Once on terra firma, we boarded a jeepney at Balanacan Pier for Boac, the provincial capital, all the while hoping that there would be accommodations available at this unholy hour when everyone was supposed to be asleep. As I feared, there were none available at the town proper, it being the holiday season. Soon all the passengers had alighted from the jeepney save for us.
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| Villa Carlos Resort |
Our jeepney driver suggested a beach resort and dropped us off at Villa Carlos Resort where the caretaker allowed us to pitch tents by the beach. It was now 1:30 AM. Jandy, Verner, Jowel and Yor slept inside the tents while Cheska and I slept out in the open, on benches at a nipa and bamboo picnic shed.
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| Our suite |
Come morning, I had a chat with the affable resort owner, Ms. Emily Ignacio-Alaan. Fortune smiled at us that early morning as Ms. Alaan allowed us to use, after a guest canceled their booking at the last moment, an airconditioned suite with 3 king-size beds, a small TV, compartmentalized bathroom (shower and water closet had separate compartments with the lavatory between both) and, best of all, a private balcony (with a round marble table and monobloc chairs) overlooking the sea.
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| The dining hall |
The room was rented out for PhP1,600 a night, way over our spartan budget, but Ms. Alaan agreed to halve the cost provided we didn’t use the room airconditioner. This suited us fine, as the cool evening breeze negated the use of airconditioning. The resort also had a restaurant and a videoke (which gladdened Jowel). A covered badminton court was still being built during our stay.
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| Cheska sunbathing by the balcony |
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| People frolicking at Ihatub Beach |
The suite’s balcony was perfect for viewing the gathering of tuba (coconut wine) in the morning, people frolicking along the black sand Ihatub Beach in the afternoon and, come dusk, a beautiful sunset. Cheska, Vener and Yor opted to sleep here, the balcony being cooled by the sea breeze in the evening. With our accommodation worries out of the way, we could now explore, using the resort as our base, this beautiful-island province in detail.
In 2007, management of the resort changed hands and the resort was renamed Villa sa Aplaya Beach Resort. It now has 11 airconditioned rooms with bath, 21″ cable TV and refrigerator plus, aside from the abovementioned facilities, a 25-pax conference room. The badminton court is now operational.
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| The beautiful sunset at the resort |
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