During hubby’s last visit, we had the chance to check out the Anhawan Beach Resort located at Oton. It is a quiet place with just the sand, the sun and the water to entertain its guests.

If you’re one who can be moved by the serenity of a place sans impressive structures, then this is a good place to linger for a day of serenity.

Hubby and kiddos spent the day literally under the sun. Playing in the sands never fail to bring laughter and smiles on my kids’ faces. It’s their happy spot.

There is actually a pool inside the resort but it didn’t interest us at all. It is an option, though, for guests who would rather swim in the pool. There are a number of horses around the resort for those who like to experience horseback riding. But my kids were more interested with this:

It posed us a challenge for them and without any prodding, Firstborn took the challenge followed by Second-born:

Ahhh… life’s pleasures are best found in nature, indeed! Kids had an active day and they had so much fun.

My boys spent more time under the sun than I intended them to and this looked inviting to them for a nap before we headed back to the city:

The Anhawan Beach Resort is just a mere 30 minutes drive from Iloilo City. We went there on a weekday and entrance fee was P150 per head. The best thing about the entrance fee is that it is consumable. There is no corkage fee for food brought inside the resort. Corkage fee applies only to drinks but the staff were not even strict with this.

Gaisano Mall was just a few meters away from the resort and I spotted a prominently located Mang Inasal in the corner of Gaisano. We bought several pieces of Pecho (from Mang Inasal) and bottles of Coke from the resort and our lunch was perfect. I say, it was a very convenient trip!

The kids would love to go back there again!.

Have you ever sat on the beautiful beaches of Southern California and wondered what it would be like to catch a wave on a surf board? Surfers look like they are having such an exciting adventure. It must be a wonderful feeling to conquer the big waves. With a Santa Monica surf school you can learn how to do just that. Check out here for more information on how to start an adventure of your own.

Malibu Makos offers some of the best Southern California surf lessons around. For several years they have been teaching people of all ages the art of mastering the waves. They do it with hands on education, in a supervised setting. The instructors are top notch, and they want to instill safety, as well as respect for the ocean environment, into each lesson.

For a very reasonable fee, Malibu Makos instructors can work with you on techniques for paddling, getting up on the board, keeping your balance, and where to place your feet. You can choose to work one on one with the teachers, or you can find a small group of friends and family to join in the fun. Each instructor can take up to four students at a time. This small number ensures your safety, as well as a more individualized instruction.

Have children in your group that also want to seek out the thrill of surfing? They also provide Southern California surf lessons for children ages five to seventeen. Lessons are given in small groups, with a huge emphasis on safety. You won’t have to worry about little ones. In fact, they will come away from their lessons with a greater understanding of just how powerful the ocean can be. Day and summer camps are available. Check out their website for all the details. If they complete the whole series of camps as they get older, they will be able to travel the world, ready to take on the waves.

Want to make your Santa Monica surf school experience even more fun? Malibu Makos can give lessons in a party setting. They will do anything from birthday parties to corporate events. Party packages come in a variety of prices, and they can include equipment, lessons, tables, chair, tents, food, and even limo service. What better way is there to learn how to surf?

This is a guest post from Thuy Vy.

It will be easier for Ilonggos to travel to Hong Kong and Singapore comes November 2012…. Cebu Pacific will start servicing international flights!

 The new air services from Iloilo will commence on November 8, 2012 when a twice weekly link to Hong Kong, the first scheduled international flight from the city, will commence.  On the same day the carrier will inaugurate a four times weekly operation to General Santos, while an additional daily rotation will be added on the Iloilo – Manila route, increasing it to seven times daily.  From November 9, 2012, Singapore Changi will join the carrier’s network from Iloilo on a three times weekly basis as well as Puerto Princesa which will also be served on a three times weekly schedule.  On the same day Cebu Pacific will also launch a three times weekly service between Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod.

I’m sure this is a welcome news for the Ilonggos!

And when they start directly flying to Incheon… wow!

Was playing with the slow shutter speed of my camera… and got this picture of Plazuela de Iloilo.

Let’s go, Iloilo!

Aside from giving you a glimpse of Guisi in Guimaras, I am also sharing with you a little bit of what makes me busy these days here in Iloilo:

paradise from afar

old Light House wall

forbidden stairs

A little bit of photography with interesting and talented young people that adds spice to my motherhood “vocation”:-).

me stealing their sacred moment

That’s it for now!

They don’t have private bath and toilet.

They don’t have running water in their houses.

Jordan, Guimaras

But they are amply provided by nature.

Guimaras…

I’ll never tire of going back to the place again and again…

The Raymen Beach Resort is located at Nueva Valencia, Jordan, Guimaras. It is a popular beach destination and has become a good and affordable alternative to Boracay, at least insofar as our family is concerned:-).

From Iloilo, one can take the ferry boat going to Jordan at Ortiz. Upon arrival at the Jordan port, it is easy to transact for a jeepney or a multicab that your group can hire towards Raymen Beach Resort. If you have prior contacts for your transportation, all the better to save time negotiating for the price.

There is a very minimal fee of P20.00 per head on your entrance to the beach resort. Contrary to the notices that they usually hand out, visitors could actually bring in food and they don’t charge corkage for it. For convenience though, you could also just bring yourselves and your swimwears and order your food and drinks from the resort itself. Food isn’t expensive!

The beach is really good for swimming and the short shoreline is a sandy white.

We are definitely going back again and again! Well… we always had:-)

We are all aware by now about the tragedy that befell on people of Cagayan de Oro brought about by Typhoon Sendong. Iloilo had been under Storm Signal No. 1 but we didn’t experience the typhoon’s wrath save for sporadic rain showers that appeared to be just your normal rain showers in a tropical country like the Philippines.

Anyway, in spite of the storm signal I brought my Little Ones for a day trip to the island of Guimaras as I have previously promised a sweet little girl to have an advance birthday party for her with my 2 little boys since we have never attended her birthday parties that always fall every 23rd of December.

Going to the island of Guimaras means we have to cross the Guimaras Strait through a ferry boat. If you are going to Buenavista, you have to board the ferry boats in Parola. If you are going to the other side of Guimaras in Jordan, you have to board the ferry boats in Ortiz. We were going to Buenavista and boarded a ferry boat that looks like this:

Regular fare on a regular day is P14.50 and children from 2 – 7 years old are charged P7.00.

However, when there is a storm signal as there was last Friday P20.00 is being charged per passenger. It was just a short ferry ride to the island of Guimaras, 10-15 minutes. This is what greets you when you arrive on the port of Buenavista:

It was a smooth sailing ride which the kiddos enjoyed…

The past two weeks were very busy weeks. It was the time of the year to pack up our things for our annual vacation in the Philippines. This time, though, the vacation would have to be preceded by Firstborn’s very first business trip:-). Oh yeah, at 5 years old he had his first business trip with complementary round trip tickets from Incheon-Cebu and Manila-Incheon and the tickets included me and his younger brother.

If that was not enough, we had a pleasant surprise upon our arrival in Imperial Palace, Cebu. We were given a very spacious and comfortable suite room!

The picture above is the spacious living room of the suite. And here’s the huge bed where the boys were sleeping after a tired day:

Yeah, those two small human forms on the bed are my two little boys oblivious of the luxurious accommodation afforded them.

Cebu’s Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa has an impressive water park where you could spend your whole vacation frolicking in the pool and on the beach which sits on the Imperial Palace grounds. So, our 4 nights and 4 days stay were not entirely work days for my Firstborn. It was a pleasure trip as well which the Little Ones enjoyed to the hilt.

Here they are in their Lightning McQueen and Donald Duck swimwear, excitedly running towards the water park: