As we relaxed on the lounge chairs and admired the beautiful crystal clear waters and fine white sand before our very eyes, Ross turned to me and said:"aren't we lucky to come from two of the most beautiful places on Earth?"
This is paradise!
The beautiful beach right on our doorstep
Ross had just arrived from a 3-month stint in the freezing temperatures of Argentinian Patagonia and was in need of R&R and fun in the sun. We'd been planning a trip to Palawan during the Philippines' summer months (March to May), but we didn't get the chance to since he'd been working all that time. Fortunately, we received good news that he'd be coming home at the end of August and we'd have enough time to steal a few days away for a well-deserved holiday. We'd done our research and shortlisted a few places but Ross' heart was set on Club Paradise when we came across it online. I had no objections as I'd visited the island resort once--though some 17 years ago--and have fond memories of the place, especially since it was the first time I'd taken a shot at scuba diving. I also remembered my friend Cheryl Tiu's (whom I also just recently featured in my Passion Q&A series) blog post on her visit and only had good things to say about the place. So as soon as Ross confirmed his return to Manila, we booked our holiday to Palawan.
Club Paradise Palawan
Club Paradise is located on Dimakya Island, Coron in Northern Palawan in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It features a 700-metre beach as well as a beautiful and colourful house reef where you can see and swim with over 500 marine life species. If diving and snorkeling aren't your thing, there are other activities that are just as exciting like kayaking (choose the see-through kayak!), paraw sailing, hiking, and island hopping. How can you say no to any of that?!
Booking
We booked a 4-night/5-day stay in a Beachfront Cottage via Booking.com (best price option at around Php31,000 / USD660 / GBP435 for 2 adults and includes daily breakfast). Airport transfers had to be booked directly with the hotel which I did via email with no problem (roundtrip Php1,830 / USD39 / GBP25 per person). For F&B, we spent a total of about Php30,000 / USD640 / GBP417 throughout our entire stay.
Our beachfront cottage
Not so bad a view to wake up to and have at your doorstep
Getting to paradise
We took the afternoon Philippine Airlines 55-minute flight from Manila to Busuanga (Coron) (Php22,000 / USD470 / GBP306 for 2 adult round trip tickets) and were greeted by JC of Club Paradise upon arrival at Francisco B. Reyes Airport. JC took us to the resort's private van where he explained that we would be going on a 20-minute drive to the jetty and then another 40 minutes by boat to the island. The drive was really bumpy as most of the road is unpaved and with deep trenches, but this wasn't a problem for us since the scenery was beautiful and interesting. Plus, you're on a beautiful island amid greenery and fresh air; don't expect some 6-lane paved motorway!
Philippine Airlines Bombardier Q400
Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga Island, Coron, Palawan
We were given "his" and "hers" Club Paradise bracelets
When we reached the jetty, we transferred to a small boat since the tide was low and sailed through the mangroves. Once we got to deeper waters, we moved onto a bigger boat where we were offered tuna & cheese sandwiches, a bottle of water, and a beach towel to keep from the splashes of the waves. It was a nice and relaxing ride with incredible views of the surrounding islands and mountains. We finally reached the island and were welcomed by the beauty of the pristine beach, charming smiles of the Club Paradise staff, and the amazingly friendly general manager Joegil Escobar who personally greeted us upon arrival. Checking in was stress-free as Bea from Reception gave us a tour of the resort on the way to our cottage. When we got to our cottage, Bles aka Ms. Happiness and Eunice were waiting for us to give us our complimentary foot massages. Talk about a start to a great holiday! After enjoying the massages, we finally entered our room where we immediately felt like home. I'll let the following photos do the talking here.
The mangroves we passed on the way to the island
All aboard!
View of the ocean, mountains & islands from the boat
We made it! :-)
A singing welcoming committee!
California King Bed
Initialised pillows and cute towel babies!
Sweet treats!
Complimentary foot massages upon arrival
We'll get there - one island at a time!
Overjoyed!
Beautiful sunsets
This view leaves me speechless
I just can't get enough!
