I have been caught up with so many things that I wasn't able to post this summer adventure we had last 2023. I am cramming to post all of the things from last year as there will be new things coming this year and I might end up not posting these worth sharing places.
Last year's summer outing was at Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Marigondon, Mactan Island, Cebu. I have never been to that resort so when my husband said they'll go there for their annual summer outing as a company, I told him, Matti and I must come along.
The Arcanytes are all free of course for their day use of the resort but Matti and I were not included so we have to pay Php 2700 for the day tripper package, children ages 0-12 years old are 50% off. There's an inclusion of a buffet lunch for their day tripper rate.
Here's their receiving area. They have a huge lobby by the way, the resort was built in 1996 and it's a whopping 11.4 hectares of secluded grounds and offers one of the largest privately owned waterways in the world.
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The furniture in the lobby shows the resort's age but they seem to have maintained it quite well that they still look good and very usable, especially the lounges. We arrived a little early, so we took photos of some of the husband's colleagues.
Every day tripper guest gets this band, Matti got his too and he was so happy, he felt like he belonged! Just look at his photos below:
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As soon as we got our bands, we were free to get inside. From the receiving area, we already have a glimpse of what the resort looks like. I have seen photos of Plantation Bay before and I know it is pretty and very serene with lots of corners and activities. This isn't my husband's first time and he had told me how nice this resort is so I was truly excited to see it with my own eyes and truly experience it. This is even more special now because we have Matti with us.
We took the route to the right and indeed, we were the first few guests around, no people were walking by, just us so it was quite nice, we took photos at the gazebo, and appreciated the soft light touching our skin and the lagoon!
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Thinking of how huge this place is, it was truly overwhelming. I was looking at the map they gave us and was already contemplating where to go and which would be the best place to settle.
My husband advised me to go check around the place while he went looking for their company's spot too. I took that opportunity to walk by this ramp below, and tour around the whole lagoon and I ended up exhausted!
You'll easily get tired because of the huge land area and it's so confusing because everywhere we go, the spot is just worthy to stay! But because we have a free lunch buffet at their Kilimanjaro Kafé as included in the day tripper package, I decided to stay nearby plus we found out that Arcanys' booth was just a few meters walk.
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Actually, we considered staying here for a night but when I looked up their room rates, Php 11,500 for a night was too much. The previous year, the company had given us a promo rate for JPark so we were able to book a room but not this time.
I am looking forward to this year, hopefully, the husband's company will provide their employees with a special rate for their summer outing in May, let's see where will their outing be.
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Now, just by looking at these images, I am again brought back to how I was in awe of how the pool lagoon arrangement was built. The rooms and buildings were on the side, just a few inches away from the water, they are all really good in person and in photos!
Obviously, I am just blown away that I couldn't stop taking photos. Is it obvious by the number of images I have added to this blog? Mind you, these were just the curated ones, I still have a lot of them not included here.
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Okay, one of my favorite accommodations is this two above, it has a huge porch and it is just next to the lagoon plus, it has its mini sunbathing area!
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There are many gazebos too in many different places in the lagoon. The water here by the way is salty, they made a way for the seawater to be brought into the man-made lagoon. The flooring is cement and occasionally needs to be drained for cleaning but don't worry, they also have fresh water pools available, there are four of them, and the lagoon would be the fifth!
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So above is our view from our cottage. There were two beach lounges here and we left all our things in the cottage while we went touring around. There are lifeguards around and some attendants too so we need not worry about anything but it's still better if we bring something that could secure our things, anyway, nothing happened so all is well.
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It was summer and super hot at the resort so we looked for places where there was shade. We decided to try the lagoon first. But Matti noticed the sand so he played for a while at the lagoon side.
We were left by ourselves as my husband joined his colleagues for their short program. They were grouped into six groups, it's amazing just how much the company had grown. My husband celebrates his decade-long with Arcanys this year by the way.
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As the morning progressed, more and more guests started popping up, some checked-in guests were out for breakfast, and we even saw Koreans having their pre-nuptial photo session!
We had a quick swim at the pool around the cafe but decided to roam around again. Here's my little one around Plantation Bay:
The rest of the morning, we just had swimming and then we ate lunch, my husband had to eat lunch with their colleagues while Matti and I ate at the cafe, unfortunately, as I was so busy taking care of my little one, I forgot to take photos. I guess I took but I don't know where the photos are now. The buffet was not what I imagined it to be, there were only a few options although the food was good, I was expecting more.
