Summer Destination #1: The very family-friendly Plantation Bay in Cebu

A few days ago, my husband and I celebrated our 6th year as a couple.  We decided to soak up some sun, leave our cares behind, take a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of city life and spend another memorable weekend as a family…this time, with my newly-wed brother and dear sis-in-law.  Our destination: Plantation Bay in Cebu!

I’ve been to this place before but never stayed for the weekend, so everything was still a surprise and a delight, especially since it was also my Rodrin and my Drian’s first time there.  Seeing everything through their eyes is always refreshing.

I personally think that Plantation Bay, being hailed one of Asia’s Top 20 Resorts three years in a row, deserves all the accolades and raves it’s been getting, since it is such a family-friendly place.  But more on my own raves (and a few rants) in a bit.

Photographers will enjoy being there since every nook and cranny is a photo op.

The huge lagoon is man-made, and there are swimming areas for both children and adults.  There are golf carts to take you from one place to the next if you don’t feel like walking, although the beauty of your surroundings will make you want to stroll around.

Doesn’t the water make you feel like slipping into your bathing suit and jumping right in?

We picked a poolside room.  This is actually the view right outside our room.  The pool is shallow on most sides (the ones at the far ends are just slightly deeper) so it’s easy to have little children wade in the pool, being guided at all times, of course.

This cozy room was home to us for four days and three nights.  The chairs and table outside the room make for the perfect nook for breakfast or merienda while watching the sun sparkle on the water.

Plantation Bay has lots of trees around.  The lush foliage makes everything so green and easy on the eyes.  I especially love this shot of a tree with pink flowers, with its branches seemingly stretching outward towards the sky in worship.

The resort has slides and waterfalls.  I tried one of the slides…and it was really a fast ride getting on one.  You’d have to put your hands on the back of your neck as a precaution while you slide down.  The speed of it all is exhilarating, but totally not recommended for little children.  Plantation Bay does have something for everyone, even adventure-seeking adults.  You can go snorkeling, diving (there’s a diving pool), parasailing on the beach, do water sports, pitch and putt if you’re into golf, and a whole lot of other activities!

Our poolside room, located at the Windward Clusters, was cozy.

Upon arrival, the guest services officer gave us a “Hitch-hiker’s Guide to Plantation Bay” as well as maps of the place.  These two documents are wonderful sources of information, filled with suggested activities and descriptions of the restaurants inside Plantation Bay.  But even if we hadn’t had the guide and maps in our bags, the friendly staff was always ready to answer our queries, whether it was a question on where to find a certain nook or place or a where to purchase souvenirs or an extra pair of board shorts.

Places To Eat in Plantation Bay

Fiji Restaurant and their famous Tempura

There’s been word that there is a restaurant in Plantation Bay that serves the best tempura.  We wanted to see and try it for ourselves so we headed over to Fiji to order their tempura.

I have to say that the ones they serve are the MEATIEST tiger prawns I’ve tasted.  It just has enough batter but not enough to overwhelm the distinct and savory taste of the prawns, and it was served in such a unique and creative way.  Their one serving amounts to 4 huge pieces of prawns batter-fried to perfection.

The other dishes we tried were alright.  I noticed that the prices of the dishes can be a little bit too steep.  Thankfully there were some really delectable dishes, but still, we were somewhat taken aback how some could be so overpriced.  If you’re traveling as a group, it would be wise to order a variety of dishes that everyone could share, so you could get your money’s worth.

Japanese Fried Rice (they serve it by the bowl)

Grilled vegetables

Grilled salmon

Kilimanjaro Cafe

We were able to eat a lot of our meals here in Kilimanjaro Cafe…They had a relatively vast selection of food to choose from compared to the other restaurants in the resort, and they had a lot of “Cebuano-style” meals that I was craving to try.  Here are some of the meals / dishes we tried:

The tables and chairs in the Kilimanjaro Cafe have a relaxing view of the lagoon.

Their Gambas Al Ajillo was delicious. We ordered this a couple of times during our stay, and it was consistently mouthwatering.

Their Seafood Pancit Canton was also equally tasty.

Their Kare-Kare was cooked well and the meat was so tender, it was falling off the bone at the slightest nudge of my fork.

Their Vietnamese Spring Rolls were seasoned well and the vegetables tasted really fresh.

Chicken Pork Adobo turned out to be okay.

Their Cebuano pochero was yummy, it turned out that they don’t put any garbanzos like the way some other people serve pochero.  The beef and the broth was cooked just right.  They included the bulalo /bone marrow part of the beef in the pochero, which reminded me very much of nilagang baka or bulalo from Tagaytay.

I was able to sample their japanese ramen on lunchtime before we checked out, which is a hearty serving of noodles, soup, egg, vegetables, and yes, some of their char sui (honey-cured barbequed pork).  I felt stuffed to the gills since their serving of this was huge!  Really, really good ramen!

Savannah Grill

I think that Savannah Grill is a wonderful place to go to for merienda, especially after a tiring swim.  They serve salads, desserts, hotdogs, rice meals, burgers, and steaks.