It's all in the detail
Throughout our entire stay, the staff kept on surprising us and never missed a beat. On top of the extremely warm welcome, we had glasses of wine and a platter of cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner. There was also one night when we got a handwritten note from Joegil wishing us a good night. Every day there was a treat waiting for us in our room--a basket of mangoes, rice cakes, banana fritters--it was always a pleasant surprise! And on the day we were leaving, we got another handwritten note from the housekeeping staff thanking us for our stay and wishing us a safe journey home. Right from the beginning, the entire Club Paradise team made us feel so comfortable and at home. So much so that it was strange that we had to leave and go back to reality.
Personalised note from the GM Joegil Escobar
Wine & cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner
Sweet note from housekeeping
One with nature
Apart from the amazing underwater wonders, the island is also home to a colony of fruit bats and monitor lizards. During the day you can see the bats hanging on the trees, and at dusk a wonderful display of flight as they wake from their slumber and take off to feed on fruits and small insects. The monitor lizards also roam freely so you may just be at breakfast and have one of these big guys stroll by you. Another pretty awesome thing that happened was when we were walking on the beach a small wave crashed onshore and a stingray washed up within a few inches from my feet! Isn't it so great that you can get so close to nature??
The resident colony of fruit bats taking flight at dusk
One of the island's monitor lizards taking a leisurely stroll
I'm calling her Stella the sting ray
But probably the best interaction with animals was when we went swimming in the ocean. The resort's dive team offers anything from intro to wreck dives and you're able to get your PADI Open Water license in just 3 days. I already have my Open Water license but it's been years since my last dive so I need a refresher course. Ross still has yet to get his license and though he could have gotten it during our stay, we opted to just have a nice and relaxing few days with no agenda just doing what we wanted, when we wanted. However, we didn't not want to experience the beautiful sea world so we went snorkelling instead!
Ross and Vincent our snorkelling guide
We borrowed snorkelling gear (which is complimentary for guests by the way!) from the aquatics centre and asked if we could be "toured" around the house reef. Vincent from the aquatics centre was more than happy to come with us. So we geared up and took the plunge and it was amazing! We swam with sea turtles, sting rays, different schools of fish, batfish, a 3-foot giant clam, and the best part of all was seeing a black tip shark (4-5 feet in length)--not once, not twice, but a few times every time we went in the water. On a separate occasion when it was just Ross and Vincent who went out, they also saw an octopus and a lion fish. The corals were also so beautiful as they swayed in the current. It's an incredible whole new world down there and has definitely convinced Ross to take up a new hobby and for me to get down and get that refresher course out of the way!
Take me back!
We truly enjoyed our stay at Club Paradise and would definitely go back again. If you're the type of person who enjoys being away from the hustle of the city or someone who simply needs to recharge, this is the place for you. First and foremost, the people are what makes this resort so worth it. Plus, all that sea life and adventure makes it all the more appealing!
My love and I thoroughly enjoying the sea, sand & sun!
Special thank yous to the following people for being so awesome and making us feel like long-time friends:
General Manager Joegil Escobar
The dive team--Brenda, Rachel, Ayn, Randy & Gabi
Vincent from the aquatics centre
Bles and the service staff
Dandie and the other bartenders (by the way Dandie is a great poi (fire) dancer!)
And to the rest of the Club Paradise team (apologies for not being able to remember everyone's names!), please know that we appreciated everything!!
“Ça va bien, merci! Un pain de chocolat,
s’il vous plait.” (I’m fine, thanks. One pain au chocolat, please.)
*Lady
at the patisserie hands over the perfectly flaky chocolate-filled croissant*
“Merci beaucoup, madame!” (Thank you
very much, madame!)
“Je vous en prie. Bonne journée!” (You’re
welcome. Have a good day!)
This is pretty much the regular
conversation I have anywhere I order my favourite pain au chocolat in Paris.
