An
afternoon siesta was interrupted by angelic singing. I alighted from the bed
that seemed to float, and everything felt like a dream. In flowing sea-green
dress, the Loboc Children’s Choir, one of Bohol’s prides which had won many
international choir competitions, was singing from the terrace of the Bluewater
Panglao Beach Resort, overlooking the lucent blue water of the pool, shaped
like a lagoon and flanked by two buildings of guestrooms.
On the
bridge that traverses the pool and connects the two buildings, dancers jumped
into the pool with dolphin headdresses. They represented the seven dolphins in
a Lapu-Lapu legend which now figure in the logo of Bluewater resorts, harking to
its Cebuano roots. Thus, the third resort of Bluewater was opened in Bohol on
July 31, 2011, coinciding with the island province’s Sandugo Festival, which
commemorates the blood compact and treaty of friendship between Bohol’s Datu
Sikatuna and Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and accompanied with
much feasting and entertainment. The best of the resort as well of Bohol was
offered to guests.
Bluewater
Panglao marked a milestone—the expansion of the Bluewater brand and its
contribution to the growth of Bohol as a premiere tourist destination as well
as a homecoming of sorts for the owner, the Alegrado family of Cebu.
Why Bohol? one may
wonder.
“My family and I would
come here for vacation. One reason is that we love Bohol. It’s such a beautiful
place. It’s really magical. Another is my father lived here for a while. My
grandmothers—my father’s mom and my mom’s mom—are actually from Bohol. We still
have relatives here, and we would come here. My father’s family still has
property in Sagbayan, Bohol,” revealed Julie Alegrado-Vergara, president of
Bluewater Resorts and Almont Hotel and Resorts Corporation, and daughter of
family patriarch Arcadio Alegrado, honorary consul to Austria since 1985, who
started it all.
She was
referring to Julieta Castillo from the district of Taloto in Tagbilaran, mother
of Arcadio. Her mother, Marie Torralba Montalban Alegrado, is related to the
Torralbas of Bohol. Julieta was one of the seven children of Esteban Castillo,
an escribiente at the treasurer’s
office in Tagbilaran, and Guadalupe Garcia, a Spanish mestiza teaching cartilla to children.
Arcadio’s father,
Venancio Alegrado, hailed from Carcar, Cebu, who went to the United States in
early 1920s to study, becoming a trainee in mechanical engineering at the Ford
Motors Company. He returned home in 1930s, opened gasoline stations in Cebu and
Dumaguete City, and also ventured into corn and rice milling in Sagbayan in
Bohol.
Arcadio came
to Sagbayan when the family evacuated to the town when World War II broke out.
Despite the death of his father when he was nine years old, Arcadio had a
pleasant childhood in Sagbayan, growing up with the countryside as playground.
He went to schools in Bohol and Cebu.
He worked his way
through college at the University of the Philippines. After graduation, he
worked with Caltex Philippines, during which he met Marie Montalban, a school
dentist in Butuan City. He eventually quit his job and lived in Butuan, where
he opened a gasoline station and a lodge.
When they
were married, Arcadio and Marie opened a restaurant by the family’s home garden
in Butuan City called the Family Garden in 1970s. In 1976, Arcadio went to Cebu
to open a seafood restaurant, the Fishing Village, and a furniture factory. In 1983, he built a 24-room hotel in Butuan
called Almont Hotel. As his businesses prospered in Cebu, he moved his family
there. In 1989, the family established Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort in the sitio of Buyong, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City,
on Mactan Island.
They still own Almont
Hotel but trusted its management mostly to its staff. In May 1998, the
Alegrados opened the Almont Inland Resort in Butuan City, next to their
residence there. Eventually, two more properties, the Almont Beach Resort in Lipata,
Surigao City, and the Almont Lake Resort in Lake Mainit, Kitcharao, both in
Surigao del Norte, would be added to the roster of Almont accommodations.
