Resort Life

There is a beautiful beach on the west side of the northern tip of the Philippines. On this beach is a gorgeous resort, with well-appointed rooms and individual little family “casas” with private pools. This resort is well maintained and has a staff that is eager to please and will go that extra step to keep guests happy. The restaurant has a menu of good local foods and the kitchen does a great job in cooking those dishes. There is an infinity pool and free WiFi anywhere on the grounds.

We are not in that resort.  We are two resorts down, on the same beach.

We stay in a slightly rustic cabin with wood floors, ceiling, and walls. The first day here we had to get them to fix the little bar fridge. The second day we called them to turn on the hot water. We have armed guards at the road and dogs wandering the grounds. In fact, the dogs wander everywhere, including past the front desk and into the dining area. The pool is closed for cleaning. We have seen only a few other guests here, but have learned that they have VIPs from Taiwan somewhere in the rooms. The main restaurant is off limits to us, and we are relegated to using the coffee house for meals while the buffets are reserved for the special people.

We are not too offended. While the security at the road of the resort is heavy, the beach access is perfectly open and clear. We've spent hours in the deck house on the beach enjoying the peaceful views and cool breezes of the ocean. There is no one else from our resort using this part of the beach, so it is almost a private heaven. Coral rocks at the near end of the beach contain tidal pools with colourful fish and an occasional eel.

We have been to the markets in the nearby towns and have picked up lots of fresh fruits for breakfast. We now have a working fridge that we can use for drinks. And after being refused at the restaurant the first time, we have been walking the one kilometer down the beach to the gorgeous resort with the good food for dinner.

The beach between the resorts is used daily by fishermen. They belong to a large fishing community that lives just off the beach. The entire family seems to spend the day at the beach with them. As well, there are more than 20 dogs that belong to this community that wander at will along the sand. The fishermen go out in 20’ outriggers or on flat wooden boats that they stand on and paddle like surf boarders. Their children run down to the end of the beach with small fishing spears and try to catch fish off the rocks. And when the bigger wooden boats come in with their nets, everyone lends a hand trying to pull them in, the kids doing their best to get as wet as possible while doing so. Who needs TV for entertainment?

We haven't been swimming a lot, even though the water is warm and so clear that I can see my feet when standing in neck deep water. We are in a large bay, so the waves are normally gentle at the shore and we often walk along the beach. It is a perfect place to relax, and enjoy resort life. We are only here for two weeks, and when we leave, we will be looking for places where we can have our own kitchen.

We can only take so much of this resort life.

W