Give your mom a suite escape
As a mom I love being treated to the things I love: eating, pampering, beach, and bonding with family (not necessarily in that order). If we’re in a beautiful location, so much the better.
Few places fit the bill as perfectly as Amorita in Bohol, a luxurious, five-star resort that’s won a Conde Nast Award for service and is a TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice and Hall of Famer.
Now with straight flights from carriers like Cebu Pacific to Panglao, Amorita is only an hour-and-10-minute flight away and 10-minute drive from the airport.
Our all-female group of mostly moms arrived fresh and ready to seize the day.
At the reception area, which they call the Azotea, the view was spectacular: an infinity pool overlooks the whole stretch of Alona Beach, and it’s an ideal spot to swim or watch the sunset while you “Chill and Grill,” Amorita’s new Sunday event with live DJ music, cocktails and grilled bar food like skewers and sliders.
While events like “Chill and Grill” draw in a younger crowd, for Mother’s Day Amorita is offering a whole slew of special room and spa packages, activities and dining promos for mom, like the Saturday Grill Buffet at Saffron, Amorita’s main dining outlet. On May 13, moms dine for free (she must be accompanied by four paying adults) on dishes inspired by the chefs’ own moms.
“We wanted people to taste the food and say, ‘It tastes like mom’s,’” says Amorita general manager Leeds Trompeta. “We wanted dishes that would resonate.”
Indeed, Amorita chef Franco’s chicken adobo is incomparably tasty, inspired as it was by his Ilonggo mom, who cooked it for him when he was growing up.
Saffron’s arugula summer salad is organic, grown and harvested on Amorita’s own farm. I also recommend the Shrimp Dynamite, which provides delicious pops of spicy flavor; the boneless bangus with java rice, crispy dinuguan, and Dolce halo-halo in a buko shell, which features a heart-melting yema instead of leche flan. Trompeta adds that Bohol’s ube halaya “is the best you’ll ever taste. It’s naturally sweet.”
Part of the proceeds of the May 13 buffet (priced at P1,499 per person) will go to the Sunshine Home Orphanage, a home that provides love, hope, and care to abandoned and orphaned children.
There’s a lot to do at Amorita. In the morning we went island hopping to Isola de Francesco, a private island with a statue of Padre Pio and an entrance fee of P30. We opted to laze in the shallow waters before boating to Virgin Island, which is a sandbar at low tide but underwater when we got there, with a sign that tourists flock to for photo ops.
Then we had an archery lesson and yoga class — both fun and challenging, and a great precursor to a massage at Amorita’s Sea Tree Spa.
You can choose between Kalinga (Care), which consists of three different relaxing treatments, including a series of massages and a relaxing facial; or the Pahinga (Rest), an indulgent wellness break with aromatic massage, relaxing facial, and Cleopatra milk bath.
Both treatments end with Afternoon Tea at Saffron, with red velvet cake, macarons, eclairs and other pastries beautifully presented in wooden hoops, and a special gift for mom. (These spa offerings are available until May 14 only.)
Amorita has also prepared exciting activities for kids and moms alike on May 14, like flower crown and beaded bracelet making. The whole family will also be able to watch a movie together in the garden.
For dinner, Amorita has a special menu for mom at its Lost Cow Chophouse, overseen by corporate chef Greg Villalon. Called “Mamoo’s Month,” this luxe, four-course menu starts with Smoked Tuna Ceviche served on a coconut shell with Backyard Salad, followed by a beef tenderloin consommé boiled for 24 hours so it’s packed with flavor. I got seafood chowder, a hearty soup full of seafood chunks served with a crostini topped with Parmesan, cheddar and Gouda cheeses.
The main course is a generous take on surf and turf, with a slab of beef topped with a large prawn (pescatarians can get a filet of smoked salmon instead of beef).
For dessert, we had smoked cheesecake with berry compote on top, and I must say I really enjoyed the unique, smoky flavor.
After dinner we retired, full in both heart and belly, to our rooms. I stayed at Amorita a couple of times before but always in their villa with private plunge pool. This time we were in their One Bedroom Sea View Suites, which has daybeds for two more guests, two flat-screen TVs, a dining area, huge bathroom with separate rain-shower and toilet stalls, and balcony with bathtub.
It was absolutely everything a mother could want.
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Get up to 30% off on the Best Available Rates when you book the Island Getaway promotion, available until Sept. 30. Other vacation packages on offer are the Timeless Package, which is ideal for couples and includes a romantic dinner and couple’s massage.
For table reservations, call Amorita Resort at +63 917 726 4526. For room bookings, call the resort’s Manila office at (02) 5318 3388 or email them at inquiries@one-ofcollection.com, or visit www.amoritaresort.com.