This similar conversation pattern is also applied everywhere else – from shopping
at Galeries Lafayette, to ordering escargots at the local brasserie, or ordering
a burger at Quick. Before I visited Paris for the first time a few years ago, I
was warned about how rude and unfriendly the Parisians are. However, as soon as
I landed I was greeted with nothing but politeness and even a few flirty
exchanges with some Frenchmen. Since then, I’ve come across a few rude folk but
more often than not, I’ve had very pleasant experiences with Parisians. It
perhaps could be that I understand and speak some French, or it could basically
be because I researched French culture before heading over and learned that it
is a custom to simply say bonjour or bonsoir (good evening) whenever you
walk into any establishment. I’ve made the mistake of forgetting to greet the
lady serving us at the canteen at work and went ahead and ordered my meal, only
to receive a strange look and a stern bonjour from the woman waiting for me
to acknowledge her greeting. Safe to say, I’ve never failed to offer my salutations
at every place I go since that incident.
I fell in love instantly the moment I stepped
foot in Paris for the first time. Yes, it’s dirty, it smells strange, and it’s
not exactly the safest place, but it certainly has its charm and is probably
the most beautiful and photogenic city I’ve been to so far. The traffic and the
crazy driving are not my cup of tea, but the architecture, cobble-stoned
streets, and the history involved in every nook and cranny of the City of
Lights just absolutely mesmerises me. Moreover, one of the things that I love
most about Paris is the French etiquette – la
politesse. Formality is key and is practiced in the way they greet and
speak to one another, the way they dress (I envy the effortless beauty of the
Parisians!), and in any situation they present themselves. I visited a few
factories and warehouses for work this month – places where you wouldn’t
generally think you’d need to bring table manners to – and even there, I felt
like Belle in Beauty and the Beast when she’s walking through the town. There
were a lot of bonjours, mercis, handshakes, and cheek-to-cheek kisses –
between myself and the people I met and even between the people that worked
there who saw each other daily.
I’ve lived in and visited several
countries where the people are known for their friendliness and hospitality,
like the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia to name a few. However, I think
the French claims the top spot for me when it comes to genuine greetings and
definitely wins for politeness. From personal experience, I think the Parisians’
snobby reputation comes the lack of understanding of their customs and culture
and also the language barrier. Back in the day, you’d stop a person on the
street to ask for directions and they wouldn’t be able to help you and this was
mistaken for snobbery. However, they basically just didn’t speak the language or
didn’t understand your request. Today though, more and more young French people
are learning English so it’s easier to get around as a tourist with no knowledge
of the language. Furthermore, how would you feel if a stranger visits your
country and disrespects your local customs? When you walk into a shop and
forget to greet the shopkeeper, they take that as a sign of disrespect. At the
end of the day, it really isn’t much effort to say hello and acknowledge
someone’s presence, is it?
After being in Paris for almost a month,
it was easy to become accustomed to French etiquette. I was raised to always be
polite and presentable, but the Parisians take it up a notch. The effortlessly great
dress sense and perfectly coiffed ‘dos are not just for themselves, but to show
respect for others as well. Admittedly, it’s made me take an extra few minutes
in the morning to think about my outfit for the day and no matter how bad my
day is and unsociable I feel, I always end up feeling better after a Bonjour!
and brief exchange with the doorman, taxi driver, or waiter. It never hurts to
say hello and ask how someone’s day is going. Who knows? You may just brighten
up their day! So take the time to be polite and greet that stranger. And before
you travel to a foreign country, don’t forget to read up on their culture
because something that is proper for you may be completely rude to them.
Bonne
journée, mes amis!
Image: Shutterstock
This post is in honour of the French
National Day – La Fête Nationale or Le quatorze juillet (the 14th
of July), commonly and mistakenly known as Bastille Day (which apparently is
completely wrong – read “Stop Calling It Bastille Day!” by Sidonie Sawyer, a
Franco-American journalist for The Huffington Post).
There seems to be this fascination with traveling alone and
finding yourself. I have to admit that since I read and watched “Eat, Pray,
Love” I wanted to be take a trip on my own so I, too, could find myself. But I
think I was more excited about the idea of the travel itself more than the “finding
myself” aspect. Why do I need to find myself anyway if I already know who I am?
