Last weekend, Alvin’s mom treated us to a Misibis Bay weekend. Misibis Bay prides itself to be a “luxury resort” in a private island where one can relax, “have adventures” and use their “world-class facilities”.
In short, soshal daw sa Misibis Bay. The room rates range from Php 8,000 a night to Php 25,000 a night depending on the room.
I was very excited to go because (1) it’s not very often I get to visit the province where Lolo Papa and Wowa grew up and (2) I badly needed a vacation.
I postponed writing this post kasi ayokong magsulat ng high blood ako. I want this post to be as objective as possible. So, I shall write only about the facts and how I felt that time. Fair, right?
Game. Umpisahan na ang kwentuhan.
Our Philippine Airlines flight was at 9:30 am. Kasabay namin ang Talk ‘N Text basketball team. They were hard to ignore kasi they were all really very tall and people kept having their photos taken with them.
I almost cartwheeled with joy when I saw that there was a Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory store in Terminal 3. Napaka-mahal pala nito mga bakla! Bakit sa Japan PHp 300+ lang ang box of 10 pcs pero here it’s Php 600 per box?! But since Anika loves it, I got two boxes so that my SIL and BIL can taste it too.
The flight was on time and we landed 50 minutes after we took off. Hindi na nga natapos ng mga airline crew yung pagdistribute ng snacks and drinks. I’m never taking a roadtrip to Bicol anymore. Airplane is the way.
The Mayon volcano was in its majestic self that day. Pak na pak talaga because there were almost no clouds surrounding it. Seeing the Mayon volcano always makes me feel nostalgic. I remember my childhood days. We often go to Bicol during summer breaks. I had to have a photo taken with Anika and the Mayon.
The day before our scheduled flight, I was feeling agitated. Parang something wasn’t right so I called Misibis Bay to confirm if naka-book nga kami that weekend. I called their hotline (02) 661-8888. The girl on the other end of the line confirmed that we were booked. I asked them how will we know who will pick us up. Na-confuse si Ate.
The package my Mother-in-Law got was three Standard Garden View rooms for three days and two nights. The package includes breakfasts (for adults), airport transfers (for adults) and free non-motorized water sports activities.
Yes. We had to pay for the breakfast and round trip transfer of Anika and Gabo. They are not free.
Anyway, Ate from Misibis Bay (I also do not know why they talk that way. You have to experience it to understand what I mean. Halos hindi ko sila maintindihan because it seems that they have to talk to sound like they have an accent or something. Sorry.) got confused because our round trip transfer was not reflected in their system. Wala naman kasing kumukuha ng flight details namin.
Buti kamo tumawag pala ako otherwise they will not be expecting us then next day. How will we go to Misibis Bay eh 1 hour and a half pa talaga yun from the airport? Besides, airport transfers was included in our package. I found it weird because it should be automatic for them to contact their clients for their clients’ flight details. Nobody told us to call them for it.
When we arrived at the airport, Lola Lydia and Lolo Pete were already waiting for us there. They arrived two days before us kasi and went to Sorsogon muna. We were ushered to a nice white van with a nice and very accommodating driver.
We had lunch at Colonial. Apparently, sikat yata ito sa Legaspi. Food was good but I was full from eating all those Tokyo Milk Cheese biscuits so hindi ako masyadong kumain. I tried their Sili ice cream and sumisipa talaga guys. It’s unique so I have to tell you to try it.
Don’t order their kalamansi shake. It has milk so it tastes like a liquid lemon cake. Hindi masyado cool.
The driver took us around before going to Misibis Bay. He took us to Daraga Church where I told Anika to make three wishes.
Nagdrama ang bagets before she went out of the van. Ang lakas ng iyak with matching fat tears!
“I don’t want to wish to God anymore! I keep on wishing for a baby brother since I was a baby pero wala naman!”
Kung hindi lang ako manhid na halos sa topic na yan, dinamayan ko pa siguro sa iyak si Anika.
Everybody consoled her and ayan, parang wala naman nangyaring drama.
Mayon volcano was so beautiful that day.
After Daraga church, we went to Cagsawa Ruins.
ME: Ma, ano kasi yun? Casagwa ruins?
KA LYDIA: Cagsawa, anak.
PAUL: Ate, Cagsawa. Casagwa, mukha yun eh.
Hahahahahaha! Ang taba ng utak!
After I posted the photos, I received comments that tip of the Mayon volcano was usually covered by clouds. Ang swerte daw namin that day at nagpakita ang Mayon.
We went to Misibis Bay na after that. The trip took around one and a half hours. No more riding ro-ro because they built a bridge to connect the mainland to the Misibis Bay island.
When we arrived, we were given free bracelets. Here’s Anika with the bracelet and her outfit of the day.