On the other hand, Bluewater
Maribago Beach Resort started as a beach house for the families of the Alegrado
brothers, Arcadio and his younger brother Eddie. After a week of managing their
rattan furniture, they would spend their weekends with their families. They
would also hold family gatherings and special occasions at the beach house where
they invited their friends, who suggested turning the beach house into a
resort. Seeing the potential of the place, the Alegrados took their friends’
suggestion and started acquiring adjacent tracts of land. Two rooms were built,
now rooms 21 and 35, and they welcomed their first guests, a Japanese couple,
in 1989. Eventually, 51 cottages were built with thirty-two rooms and friends
in the business were invited to invest through vacation membership. They also
established a sales office, and their restaurant in Cebu City was transferred
to the resort, now the Allegro Restaurant.
In 1993, a
convention hall and twelve more cottages, two levels with two to four rooms each,
were constructed. In May 1994, the convention hall had its first big event, the
Rotary Club International District Convention of which Arcadio was the district
governor.
In 1995, Julie Alegrado
was appointed assistant general manager. Having graduated from a hotel
management course at the International Center Hotel and Tourism Training in Vienna,
Austria, she also became general manager of Almont Hotel.
With
Julie’s vision and passion, the seven-hectare Bluewater Maribago has developed
into one of Cebu’s known resorts. A full-service spa, Amuma, was built in
January 2007. Another resort was also built—Bluewater Sumilon Beach Resort on
the 24-hectare island of Sumilon in Bancogon, Oslob, in the southern part of
Cebu, 125 kilometers from Cebu City, which opened in 2005.
Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort is the first Bluewater resort outside of Cebu.
Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort is the first Bluewater resort outside of Cebu.
“We would come [to
Bohol], and my father would reminisce. So we started to explore the possibility
of opening up a property here. And we’re glad we did. Bohol is attracting a lot
of tourists, local and foreign. We have so much to offer. It is but natural to
put up one here,” Julie related.
A piece of land was
offered to the family in the sitio of
Daurong in the barangay of Danao,
Panglao. It did not seem like an attractive property because it was off Alona
Beach and the 120-meter shoreline is craggy, but Julie felt comfortable about
it. The family bought the six-hectare property, two hectares of which was
developed into the resort. The remaining four are earmarked for future
developments.
Aside from
familial connection, Julie saw the potential of Bohol to make it big as one of
the top tourist destinations. The province has different attractions to
captivate visitors. Chief among these is the Chocolate Hills in the center of
the province, a cluster of more than a thousand haycock hills so named because they
look like Hershey’s Kisses chocolate when not verdant. Bohol is home to the
Philippines’ tarsier, a small, shy, nocturnal and endangered primate people
find oh-so-cute. The countryside remains lush, enabling them to operate river
cruises such as on the Loboc River and Abatan River. Impressive, old Spanish colonial
churches dot the province, many of which still retain their interesting
architectural features. The churches of Panglao, Dauis, Baclayon, Alburqueque
and Loboc are worth a visit. An adventure park in the town of Danao offers
outdoor adventure activities including a zip line. The reefs of and near the
disk-like island of Balicasag are one the best diving sites in the country.
Beach lovers and most
of the tourists stay in Panglao, an 80.5-square kilometer island southwest of
the bigger island of Bohol to which it is connected by two bridges, with two
municipalities—Dauis and Panglao. In the barangay
of Tawala in Panglao, eighteen kilometers from the provincial capital
Tagbilaran City, one finds Bohol’s finest and foremost stretch of white-sand
beach, Alona, where about a hundred resorts and tourism-related establishments
cluster. Despite the number of resorts that line the beach, the place is
relatively sedate compared to crowded and bar-filled White Beach of Boracay
Island, reflective of the nature of Bohol and its people—shy, provincial,
innocent and conservative—which is charming and disarming.
The one-and-a-half-kilometer
Alona Beach is bookended by rocky cliffs. The lovely Amorita Resort perches at
one end and Bluewater Panglao rises at another, where it is more secluded. Away
from the main road of Panglao, a dirt road slices through a terrain wild with
trees and thickets, hiding a bend that leads to the gate of Bluewater Panglao.