Right in front of Savannah Grill is another pool, this time with a water volcano.  You can opt to dine indoors in the air-conditioned part of the resto or dine al fresco by the water.

It’s supposed to have “The World’s Best Hotdogs,” so I presumed they would serve imported meats…It turned out that their chili dog was absolutely filling.  Have yet to try more so I can’t really say that they serve THE BEST just yet!

Their burger was juicy and hefty, and the melted cheese on the burger made it all the more appetizing.  I realized even more though, that it really helps when you know how to cook when you dine out, that way you really get to appreciate if you’re getting your money’s worth.  The premium burger had the usual BLT-style, though the potato wedges were huge and the onion-rings were lip-smacking.

Palermo Cafe

It turns out that Plantation Bay’s Palermo Cafe is the best place to go to during the day if, apart from wanting to check your email, you want to order some coffee and sweets.  At dinner time, they serve pastas and tapas.  We were able to try their Chicken Pot Pie, Fresh Fruit Platter, and Chocolate Cake.

While their chocolate cake wasn’t the best, it was gooey and decadent enough for someone who was looking for a quick sugar fix that day.  That was me. But their chicken pot pie was definitely worth trying…the crust was chewy and the filling was moist and flavorful.

Plantation Bay is a lovely, lovely place.  There are plenty of activities and things to enjoy in the resort, which I’ll be getting to in a bit.  Meanwhile, read on about our little photo op adventure as we headed around town to explore the historical sites and appreciated the sights of Cebu.

Our Tour of Cebu

My husband, daughter, brother and sis-in-law took time to head out to Cebu City for a tour.  Here are some photos of the places we went to.  Look them over and see if you want to check these places out on your own trip to Cebu:

Our tour guide shared that this Philippine Taoist Temple is like a miniature replica of China’s Great Wall.

We took a lunch break and ate at this absolutely amazing Filipino restaurant called Pino! Filipino Cuisine

Every single dish served at the buffet was scrumptious.

It was my first time to try lechon sinigang.  The meat was absolutely tender and complemented the tangy-sour tamarind broth with fresh vegetables.

This was my first time to chance upon ginataang kalabasa at sitaw WITH munggo.  According to my companions, they went for seconds.

Their chili-squid is something I’d like to cook at home, this was really worth going back to the buffet for!

Their Beef Tips, Pancit Canton, and Kalderetang Baka were all seasoned to perfection, and while these are typical buffet fare for Pinoy restaurants, there was still a special feel dining at a place like Pino.  Their interiors are cozy and charming, complete with a piano-player and singing waiter singing solo classics.  Tasteful and not at all cloying.

Don’t you just love this pineapple-inspired lamp?

On With The Rest Of The Tour…

Drove past The Heritage of Cebu.  This historical tableau was created by Filipino sculptor Eduardo delos Santos Castrillo.

It’s pretty amazing how the entire history of Cebu (major highlights, at least) can be told in a story through connecting sculptures.

A trip to Cebu is never really complete without visiting The Cross of Magellan, the very spot where Christianity was brought to the Filipinos.

The actual cross is encased in this wooden brown cross. Isn’t that amazing how this piece of history has been preserved through the ages?

Outside the Church of The Sto. Nino is a little “Vatican” city area, with imposing statues of the saints

That’s the Church and Convent of the Sto. Nino

Outside Fort San Pedro

Another place we went to was one of the oldest houses in Cebu, which was built in the 1800′s called Casa Gorordo.  Sadly they didn’t allow any photo-taking.

Cebu Lechon: The Best Pig In The World

No less than Anthony Bourdain of “No Reservations” has said it…Cebu has the “Best Pig…Ever!”  We were able to sample Cebu lechon when we purchased some at CnT Lechon, near SM City in Cebu.  The skin is crispy and the meat so tender, seasoned so well that you wouldn’t need any sauce for it.

But the actual lechon that Anthony Bourdain sampled when he was here in the Philippines to shoot an episode feature in “No Reservations” (his culinary travel show) is actually sold at the Mactan International Airport, they have a stall there. It’s called ZUBUCHON, and you can purchase the crispy lechon that can be packed in boxes that you can hand-carry back to Manila or wherever you’re going from Cebu.

Check out the far right of this next photo…You’ll see Anthony Bourdain’s signature and his words: “The Best Pig…Ever!”  That comment, coming from the author of “Kitchen Confidential” truly puts the Philippines on the map of gastronomic delights.

