Good morning! And it will always be a good morning waking up to a captivating sight of the horizon casting colors of yellow, orange, red as the sun rises over the Sibuyan Sea. What makes it priceless? It’s a “daily catch” in this part of the island paradise of Boracay.

Northeast of Boracay Island is the beachfront enclave of Boracay Newcoast. It’s Megaworld’s 150-hectare integrated tourism development, a private community for those who seek solace in one of the world’s most popular beach destinations. Facing East, it’s an address that greets the first light of day. 

However, there’s more to Boracay Newcoast than glorious sunrises. Since it broke ground, it is constantly evolving. Across the rolling terrain two homegrown hotel brands have risen, Savoy and Belmont, with a third opening soon. It has become a favorite spot for lovers of the island and sunrise chasers who fly in for some R&R. But if it’s business that brought people in, the island relaxes the work vibe. The sea breeze, blue sky and verdant path make the walk from the hotel to the convention center as calming as a stroll by the beach. 

Where’s the beach, you ask. It’s an easy-breezy stroll not too far from the hotels’ doorsteps through the Promenade, Grand Plaza and Boardwalk. Boracay Newcoast is blessed with a generous stretch of coastline it can call its own. If privacy is what you cherish when stretched on the powdery white sand to get a tan or dip in the crystal clear water of the Ilig-Iligan beach, as the island locals refer it to, then you're on the right spot. From the exclusive beach and accessible on foot, is a view of the famed Boracay Keyhole, its natural formation makes for an alluring addition to the picturesque beachscape’s charm. 

One at a time, shops are unveiled. It’s a glimpse of a bustling Ibiza-inspired commercial and retail strip happening soon. Food? Aside from the hotels’ restaurants, dining spaces at the Newcoast beach lay a feast at sundown. Tired? How about a relaxing therapy at the spa? 

It’s not a surprise if Boracay Island’s charm lures you to stay longer. Or perhaps even entice you to nestle in its bosom in permanence. Boracay Newcoast was conceived for the likes of you. 

Many have chosen to own a unit in one of the several upscale residential condominiums. Today, the Oceanway Residences condominiums are home addresses to a few and a vacation house for others. A few more towers are set to finish soon. Or perhaps you opt to build a dream house in the exclusive residential village and villas? Go ahead. 

Soon at the Boracay Newcoast, the daily rising sun will wash its morning rays over the estates growth: luxury and boutique hotels; the shophouse, commercial and retail districts; wellness and leisure centers, including a golf course; and even a church. 

Remember while the White Beach is where you can catch amazing sunsets, at Boracay Newcoast you will have the sunrise to wake you with a gentle kiss. Everyday.

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Mactan Cebu International Airport. Long layovers and delayed flights? It is what it is. But what you do with your time is in your hands. Don’t mope. Have a feast! 

Cebu has a myriad of culinary offerings that will take your mind off the not-so-pleasant-incidents the airlines are causing. Some of it are inside the airport terminal— the different local lechon brands and delicacies, coffee shops, and a few restos that offer decent meals. However, everything is pricier. 

Here’s what I do. I make my way to the hotel right across the street to the Waterfront Airport Hotel. What’s inside? Cafe Uno. It's a more comfortable and quiet space where freshly brewed coffee is good,  connection to the internet is free, a menu that lists fab food choices and if you come at the right time, there’s a buffet spread for breakfast and merienda, lunch and dinner, too, if the hotel’s occupancy is high. Wiser? Yes. Plus, it’s value for money. 

If you love Pinoy food, then you’re in luck. The current chef is pushing regional cuisine to the forefront, if fact this is his advocacy. When it comes to Binisaya cuisine, Chef June Fernandez goes back to his roots and revisits his grandparents’ love for this kind of cooking. Now, as the new executive chef of Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan, he aims to elevate the dining experience by highlighting the heartwarming Filipino dishes and adding a modern twist to these classics. 

It’s always a brilliant idea to befriend chefs because they can always whip up something special. Just like my quick stop in Cebu on the way to Boracay. 

The chef said the Waterfront Airport Hotel’s menu is in the process of changing. From Chef June’s kitchen came “Baka Mamen,” his version of mami/ramen with chunks of tender beef cooked for hours and poured with rich-tasting soup. This dish instantly gained following upon its release in a pop-up market. 

Yet to be introduced on the menu are Pinoy favorites that will make anyone drool. The “Keviche,” the chef’s take on ceviche and kinilaw, is a refreshing dish of fresh fish cubes in thick coconut milk, which gives it a rich, nutty, sweet flavor. Green pepper gives the dish a light kick of spice and the crispy dilis offers a nice contrast of flavor and texture to the dish. 