There are very few other resorts in the area but that may change soon as Bohol
becomes more aggressive in promoting tourism, and people are beginning to
discover its gems. And Bluewater Panglao is ready to welcome them with
refreshing cold towels, enjoyable welcome drinks, open arms and a smile.
The Pool Wing is the
main area of the resort that greets guests, where the reception area, a small
lounge, the library and game room, the spa gazebos, the Baroto Poolside Bar and
the rooms frame the main swimming pool with a small island and lounge chairs in
the middle. This area is so open you feel free and light. The sky is so
expansive, and beneath it the pool reflects its azure. At the sides, the Pool Wing buildings are
handsome with thick grass roofs and railings of reclaimed wood. The bridge of
grey stone and reclaimed wood spans the four-foot deep, family-friendly pool.
The structures bloom with green, magenta and white with bougainvillea.
Most of
the resort’s 54 rooms are here—the Premier Deluxe rooms with 68 square meters
of floor space. The rooms have sliding glass doors affording a view of the pool
and the sky and enabling a connection to the outside. But if one needs privacy
and cocooning, one just draws the curtains. In the room, the bed—a king bed or
two queen beds in each room—is the first thing to be noticed. The cantilevered
bed is becoming a signature of Bluewater resorts, surprising and delighting
guests. Attached to the wall, the bed has no legs and seems to float, adding to
the feeling of space. The room is well-appointed, welcoming and cozy, acquiring
a Filipino character with accents of Yakan and Cordillera textile patterns
found in pillowcases and runners. It has the de-riguere amenities of a good
resort such as a mini bar, a large cable TV, an iPod dock, telephone and coffee
and tea making facilities. A large door of wood slats opens to the spacious
bathroom. A skylight lets the sunshine in, revealing a bathtub in the middle.
The shower stall has rainfall shower and lined with pebbles. The bathroom is lovable.
At the
ends of the Pool Wing buildings are the four Family Lofts, which can
accommodate up to four people, suitable for families or groups of friends. The
Family Loft is actually two Premier Deluxe rooms together with a 68-square-meter
ground floor and a 65-square-meter upper floor. It has a king bed and two queen
beds.
Beside the
Pool Wing is a cluster of villas. The largest of them is luxurious Villa
Panglao, the resort’s only Family Pool Villa with 224 square meters of floor
space. The door opens to the lanai; a 2.5-square-meter, four-foot deep dipping
pool; and a view of the sprawling garden. This area connects the two rooms, one
with a king bed and the other with two queen beds. The furnishing and amenities
are more luxurious with its own Illy espresso machine. The bathrooms are
located behind the beds with wall televisions over the bathtubs.
The luxurious villas
Nearby are
the smaller Honeymoon Villas—Villa Cabilao, Villa Balicasag and Villa
Pamilacan—named after the islands of Panglao. The 142-square-meter villa is
like half of the Family Pool Villa and has a lanai, a dipping pool and one
bedroom with a king bed.
The Premiere Deluxe
room costs about Php15,000 per night; Family Loft about Php30,000; Family Pool
Villa about Php50,000; and Honeymoon Villa about Php26,000. The stay includes
buffet breakfast, airport transfer, complimentary Wi-Fi access in the rooms and
complimentary use of non-motorized water sports facilities for a limited time,
among others.
Every now and then, the
resort offers promos such as the Two-for-One Anniversary promo which offers a
free second night or an additional room in celebration of its first
anniversary. They also have the Bohol Quick Getaway promo. Contact the resort
for details or visit its Web site for updates.
What is
noticeable about the rooms, about Bluewater Panglao in general is the design,
and design is one aspect the resort is proud of. Its Web site and brochures
have an introduction emphasizing it: “Bluewater Panglao creates a luxurious
escape that honors Bohol’s natural beauty. Nestled in an island with white-sand
beaches, pristine waters and marine sanctuaries, the resort’s Filipino
architecture and design complement Bohol’s culture, inherent warm hospitality
and eco-focused initiatives.
“The
challenge was to introduce a unique design concept that will match well with
the environment. What the resort came up with is organic yet elegant,
innovative and functional. According to designer Benji Reyes, ‘There is a feel
of luxurious sophistication but not “stuffy.” The atmosphere is kept friendly,
comfortable and warm.’”
