The Boracay Day Spa Experience - Part 2 Mandarin Day Spa Mango Butter Facial

In the evening, the Mandarin Day Spa at the Boracay Mandarin Island Resort is aglow with sparkling fairy lights around its Japanese style garden complete with a bonsai tree. Lured inside, Jules and I discovered a seemingly small day spa with a menu that featured a Mango Butter Facial for 1,100pesos or $28AUD for 1hr 15min.


Being in the tropics, mangoes are abundant in the Philippines. You can drink green mango shakes, mango daiquiris and buy them cheaply from the markets. Naturally, I was drawn to the idea of having mango slathered onto my skin.


According to the brochure: an intensive moisturiser, mango butter has moisturising, softening and regenerating properties to the skin. It has also a protective effect against UV radiation and serves as a natural sunshield. 


It sounded like exactly what our skin needed after a day in the sun.


1. Aesthetics
The foyer of the Mandarin Day Spa is small, with a cushioned bench to wait and peruse magazines. We left our thongs (literally because we forgot to collect them on the way out!) on the shoe rack and put on white rubber day spa thongs instead. After a very short wait, we were ushered up an incredibly steep spiral staircase to the treatment room. It was an Ocean View Room, my favourite! As the sun was setting and twilight began, orange hues were cast over the fading light of the sky. It was the last sight to be seen before the facial started.

Chilling in the foyer

A room with a view - overlooking Boracay beach

2. Facilities
The Ocean View Room was large and spacious. We were lucky to have it all to ourselves! The treatment chairs were huge leather loungers with extended foot rests. They were extremely comfortable and were set to a reclining position for the facial. Soft classical music played in the background.

Jules relaxes in her treatment chair

3. Treatment/Service
This was practically faultless. The facial began promptly with our hair being swept back by a small one-buttoned towel. Our skin was first cleansed - wiped with warm towels and a cooling gel applied. The exfoliation used the fine sands of White Beach of Boracay. The therapist was very gentle and I could feel the effects of my pores being purified and my skin being smoothed over. 


After the second cleansing, it was time for the mango buttering to start. Slices of cucumbers were placed over my eyes and then strips of tissue laid over my entire face. The mango butter was then lightly smeared across my skin. The layer of tissue allowed the butter to slowly seep into my skin without being overwhelming since it caused an acute tingling sensation. 


Whilst the mango butter worked its magic, the therapists skilfully massaged our shoulders and arms. This was rather unexpected! The tissue strips were then removed, pulling off some facial hairs in the process, and our faces were cleansed again for the last time.


The treatment ended with a rejuvenating, non-biting, ginger tea. Jules and I then swanned outside, feeling fresh and glowing, ready to take on whatever the full moon Boracay night had to offer us. 

Wanderlust Wednesday - Paris

A beautiful day in Paris, December 2006

Je pars en vacances à Paris en juillet.


I am going on holiday to Paris in July. Recently I met a bubbly French lady when I was selling off my shoes, clothes and jewellery at the markets.


After purchasing a substantial collection of my earrings for $7, she told me how she met her Aussie husband in Paris, whilst he was on a working holiday. 


He spent eight years over there until they finally moved back to Australia together. Now she is visiting Paris with her daughter also en juillet. 


Her advice was, "just tell everyone you are Australian, they will love you!"


Je suis Australienne! 


Everyone loves a Parisian love story. 

The Boracay Day Spa Experience - Part 1 Kai Spa

Boracay is the best-known escape away from it all in the Philippines. It's white beaches, palm trees and laid back atmosphere lures the most adamant city dweller to relax. For me, relaxing means pampering - manicures, massages and meditation!


The journey to Boracay though perhaps wasn't the most relaxing one. It involved a delayed Cebu Airlines flight, hotel airport transfer to a boat docked on the shore, hauling luggage over the beach onto the boat, a quick boat ride, jumping into a van and arriving at the Boracay Regency Resort. Nevertheless, when you've arrived in time for buffet lunch the long journey soon fades away.


The first thing I wanted to do? "Get me to a day spa, stat!"

Kai Regency Spa on level 3 at the Boracay Regency Resort

Kai Regency Spa


Upon entering the oriental themed Kai Day Spa , the smell of peppermint invades your nostrils. The charming therapists greet you and offer you the menu to peruse. We opted for the classic Swedish one hour massage which was only 1,000 peso or $25 AUD.  This included the use of the sauna, steam room and spa before the treatment.

