36 Hours in Cebu - Non New York Times Style

This past weekend, I went to Cebu with my friend J for a quick romantic rendezvous, just the two of us girls.  I have to admit I booked the trip rather impulsively, in part because Michael wasn't here for Valentine's Day and I felt a bit bummed out about that.  However, I figured that I surely would not regret a weekend jaunt away, in the sun, by the pool and beach.

I didn't have very high expectations for the resort, and I guess neither did my friend.  We had never heard of Crimson Resort and Spa and I really only had Agoda and Tripadvisor reviews to go on.

Well, underestimation is always a good way to start a weekend holiday.

After a two hour direct flight from Hong Kong and a relatively quick taxi ride from the airport, we arrived to this stunning view while we waited to check in in the hotel lobby.

Coming from Hong Kong's recent spate of frigid weather (without central heating, people, and with cold tiled floors indoors, yikes!) and dreary gray days, this truly felt like paradise sought and found.

When we checked in, we were rather delirious to discover that the hotel was upgrading us, because we were "first-time guests," to a lovely private villa with plunge pool.  Awesome!?

Here we are in front of our grande thatched entrance.  It's like the entrance to a house!

Aaaaand another shot, from the inside of our front garden.

I loved all of the frangipani trees.

But the best part is yet to come!!

Guess what?! 

It turns out Michael did not forsake me.  Even from far, far away he prepared a fantastic Valentine's Day surprise for me!  He had called ahead to arrange for a welcome note, chocolates, roses, fresh fruit and a bottle of wine to accompany the upgrade.  (Yes, it took me a good twenty minutes to figure it out; he was responsible for the upgrade, not the resort!  That's how good the surprise was, really.)  It must have taken a ton of coordination, especially since he was planning everything from a time zone 13 hours behind.  I loved every detail and I thought it was just the sweetest thing.

The towel elephant was not so shabby either.

I was floored and delighted. 

What a great, thoughtful Valentine's Day surprise, right?  I felt really special.

The private villa was beautiful.

  Michael clearly knows how much I love fruit.  Here, the fruit, fresh flowers and red wine:

Probably the best part was the private plunge pool.  Fun!  The pool was very cold, but that made sunning and then dipping into the pool all the nicer and more refreshing.



Checking out the plunge pool, doing my kind of "laps" (if a lap equals 1.5 strokes, when not kicking off the wall...)

Beautifully plated mango, sliced up from Michael's fruit basket.



I'm completely sold.

J and I spent the rest of the day chilling out by the pool and ocean. 

Cheers!  We are so healthy...

...Except that we needed the green juice to counter this massive club sandwich and fries.

 The grounds of the resort are beautiful.  Impeccably manicured and everything is just so vibrant and green.  Here are the main grounds near the pool, with a badminton net.

Here, looking out over the hedges, with the blue ocean beyond.

 A view from the main pool.

 Here I am, giddy!


One bit of funny: in the late afternoon by the ocean I spotted this fashion shoot occuring on the grounds of the resort.  It must have been the Philippines' equivalent of a beauty pageant, because the girls kept lining up and they each had numbers pinned to their (barely there) hips. 

Random!

In the afternoon, J and I each got a poolside body massage, which was very relaxing.

It was so good that on the second day, we got another massage - I opted for the head, shoulders and hands massage, and my friend opted for the head shoulder and back massage.

Here we are, cocooned in our purple tie dyed muumuu's, trying not to crack up.

We also coordinated dinner off the resort, to try the famous suckling pig at Zubuchon, but I will save that for my next post.