Patio in the Pacific
Among the many surprises greeting you at Boracay resort Patio Pacific is a tall Caucasian man who speaks fluent Filipino.
“Mabuhay,” says the jolly German, as I checked in one hot, summer day. “Ako si Sebastian, ang operations manager dito.”
This is Sebastian Stoeber. Looking around, it’s easy to see why he has chosen to call Boracay his home. There’s the pristine beaches, the excellent nightlife, the laid-back lifestyle. But the biggest reason, perhaps, is the place we stood upon that day: Patio Pacific, a Triple-A rated resort in the middle of all the action.
Sebastian has overseen the transformation of Patio Pacific from its previous life as Pink Patio, the vacation spot that first opened in 1990 as a modest eight-room facility. Today, the retreat boasts 65 deluxe rooms and suites, a bar, a lounge, a cafe, pool, fitness center, and spa. It also offers high-speed Internet, delicious Chinese cuisine, a 200-seater conference center, dance classes, shiatsu and Swedish massage, and Boracay’s only wall-climbing facility.
Running the whole thing, Sebastian says, is, “hindi madali.” But it’s easy to see he’s loving every second of it. His days start at 5 a.m. — of course, never without his wake-up dip in the ocean first. And they invariably end singing karaoke with the guests. The activities never stop either, as he tries to sneak scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing and windsurfing in between his responsibilities.
And the parts of the job Sebastian loves the most? “Ang tao,” he shares with a laugh. “At masarap na pagkain.”
Perhaps Sebastian has stumbled on the best job in the world. But in seeing how this gutsy foreigner has found paradise in Boracay, Supreme thinks maybe it’s time we rediscover ours.
Hey, it’s just a plane ride away.
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Check out Patio Pacific’s Red Hot Package. For as low as P8,500 per person on quadruple sharing, you get roundtrip airfare via Zest Air, deluxe accommodation for three days and two nights, daily breakfast, airport transfers via Island Star Express, Cocolife insurance coverage and free use of resort amenities such as the fitness gym and swimming pool with Jacuzzi. Offer lasts until June 6, 2010.
For more information, visit www.patiopacificboracay.com, or call (+632) 845-2222 to 28.
