Favorite summer destinations of the stars - STARBYTES by Butch Francisco

People in the entertainment profession work hard and play hard. Vacations, therefore, are sacred and often turned into grand affairs for most of them.

King of Comedy Dolphy, for instance, used to spend practically all his weekends in Hong Kong —"pero nuon ’yon — nuong hindi pa masyadong mataas ang exchange rate ng dollar," he points out.

And after having worked so hard all his life, he decided to reward himself by building a couple of vacation houses outside the metropolis. He has a beach house in Batangas that is practically unused. In the ‘70s, he also built a rest house for himself in Baguio that — sadly — burned down just recently. "Faulty electrical wiring daw, eh," Dolphy says, shaking his head.

The truth is — just like the beach house in Batangas — the Baguio retreat was hardly ever used. "The last time I was there was two years ago," he offers.

In the United States, he also bought a vacation house in Las Vegas which — sigh — is hardly ever used either. Every time he goes to Vegas, he and ladylove Zsa Zsa Padilla would rather check into a hotel and enjoy all its amenities. "Ang mura naman kasi ng mga hotel sa Las Vegas. For $40-50 a night, may magandang hotel room ka na. Eh kung du’n kami sa bahay titira, eh di kami pa ang maglilinis nu’n. Kaya ka nga nagbabakasyon para makapag-relax, eh," Dolphy rationalizes.

Dolphy’s son, Jeffrey Quizon — who has been on a winning streak lately (thanks to his outstanding performance in Markova) — loves to spend Holy Week in Boracay. "For the past five years, I’ve been spending Holy Week there," claims Jeffrey who, incidentally, also stars in Channel 7’s new daily serial, Biglang Sibol. "I like Boracay because it offers a lot of options. If, for example, you want to party, there’s a place to do that. Now, if you want to be alone, that’s also possible," he adds.

Jackie Forster gives exactly the same reason why she has chosen Boracay as her favorite vacation place. "If you’re the type who wants the night life, there’s a place where you can socialize and meet people. If you want to enjoy your privacy, you can have that, too," says Jackie.

"Boracay is paradise to me. Well, it’s actually a paradise with a community. And the people there are so welcoming. They are so nice," gushes Jackie. "I wish I can stay there forever."

Grand slam queen Elizabeth Oropesa also loves the beach. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem since she was raised in Guinobatan, Albay where there are bodies of water all around. But for some reason, she prefers the beaches of Sorsogon. Her favorite resort, in fact, is Rizal Beach which faces the Pacific Ocean. "Every time I go to Bicol, automatic na ‘yon — I go to Rizal Beach. Kilala ko na nga lahat ng nagtitinda ng seashells du’n, eh," volunteers Elizabeth.

Rizal Beach actually has beautiful white sand and — in the not so distant past — had a beach that was practically carpeted with starfish. "Pero ‘yung mga starfish du’n, ubos na. Tinuhog na sila at ginawa nang kurtina," insists Oropesa.

Starfishes may no longer abound in Rizal Beach, but the place — to Elizabeth’s delight — still teems with a lot of fresh crabs that are sold by the locals there cheap. Oropesa cooks the crabs herself — in plenty of coconut milk - right there on the beach. "Baka hindi mo alam, kapag nagluto ako, box-office," she claims.

Oropesa also likes going to Rizal Beach for its very informal ambience. Unlike in other fancy resorts, she can loll there all day long in her favorite swimwear — an old pair of denims shorts "na gutay-gutay."

Even at the peak of her reign as the sex symbol of Philippine movies, she would go to the beach wearing —no, not a skimpy bikini — but her favorite pair of maong shorts which she would top with a loose camiseta.

"But my usual swimming attire naman is not as conservative as the one worn by Boots Anson Roa in her beach scene in Uhaw na Bulaklak. ‘Yun suot ni Boots Anson Roa du’n eh shorts and long sleeves na may cuff links pa yata," laughs Oropesa.

Elizabeth, however, doesn’t dismiss as mere laughing matter the folk belief that Rizal Beach is home to encantos who claim occasionally the lives of some of visitors. "Basta once a year daw, may nalulunod du’n," she says, turning serious. "Pero," she adds —again in jest — "hindi yata ako type ng mga encanto du’n kasi nandito pa din ako."

Tina Revilla is also a beach-lover like Oropesa. "Between Baguio and the beach, I’d much rather go to the beach," Tina offers.

As a child, she remembers spending so many summers in the beaches of Balayan in Batangas with the kids of their next-door neighbor in Parañaque.

Now that she has her own family, she and her husband and their two kids would go to the beach (Montemar, Boracay, Palawan, Subic, etc.) at least twice every summer.

Abroad, her favorite destination is the United States — "anywhere in the US," she claims. Tina likes spending time in America because of the weather, the discipline and the comfort this First World country offers.

In the case of Samantha Lopez, her favorite foreign destination is Phuket in Thailand. "There kasi, there are so many islands — and you can just go back-packing," Samanta insists. In the Philippines, she likes going to Club Paradise in northern Palawan because it is basically a very private place.

Privacy was also a primary consideration when I asked Regine Velasquez to choose her favorite vacation place. And nowhere can she enjoy her privacy better than in the comfort of her own home in Bulacan — in Tabang, Guiguinto to be exact.

For convenience, Regine stays in a townhouse in Teachers’ Village in Quezon City. But when she wants total rest, she drives off to her Bulacan home which — in her own words — "is so far, no one bothers me there."