Sure sure, different strokes for different folks I guess. I never got to do my “Eat,
Pray, Love” trip simply because I didn’t have the budget. Admittedly, I was
also a bit scared. You see, I’m a planner and I guess you could say quite OC
too. Even though the thought of just quitting my job, packing my bags, and
seeing where the world takes me was (still is!) enticing, I couldn’t get myself
to actually do it. I am quite envious though of those who do manage to do just
that and with only $100 in their pocket. I think I’d have a nervous breakdown!
Saying this, I have traveled by myself but for work. Usually
it’s a few days in a city I’m already familiar with and since it’s for work and
I’m there for meetings, I’m taken care of by such gracious hosts who make sure
I am comfortable, well-fed, and safe. So it’s a lot different experience than
traveling purely on your own accord.
I’m currently on a business trip in France. I arrived on
June 21st and will be here till mid-July so you could say I’m a
temporary resident for a little short of a month. This trip is a bit special
for a few reasons:
I’m traveling on my own but for work so I have
meetings up the hoop – meaning, at least I know some people from the offices
here but I’ve just met them so no one I’m really close to or know very well
I arrived in Paris on my own, with some
colleagues (whom I work closely with) only arriving a week or more later
Even when my colleagues arrived, I still had to
travel solo within France to places I’d never been to before
Though I understand and speak a bit of French, I’m
not 100% fluent and your brain completely forgets all the French you’ve ever
learned when you’re nervous and anxious
This basically goes back to the whole “finding yourself when
you travel alone” thing. I can’t say I’ve “found” myself but what I do know is
that I’m discovering snippets of my personality that I didn’t previously know
about. For example, I’ve come to realise that I do not like traveling alone. I’m
perfectly okay with it but I do not prefer it. I like visiting the sites and,
even more so, the lesser-known, non-touristy places and experiencing the local
culture. It’s fun and exciting but it’s not as much so when I don’t have
someone to share those experiences with. I like to talk about them and compare
notes and I think that is one of the things I love most about traveling.
Another thing I’ve learned about myself is that I’m actually
a tough little cookie. Some people may see me as someone with a strong
personality and can be bitchy at times, but when it all boils down to it I’m a
softy at heart. Last week the Parisian taxi drivers went on strike so there was
no way to get in/out or around the city apart from private cars and trains. It
was the day after the strike and taxis were still scarce on the road. I had to
get to Pantin (a suburb just outside the periphery of Paris, also a place that
isn’t exactly the safest place to be walking around) for a 9:00am meeting. I
waited for a taxi for 10 minutes at the taxi stand near the hotel but none had
passed. I didn’t want to be late so I had no choice but to take the Metro. If
you haven’t been on the Paris Metro, let me tell you it’s a crazy maze of lines
that run underground the entire city and can be quite confusing. I’m usually
good when it comes to navigating subways but in my rushed anxiety, I’d stepped
on the wrong train and only realised after the doors had shut. Not a huge deal
though as I got off at the next stop to return to the original station to take
the correct train.
Navigating roads, on the other hand, even WITH Google Maps,
is something I am terrible at. To make matters worse, there are 2 roads with
the exact same name in two different areas just about the same distance away
from the Metro station I had gotten off at. Long story short, I had gone to the
road in the wrong area – still in this unsafe part of town. A few calls to the
office and even they had no idea where I was and I was starting to get
frustrated. Then I realised that it wasn’t a good idea to be frustrated and
nervous in such a place as it makes you an easy target. After about half an
hour, we finally figured out where I was and I had to walk back to the
beginning to get to the right place. Our company always warns us about how
dangerous Pantin is and there have been numerous incidents of our colleagues
being robbed so you can imagine my huge sigh of relief when I finally made it
to the office in one piece. This particular experience basically showed me that
even if I can be a scaredy cat at times, when the going gets tough, I know that
I’ll be able to get my act together and manage myself through it.
The rest of my colleagues are arriving this weekend and I’d
be glad to see and hang out with them. Sure, it was fun navigating Paris and
other parts of France on my own for almost 2 weeks and having to converse in a
foreign language, but I’m looking forward to finally sharing experiences with
people I know. Would I choose to travel on my own for pleasure? Probably not.