Massage treatment menu

1. Aesthetics


Kai is a clean and minimalist space. Warm interiors feature lots of wooden mirrors and hues of orange and brown. Once we were changed into our robes, we settled in the tea room which featured two white chaise lounges for putting your feet up whilst sipping sweet cold tea. Each area is separated by curtains and we didn't see many other patrons, creating the illusion of privacy.  


2. Facilities


The ladies change room was large with a dressing table area that had huge mirrors, hairdryers and containers of moisturiser, cotton buds, powder etc for preening - a very nice touch for guests heading straight out after their treatment. The lockers were secure and about two feet tall - more than enough room for all your belongings. 


In the spa section - there were two jacuzzis and a small steam room and sauna room. No other guests were using these facilities. We couldn't quite work out though - were you meant to unrobe in the spa? We kept our towels on as it wasn't quite like an onsen in Japan...


However, a quick shower before the treatment made me feel self conscious - the glass doors on the showers weren't very private and the recess opened out to a glass window to a wall. I half expected someone to walk past!


3. Treatment & Service


All the staff were polite and very softly spoken - some spoke very little English. This caused a little confusion before the treatment as we were slowly ushered from station to station and realised we were meant to shower before our massage. (We were wearing bathers at the time though.)


The treatment rooms were all upstairs and in a common 6 bedroom suite. Once on the massage bed, the treatment begins with a breathing exercise of 3 deep inhales and exhales. My therapist, Joan, had great pressure and technique and I felt all my upper neck tension slowly disappearing.


After the treatment, I felt completely at ease and light as air. The experience finishes with ginger tea which has a serious bite! It's very good for your throat but very strongly infused.


The "change room lady" chatted to us before we left and enquired about our nationalities. "You're not Filipino, not even half?" She asked. The answer seems to surprise everyone...

 In the tea room, I'm very tan!

I was pretty spoilt since visiting Bali and perhaps I may not find another day spa like The Samaya soon. But Kai was inexpensive and very relaxing. We visited again for another massage - yet the second massage is a complete blur as we slept the whole way through. Apparently I was snoring!


So I definitely prefer a morning or afternoon massage - evening massages are perhaps a little lost on you when you've been partying the night before and/or just had a big seafood dinner.

Wanderlust Wednesday - New York City

Central Park, New York City, December 2006

New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

New York City holds a special place in my heart. It's where I spent my 21st birthday. I celebrated by visiting the MET, seeing the NYC Ballet perform the Nutcracker and having a Japanese dinner.

I've blogged about NYC at Christmas before. And this year I may, just may, be spending Christmas there again. Only this time it will be Christmas Day and all the way to New Year's Day.

There's so much I didn't do on my first trip that I'm already daydreaming about, such as:

• iceskating at Rockefeller Centre
• going to a basketball game
• exploring all of Central Park
• watching the ball drop in Times Square on NYE
• eating a pretzel
• gazing into the window of Tiffany & Co
• going all the way to the top of the Empire State Building
• shopping...ala SATC style

Traveling is about...Perseverance

View over the mountains from my airplane window from my flight from Manila to Caticlan

Yesterday I went for a massage and chose an "affirmation" beforehand. For cynics, this may sound a little like hooey. Swallowing my pessimism, I shuffled the cards and drew out Perseverance.

That's pretty meaningful, I admitted to my (massage) therapist before explaining my upcoming travels and goal of working overseas.

Looking back at last week I:

• got my UK work visa approved
• handed in my resignation from my place of employment for the last three years
• made meaningful contacts in preparation for working in the UK
• finalised acommodation for my 5 week European summer holiday
• agreed to spend Christmas in NYC with my brother

All of those things, no matter how big or small, are an accomplishment or steps to achieving something major. 

I know for a 20-something, giving up work and your normal daily-life for travel seems frivolous. Friends and colleagues may look at you enviously or think you're insane. Sometimes I think maybe I am a little crazy to give up my friends, my work, my security blanket of home-life.

Yet traveling in itself is a mean feat. It requires saving money and sacrificing shopping/socialising, hours of planning and organising and leaving behind the familiar comforts of home and stepping into the great unknown.

