What's up, Hive?! I'm posting this on a Monday. It's a brand new week and in this post, I'd like to share one of the memorable weekends I had right before the pandemic started in our country. My aunt who migrated to Sweden came home to the Philippines with her family to attend my brother's wedding. We had so many ideas about what our guests could do while they were in the Philippines. Little did we know that they would be quarantined cooped up in hotels and AirBnbs right after the wedding.
The weekend after the wedding, my aunt invited us to visit them at Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel. They were staying there while waiting for the flights that would take them home. On that weekend, the country also announced that there will be a nationwide lockdown because of the virus. We grabbed the opportunity to go to the resort without knowing that it would be months later before we could go out of the house and enjoy the beach.
My mother was very excited to visit her sister because it was also my aunt's birthday. We were going to surprise her with a birthday cake. I remember being anxious about the border controls when going to the resort. Fortunately, our car was able to pass through without any problems.
When we arrived at the resort, we went straight to the beach. Costabella is a luxury resort in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu with Spanish-inspired architecture but I forgot to take pictures of the buildings and structures because we all wanted to be by the beach already.
The weather that day was perfect for a summer trip. The sun was shining bright and it was a good thing the resort had a lot of trees that offered shared. Their tall coconut trees were scattered around. My Aunt's family even made it a game to climb them.
I was with my mother, my other aunt, and my brother and his wife. The newly married couple was supposed to spend their honeymoon in Bantayan but their plans had to be canceled because of the lockdown. My aunt insisted that they come to the resort so that they could at least enjoy the beach as a newlywed couple.
Look at that sand and water! But honestly, it was so hot that we wanted to chill first before getting into the water.
We stayed by the beach, took pictures, and chatted while waiting for the heat to subside a bit.
There were so many lounge chairs and beach umbrellas but so few people. It was practically just us and some foreign guests who were also stranded.
My hair was still short back then. Well, it's also short now but I let my hair grow out throughout the lockdown and I just recently had it cut after 18 months.
In the group, I always take the selfie shots because people think I'm really good at it. I think I just have big hands and long arms though. Smile!
We couldn't resist it anymore! Even though it was still so hot, we decided to go swimming. Please excuse my skinny-ass body. I must have weighed less than 60 kg back then. Now, I'm almost 80 kg. I think I might just write a post about my body transformation.
The beach had a long boardwalk to its right side which had outdoor woven furniture lined up. I took a few photos of my brother and his wife before walking all the way to the end.
We reached the end of the boardwalk and there was a set of stairs leading to the water. It felt so refreshing to be able to swim after being under the scorching heat.
The water was clear and the sand at the bottom was fine. I used to think beaches in Lapu-Lapu weren't very impressive compared to the other beaches in Cebu but I was impressed.
Near the buoy line, there was this inflated platform where you can swim and climb up to stay. I thought it was too far for my swimming skills, so I just stayed near the stairs.
After being out in the water and swimming to our hearts' content, we went back and cooled off under the shade of the umbrellas. We ordered the perfect summer drink, a Mango Shake!
We looked so fresh after being in the water. Please don't look at my toes. I don't know why I bent them like that. Lol.
It was time for lunch and we all gathered at their restaurant. The staff prepared a very long table for all of us. When we arrived at the resort, we asked the waiters to keep the cake we brought and take it out later for the surprise.
While we were all seated and waiting for our food. The waiters came up and sang a Happy Birthday song. We all joined in and one of the waiters gave the cake to my aunt. She made a wish and I remember she said something like, "I wish when I wake up tomorrow, the virus would disappear so that we can come home already." The virus didn't disappear but they were able to go home after a few weeks.
After our dinner, it was getting dark and we wanted to see the sunset. We went back to the end of the boardwalk and basked in the soft orange lights from the sun.
It was such a peaceful sight! After a day of swimming and celebration, it was nice to just sit on those comfortable chairs and witness the sunset.
I asked my mother to take photos of me but I wasn't satisfied with the shots. I keep telling her to take more photos until she got tired and gave me back my phone. I just took some selfies after that. Turns out, there were some good shots that my mother took.
Wait, did I mention the resort had a pool? We spent some time in their pool to cool off right before washing up and preparing to leave.
We would have gladly stayed for the night but the plan was just to be at the resort for a day's use. We also feared we would encounter some issues going into our barangay and through the borders. We said our goodbyes to my aunt and her family but we knew we were going to meet them before they got their flights back home.
And that is it! Thank you so much for reliving that memorable weekend with me by reading my post. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you too can recall your own memorable weekends. This is my first post in The Weekend Community and I know this won't be the last. Seen you in the next one. Cheers!
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That looked like a really fun trip. The water is so clear! Oh, I wish that I could go back to the beach. It just seems so difficult to travel now because of COVID-19.
Thanks for sharing this and have a great week ahead!
Thanks for stopping by @sgbonus! I grab the chance to be at the beach whenever I can these days. But I try to avoid crowded beaches. Let's all stay safe. 😁
You're welcome. If only it was that easy to goo to the beach. I miss the beach life already. There are too many restrictions here in Baguio hehe, Yup lets all stay safe
bonding with family is unforgettable. nice location for family getaway😊
The place is really good for family and friends. But it's a bit expensive though. I'm not sure about their prices now. Maybe they have a promo.
Ka nice diay sa Costabella 😮😍
Yes! Nice ra. Adto nya puhon. 😁
Puhon 😁
Based on the pictures alone, I can say that this place is definitely worth a visit. The crystal clear waters and the pool on the resort make it a good place to host events where lots of kids are attending. I sincerely hope I can visit Cebu once this pandemic ends in the future.
You had a very beautiful time. I hope one day I can organize something beautiful for my family and I
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That was happy and memorable family weekend getaway.
Taga Cebu diay ka sir. 😊
O, taga Cebu. Ikaw pud? Apil nya sa meet-up punon. 😁
Taga Leyte ko. Naa ko ron Cebu. Pohon pohon apil niya ko.
Asa ko pwede ka update meet-up sa Cebu?
Basin niya makaapil ko. Hehehe
@glecerioberto You had a very nice week. I am very happy to see everyone in your family. The place was very beautiful and captivating. There are white clouds in the blue sky and starfish in hand. Also, you have enjoyed such a beautiful and enjoyable time. You look handsome and smart😘. Always be happy with your family in this way.Have a great weekend.✌️👌
Thank you for the kind words @sumaiya777! 😁
Welcome dear @glecerioberto
It's funny cause my friends used to call me Totoy Bibo before. Hahaha.
The beach at Costabella is nothing compared to the pristine white sand in Northern or Southern Cebu (think Bantayan or Moalboal) but I guess I had low expectations when I went to the resort so maybe that's why I was impressed. 😅
I've never been to Mindanao except for Camiguin and I really had a great time there. I was supposed to go to Cagayan this year but I couldn't because of the pandemic. Maybe soon when traveling is not such a hassle.