“We want to showcase
the best of the Filipino,” Julie said.
The resort
is proud of the fact that it is a hundred percent owned, managed and staffed by
Filipinos. Capitalizing on that fact, touches of Filipino culture are infused
into most aspects of the resorts such as design, the food, the spa and the
service.
To achieve its vision
in design, the resort employed the creativity of architect, sculptor and
furniture designer Benji Reyes, who Julie fondly regards as “my adopted
brother.”
Reyes designed the
Amuma Spa of Maribago, which featured a cantilevered staircase. He also
designed some of the rooms and cottages in Bluewater Maribago when it was being
refurbished, where the first cantilevered beds were featured.
Julie met
Reyes when a mutual friend recommended him when she was looking for someone to
design the spa. She visited his home in Antipolo City, Rizal, which she liked,
and “we hit it off and has become close friends ever since.”
Reyes
designed Bluewater Panglao in what he calls new or modern Filipino. He used a
lot of reclaimed wood salvaged from old houses being torn down, most of times
without altering its original state. A closer look at the wood reveals wear
from years of use, carved out portions for joints and holes where nails have
been. This lends a lot of character to the look of the resort. There is another
advantage in using reclaimed wood; it is environmentally friendly. The resort
is said to be environmentally conscious. Eighty percent of the wood used in the
resort is reclaimed. Also, the resort has an on-site water treatment facility.
During construction, they minimized altering the terrain as much as possible.
In Aplaya
Restaurant, the ceiling is made of pieces of rattan, the ones thrown away when
pieces of furniture are made. These short unusable pieces were arranged in a
pattern that looks impressive in its entirety.
The furniture is
custom-built for the resort. Many pieces use slats of wood woven together
reminiscent of mats. The thick grass roofs top the overall sophisticated
tropical look of the resort.
Between
the villas and the restaurant by the shore is the sprawling garden. A year
after my first visit, the garden is blooming with ornamental plants, like a
meadow in spring I often read in storybooks. It was bright yellow and green
with pinto peanut plants. The black kukok
birds came to play, hiding among the plants. One can hear them: “Kukoook!” They would burst out from the
pinto peanut patch as one approaches. A few mango trees provide shade. A
hammock is tied between two mango trees, an enclave to immerse in a book.
Lemongrass lines the
gravel path to the restaurant, giving way to running bamboo trees bowing to the
breeze as one passes by. There is a children’s playground in the middle and
patches of rock gardens. A little artificial creek marks the boundary between
the garden and the restaurant area, where two foot bridges, Amihan (northeast monsoon)
and Diwata (fairy or local nymph), traverse. The creek originates from the
artificial waterfall, beside another swimming pool.
Then, one
is at the Aplaya Restaurant, a large open-air hut that offers international, Filipino-Asian
and regional cuisines (open daily from 6 A.M to 10 P.M.). The name means “by
the sea” or “seashore” in Spanish and Filipino.
The menu
was designed by Bluewater executive chef Gilbert Alan Mathay. The restaurant is
now under supervision of sous chef Val Villarin. The restaurant offers
delectable and ample choices. A section is dedicated to Filipino dishes as well
asfresh catch from the sea.
“In all our Bluewater
properties, we want our guests to experience Filipino from architecture to the
food. Aside from the many dishes, here in Panglao we offer kinampay, which is very Bohol. I heard it is the best kind of ube you can find,” Julie said.
Kinampay is actually one of the
province’s official symbols and is said to be the most delicious variety of ube (purple yam), sweet and creamy.
Bluewater Panglao uses kinampay in
its desserts in inventive ways. The Boholano ube kinampay dessert (Php150) is a sandwich of coconut macaroons
with halayang ube kinampay and cream
with sago (tapioca starch balls),
served with ube ice cream. Julie
particularly recommends the Boholano ube
kinampay drink (Php180), which she admitted to be addicted to. It is a
concoction of halayang ube, coconut
juice and sago. I am not a fan of ube,
which I find too rich and cloying, but the dessert and drink were interesting.