Things I thought I'd never do? I'm selling belongings that I love and forgetting all sentimentality. I'm asking strangers for help with professional contacts and networking everywhere I go. I'm savouring things I take for granted in my home-town of Perth.

The perseverance continues... and I'm perfectly fine with that. 

Wanderlust Wednesday - Taal Volcano, Philippines

Taal Volcano. Situated in the caldera of Lake Taal this active volcano is about 50 km from Manila. The last major eruption was in 1977. Occasionally showing signs of life, on some days the sulphuric smell is toxic.

This photo was taken on a non-toxic day from Josephine's Restaurant which has breathtaking views over Lake Taal.

24 Hours In Manila

Before I landed in Manila I met two native Filippinos on my Perth to Manila via Brunei flights. One gentleman told me he was going on a tour of churches and quietly read his bible throughout the flight. My second seat companion hailed from London, narrowly missed the volcanic ash chaos and warned me to be careful, watch my drinks in bars and "not get too much drunk."

First Impressions

Manila is a sprawling city. It's so separate and distinctive from one area to the next. The traffic is utterly crazy. Cars pull out in front of each other constantly and traffic lights are a suggestion. In this game of friendly on road co-operation - I didn't see one accident - it can take 45 minutes to get from an adjacent suburb to the next. No wonder there are hawkers weaving in and out of cars selling everything from bottled water to fishing rods.

For some reason, I found it difficult to get my bearings in the city. I couldn't pin point one exact main street or landmark. Maybe this was because I was travelling in taxis from one place to another and the roads felt like a blur. Maybe it was we were staying in Makati which is a gentrified urban area and financial district - almost a city itself. Maybe it was because I didn't organise any transportation.

Nevertheless if you only had 24 hours in Manila, I recommend doing the following three things:

1. Eat a buffet dinner

My dinner plated up

Halo-halo with strawberry ice-cream

Julie playing a game called Sungka

Filipinos love to "eat and talk" at the same time. Buffets let you socialise and eat as much as you want. At the Lola Maria Restaurant the buffet featured Filipino foods like chicken adobo, deep-fried seaweed, barbecued seafood and smoked tuna belly and DIY halo-halo for dessert. I was intrigued by the seaweed with little "grapes" which were salty and burst in your mouth as you crunched through the leaves.

2. Shop at least one mega mall

Pace yourself in Manila, shopaholics. There are a lot of shopping centres in Manila like Greenbelt, Rockwell and the infamous Mall of Asia - which I'll go into more detail about in another post. If you were pressed for time and on a tight budget, I'd have to recommend visiting the department store Landmark for its crazily cheap prices. I picked up a bikini for $15, a headband for $2 and socks for 50c AUD.

3. Have a night out at The Fort

Street performers at an outdoor festival

Myself and Julie posing in front of an outdoor art exhibition

A Saturday night must start, though not necessarily end, at the Fort in Bonifacio. A hub of nightlife, the area is full of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The nightclubs may even have heavily made-up lady-men hostesses who hand out business cards stating they are a Broker/Realtor/Actress. Seriously.

Pork sisig - normal meat, no pig's liver

Pier One is a themed bar set on the high seas. Wait staff are dressed in sailor outfits, signal them with an ahoy there if you dare and order cocktails for around $4 AUD. Bar foods like sisig (of the non-mystery meat variety) are a great accompaniment if on the off chance you're still hungry after a buffet dinner!

Lychee Martinis with four lychees!

Once you're ready to hit the dance floor head to Encore. This is quite possibly the nicest nightclub I've ever been to in a long time. Chandeliers hang down over the stairwell as you strut upstairs into the main third floor area. The DJ pumps out a heady mix of old school RnB and new hits whilst the dancefloor is shoulder-to-shoulder with the trendy 20-something set.

A private booth at Encore will set you back 1,000 peso per head or roughly $25 AUD inclusive of all food and drinks so keep them coming. The only downside is that patrons still smoke inside the clubs.

Once you're all danced out, jump into a cab back to your hotel. If the song playing on the radio is "It's Time To Go Home Now" you know you've had a great night.

How to Survive a Group Holiday When You're An Independent Traveler

About to board the plane to Boracay, that's me holding the red bag with Travel + Leisure mag in it.