Anyway, we met a few of my husband's colleagues' family too especially Ziv, he is also three years old and is the son of my husband's teammates, both parents work in Arcanys.
After lunch, we looked for the kid's play area because it was too hot for us to swim. We walked around and found a lot of other things in the resort such as the beachfront, they got diving activities available too, we passed by a tunnel as well, and then we found their Japanese-inspired spa which offers hot, cold, and saltwater pools, needle-shower, waterfall, sauna, steam-bath, manicure, hair-trim, and a full range of therapies. We were actually in awe to see these things upon entering the entrance.
Finally found the play area which was air-conditioned, it was perfect for that afternoon, and I even was able to sleep while we were staying in that room.
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Matti had a lot of fun while at the play area, after about an hour, we decided to join other Arcanyte kids playing with the sand at the Arcanys tent. It was a perfect time for these kids to get along and have some sensory activities with their shovels and cans.
After the playtime, we decided to check out other spots of the resort. We went to try their bikes and their entertainment area. It was near the lobby so we walked and waited for the tandem bike of course. Riding the bike is one of the easy ways to tour around the area, they have golf carts too or one can opt to walk in the open air instead.
I highly suggest that if you have plans to try the tandem bike, you must go early. We waited for quite a while for the tandem bike, thankfully, they had an entertainment room where Matti and I killed time while the husband waited outside.
They got lots of bikes but only two or three tandem bikes and most of the guests want the tandem bike. The photo above was taken in the morning. Each guest can use the bike for 15 minutes I guess for free, else, there's a fee after that.
We went to Savannah Park after riding the bike and doing a two-round tour across the resort. It was fun and delightful to ride the bike! Matti was very quiet while we were paddling. With a bike, the huge resort became small!
It was at Savannah Park that Matti enjoyed so much and in fact, we too because of the Archery! So in the park, kids can have time to burn all those sweets they ate during the buffet. As we arrived a little late, we almost missed the Archery activity, thankfully, the personnel allowed us to try it just a few minutes before five, they closed at five.
Look at my expression upon hitting the bull's eye! It was my first time to try archery and I hope to try it again in the future. Check out the video here who did better with archery:
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Matti and I also enjoyed our time at the golf course. This is just a mini one but they have a lot of clubs available for kids and for adults. They were just scattered everywhere, perhaps the other guests who used them before us were just putting them everywhere. Anyway, it was fun but it was also hard. Lol, the only important thing was that we both enjoyed it!
It was past five and we had no plans of going home yet so we wore our swimming gear again and went to the lagoon! The water was warm although I disliked the feeling of touching the cement, I opted to stay at the shore area where we could still feel the sand. Again, the lagoon ground is cement so it is very prone to getting dirty and slimy.
Clear glass kayaks and other water sports can also be used here but they come with an additional fee for a certain number of minutes only. I believe it's worth it as long as you are into those rides. We decided not to take it as Matti might not like it.
We witnessed how the resort's ambiance turned from daylight to a golden hour afternoon until it became dark and the lights were turned on. Thankfully, we still have other friends staying so we had a lot of chat here and there while looking after our toddlers.
I can attest that this resort is unlike the rest that we had tried out, it is very calming here if you want to have a spa and relax, there's a place for that if you are into water sports, you can also try out their amenities for that, they even offer diving, there's also a place for those who have kids and toddlers, I mean, for the pool, there's a lot of options that guests don't have to squam for it. There's just a spot for everyone!
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Here's KC, Lenz, and Ziv on the right photo, my husband's colleagues. And our group photo on the left! We went home together as well. I am glad that although we were just there as day trippers, we explored the whole place, enjoyed every available amenity, and had a great day!
As for the comfort rooms, there's also a lot available scattered across the resort, I like staying near the cafe because there's also a comfort room in it and it was easier for us to get changed.
Here's some snaps taken before we left the resort:
Highly recommended, I believe the amount we paid as day trippers was all worth it! Visit this resort when you are in Mactan! Thanks for reading!
J U N E B R I D E
Boholana | Cebu | Philippines | Travel | Photography Enthusiast | Calligraphy | Art
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It is cool have the destination which's children friendly..
Looks such a beautiful place and an amazing vacation
Thanks for joining the Wednesday Walk :)
Have a great day :)
Thanks!
the place was really very beautiful, I was so amazed to see every bit of its beauty, the view of the pool and clean white buildings was really very beautiful