The Island Explorer

As soon as I received the email from Tripadvisor, I got another link to CNN, which touts the island of Marinduque as one of the next tourist hotspots in Asia. Of course, this is attributed to the beautiful Bellarocca Resort. The article also enumerates the plans for the island to grow tourism. We do hope Marinduque revives itself in the near future. Read the article here.

Perhaps the most compelling reason for you to go to Bellarocca are their villas - stunning, gorgeous, like a house for the gods. Named after greek gods, these villas are worth P50,000 a night, but we only paid P25,000 for each, after being upgraded. So, call us lucky and all, but our experience would not be the same if we didn't stay in these hedonistic dens. Since we were a group of 18, we booked 6 villas in all, some had two-bedrooms, while the rest had only one. The villa above is our villa, Zeus, a two-bedroom suite with one of the most breathtaking views of the Sibuyan Sea. It came with a 4-meter lap pool and a separate jacuzzi. When I first entered, I didn't know how to react. I wandered over to a balcony, which was connected to a bedroom. We immediately seized that room, knowing it had a great view. And it was the only bedroom among all the six that had a balcony like that. The bedroom was large, with a huge king size bed. The sheets were very comfortable and spotless....

There are many places that I have been to that I fall in love with. These places are the ones that are breath taking, memorable and most of all, beautiful. Recently, I have been to one of the most beautiful places in the country. And it's not in Boracay, nor in Palawan, nor in Cebu and Davao. It's in an island pretty close to Manila, around 30 minutes by plane, or 6 hours by car and boat. I have fell in love with this place, this sanctuary perched on a rock that emerges from a glistening sea. The place is Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa in Elephant Island, Marinduque. Bellarocca is one of the newest luxury resorts in the Philippines. To reach Bellarocca conveniently, one can take a Zest Air flight to Marinduque. Once in the airport, one will be greeted with a friendly and over eager staff. They take you through an hour's drive to a port where speed boats await to jet you to their island. It's the beginning of an experience that you will never forget. Bellarocca was...