There was a time when Boracay was a simple island with an empty white sand beach. It had one unpaved road that ran across the island and thousands of coconut trees. The only decent hotel was a mom and pop operation called Friday’s, which was then the best place to stay in Boracay because it had its own generator.

Everyone else who couldn’t afford Friday’s stayed in private guest houses with no electricity. This meant dining by candlelight and dancing in the dark.

CRASHLANDING ON BORACAY

Boracay then was just so wonderful. And I would never have found myself on this most idyllic of islands if not for a New Yorker friend. He’d done graduate studies in Kyoto. Then, as part of a year-long trek around the world, he decided to spend three months in Boracay just swimming and surfing.

One day, over one of many dinners on his two-week stopover in Manila, he invited me to come along to Boracay for a few days.

“Boracay?” I said to him. I’d never heard of the place. There was no Internet then, you see, so news of this little paradise was simply passed around a network of adventurers and beach lovers who relished the rough and tumble side of life.

DRAMATIC DECISION. JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES.

Five days was all I had, as I needed to return to school in Tokyo, and the trip to Boracay was literally a last-minute decision.

When he asked me to come along, I’d initially said no. But on the day I was set to fly to Japan, I had a change of heart at the international airport. My driver brought me to NAIA 1 to catch my flight back to Japan on Japan Airlines. Yes, I literally grew up with this airline and it feels like home.

As soon as I got off at the NAIA 1 airport driveway, I remembered this invitation to Boracay. Suddenly I was taking the escalator down to the arrivals terminal and hailing a taxi to the domestic airport. Call it serendipity. And, yes, it was exactly like in the TV tele-novelas.

And that holiday was just as innocent, sweet and fun as that Korean television series “Crashlanding on You,” too. Maybe that’s why I like Crashlanding on You so much. 

HOW TO GET TO BORACAY

I’ve had many perfect holidays in my life, including many to the most luxurious places on the planet. Interestingly, this spontaneous little no frills holiday is still among the most perfect. We rode the second tiniest airplane I’d ever seen from Manila to the Caticlan airstrip. The airstrip was really just cleared dirt at that time and there were no large planes landing here. And from Caticlan, we got on a wooden boat to the island.

As my friend was a free spirit, advance planning was not in his DNA. Of course we had no hotel reservations at Friday’s. So we walked around for the first few hours looking for a guest house that would pass my squeamish standards.

Eventually we hit upon a modest property that rented out little cottages. The owners served a breakfast of fish and rice under a makeshift canvas tent that doubled as a dance floor at night. It was in a quiet part of a quiet island and the sea was just a few meters away.

REMEMBERING THE ORIGINAL BORACAY

Boracay of old was completely untouched by commercialism. It was really a village where everyone knew everyone. My friend was Mr. Congeniality so he quickly made friends with the locals and soon we were visiting homes and joining get-togethers. That is, when we weren’t running around this amazing beach with warm waters and no one else around.

There was absolutely nothing in Boracay then. So everyone spent their days by the beach, and the little dance floor under a canvas tent in front of our guest house was the place to be on any night. In the evenings, I taught my friend how to dance the swing. He had two left feet but lots of enthusiasm, and the whole village would come out to watch this happy spectacle.

WINTER IN TOKYO

Finally I had to reluctantly fly back to Manila and onwards to Tokyo. School was waiting. I can’t even remember how I got my return ticket then. However, I ended up with one and for some reason, a priest was flying my plane back to Manila.

It was the smallest plane I had ever seen — it was a one-engine contraption with just two seats. I can’t ever forget this because the priest and I talked the whole way back to Manila as he piloted the plane. And I recall thinking that at least I had a priest for company if the plane crashed.

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

There were no tears, regrets or elaborate goodbyes at the end of my Boracay holiday. Upon returning to Tokyo, I immediately plunged headlong into schoolwork and winter activities. Meanwhile my friend continued with the peaceful village life on Boracay. Interestingly, I never saw him again. Nor did I expect to.

And I never saw that original Boracay again either. Not long after we both left Boracay, he three months after me, the island changed quicker than I would ever imagine.

LETTER FROM BORACAY

But one day in late spring in Tokyo, I returned to my school dormitory to find a letter waiting for me. Yes, just like in the movies. It was postmarked from the island. When I opened it, it was six pages long, written on scrap school paper in a messy scrawl, and folded haphazardly like a bad origami. I smiled to myself. It was so like him to send something like this.

I imagine he’d written it one night by the beach after finishing a bottle of the local rum. In this letter, he’d written a dozen stories that now seemed so far away to me, as I was back to my regular life in Tokyo. But one story in particular stood out. He told me about a German we’d become casual friends with, who ran a small resort inland. Apparently, he’d been shot dead in revenge of a dispute.

Then my friend ended his letter with this line that still brings tears to my eyes even now: “And everyone still asks about you here. They want to know when you’re coming back.”

Read more of our stories in Travelife Magazine.

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LUNCH AT DENLIM’S KITCHEN IN PAMPANGA, PHILIPPINES

The other week in the Philippines, I was persuaded by my friend Tats to drive two hours out of Manila to have lunch at a restaurant called Denlim’s Kitchen. This restaurant is in the town of Pampanga. The whole area is a culinary destination for local foodies and there are many interesting restaurants and innovative chefs cooking local specialties here.

Dennis Lim, who owns Denlim’s Kitchen, is one of the culinary stars of Pampanga. He runs a quirky but stylish restaurant with a canteen atmosphere, surrounded by dozens of baskets, jars and cooking utensils. You really get the feeling that you are eating in his artsy kitchen.