Who’s not in love with Cansi? The chef sources out fresh ingredients, including the batuan for an authentic dish. The beef shank is cooked for hours until tender and broth is thickened. Of course, the bone marrow completes the dish’s flavor. Sinfully delicious. 

Chef June makes his own Chorizo Cebu using the family’s heritage recipe. It uses lesser cuts of fat but still retains the flavor. 

If your layover is longer, like a night or two, how about heading to Waterfront Cebu City. It houses three of Cebu’s specialty restaurants, Tin Gow (Chinese), La Gondola (Italian) and Mizu (Japanese). 

At La Gondola, Chef Randy Lagas wants to showcase a new dish that’s appearing on the menu soon. But first, a brick oven-baked pizza (Carnivora, an all meat pizza) and house-made Pappardelle pasta (Pappardelle Filanti) were in order. The pizzas and pasta are bestsellers in this Italian joint because it's delicioso and can be very addicting. 

I had a second bout with the Carpaccio di polpo con aglio olio e crema di limone (Octopus carpaccio with roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil & lemon cream) that when sliced paper thin makes the smokey dish awesome! 

The chef’s Italian Lamb Stew I give top score for its rich flavor and tenderness. Cooked for four hours with aromatics and spices, the chef leaves no trace of gaminess. Yum! 

Desserts in this place are perfect because the sweetness is just a hint, never overwhelming. Whether it’s the coffee-cocoa concoction of Tiramisu, the light gelatinous fare of panna cotta or the pistacchio Gelato, it’s a truly delightful way to close the Italian meal. Well, I had all three, that’s buono x 3. 

Mizu is brewing a new kind of dining experience ideal for a meeting or an event — the omakase. The chef takes the reins and prepares a special meal with the season’s fresh ingredients. 

I sat down and let Chef Ken Imamura surprise me. The curated 5-course meal started with the Tofu Cheese, a truly delectable appetizer. Next was the Shinoda Chakin (shinoda is a dish simmered in a dashi stock flavored with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar), chicken wrapped in a tofu sheet with broth, the warmth of which opened up my appetite. It was followed by the fresh and almost creamy slice of Sake Sashimi. 

To cleanse the palate, the chef’s next course was the Cold Noodles Soup, making sure we enjoyed the main course composed of Ebi Tempura (perfectly cooked prawn) and very tender U.S. Beef Teppanyaki. And to cap the meal, a personal favorite- the Green Tea Ice cream. 

Which dish I loved most? All! It was a meal that took me to a favorite Asian destination, Japan.

With little time left before I take off, I will have to miss Chef Low’s cooking at Tin Gow. Not. They wrapped up my favorite Sweet & Sour Pork for me to take home to Davao. 

There’s always that smile of contentment when returning to the airport to catch my flight home. It’s always wise to make the best of circumstances that’s beyond our control. So when you suddenly have time on your hands arriving at the Cebu airport, make it a culinary stopover. 

Here’s a tip: Why not stay longer and stay a night or two. Get comfortable and enjoy each bite of good food. Make it a culinary trip rather than just a short stopover? The rooms at the Waterfront Airport Hotel and Waterfront Cebu City are well-maintained and very comfortable. I slept snugly. 

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Cebu. It’s exciting how the R&R landscape along the Mactan Island coastline is flourishing. There is always a new bud sprouting and offers a whole new experience— something that makes it stand out from the rest, just like this small town in the heart of the island and the city of Lapu-Lapu. It's a town of 30 hectares that’s unique in more ways than one. It’s a town—a private enclave. that will tick the entries on the vacation checklist—the beach, wine and dine, shop, relax—and it doesn’t stop there. It’s where you can also work and learn. Loving it already? Let me add that you can even live in it if you want to. This town is a Megaworld Township. 

This beachside township of Mactan Newtown is the first of its kind for Megaworld and its first-ever township outside of Metro Manila. Megaworld brings the cosmopolitan vibe of a city in a tropical island setting. Think: Central Business District by the beach. It’s where the business suit can walk side by side with swimwear. How cool is that? 

The township celebrates its address and allows you to imbibe the spirit of the Queen city of the South from the estate’s gates to the doors of La la land. The main avenue, the Newtown Boulevard, is lined with more than 250 fruit-bearing mango trees. Along it is the Mactan Al Fresco, a hawker-type dining destination, host to a variety of local restaurants and a lechon pit. Both features gave rise to two of the most vibrant annual celebrations in Cebu- the Cebu Lechon Festival in August and Cebu Mango Festival in May. 

