Stars’ Stand-Out Summer

CEBU, Philippines - If the searing heat isn’t enough indication that Summer 2013 is officially upon us, then we don’t know what is. Over the previous event-filled weekend, we cornered some celebrities present at a GMA-7 pocket interview and at MAC Cosmetics Archie’s Girls event to ask what summer adventures stood out for them most. Take a cue from these stars as you map out your own summertime escape.

“It was in Palawan two years ago. I had work there for an endorsement contract, but it turned out to be a working vacation. It’s the best so far because my barkada for more than 15 years was there with me. There are six of us in the gang. For three days, we island-hopped, ate in different restaurants and we also went to see a crocodile farm. We rarely go on a vacation as a complete group and it was our first time in Palawan. As a summer tradition, my family also used to go to Boracay every Holy Week back when it wasn’t as congested as it is now. We never fail to travel somewhere during summer. We just vary the destinations, sometimes in Bohol, Cebu or out of the country.”– Carla Abellana

“Every summer, me and my barkada take a land trip, usually going north. We hold a meeting to decide where to go. It’s fun because for how many hours, I’m just driving and in the company of my friends. One of them is a childhood friend, while the rest have been my friends since high school. Of course, we tag along our girlfriends. Sagada has been a frequent destination for us. The best we’ve been to for me would have to be Vigan. It’s like your living in the 1920s or 1950s since their structures are well-preserved. There are streets where vehicles aren’t allowed, only kalesas so that the cobblestones will not be ruined. I remember seeing the office of the Gomburza. And the food, especially the bagnet!”– Mike Tan

“Because of my job, I don’t have a fixed summer break so this happened in August, but I consider it a summer vacation still. My boyfriend [basketball player JC Intal] and I went to the Maldives last year. It was one of those beaches in the world you think you’d never be able to go to and only the Hollywood stars could afford. We really saved up for it. I love Boracay, but this was also paradise on earth. We stayed for four days. My job and my boyfriend’s job are exhausting, so we just had pure relaxation. We ate, we swam, we sunbathed a lot, and we played table tennis. I think the surreal part of it was when we saw Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale and had a photo taken with her. It all felt like a dream because the place was just so beautiful. It was quite unforgettable.” – Bianca Gonzalez

“It would have to be my latest trip with my family to Malaysia. In this business, time with family was one of those which had to be sacrificed. I got to spend a whole week with my parents and younger brother. Nakabawi ako sa kanila. We took wacky photos of ourselves and just fooled around. Making my mom go on rides was fun, kasi matatakutin yun eh. She’s the only female in our family so she’s bullied all the time. This first week of April, I’m traveling by myself to Cambodia. Just me and my backpack. The country is part of my bucket list, since I’m fascinated with temples and I like looking at pictures of ruins. This is my first time out of the country alone so I feel nervous and excited at the same time. Why alone? So that I only have myself to think of. I’ll go there to refresh my mind because I’ve been playing different people for a while now. For at least three weeks, I was playing different characters every day, and that can be really taxing on the mind and emotions.” – Rocco Nacino

“It’s probably the summer of 2004 when me and my friends had this crazy trip to Lake Havasu in the United States. We rented a party bus from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and then all the way to Arizona. We always saw Lake Havasu on MTV’s Spring Break with all these boats and a bunch of college kids going there to get drunk and party. The boats are tied up together, so you hop from boat to boat, meet a lot of people and party with a bunch of strangers. You wake up on the bus, drink, dance, eat, drink some more…it was a blast!” – Kris Lawrence