Top and shorts: ZARA KIDS; Sandals: PAYLESS; Sunglasses: SM KIDS
We proceeded to the lobby to check-in.
I dunno if pangitain ba yun or what but there were two separate clients there who were complaining (loudly mind you). Galit na galit sila. It had something to do with them waiting for hours already.
How was check-in?
Ang masasabi ko lang is if you are managing a “luxury” resort, you have to train your front liners to give customer service equivalent sa projection on resort. Their receptionists need more training in handling complaints. They need training how to welcome clients and make them feel at home.
Hindi namin na-feel yun when we were there. They need to freaking smile and not act as if pinagpapa-sensyahan lang nila yung mga clients.
I was watching them as they talk to the other guests. Napapa-iling na lang ako. Sayang the reputation of the resort. I can compare because malayo sila from the receptionists of say, Pearl Farm in Davao. Dun talaga, feel na feel mo ang warm welcome. Wag na tayo lumayo. Remember the Virgin Beach Resort that we frequent in Batangas? Hindi ganun ka-kamahalan dun pero naman all smiles sila sa front desk. They are very accommodating too.
When we were checking in, I was asking about how we can schedule the Eco-tour. Dial 0 na lang daw kami when we go to the room. I asked if hindi ba pwede i-book na kami right then and there because we have a specific day and time na when to go. Sige daw pero subject to availability dahil fully booked.
Lekat na yan. Ayaw niyo eh di wag.
But I still gave them the schedule that we wanted. I really wanted to go to that Eco tour. I told them paki sabihan naman kami if pwede or not. Sa awa ng Diyos, naka-balik na kami ulit sa Manila and all but nobody even bothered to call or tell us that we can’t be accommodated. That’s not something you expect from a “luxury” resort.
We requested for a room at the lower floor because senior citizens yung dalawang kasama namin. I am thankful they gave in to our request and gave Ka Lydia and Ka Pete a room at the second floor.
I checked the room photos in the website and I am not sure if they really gave us a Garden view room. Our room looks like a Standard Pacific View room. I am not complaining because I found our room beautiful.
I raved and raved about our room in social media. I was really happy with our room. The ocean view was fantastic. They all changed into their swimming attire and lumusob kami sa pool.
Misibis Bay has three pools. One pool for kids. One infinity pool overlooking the beach and one lagoon pool where we stayed.
Anika’s swimsuit was from H&M kids. Okay yan mga muthers because kahit malayo si Anika, kita ko siya. I wore a top from Una Rosa and shorts from Uniqlo. Wowa lent me her Gucci shades for this trip without me asking for it. Alam na alam ng nanay ko na maarte ako and sa maarteng lugar ako pupunta, ano? Hehehe.
We tried the buffet dinner. It costs Php 750 per plate. The kids’ rate was half the adult rate.
Let’s go to the food. Each putahe tastes good. Masarap ang pagkain sa Misibis Bay, in fairness to them. However, for Php 750 per head, kulang na kulang ako sa food in the buffet. They only had 5 kinds of ulam, rice, cheese, bread, soup (nilaga), a few cold cuts, salad, three kinds of cakes and two kinds of fruits. Nothing fantastic. I was kinda expecting kasi nga “luxury” resort.
You can order ala cart. Mahal ang food. Ganun din halos lalabas, Php 750 per person. I asked about the special dinner that they can arrange by the beach. They do that pero at Php 2,500+ for the set up per couple. Set up pa lang yan. You have to add like around Php 2,000+ more for the food. At least that was how they explained it to me.
Together with Gabo and Anika, I went to the reception to make sure someone will make sundo Alvin the next day. I also went to follow up the complaints I had with our room.
- Our room’s airconditioning system conked out. As in walang aircon sa kwarto namin ni Anika.
- The hallway light in our room’s hallway keeps on flickering like those in the horror movies.
- The room door knob/lock is malfunctioning. The door doesn’t open agad even with the key.
- Sira ang volume ng TV. Walang sounds na lumalabas sa TV namin.
I’ve been complaining since before we went down for dinner. Anika called them twice. Gabo called them thrice. I called them twice. Wala.
Before we entered the reception lobby, Anika and Gabo had to do their dab pose. So adorable.
I like the high ceiling and interiors and the big sofas of the Misibis Bay Lobby.
What I don’t like about it is the second hand tarpaulins that they used to cover the sun roof. Ang lakas maka-jologs eh. Hopefully they will remove that and replace it with just a plain mat or something.
The lady in the reception told us that nandun na daw yung mga gumagawa sa room namin.
This is where our rooms were located. Ganda ng lighting nila sa gabi.
When we arrived in our room, hindi pa din gawa yung complaints ko. Pawis na pawis na ang Anika. Until finally they gave up. Itatransfer na lang daw nila kami ng room. I looked around our room. I wanted to cry. Sabog sabog na our things. Anika’s toys were everywhere! I had to pack everything up again.