But I am getting ahead. What I really enjoyed were the Filipino dishes.
Start with
the Aplaya Platter (Php325) consisting of teriyaki chicken barbecue, pork and
shrimp spring rolls and sesame seared tuna. For soup, have sinigang na baboy (Php 275), the perennial Filipino dish of pork in
sour broth usually made from tamarind. For salad, they have what they call the
native salad (Php250), made with cucumber, bitter gourd, tomato and jicama and topped
with stir-fried shrimp and dry milkfish flakes, and the Bluewater Salad
(Php320), grilled chicken breast layered with assorted lettuce, peppers, green
beans, mango, carrots, shallots, spring onion and cashew nuts in balsamic
vinegar dressing with sweet and sour sauce
All the
offerings in the Filipino and Boholano section are a must-try. They have the
classics: bistek Tagalog (Php435),
which is sautéed beef steak marinated in soy sauce and calamansi and served with onion rings and rice; chicken and pork
adobo (Php435), pork belly and chicken leg quarters braised in vinegar and soy
sauce; and pinakbet (Php290), the
Ilocano stew of assorted vegetables with shrimps, bagoong alamang or fermented shrimp sauce and pork belly strips.
Their adobo
rice (Php320) is eye-catching and a meal by itself. The rice is fried with chicken adobo flakes
and sauce. Then it is placed on a bamboo tube and topped with adobong Bisaya, which looks like pieces
of lechon kawali. I was taken away by
their lechon kawali (Php435), which I
am not actually a fan of. The pork belly is slowly cooked until tender and then
fried to crispness. The skin is so crunchy like a tasty chicharon and the meat flaky. I was converted. It is served with
steamed rice and two sauces—soy and vinegar with chopped shallots and vinegar
with chopped shallots.
A Bohol
specialty is the hinalang na manok
(Php320). Hinalang means “pinaanghang” or “made hot or spicy.” The
chicken is cooked in onion, ginger, peppercorn, chilli and coconut milk. Another
is the tinolang pugapo (Php440). The pugapo or grouper is cooked with
chayote, moringa leaves and tomatoes in a broth flavored with ginger, lemongrass
and onion. When pugapo is not
available, pompano (jack) is
substituted, which many deem as better. The fish is supplied from the towns of
Ubay and Tubigon.
Entrée
choices include grilled pork chop (Php350); lemon herb chicken (Php350);
grilled lamb chops with rosemary merlot reduction (Php1,300); grilled U.S.
Black Angus tenderloin steak with reduction of balsamic vinegar, beet, carrot
and parsley (Php1,300); grilled U.S. Black Angus porterhouse steak (Php1,700);
prawn curry with eggplant, tomato, okra and pineapple and served with fried
plantain slices (Php600); seafood tempura (Php350); and Bohol bouillabaisse
(Php400), a seasonal stew of fish, shellfish and vegetables with local herbs
and spices. Also offered are the three baked lasagne cups, each with lamb, beef
and chorizo meat sauces (Php325); bibimbap
(Php275); linguine with mussels and clams (Php325); nasi goreng (Php350); and spaghetti (Php290) with a choice of
Bolognese, marinara, pomodoro, Alfredo and carbonara sauces.
Popular is
the live seafood offerings. One chooses one’s crustacean (lobster, rock
lobster, sea crab, mud crab and prawns), fish (pugapo, pompano, managat or mangrove jack, eel and stone fish) or
shellfish (abalone, oyster, scallops, bongkawil,
manok-manok and clams) and have them cooked with a choice of cooking styles.
The Chinese style can be steamed with ginger and soy; with salt and pepper and fried
in sea salt and Szechuan peppercorns; in sweet and sour sauce; or in black bean
sauce. The Filipino styles are grilled or fried and served with native vinegar
sauces, in sinigang soup and in tinola soup. Have them prepared Japanese
style—as sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce or grilled with teriyaki sauce— or
Continental style—steamed or grilled with lemon-butter sauce or garlic butter
sauce. There are also Singaporean (chilli sauce or yellow curry) and Thai (red
curry or grilled with lemongrass and served with nam pla or fish sauce) styles.
