Sun and sea vacations are not the monopoly of crowded Boracay, or the uber-expensive remote islands in Palawan. The rest of the Visayan provinces hold plenty of options. I brought the family for a vacation to Mactan recently for a fun-filled stay.
Well, it was all fun for Twink and the two boys Wham and Juancho. I had a series of meetings and workshops in Cebu City across the bridge. That’s the great advantage of resorts in Mactan. You can get work done in the city then quickly scoot over to a slice of paradise in less time than getting from Makati to, well, anywhere in Metro Manila.
That slice of paradise was Plantation Bay, close to 12 hectares of resort, themed around what must be one of the largest artificial lagoon-pools in the region. It is also secluded enough from the main road to give you a sense of isolation and privacy. I hate the irritating harurot sound of tricycles ubiquitous at some resort destinations.
I had stayed at Plantation Bay over a dozen years ago and wanted to experience it again. After we checked in at the colonial-style main pavilion, I was pleasantly surprised to see the landscape of the resort had matured well, as we took a short electric cart ride to our room. Shady trees, and groves of palms lend the resort a very idyllic feel. Colorful vines now drape profusely over the clusters of well-maintained low-rise buildings that house guests.
The village-like configuration of the resort, combined with the landscape and more-than-generous pools, give the resort a warm, human scale; an ambiance lacking in other destinations.
The difference between a normal village and Plantation Bay is the fact that almost all rooms are either at a pool’s edge or a few steps away from water.
The boys and Twink enjoyed the water immensely. They hopped from lagoon to lagoon. I joined them for evening swims. They even tried yoga on water! The inner clusters, those not facing the main lagoons, had their own themed pools. One even had a mini volcano as a feature. There are water slides and waterfalls beside the main lagoons, along with seating nooks amidst rockscape enhanced with bubblers.
Those who don’t like these novelty spots, which can get busy with kids, can find a lot of quite corners masked by tropical shrubs and trellises. There’s a spot for everyone. Being in the business of designing resort amenities myself, I can attest to the fact that Plantation Bay has one of the highest ratios of pool area to number of guests I’ve ever seen here.
For more water-based activity, the resort has a beachfront. It is a tad small at less than a hundred meters, but the lagoons make up for it and most access this amenity to get on board the resort’s large banca for island hopping. The beachfront is also a dramatic evening backdrop for one of the many buffet dinners on offer.
Which brings us to the food offerings. Being a distance from the main road, the resort offers a multitude of meal options. Themed restaurants offer Japanese, Italian and Asian selections. All these again set in distinctive surroundings, enhanced like I mentioned earlier with mature and lush vegetation. Being Cebu, the resort offers good seafood, but meat lovers should not leave without trying the resort’s famous black lechon or the spicy ribs.
We lessened the guilt after each evening food fest with exercise the next day. There’s tennis, archery, rock climbing, target shooting (although that did not involve loss of calories), as well as a full gym to burn those calories. Getting around the sprawling resort can also be healthy as you can bike with your family in convoy or together on tandem bicycles. The place is also pedestrian friendly as all electric carts and service vehicles are limited to a slow speed and defer to anyone walking. It is so safe that kids can run around wild, as they are won’t to do.
The staff also are every attentive and watch out for everyone. The service, by the way, from the resort’s staff, is world class. The resort’s “no tipping” also removes pressure on guests to pony up for extra attention.
Its great to see a local resort do well and compete at the international standards. A good number of local operations are dong quite well, having learned lessons for a few decades of operations. I predict that these all-Filipino hospitality companies will blossom into local chains and eventually into regional players. The seeds for success have been planted. Plantation Bay is a great example of sustainable hospitality, great service, and Filipino hospitality at its best.
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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. For more information on Plantation Bay please log on to www.plantationbay.com.