If you decide against taking a tour of Cebu like we did, you can choose to just stay at Plantation Bay and maximize the long list of unique activities to try.  According to Plantation Bay’s “Don’t Panic: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Plantation Bay,” you can:

• Learn to Scuba-dive
• Do the Plantation Bay Duo-Decathlon
• Island-Hopping
• Para-sail
• Try their breakfasts (Eggs Benedict with Crab and Shrimps; Dwarf Pineapple (you can even eat the pith, it’s sooo sweet!), Mexican Churros, Siomai, and Char Sui (honey-cured barbeque pork)
• Wall-climb
• Visit a World Heritage Bird Sanctuary
• Jump off a dive rock
• Watch a vintage movie from their extensive movie list which includes “Journey To The Center of the Earth, ” An Affair To Remember,” and if you like “unrated adult stuff” like “The Story of O.”
• Savor their delicious steak.
• Buy a Timex Watch (all the Timex watches sold in the world are made in Mactan, Cebu…they said you owe it to the local economiy to buy one while you’re in Cebu)
• Squeeze off a few rounds at their Firing Range
• Try their Italian pastas and Spanish tapas
• Test Your Courage in Their Giant Water-Slides
• Appreciate art (contemporary painters have their works hanging in the lobby)
• Pamper Yourself at Mogambo Springs, The Spa at Plantation Bay.
• You can go fishing near the Xanadu Lodge (lagoon side) since they have a fishing pond stocked with garoupa, and you can ask the staff to cook your catch for the day, and you’ll be charged what the market will bear, or more)
• You can feed the fish.  They have plenty of tropical fishes like bangus, yellow-tail coris, striped boarfish and orange clown-fish (think Nemo!) and at appointed hours of the day, stale bread is thrown in, and the water boils with hungry fish frantically feeding.  An entertaining sight for children, and as always, it’s good for them to be accompanied.

In the mood for some romance?  Here are a few of their suggestions for couples:

• They have a “Secret Cave” in the Main Freshwater Swimming Pool, or try one of the bubble pools.
• Enjoy singing your heart out in their private karaoke rooms below their Savannah Lounge.
• Dine at the Lover’s Rock by Fiji Restaurant, you can make arrangements with the Fiji staff to have dinner by candlelight under the stars.
• Swim with your loved-ones at the Elevated Pools below Mogambo Falls.
• Order champagne from room service.

Plantation Bay is considered a pretty safe place.  We were there the Friday that the Tsunami in Japan happened (March 11, 2011) and since Plantation Bay is in Central Visayas, we weren’t affected even though we were right by the beach.

Here are some of the things I took note of about our stay at Plantation Bay, and things worth considering if you plan to stay there:

• The water from the bathroom tap is NOT potable, so it’s wise to use the complimentary bottled water for making coffee or brushing your teeth, and it should be boiled if you’ll be making baby formula by yourself.
• It’s refreshing to swim in the freshwater swimming pool located in the middle of the resort, but the sand is hard, and like with any trip, it’s good to bring your own first-aid kit for possible cuts (as much as possible, keep an eye on your children at all times, of course) and include in your kit medicine for upset stomach.  If you and the rest of your family have sensitive stomachs, it’s best to avoid eating shellfish.
• As always, make sure to bring your camera chargers and if possible, a universal charger too.  Plantation Bay is truly beautiful, and every nook and cranny can be a photo op, you most certainly wouldn’t want your camera to die on you while staying at this fabulous and picturesque place.
• The resort has a basement Children’s Center (located below Savannah Grill) where you can park your children for several minutes.  They have books, dolls, videos, and play blocks that can keep them preoccupied.  But like with any place, it’s always good to have a guardian watch over them.  My daughter enjoyed playing there for half an hour or so, but was too taken by the swimming pools to really want to linger too long in the children’s center.  But it’s good that they have this venue as an option for tired and exhausted parents.
• They serve delicious blueberry cheesecake.  You can sample this at Cafe Kilimanjaro (another restaurant located within the resort) or try their croissants and chicken pies at Cafe Palermo, which serves pastas and tapas at night and pastries during the day.
• Plantation Bay is a NO-TIPPING resort.  I have to say it was still wonderful to see the employees be so friendly and accomodating and consistent even with this policy.
• Trying at least one of the services at Mogambo Springs (The Spa at Plantation Bay) is a must. My husband and I each tried the Full-Body Massage (the Spa’s bestselling service).  It’s P1,000 for 30 minutes.  We requested for an hour each.  You can choose from Japanese Shiatsu (energizing), Swedish (relaxing) or a combination (which is what we went for) and Fusion (rejuvenating).  You just have to add P200 for an Aromatherapy Oil Massage.  The combination massage was, for me, one of the best I’d ever had, even better than an authentic full-body Thai massage I had in Bangkok years ago.  And their spa /massage room is absolutely impressive, with lots of bamboo-inspired furniture.  You can try their sauna and whirlpool and other spa facilities, and if you wish to do so, you’ll have to be at the spa at least 15 minutes before your massage appointment.
• While there are restaurants within the resort, it would also be a good idea to try sampling authentic Cebuano cooking when you take a drive out of the resort, that’s one good way to try and pick up some Cebuano delicacies for pasalubong too.  My sister-in-law observed that some of the dishes served in the resort restaurants were a bit overpriced, and I would have to agree.  But like I mentioned earlier in this entry, I’m glad that most of the food we tried tickled our tastebuds, which wasn’t a total waste of money.  I’m a firm believer of not scrimping on food.

* Overall, our family truly enjoyed every day spent at Plantation Bay.  It is a safe and relaxing getaway, with family-friendly facilities and excellent customer service. It’s a resort that I wouldn’t mind going back to.  We will definitely return with the entire brood.  For sure, it will be another fun-filled summer experience which we wouldn’t forget.