At present, planning for the next vacation or a business trip is a luxury for me.  For now, I can only recollect and reminisce on what have been.  As a traveler and a blogger, there are stories told and untold which molded me to be who I am as a person.  Surely as a traveler, the four corners in the confines of what we call "home away from home" have stories to tell.


Hotels in Metro Manila, a condominium in Bangkok, a nipa hut in Maniwaya Island, apartment in Macau and Hongkong, a beach house in Boracay Island, a tent in Mt. Pulag and various residential houses offered by friends are but some of the places I call home for my sojourn.  There's nothing to brag about when you've been to different places but what is priceless are the memories shared on those times, be it pleasant or not.

On what my favorite room is - none in particular!  Being away from my humble abode, I am surely prepared of leaving the comforts thereof without any pretensions.  I have been used to be a nomad.  On this note, "favorite" is a big word for me as it is synonymous to "memorable" on my own vocabulary.

When in vacation or for adventures, we always look for a replica of our home on accommodations to call it our favorite.  But what if we are on the mountains, on the beach and an island.  Surely, the challenge for accommodation-hunting is put into test.

Thus, I present three memorable rooms to date for the said destinations.

UP IN THE MOUNTAINS

one morning at Banaue Ethnic Village and Pine Resort  with college friends  (the nipa hut was our home)

Mornings in the mountain has never been rewarding.  I may have visited the Banaue Rice Terraces at Ifugao Province years ago but the over-all experience was still surreal.  We stayed at Banaue Ethnic Village and Pine Resort, for an intimate contact with nature.

The weather was freezing cold but the small nipa hut from where we stayed at seemingly has a built-in space heater.  Now, that was quite an imagination.  But really, I was expecting hypothermia at the worst case possible but the temporary shelter of nipa hut was a comfort that even without alcoholic drinks to make me involuntarily sleep, I managed to sleep on my own volition, never mind the snoring part for the inconvenience of my room mates (haha!)

TO THE BEACH IT IS!

Maniwaya Island, Marinduque

Raw beauty, isn't it?  This was taken during the 2013 Holy Week expedition with good friends and travel buddies.  We were the first clientele on this beach resort known as the Amara Resort. The experience was priceless - time being so slow that I managed to sleep most of the time despite absence of an air-conditioned room and waking up from a terrible hangover where I even talked to the stars and the moon during that memorable night.  I can't help but smile on this unusual experience.  Maniwaya Island of Marinduque is truly the heart of the Philippines.  The caretakers and the locals of the island in general were so hospitable that despite the absence of electricity at times, they managed to accommodate us in the charging of our electronic gadgets.

our unassuming and simple cottage at Amara Resort

Talking about communing with nature? We surely did at this beach resort in Maniwaya.  The natural light of the moon and the sparkling stars and constellations were our source of lumination.  And we had a three days-two nights stay at this resort.  I can't wait for the resort to be more developed to serve more beach and nature lovers.

ISLAND ESCAPADE

And finally, the breath-taking five-star island resort of CLUB TARA at Bucas Grande Islands of Surigao del Norte.  This escapade would not be possible if not for the invitation of my close friends in law school.  I shall forever be grateful to them for making me experience this laid-back yet grand vacation in an island.

first photo of the day- breakfast at our cottage

We seldom see each other as each one has own lives to live by now.  But this escapade is truly one of the memorable trips I had with them.