HOW TO RESERVE FOR DENLIM’S KITCHEN

Interestingly, Denlim’s Kitchen has a very long waiting list especially for weekends. In fact, I dislike long drives in general, but I decided to brave the traffic and drive to Pampanga after Tats, who invited me to join her family for lunch, said: “My mom waited about eight months to get this reservation.”

That certainly made me decide to join them for lunch at Denlim’s Kitchen in Pampanga one Sunday.

HOW TO GET TO DENLIM’S KITCHEN

The restaurant itself is hard to find as it’s way inside a neighbourhood off the national highway, so you’ll need to use Waze to get here. Also, unless you happen to know Dennis Lim’s best friend or his neighbour, you’d better start planning your 2020 Sunday lunch now. It’s not a walk-in restaurant so you should have your confirmed reservations before you go.

As for the food, it was very nice and home-grown. He’s self-taught and this is the Philippines, so everything was delicious but some of it was very unhealthy. But then, as most doctors like to say, “If it’s good, it’s probably bad for you.”

We began with salads and all kinds of appetisers. The dishes were all plated nicely and they were delicious. This was the healthy part.

SISIG IN A SPAGHETTI

Of course my favourites were the ones likely to give diners a heart attack. I liked the sisig spaghetti because it was something new. It really was pasta with a big dose of sisig over it. And sisig just happens to be one of my favorite foods in the world.

I also thought the roasted pork (lechon) served with fermented rice and a local gourd called ampalaya was excellent. We were told to place a slice of pork with crispy skin and a dab of fermented rice on a slice of ampalaya, and eat it in one go.

It was wonderful. In fact, I probably ate most of it as everyone else was very full by that time.

ABOUT THE CHEF OF DEN’S KITCHEN

Dennis himself is very personable and he prepared most of the dishes right by our long table of diners. Everything was very relaxed and after all the food I ate, I felt like walking back to Manila.

REVIEWS ON DENLIM’S

“Is it really that good?” Someone asked me afterwards. I’d posted some photos on Facebook, you see. Well, don’t expect gourmet food or fine dining. But the dishes he served that day for lunch were innovative, pleasing to the eyes, and a joy to the palate. These were a mix of Philippine dishes and original dishes with an international flair.

Driving to Denlim’s in Pampanga for lunch is definitely a nice foodie thing to do on a Sunday in Manila. That is, if you can get a table.

Read more about the best restaurants in the Philippines in Travelife Magazine.

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1. Homestay with locals and appreciate meaningful conversations and sumptuous home cooked meals with them.

2. Explore hundred years of old caves and see stalactites and crystal-like stones in Sohoton Caves

3. Swim in a whirlpool along the beach of Magpupungko Natural Waterpool.

4. Hike and jump for an exciting cliff diving  experience.

5. Experience and see healthy mangrove ecosystem

6. Swim in the pristine waters of Sugba Lagoon.

7. Bathe in a deep well in a virgin island!

8. Drink fresh coconuts with locals.

PHILTOA president Cesar Cruz says the association is to committed to constantly promoting new and untouched local destinations in the Philippines. For other exciting local destinations, save the date and come to the PHILIPPINE TRAVEL MART happening on August 31 –September 2 and avail of amazing tour packages and airline tickets to plan your next local destination.

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Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

From the air, Cebu seemed
engulfed in grey clouds, making
us worry that our much-awaited
holiday at the Shangri-La’s
Mactan Resort and Spa would
be muddied by the weather.

Fortunately, it seems the sun always
shines on this little piece of heaven by the
sea at the tip of Mactan Island. It was
indeed overcast upon arrival at Mactan
International Airport; but when we
reached the Ocean Wing of the Shangri-
La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, just 20
minutes away from the airport, the clouds
had disappeared and the sea had turned
a glorious blue from the private terrace of
our 72-square meter Panorama suite.

Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

Of course, we just had to jump into the
water as soon as possible. It was a short
walk through the gardens of the Ocean
Wing of the Shangri- La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, which is a more private section
apart from the main resort, to the resort’s
secluded beach, where golden sand and
warm waters awaited. Here, the beach center  offered a full menu of water sports activities, along with
plain old lazing in the sun.

“Let’s go snorkeling,” I suggested; within
minutes we were outfitted in aqua shoes,
life vests, and snorkeling gear, and heading
towards a garden of corals where hundreds
of colorful fish happily spent their days.
This marvelous underwater spectacle was a
most fitting start to our holiday.

The live show at Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa

There are many restaurants at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa; but as it was such a nice evening, we
booked a table by the beach for an outdoor
barbecue and a live show featuring the best
of Visayan culture. 

We selected the food to
be cooked on the grill, including marinated
pork and fresh fish, found ourselves a table
at the side so that we had our feet in the
sand and the sea breeze on our faces, and
watched the colorful spectacle of Southern
Philippine songs and dances.

Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

“Life sure can’t get better than this,” I said,
but it actually did. After dinner, we walked
hand-in-hand around the vast estate
until we stumbled on the Cowrie Cove, a
restaurant-bar playing cool music at the
very end of the property. It was obviously
our lucky day because the best seat in the
house had just been vacated by another
couple: it was a private gazebo way out in
the water, accessible only via a narrow path
from the bar.

So this was how we ended our first evening
– listening to chill music while drinking
champagne and dessert in the most
romantic place in Cebu.

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