The Island Explorer

When we were walking back to our room, we took a wrong turn and ended up in the garden villas near the poolside. We were able to catch a glimpse of these villas, so we curiously approached the front desk and asked how much the villas were.

It is often said that the "flaw" of Shangri-la Boracay is the beach. Well, if one compares the sand quality of the resort's private beach to White Beach, then it is really inferior. 

We took too long in our lovely room so we pushed ourselves to explore the all-inclusive resort. We wore our swim suits and headed straight for the beach area. As soon as we left the room, we were greeted by their friendly personnel who was fixing the other room. I asked for the fastest way to get to the beach.

Last June, a close friend of mine got married in Boracay. I actually recommended him to Asya Premier Suites, so that was where the wedding was held. I was with my daughter who lives in the US, so we decided to splurge for our first night in Shangri-la Boracay. This begins my journey back to Boracay, now older and not really after getting drunk every night (though this still did happen). 

So, after hearing all the hype and raves, I finally made some time to score tickets to the first Cirque du Soleil show in Manila - Varekai. 

So where did we go after that horrific experience at Casa Ibiza? We left Ibiza and headed straight to a nearby resort, Loreland which was one of the most popular resorts in Antipolo. I was really hesitant at first, but some of my colleagues told me it was nice there.

As you can see by the title, this will be a rant blog. It's been a while since I've written something bad about a place, because I try to censor my articles already (don't write anything when there's nothing good to say about it).

And so it begins. Cebu Pacific finally opens their 50th route to the southern most province in the country, Tawi-Tawi. I've been wanting to go back to this elusive group of islands, given its remoteness and charm. Of course, one cannot discount the security concerns, but as long as you keep close guard, Tawi-Tawi is relatively safe. So, time to escape to Tawi-Tawi. I'm not a fan of Cebu Pacific, but I just want to congratulate them for opening a whole new era of tourism for the province. With Sitangkai, Simunul and even the Turtle Islands on its realm, Tawi-Tawi is indeed the new Batanes. Time to explore! Read more on Tawi-Tawi from my previous entries here .

And yes, more on this top island destination coming up next.

A trip to Pagbilao won't be complete without a visit to Puting Buhangin, arguably the best beach on this side of Quezon Province. To get here, it's best one takes a boat from the Silangang Nayon coastline. We, however, took the trail by land, since the waves were strong.

It was the end of Summer, and we hoped to shipwreck ourselves to Cagbalete, one of the destinations I desired this 2011. However, the weather was bad (a storm was still lingering), so we decided to go to Pagbilao in Quezon Province instead.