But I guess you could sort of say I did “find” a little bit of myself during
this trip so far.
Have you traveled or do you travel alone? Do you prefer solo
traveling or with at least one other person? What did you discover about
yourself, other people, etc.?
I'm a little picky when it comes to seafood. I don't eat oysters,
clams, or mussels. However, I do love lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops,
and certain types of fish (ones that aren't too "fishy" tasting). I will
try almost anything once though so when Ross kept raving about the smokiesfrom Arbroath, I was curious to see what the fuss was all about.
First, a little history! Arbroath is on the North Sea Coast of Scotland, about 16 miles east of Dundee and 45 miles south of Aberdeen.
In 1839 a new harbour was built and became one of the larger fishing
ports in Scotland by the 20th century. The fishing industry grew,
however, from the 1980s onwards quota cuts and decommissioning affected
the industry throughout Scotland. Today, the fish processing sector is
still one of the largest employers in Arbroath, however, fish for
processing now comes from other areas such as Aberdeen, Norway, and
Ireland.1
Arbroath Harbour
Arbroath is most famous for its smokies,
which was first created in the village of Auchmithie. Line-caught
haddock from the North Sea is gutted and head removed, then salted
before being tied up in pairs and hung on rods to dry. Once they are
dry, the haddock is smoked over beach or oak hard wood. Arbroath was
awarded a Protected Geographical Indication in 2004, which means the smokie
can only be called such if it is produced within 4km of Arbroath.
Today, family-owned and run smokehouses still fill the town with its
delicious smokie aromas with recurring surnames like Spink, Cargill, Swankie, and Smith claiming their smokies as the best.1,2,3
Looking out onto the North Sea
We drove from Ross' hometown of Leven, which is just north of Edinburgh,
and it took us a little over an hour to get to the little coastal town
of Arbroath. We found a spot to park at the harbour and went for a walk
around the Fit o' the Toon, the area of land given to attract fishermen to Arbroath in the 1800s.2 You could immediately smell the delicious smokie air and we'd arrived around lunch time so I was ready to feast!
M&M Spink looking out onto the harbour
We came across M&M Spink's,
a small family-run business founded by William (Bill) Spink in 1965,
who continues his family's tradition that began in Auchmithie.3The
smokehouse overlooks the harbour with its modest yet inviting entrance
located at 10 Marketgate. It felt like we were walking into someone's
backyard and they just happened to have a lot of smoked fish hanging
around. They had also just gotten back from sea so there were crates of
fresh fish ready to be gutted and beheaded. They let us into the back
where the magic happens - there were batches of fish being dried whilst
others were about to go into the smoker. It all smelled so good, I had
to refrain myself from grabbing a fish and eating it right then and
there. Ross and I finally decided on getting haddock and salmon and the
lady who was taking care of our orders said she'd just made fresh fish
cakes so we told her to throw a couple into the bag as well. We made our
purchase, thanked them, and off we went to find a place to eat our smokies.
M&M Spink at 10 Marketgate (left)
We found a place overlooking the sea on King's Drive next to Victoria Park where we indulged in the smokies.
You could taste the fresh smokey-ness in each bite that melted in your
mouth. Both were so delicious, however, I think I prefer the salmon just
a little more than the haddock. We ate with our fingers and didn't even
need side dishes because one each of the haddock and salmon was enough
to fill both Ross and I up. We saved the fish cakes for breakfast
the following day and boy, were they yummy! I'm not really one to have
seafood for breakfast but I'd have an Arbroath smokie fish cake any day.
M&M Spink's smoked salmon
M&M Spink's smokie
The fish were delicious but what I found the most interesting was Arbroath's history behind the smokie.
There are so many huge companies taking over and taking small
businesses out so seeing the family-run smokehouses still practicing
years of tradition was really cool. Though the town is not bustling like
it was many years ago, I'm glad that people still make it a point to
travel to Arbroath just for the smokie. I would definitely recommend a visit to Arbroath, if not for its smokie, then for its history.
