Amun Ini: Our very own

Sometimes we need to travel far away to hear the words “Welcome home!” At Amun Ini, which means “our very own,” we experience home away from home.

We landed in Tagbilaran airport on a fine sunny morning and after collecting our bags, we met the smiling driver of our van from Amun Ini Beach Resort & Spa. As we passed through green fields of rice, simple wooden houses surrounded by gardens as well as bustling marketplaces, we could feel the stresses of city life melt away as the kilometers swept by. Ninety minutes later, we pulled up to Amun Ini, and as we walked up the steps, out popped a familiar face, Bigs Eggert, Dive Shop owner and manager and a friend for many, many years. She introduced us to the the affable Fred Carmona, likewise owner and manager of the resort, and later on to his warm and lovely wife, Karin.

Since we arrived around 1:30 p.m., we had lunch on our minds and we meandered back up to the dining area as soon as we dropped off our bags. The restaurant overlooked the 250-square-meter infinity pool, which beckoned to us.

Looking through its menu offerings such as flying fish gravalax, green tomato gazpacho with fresh local chevre cheese, corn and jicama salad with an option of grilled baby octopus, linguini in white wine liver sauce and red wine and bacon stewed chicken, I mentally counted how many meals I had to have to work my way down the menu. I liked the penne with beef ragout and thought it was so grand that I had it twice.

The kitchen boasted not one, but two internationally trained chefs and both turned out culinary treasures using the best local produce available. My friends who lean towards vegetables proclaimed “We can survive here” after finishing the kamote top salad.

After a short nap, we made our way down to the dive shop and were given a crate and locker to place our gear and hang up our wetsuits. The dive briefing area was a shaded open space with high-backed benches and lots of comfortable cushions thrown about. We listened to the dive master talk about the available dive spots available. With a 15-kilometer reef just off the shore, we realized it would take our dear friend Yvette Lee more than the three days we had allotted to cover all of them.

Even though it was one contiguous reef, Yvette told me later that one site could be very different from the next. One place could be a steep, vertiginous wall, while the next might be a slope. Overall, the reef top is an expanse of both soft and hard corals, so snorkelers don’t have to fin very far from the shoreline to be amazed by some of the best shallow coral gardens in the country.

This is where divers drop in, before going to the edge of the reef and settling into the depths.

Their eagle-eyed guides pointed out pygmy seahorses living on the beautiful sea fans that adorned the walls of the drop-off. These critters are the size of two rice grains placed end to end. Similar to the underwater seascape of Camiguin, the sandy area hosted forests of black coral trees. Most of the trees were white in color, unlike those in Camiguin, which came in orange, yellow and green. Nonetheless the white color gave off a surreal wintry scene.

They also saw frog fishes, harlequin ghost pipefishes and another diver Maria Angeles went out for a dusk dive that revealed mating mandarin fishes. They also encountered a big school of jacks.

They also came upon a lazy green turtle during one of their safety stops atop the reef and whiled away the off-gassing period by taking many photos of the agreeable turtle.

After two dives for them and some beach time for me, we set out to enjoy the resort’s facilities. We learned that Amun-ini is set on a three-hectare property in the town of Anda, located on the southeast  corner of the island of Bohol overlooking the Bohol Sea.

A total of 16 air-conditioned rooms are built into a pair of two-story longhouses with cogon roofs. Each room is a spacious 60 square meters and their tasteful bathrooms are large enough to have a pocket garden in each.

We especially loved the sliding doors that opened out into our private veranda that looked over the lush gardens and the blue waters of the sea.

All of the rooms are provided with a flat-screen TV, cable and internet. Guests have a choice between two twin-sized beds in each room or a king-sized bed.

Although the resort is well known to the international diving community with several Trip Advisor Certificates to their name, stay-cationers will not lack for things to do. Aside from diving and snorkeling, the 300-meter-long private white sand beach also has lounge chairs and hammocks for guests to relax in.

If you are not a diver, you can sign up for one Discovery Dive or opt to take the whole course and go home as a certified diver.

The resort’s al fresco spa is located on a rocky outcrop with the barest minimum of walls and only strips of cloth separate the massage tables from the sea breezes coming from the shore. The therapists are trained in native hilot techniques, making sure the energy pathways are clear and massaging out the “blocked “ passages. They can also provide a portable table in one’s room or knead you on the beach if you so desire.

Kayaks are available for those who would like to paddle out to the rocky headlands on each tip of the cove.

Fred can also arrange for a van and tour guide to bring their guests to the local attractions that Bohol is well known for.

There are, of course, the Chocolate Hills, which are actually hills of limestone covered with vegetation. During the summer months when the grass turns brown from the lack of rain, the hills look like chocolate  mounds.

The Loboc River Cruise shouldn’t be missed. Gaily decorated barges pushed by a banca upriver is the perfect way to enjoy a lunch of barbecued meats and seafood and a fresh coconut while enjoying river views.

Going to Bohol without seeing the tarsiers is like going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty. Fortunately there are several places now where visitors can see these fist-size primates in their natural surroundings.

Amun Ini proves that traveling away from home does not mean leaving the comfort zone. In fact, the resort helps you discover that it is your home away from home.

To introduce this home away from home getaway to the local market, they are offering a 4-day/3-night package with RT Tagbilaran Airport to resort transfers, à la carte breakfast and double or twin share for US$470 per person. Mention this article when you book and you will also receive a free 60-minute massage and one free dive. E-mail bigs@amunini.com for reservations. This promo is valid only until Nov. 30, 2015.

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E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.