with the great, breezy weather. So, after hearing the Holy Mass, "somebody" suggested that we drive to Nuvali and go on an impromptu picnic. We drove to the nearest Jollibee branch and bought chicken meals. Mr. Somebody had fruit salad and fruits from their house, but it will not be enough for two starving creatures (it seemed that he had it in mind already). So, we drove off and found a spot where we can eat and lie down lazily.

View of Nuvali

I was expecting that Nuvali will be full of visitors as it is always the situation especially during holidays and weekends. Indeed, the place was flocked with families carrying loads of food. Some even had tents for the kids! I wish we could be as prepared as them since we only had taken out food from Jollibee. Hehehe :)

Nevertheless, it was a fun, relaxing, carefree experience. A good kickoff for the year 2014.

Happy New Year!

Phaidon Beach Resort: Exclusivity and Unlimited Beach Bumming Experience

Phaidon Beach Resort - beach front area

Part of our Antique-Boracay tour is a beach bumming session at Phaidon Beach Resort. After falling in love with Malumpati Spring, we were in awe upon seeing the bright and exclusive beachfront area of Phaidon Beach Resort. When we arrived, we paid an entrance fee of PHP 60 per person, and this includes the rental for the cottage. 


The owner said that Phaidon Beach Resort is the other side of Boracay. I surely agree with her because we had the beach all to ourselves --- no stressful crowd, no boats on the shore and no noisy parties. The peaceful, serene water was just awaiting visitors to plunge in. Of course, the sand is more beautiful in Boracay, but sand at Phaidon Beach Resort is still comparable to it. The water was so clear as if calling you to swim the moment you arrive. As soon as we enter the resort, we dropped off our things at the cottage and immediately ran off to swim in the enticing beach. 

clear, calm water but beware of sea urchins

Due to our excitement that we were the only ones on the beach, we didn't notice sea urchins lurking in the water. We found one and another and another....they were all just right in front of Phaidon Beach Resort. So, we walked a bit to a vacant property which was said to be owned by Loren Legarda. We also had fun joking around and sharing laughter while doing "photo shoot" sessions. 

Here's a list of what I love about Phaidon Beach Resort:

1. It was not crowded.
2. The place was squeaky clean.
3. It was cozy.
4. We ordered instant coffee priced at PHP 35 per cup, which is reasonable enough (for me).
5. We had the opportunity to take a peek in one of their rooms, and it was nice with a welcoming atmosphere and very clean. 

What I think needs improvement would be:

1. The sea urchins are everywhere. This is due to the fishermen who are on the other side of the property, and they unintentionally bring in the sea urchins as they catch fishes.
2. The lounge area at the beachfront area can be used but charged with a rental fee. I didn't ask for the price anymore. It was just disappointing because if you were a guest for a more extended stay, you'd have to rent the lounge area. That's a bit disappointing.
3. They didn't want us to enter the comfort room after swimming on the beach. It was indirectly implied because the staff kept on pointing out that there was a hose for washing our feet instead of going inside the comfort room.
4. The location of the resort is quite far from the city proper. So, if you want to go someplace, you'll have to rent out their van or have a tricycle rented out for touring around Pandan. 

cottage 1

cottage 2

cottage in front of the resort

veranda

restaurant

lounge area (for rent)

Overall, I find Phaidon Beach Resort a very private and close to a perfect beach bumming escape away from the noisy crowd of Boracay. Another twist in your Visayas region tour. I'd give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5. :)

fishermen in the nearby property

fresh catch

pulling the net

children collecting shells for their dinner

beautiful sunset at Phaidon Beach Resort

Malumpati Spring Resort in Pandan Antique: Undiscovered Haven

Pandan, Antique is such an idyllic tourist spot which deserves a separate blog entry. In this way, I can also share the beautiful pictures of the tourist spots we visited. Pandan is a municipality of Antique with a total of 34 barangays. Based on my observation, livelihood is from arts and crafts, fishing and farming. Again, I would like to thank our hostess in our Pandan, Antique tour, our dear Accountant - Ms. Marnie for welcoming us in their ancestral home.

while in the van going to Pandan

Scenery on the way to Pandan

It took us around 30 to 45 minutes from Caticlan port to reach Ms. Marnie's place in Pandan. We ate breakfast and prepared for our tour at Malumpati Spring Resort and visit at Phaidon Beach Resort. We rented out a van because each area was quite far from the other. There were tricycles available, and perhaps can be rented out as well. It took us about another 30-45 minutes to reach Malumpati Spring Resort. It was a mixture of rough and smooth road. When we got to the place, we paid the PHP 10 per person entrance fee, and cottage rental was not more than PHP 100 if I remembered correctly. There were sari-sari stores in the area just in case you did not bring food. There were also souvenir shops right at the entrance of Malumpati Spring but, on our way to the spring, there was this place where abaca products are woven as bags, rags, carpets, trays, and other handmade merchandises. 

Meanwhile, we had our hearty picnic lunch at Malumpati Spring. After that, we just enjoyed dipping into the crystal clear, cold water. . .

view of Malumpati Spring

This is the deepest spot of the spring. Children and other visitors enjoyed jumping off the dive board.

That's me - the trying hard photographer hehe :)

People swimming in shallow waters

The bridge connecting the entrance going to the cottages on the other side of the place

I have so much to say about Malumpati Spring but, it will not be enough to describe this striking piece of heaven. Another unexpected highlight of our Pandan tour was meeting an SK Chairman candidate, Dex Lumawig (who is Ms. Marnie's neighbor). Since it was election time, you can hear campaign propaganda in almost every corner of the road. I think campaign strategies are more evident in the provinces. So, the group memorized this jingle for Dex Lumawig, and we were joking around if we can meet him in person. True enough, he was just right at the other side of the street! Haha! So, we grabbed the opportunity to take a group photo with him. I really hope he wins in Pandan because he seems really cool --- just plain and simple.

SK Chairman candidate Dex Lumawig (blue shirt) at the center and our crazy group

after the whole day tour at Pandan

Indeed, Malumpati Spring is an undiscovered haven. If you want a more relaxed and unique tour of the Visayas region, you can try roaming around using our itinerary. :)