Halfway to the sandy tanning site, the Mactan Newtown Beach, are stylish hotels that lure in the young and vibrant, and the chic and contemporary—Savoy and Belmont. 

Belmont Hotel Mactan is the “new kid in town” and is poised to be the next rising star in Mactan Island’s hospitality landscape. The hotel is the12th and the latest property opened and operated by Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, the PH’s largest operator of homegrown hotel brands. 

Belmont exudes the essence of Cebu within its 20-storey structure. The lobby displays the historic past of the island with Lapulapu captured in a wall artwork lit up with an equally striking sea waves-like lighting installation. In the next room, fingers plucking guitar strings play sweet music visually at Zabana Bar, where Cebu’s famed handmade guitars have a stage (so does the mixologist’s amazing cocktails!). Then the path leads to a bright room, the Belmont Cafe, with a lofty all-white screen that represents the city’s thriving furniture trade, this is contrasted with the vibrant hues of breathtaking headdresses of Cebu’s celebrated festival, the Sinulog, putting up a show across the dining hall (so does the chef’s culinary offerings!). And in each of the 550 well-appointed modern rooms, one of eight significant Cebu features is presented in a mural that reminds each guest where they are before heading off to slumberland. 

At Belmont, curating goes beyond interior design. The hotel brings a new kind of hospitality experience that will host guests in the area for both business and leisure, or “bleisure.” While the hotel is home to topnotch recreational and entertainment amenities that enable rest and relaxation, and MICE-ready, well-equipped meetings and events facilities for intimate to large gatherings, Belmont can go the extra mile to fully enjoy a Cebu experience with tours to nearby attractions like the Mactan Shrine and the Alegre Guitar Factory, or tastefully transform a ballroom into a dream theme. The chef and his culinary team can even whip up surprises from the kitchen, like a local delicacy of budbud, mangga at sikwate for breakfast. 

What else makes the stay in this hotel exceptional? The Megaworld brand of hospitality— warm welcome and first-rate service. Everything is part of the grand plan to give you the Belmont Hotel Mactan experience that cannot be found anywhere else on this side of Cebu. 

Step out of the hotel and play in the 30-hectare “little cosmopolitan town” within the island. You need not stray far for the growing Mactan Newtown has everything expected of a town from dining establishments offering diverse specialty cuisines, nightspots, and essentials like banks, a pharmacy and supermarket. 

Perhaps you are now convinced to live in this exciting township. If you are, there are three condominium properties in the area and 12 more towers are rising by 2024. It will join the eight office towers hosting top BPO companies and multinational firms, and the Newtown School of Excellence, a La Sallian supervised learning institution. 

As Mactan Newtown evolves, several more developments will rise, including a convention center, a museum, and more mixed-use projects. 

When in Mactan Island for leisure or business, stay in this town where everything you may need is within easy reach, including a good night’s rest at Belmont Hotel, Mactan. 

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On Valentine's Day 2014, I first stepped foot in Dapitan and Dipolog, the twin cities of Zamboanga del Norte. Unlike Jose Rizal, who was exiled in Dapitan in July 1892, it was a short (but sweet) stay for me. But perhaps like Rizal, I saw there was so much to love about the place. Before leaving, I said “Ta ama yo contigo Zamboanga! I bid you not with an “ultimo adios” but with a “hasta la vista.” 

Promise fulfilled. Eight years later, I entered the “Gateway to Western Mindanao” again, this time to re-experience its heritage, culture and arts, and see what’s new after eight years since the first visit. 

If you haven’t been to Dipolog and Dapitan, here are 15 reasons why it should be on your travel bucket list. 

1. Dipolog Sunset Boulevard is a perfect place to be at Golden Hour—any spot along the 7.6-kilometer esplanade offers a good point of view of the setting sun. Stay towards the evening and watch the parallel property turn into the city’s most happening spot attracting locals and tourists. Grab a bite and enjoy the entertainment! It's the site of the annual P'gsalubok Festival and other major events in the city. The latest addition to the stretch? The “Explore Dipolog” landmark, erected in 2019. 

 

The Orchid Pavilion at Plaza Magsaysay

Address: Bordered by P. Ramon, Bonifacio and Herrera Streets, Dipolog City

 

Monument of the Three Prominent Dipolognons

Address: Rizal Avenue corner Herrera Street, Dipolog City