Fun, feasting and caring at Shangri-La

CEBU, Philippines - On Easter Sunday, April 8, Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa offered a day packed with activity for the whole family. With the sun shining bright and the resort teeming with families from all over the world, it was set to be an unforgettable day for the young, and the young-at-heart.

The morning events started with a mass at the Mactan Ballroom followed by the annual Easter egg hunt in the resort gardens. With the resort mascot Polly the parrot and the Easter bunny, around 50 children trekked the resort grounds with their parents and nannies in search for Easter eggs and the coveted giant golden eggs. At the end of the hunt, the lucky ten who found the giant golden eggs were awarded with two feet tall chocolate bunnies!

Easter in the Philippines is a family affair and a hearty Easter lunch is always a great way to catch up, laugh and share moments with the people you care for. At noontime, a lovely Easter buffet spread was served at Tides, complete with the world famous lechon, specialty dishes from different countries and an Easter dessert selection that even the Easter bunny cannot resist. The chocolate fountain was a real hit for children as they kept coming back again and again.

Over lunch, service staff at Tides hopped about with a basket full of Easter eggs explaining a Care for People Project that Shangri-La Mactan's Food and Beverage Division was embarking on this year. The eggs were being sold to raise literacy funds for the pre-elementary program of Tingo Elementary School, Shangri-La's adopted community in Olango Island. With a heart of gratitude and a spirit of sharing, all service staff of Shangri-La's restaurants and bars, from the lobby to the beach went about explaining the advocacy to guests and selling these Easter eggs throughout the Easter period. In the end, the food and beverage team sold more than 400 easter egg pouches! That's going to bring a lot of smiles to the children of Tingo Elementary School.

At Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa, Easter was truly an affair to remember.  (FREEMAN)