They also
have sandwiches and burgers, and a menu for kids.
Choice
Filipino desserts are the Bluewater fresh fruit halo-halo (Php290), which is fruits in season topped with ice
cream and served in a young coconut shell; Bohol Island (Php150), ube ensaymada filled with vanilla ice
cream on Bohol tablea chocolate sauce;
and puto ug tsokolate (Php150),
sticky rice served with Bohol tablea
hot chocolate and mango.
For drinks,
they have a range of fruit juices, shakes and soft drinks. To cap an all Filipino
meal, they have desserts drinks (Php180) of mais
con hielo, sago at gulaman, halo-halo and guinomis.
On
Saturdays, Bluewater Panglao holds a Filipino-themed dinner buffet and show called
Barrio Fiesta, in which the buffet offerings include adobo rice, pinakbet, pochero, lechon manok, beef caldereta, inihaw na pugapo, liempo, chicharon Carcar, ube alupi and many more. Guests are entertained by Filipino folk
dances, including Bohol’s kuradang,
by the Bluewater Panglao Cultural Dance Troupe composed of the resort’s
employees and local youths.
While
dining, one is served by attentive servers, who check on you often. The staff
is generally young, energetic, welcoming and eager to be of service, so eager
it comes off as ingenuous, charming and disarming. Yes, the staff is eager,
confirmed resident manager Adie Gallares, who took over the helm of Bluewater
Panglao after a year with Bluewater Maribago as front office manager. He said
that sixty percent of the staff are locals, most of them graduates of colleges
in Tagbilaran which have good tourism and hotel and restaurant management
schools. Others come from neighboring Cebu and even Siquijor.
Julie said
the resort tries to bring out the best in Filipino hospitality. It is the kind
of branding they want to make, she said. They may not surpass other big
resorts, but they are sure that they will offer the best about the Filipino,
and one is hospitality. And the service is indeed memorable.
It can be
expected that the same kind service will be rendered to other areas, such as
holding a memorable event. Many weddings and celebrations have transpired here.
Also, corporate events and entertainment, team building events and others can
be held here through arrangement with its Banquet Sales Department. For small
seminars and meetings, they have the Mamsa Meeting Room, named after a small
local fish abundant in the waters around Bohol, which also doubles as a karaoke
room for guests’ entertainment. A convention hall is in the planning.
Gallares
revealed that 45 percent of their guests are Filipinos, which is a relatively
big number. Among foreign guests, Koreans remain to be the biggest. Most of the
guests are families, barkadas and
honeymooners, taking Bluewater Panglao’s offerings of leisure activities and
tours.
Julie
related that when they were staying in Bohol sometimes there is not much to do
especially at night. Thus, Bluewater Panglao offers a range of activities for
guests. Of course, one can swim in the sea. The beach area is dotted by
coconuts and has several huts and beach beds for lounging with a view of the
Cebu Strait. In late afternoon, when the tide is low, one can see locals
foraging for edible shellfish. One can stroll on the rocky shore.
Water
sports activities can be arranged at the Aquamania, operated by the Coral Point
Dive Shop owned by Emeterio Bonghanoy, which offers snorkeling, fish feeding,
sailing, kayaking, glass-bottom boat ride, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboard
lessons. Exploring the islands by boat can also be arranged as well as diving,
and Bohol has some of the country’s best diving spots. Nearby is a marine
sanctuary and Balicasag Island.
Out of the
water, one can explore Panglao by bicycle or have an off-road adventure on quad
bikes. All-terrain vehicle can also be rented. There are trails for ATV in the
undeveloped parts of Bluewater Panglao.
For kids,
the resort has arts and crafts lessons and for adults massage lessons at the Amuma
Spa. Lessons on basic Cebuano language, cooking at the Aplaya and mixing
cocktails at the Baroto Poolside Bar are also offered.
