The Tides Hotel, Boracay

For our trip to Boracay last month, I originally wanted to book at Discovery Shores since we were going to be with the kids (plus I haven't stayed there pa lol). But after checking the rates, I had to reconsider since I was sure there were other good hotels that were more affordable. We checked Agoda and we chanced upon a flash sale for The Tides Hotel.

Beach bums in Boracay

The family went to Boracay last month and everyone was so excited because it was going to be the kids' first time there. Plus, it was also Skyler's first airplane ride! We already booked this trip months in advance and luckily, we picked the date November 21 to leave. That's because if you recall, the APEC summit was held a few days earlier and so many flights got cancelled from November 15-20! We were already getting worried that the trip might not push through just in case there were more problems from all the cancelled flights. But thank God everything went as originally planned. :)

Boracay Food Trip

After being on a diet the past couple of months, I was dying to get to Boracay already so that I can finally get it over and done with! At first, I felt a little bit guilty eating so much when we got there since I did work hard on getting in shape. But hubby and everyone else was right, we were on vacation after all. Walang diet diet!

So, here were just some of the gastronomic delights we ate while we were at the beach. Too bad we weren't able to eat in Talipapa since we were pressed for time attending the wedding and all. But we were able to try new restaurants and I think we all gained 5 pounds from all the food we ate in such a short amount of time. ;p

food from White House, Hawaiian BBQ, Two Seasons, Fish Bar, Real Coffee, Kasbah

A Beach Wedding

When I think of beach weddings, the first thing that comes to mind is a simple ceremony, an intimate reception, and of course a gorgeous sunset as backdrop. Well, this was my first time to attend a beach wedding (held at Shangri-La's Boracay Resort & Spa), and what a wedding it was! The bride is our good friend and blockmate from college and I think my expectations will forevermore be set to the standards of this event! There were so many beautiful and amazing details from the wedding that I could not possibly show all the pictures here. So allow me to just share some of my favorite moments from that day.

Can I just share that I forgot to pack hubby's pants! I was so focused on making sure his white polo didn't get wrinkled in the bag that the pants totally slipped my mind. Ooops! He was all set to wear shorts but good thing he was able to borrow a pair at the last minute. They were a bit big for him but it was all good. =) And look at the gorgeous lace parasols which they gave all the guests (along with lace fans).

After the ceremony, they served cocktails and had some entertainment including a mesmerizing dance number from "fire queen" Rachel Lobangco herself. Then, everyone moved to the reception area at the beach which was transformed into a beautiful tented set-up.

This was my absolute favorite part of the night, when they had everyone light floating lanterns. It was a real life "Tangled" moment seeing the lanterns light up the sky amidst the sailboats in the water.

Haha my friends and I couldn't resist having our photos taken with Christian Bautista, who performed a couple of songs, and Drew Arellano, who hosted the reception. It was a good thing I was right beside both guys, so I could just crop out my friends hahaha! ;p

Another amazing moment was the couple's entrance, via dragon boats! I swear, it was just like a scene from a movie.

And then, we also had a special participation since the couple asked some of their friends and family to be part of a flash mob dance number. We danced to Starships and Gangnam Style! It was super fun although a bit embarrassing at first hahaha! The after, there was a spectacular fireworks display.

There was also an after party in the resort's entertainment center where there were more drinks and fun to be had. I won't tell you anymore what happened during that part because as they say, what happens in Boracay, stays in Boracay! hahaha! But again, congratulations to our friends for this awesome and memorable celebration. Definitely one for the books!

Back in Boracay

After 3 years, hubby and I finally got the chance to take a trip back to Boracay for our friend's wedding last weekend. The last time we were here was right after our wedding in 2009. Boracay was also where Vins proposed to me in 2008, which I promise to tell you guys about sometime since it was very grand and romantic (promise!).

I've been to Boracay many times before for work, and it would usually fall around Holy Week when we would have events. This was the first time we went in November and I have to say, it is really one of the best times to go here. The weather was absolutely perfect (it just drizzled a little bit sometimes and then sunny all the way), there was just the right amount of people, and the water was crystal clear (no lumot!).

In the past, we always stayed in Station 2 near D'Mall so that we're in the center and near all the restaurants and bars. This time, we stayed in Sur Resort in Station 1. We loved that it was so chill and relaxing in that part of the beach. It was also nicer to go swimming since there weren't that much people and you felt you had the whole beach to yourself. The only problem was that it was at the far end of the beach (near Discovery Shores) so we had to walk quite a bit if we wanted to grab a shake at Jonah's or have lunch/dinner at one of the many restos in Station 2 (well, you can always take a trike if you don't feel like walking).

They also had happy hour at our resort from 3pm to 8pm which meant buy 1 take 1 on most drinks. The resort next to ours, White House, had happy hour from 7am to 7pm! No wonder people were there the whole day! The only thing I kept ordering were mojitos, which is now my official favorite drink. Yummy! =)

This was also the first time we went with our college barkada so it was super nice to bond and just spend time together. We had the best time just swimming and talking and laughing so much! We all kept joking that we were getting so old since we were all so sleepy by 10pm already haha! Before, we could all stay up till the wee hours of the morning just partying and drinking. Now, when one of our friends texted us to go to Epic in Station 2 at around 9pm, we all just said "nah!" since we were all tamad to walk and just wanted to chill! Talk about corny hahaha!

The wedding we went to was held in Shangri-La Boracay so we had a chance to go there the day before since we had rehearsals for this flash mob dance number we were going to do (I'll tell you all about it in my next post when I write about the wedding). While waiting, we went to the beach and swam a little, although the sand in Shangri-La wasn't as powdery soft as in the main Boracay beach.

Ok, I have to include a bikini pic below because I'm so happy my diet paid off haha! But I've also been taking Carbtrim the past 2 months so I think it also helped. I just hope I can continue with my diet (ang hirap!) and not start binge eating just because Boracay is over. Although to be honest, I was always super stomach in whenever we'd take pics, but at least I felt sexy and confident in my bikini hehe! ;p

Here's some more pics from our trip...

Just writing about this is making me miss Boracay already. I promise that the next time we go here wouldn't be in another 3 years and of course, with the kids this time. =)