I told Anika to stay in Gabo’s room first so I can pack everything. Awang awa ako sa sarili ko, hindot na yan. I didn’t have anybody with me.
The room where they transferred us in was smaller. Hindi na ako nagreklamo. Bahala na sila sa buhay nila. All I wanted was to be able to rest already. Besides, pagod na pagod na din si Anika. Naka-pajamas na nga eh. The manager was inside our new room when I arrived. He was apologetic, yes. Pero wala naman siya magawa. Sira daw yung previous room namin. Babalik na naman tayo dun sa “luxury” resort. I just thanked them so I can unpack again ang get Anika na so we could sleep.
The next day, Anika and I woke up early to go to the gym. Matawa tawa ako because the aircon in the gym wasn’t working and the TV was also not working. Kalokang bakasyon ito. The kind man outside opened the giant fan na lang so that we can be comfortable.
After that, Anika and I walked sa beach.
We had breakfast at the Spice Market restaurant. Breakfast was a lot better than dinner. They had Filipino and American dishes. The fried rice was good with corned beef and 3 more ulam. There was lugaw. I love the daing and the small fishes na maalat. There were pancakes and waffles. There were different toppings that you can choose from like blueberries, chocolate chips etc. There was an egg omelette area where you can have your omelettes customized. Coffee was good. There was one kind of juice (pineapple). There were still only two fruits and three kinds of cakes.
Come to think of it, pineapple and watermelon lang talaga yung sinerve nila na fruits sa buffet the whole time we were there. Bakit kaya? There were no mangoes or other kinds of fruits. Naalala ko tuloy sa Pearl Farm. Naka-half balat na talaga yung mga Rambutan eh!
Anyway, we went swimming again after breakfast. First we went to the beach and Paul went Kayaking with the kids. We transferred back to the pool kasi sobrang init na.
I wore a swimsuit from Soak Swimwear. I wore their Butterfly Monokini. Hindi ko na mga bakla i-post dito yung back view that I posted in Instagram. Nakalusot kasi kay Sombrero. Baka if I post here, hindi na makalusot. Hehe.
Alvin plane was delayed. From 530am, he was able to fly around 9am na. He arrived at Misibis Bay around 11am. We had lunch, ala cart. Like I said, food was good but expensive.
We went back to our room to have a nap. I couldn’t resist snapping this photo. Ang ganda eh.
We woke up around 430 pm and went to the beach again afterwards. Hindi na talaga tumawag yung front desk regarding our scheduled 3pm Eco tour. Wapakels sila. Sad.
Good thing I am with family. Wapakels na din kami sa kanila. As long as the kids are enjoying, keribelles na.
I wore a swimsuit from Coral Swimwear that afternoon. I didn’t go swimming. Um-aura na lang ako ng um-aura dun. Lelz!
Alvin tried to go kayaking however until 5pm lang daw ang non-motorized sports (free). Pero yung jet ski (na may bayad), pwede pa daw. It doesn’t make sense. Same area, same water ang paggagawan. Yung free, bawal na pero yung may bayad, pwede pa. Ang sakit sa bangs.
We just hung out by the shore na lang then went to the swimming pool afterwards.
For someone na nagpicture lang ng nagpicture, ang itim itim ko. I got so tanned but not as tan as Anika. I am praying her color goes back to normal.
We had dinner buffet that night. It costs Php 850 per head this time. May ihaw all you can. You can have them barbecue chicken, squid and pork.
I asked the front desk what time we are leaving the next day. Sabi daw 8am for our 11 am flight. Nagmadali-madali pa kami. The van was late. We were on time but we left Misibis Bay at 9am already. You know how I hate late people di ba? Paalis na lang kami, grabe pa talaga ang inis ko.
Maybe I expected too much? Kaso I’m thinking naman that I’ve been to other resorts in Manila and in the other countries as well so I have places I can compare them to. Medyo hindi bagay ang service nila for a “luxury” resort. Hindi naman like the worst service ever because like some of the waiters were really commendable. The people who tried to fix our previous room were very apologetic. The waiter by the pool was very diligent. More customer relations training lang talaga for the people in the front desk. Also, better after sales service for the sales agents where we coursed through our booking.
While waiting for the van, nagpictorial na lang kami again.
Our flight going back to Manila was delayed for four hours. Okay lang yata for Alvin because the Alaska and Talk N Text basketball team were in our flight again.
I don’t know these guys but nakaka-aliw because nagfa-fan mode din pala si Sombrero. Hehehe.
There you go. Albeit the hiccups during this weekend getaway, we had fun because we were together as a family. Like I said, we made the most out of it. Masaya, magulo, kwela and ang daming kwentuhan.
Thank you so much Lola Lydia and Lolo Pete for this vacation =)