To see
Bohol, the resort has tours accompanied by guides. Basically, there are two
kinds of tours. The Bohol Countryside Tour, which usually starts early morning,
includes Baclayon Church, the Sandugo marker, a tarsier conservation area in
Corella, the forest of mahogany, the Chocolate Hills and lunch on the Loboc
river cruise. The firefly watching tour starts at dusk with an interesting at
the Bohol Bee Farm Resort in Daius. Then one goes to Salvador, Cortes, where
the firefly-watching river tour starts. It is one of the tours and activities
of the Abatan RiverLife Tour, which is managed by a non-governmental
organization in partnership with the local government and several government
agencies. It uses a boat formerly used to transport river sand, which was
bought by construction firms. The Abatan River has lush growths of nipa palms and some mangrove trees where
fireflies congregate. The name means “point of convergence” because it is where
the river meets Maribojoc Bay. The guide will tell one that it was where
farmers meet fishers to exchange goods. Along the way, the guide takes you to
trees where fireflies swarm. The tour goes as far as the town of Maribojoc
where a clump of trees hosts a large number of fireflies. The experience can be
magical. The trees pulsate with tiny lights.
One can
also go dolphin watching on the Cebu Strait if the season is right.
One can
cap the day of activities with a massage. Bluewater Pangalao has what one can
call a satellite branch of the Amuma Spa and Health Club of Bluewater Maribago,
the name meaning “to pamper” in Cebuano. One can have his/her massage inside
the room or at the two open-air pavilions at the end of the swimming pool, near
the reception area. There is plan to
build a full-service like the one in Bluewater Maribago, part of the second
phase of development of Bluewater Panglao which includes the building of more
rooms.
Headlining the services
of Amuma Spa are the Filipino-inspired massages and treatments, such as the hilot, the Filipino massage. The Hilot
Lamang (Php1,500 for 60 minutes, or Php2,500 for 90 minutes) uses long, flowing
strokes to relax tense muscles. The Hilot Ablon (Php2,000 for 75 minutes), said
to originate in northern Philippines, is also known as the dry massage because
it does not use oils. Said to improve circulation and relieve stress, the
massage uses thumb and palm pressure on certain points in the body as well as
stretching.
The Hinhut-an (Php800
for 30 minutes) is derived from the rural pastime of picking lice or kuto from one’s hair. The activity is
said to be relaxing. Here, it is a head and shoulder massage with hair pulling
to induce relaxation and rubbing of the neck, back and arms. On the other hand,
the Pikpik Kawayan sa Siki (Php1,500 for 60 minutes) is a foot and leg massage
using bamboo tubes to apply gentle pressure.
After a massage, I retired to my room and
headed to the bed that seemed to float like a dream. My sojourns in Bohol have
always been magical. On the first one I was accompanied by dolphins going home
from Balicasag Island in a topaz sunrise. On this latest one I was accompanied
by Lapu-Lapu’s seven dolphins of Bluewater, now homed in Panglao, distilling
the best of the island to bring you to dream.
Adobo rice
Bohol ube dessert
Lechon kawali
Tinolang pugapo
Ube kinampay drink
Getting There
Zest Airways, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and Air
Philippines have several flights daily from Manila to Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Sulpicio
Lines has ferries going from Manila to Tagbilaran. Several ferries also go to
Tagbilaran from Cebu, Dumaguete City and Cagayan de Oro City. For ferry
schedules and routes, one may log on to www.bohol.ph. The resort provides
transfer from Tagbilaran City to the resort. Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort is
in the sitio of Daurong, Danao,
Panglao, Bohol.
Contact Information
Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort can be contacted through
telephone numbers (+63 38) 416-0695 and (+63 38) 416 -0696, fax number (+63 38)
416- 0697 and email address panglao@bluewater.com.ph. Visit We site http://panglaobluewater.com.ph
or www.bluewater.com.ph.
Its Metro Manila sales office is at Room 704, Cityland
Herrera Tower, Rufino corner Valero Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City, with
telephone numbers (+63 2) 817-5751 and (+63
2) 887-1348; fax number (+63 2) 893-5391 and email address rsvn03.manila@bluewater.com.ph.
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