Reflect on the best moments of your life – moments of lucidity and dedication, of excellence and transformation. Those moments, when you felt so vibrant and fulfilled, you actually cried tears of joy. Revert to those moments of intense bliss when every rhythm was an authentic epiphany, a "eureka!" transmission when the static of the world unexpectedly clears through divine intervention. Inevitably, the soul’s Morse code – the dots and dashes of our daily meanderings, often dismissed as meaningless – begin to connect and reverberate to the most profound degree.
Call it spiritual serendipity – an attitude that can give guidance to life, an attitude that can turn adversity into change, impatience into insight, competition into charity, boredom into beauty. The making of pleasant discoveries by "accident," being at the right place at the right time, or simply finding good while seeking something else.
My recent trip to the luxurious Chi Spa Village located in Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Cebu proved to be cathartic. Walking mindfully through the Chi Spa’s arched gates and its lush tropical landscaped gardens led me to a world of magic and royal pampering I never thought existed on our very own southern shores. Located adjacent to the hotel property, the Chi Spa Village features extensive spa gardens and treatment pavilions; six luxurious villas measuring 135 square meters complete with private patios, sunken bathing tubs and relaxing lounges and eight garden suites. The Chi Spa Village is not just a mere spa facility. Luxury of space is one of the defining characteristics of Chi, with the Grand Spa Villa measuring 200 square meters replete with an open-air teahouse and a treatment suite that can accommodate up to four people. Incorporating Chi’s signature "spa-within-spa" concept, all the villas feature a private bath and shower, steam room and changing areas.
The calm serenity of the spa’s welcoming Sanctum lures me into meditative soulfulness. I am escorted to a private and luxurious Chi Villa replete with authentic Tibetan mandalas, thankas and singing bowls. A verbena-lime fragrance wafts into the air permeating the true ambience that is Shangri-la. My treatment, the Himalayan Healing Stone Massage, commences with a foot ritual of water and rose petals. As the therapist firmly kneads every tired fiber and sinew, I experience instant renewal.
Inspired by the healing rituals of Lake Kokonar in Tibet, the Himalayan Healing Stone Massage is an ancient massage technique. Smooth, oval-shaped stones are heated in oils and herbs, the heat vaporizes into steam and the stones gently soothe my body with corresponding pressure where it is needed. At this point, my therapist and I play a rhythmic duet of sympathetic motion. She is attuned to my breathing and the synergy of transmitting energy to each other is communication of the highest degree. I am determined not to succumb to the sweet arms of slumber, desiring to be fully conscious during every step of the treatment so as to describe it vividly. As I am seemingly cradled and nurtured in my mother’s reassuring arms, in no time, I am unable to resist: my eyelids gently close and I am transported to a land of dreams where anything and everything is possible. In vivid color, I am lured to the Himalayas – well into the company of Mount Everest explorers. I explored Tibet, the snow-capped ceiling of the world and exotic Nepal. When Una, my therapist, whispered, "Madam, your treatment is done. How do you feel?" I smiled and uttered, "I’ve been to Mount Everest and back." A simple "thank you" did not seem enough.
After that revitalizing treatment, I return to the waters once again – the root of the spa. It is often near water that we discover our independence. Being in water, no matter what our culture, beliefs or perceptions, is where we know we are part of something far greater than ourselves.
Acqua. Italian for "water." An abundant substance on earth, water is essential to all known forms of life. True to the Italian tradition of holding feasts in the day, Acqua, Shangri-la Mactan’s new Italian restaurant which overlooks the infinity pool and clear blue ocean, was formally launched during lunchtime last August 6. In line with the water theme, Australian divas Tania Jong, Dominique Oyston and divo Jonathan Morton sang a string of opera classics like "Nella Fantasia" and "Brindisi," while the Synchro Swans, a Philippine national swimming team, danced along to the ethereal music. Waiters in aqua uniform paraded by the poolside area from the beachfront, carrying each delectable dish to be served.
Amid the restaurant’s stylish modern interiors, designed by the dynamic team of Ivy and Cynthia Almario, guests were treated to a culinary feast of fresh, authentic Italian cuisine and Acqua’s signature dishes such as Selezione di Antipasti (an Italian selection of cold cuts, seafood, cheeses and marinated vegetables); Tortelli di Pesce (pasta pockets filled with fish served on Soave white wine sauce); Aragosta e Zafferano (saffron rice with lobster and cherry tomato); Calzone (folded pizza with cooked ham, mushrooms, bell pepper and Bel Paese cheese); Branzino al Forno (herb-crusted fillet of Chilean sea bass on mashed potato with shrimp, green beans and cherry tomato); Scaloppine al Funghetto (braised veal escalope on asparagus with mushroom sauce); and Tortino al Cioccolato (warm chocolate tower, toasted pistachio and Sambuca sauce); as well as fresh pizzas from the wood-fired oven of Italian executive chef Marco Anzani. "In Acqua, everything is personalized," says chef Marco. "We will endeavor to cook something with only the freshest ingredients to respond to individual tastes."
Adding glitter to the chic launch were Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmeña and Margot Osmeña, Cebu’s crème de la crème, local celebrities and members of the media. More surprises were also in store, with a silent auction highlighting the program whose proceeds went to benefit "Care for Children," a Beijing-based charity organization for child welfare, and "Batang Opon," Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa’s local community partner providing assistance to disadvantaged children in Lapu-Lapu City.
At Tea of Spring, the hotel’s elegant and stylish Chinese restaurant, we were in for yet another gastronomic treat. Here, tea-drinking is an art and we rediscovered the tea experience through an extensive selection of loose tea leaves in 50 different flavors, all imported from several regions in China.
Tea master Chao Zhong Wan delighted us with his tea-pouring skills as he made his brew pouring hot water from a kettle with an eye-catching, meter-long spout, into a clear glass tea pot without spilling a drop. We drank six different kinds of teas, each going with a particular dish from the restaurant’s excellent, delectable combination of traditional, herbal, vegetarian and contemporary Chinese cuisine. Tea names like "The Perfect Harmony," "Heavenly Robe," and "Everlasting Memories" stirred our imaginations, making this "tea appreciation dinner" a wonderful and unique dinner experience.
Our lives are so busy and stressful that we forget to take time out to simply relax, pamper ourselves, and love ourselves just a little more. Gourasana states: "There is nothing more important to each and every human being than love; it is everything." You must fall passionately in love with life – despite all its complexities, compromises and contradictions, and then life will fall passionately in love with you. Let us not journey through our days in a dull trance, asleep to the magic of everything about us.
In the final analysis, we shall be held accountable for the joys we were allowed but denied ourselves.