When my best friend Julie first invited me on a group holiday to the Philippines I was rather apprehensive. I'm an independent traveler. If I'm not traveling alone I'm usually only with one other person.

Group travel requires patience. The problem is that I'm incredibly impatient. I'm not used to waiting for people to get ready in the morning and trying to make democratic decisions on where to go/what to eat with others. My daily travel philosophy is - you're here, make the most of it and get up and go!

So before my flight to Manila I adopted the three word mantra: Let it go!

Years of working in PR and event management has turned me into a bit of a control freak. I enjoy pre-trip planning and organising. I like having a list of places to visit and an itinerary which is flexible.

So agreeing to go on a group trip where everything was organised was both a relief and a shock to the system for me. There were 10 of us traveling to Boracay via Manila and it started to feel like school camp, Filipino style.

Positives:

• Less worrying and organising, more time to have fun
• Language barrier - not speaking Tagalog - wasn't a big deal
• Constant companionship -  always someone to chat to, borrow clothes off and party with
• Flexible itinerary meant that each day was an unknown adventure
• More likely to try new things and eat local food
• Filo friends were street smart and always looking out for us

Negatives:

• My non-Filo friends and I were a bit complacent - in other words we didn't really do much organising/bartering/researching 
• Waiting, waiting, waiting for others
• I was less likely to make an effort to speak Tagalog - I usually adopt at least a few local phrases
• Fitting into the group schedule - you can't always just do whatever you want
• Peer pressure - yes this still exists outside of school and you can always be coerced by the group to go on a dune buggy/drink out of a bucket/eat raw egg
• My friends learnt the hard way that I may be "slightly irritable" if I don't start the day with a cup of tea or breakfast. Sorry guys!

In the end through I survived an action-packed one week in the Philippines with the best memories of spending one week with friends that knew the ins and outs of Manila, the best traditional foods to eat (chicken adobo...) and drinks to try (green mango shakes and four seasons juice) and local customs. Their generous hospitality and go-with-the-flow attitude was greatly appreciated - thanks a million Julie and Will!

How to survive a group holiday?

• Expand your patience as much as possible 
• Relax into the flow of the group dynamic
• Have time for yourself - even if it's just a quick morning walk
• Do you own research before you go - if you have mandatory places you'd like to visit make them a priority
• Enjoy living in the moment with your friends - it's always short-lived
• Accept that it's all part of the adventure - not knowing what the day will bring is exciting!

Cheers at Chill Out Bar in Boracay

Wanderlust Wednesday - Nice, France

This photo was taken in December 2006.

The south of France brings to mind glitz and glamour such as sunbathing in designer bathers whilst cruising along the coastline in a million-dollar yacht.

The experience isn't quite like that on a Contiki tour. It's an all day drive from Barcelona to Nice. Even though the bus is hardly a limo, the views of the mountains and mediterranean landscape makes up for this. Also - rather than drinking champagne, we were drinking 3 euro cocktails at Wayne's Bar and eventually ended up dancing on the tables...

Nice isn't a huge tourist hub in winter. At the beginning of winter the weather was mild enough to walk around the township with a decent coat without feeling frostbitten. Wearing black buttoned coats and walking toy dogs are the de riguer for shopping along Ave Jean Médecin.

To explore, it's easy to walk around the relatively flat city. It has a relaxed vibe and you're perhaps less likely to be berated if you don't attempt to speak French - although a friendly bonjour always goes a long way.

The best place for a leisurely stroll is the Promenade des Anglais along the beach. Avoid the cyclists and rollerbladers and breathe in the sea air. Traipse down to the shoreline of the rocky beach, feel the weight of the flat pebbles or "gallets" in your hand and collect a couple for the road. It's priceless.

Beautiful Boracay - A photolog

In Boracay, the pure white sand is so fine that it feels like you’re walking on icing sugar as the grains sift through your toes. The only way to cool down from the humidity is to plunge into the inviting azure waters of the sea. The temperate water is soothingly calm with no crashing waves in sight - perfect for a relaxing dip without the worry of losing your bikini top.

In Boracay, everyone on the beach is smiling - honeymooners, hawkers, henna-tattoo artists and visitors from all over the world. Judging by the above photos, it's easy to see why.

This post is the beginning of a series on my eight day holiday to the Philippines, so stay tuned for more posts, photos and travel tips. Please feel free to leave a comment!