It’s easy to see why people fall in love in Amorita.
Perched on a cliff, with nothing but miles of powdery white sand, lush tropical foliage, and crisp sea air as backdrop, this exclusive resort certainly lives up to its name.
“There’s something about the air in Amorita that is conducive to romance. People come here and fall totally in love—with the place, with the climate, and especially with each other. As a matter of fact, we’ve had couples who’ve gotten engaged right here in Amorita,†says Rocky Jorolan, general manager of the Bohol resort.
In one instance, Jorolan relates, Amorita and its staff pulled out all the stops—including laying out a romantic candle-lit spread beside the resort’s infinity pool, overlooking the calm waters of Alona beach—to create the perfect atmosphere for the proposal.
“Everything was so beautiful and fairytale-like,†he recalls, as he described the twinkling candle flames that defined the path to the couple’s table, the only illumination in the twilight-draped resort.
Naturally, he says with a wink, the girl said yes, and now there’s talk of returning to the resort for the honeymoon.
So far, there have been two such proposals since the resort opened in March this year.
Lovers’ HavenSuch romantic hijinks are not entirely out of place. How can you not, after all, fall in love in a dream getaway that offers a breathtaking view of the ocean from the balcony of your own villa? A villa, that offers, among other first class amenities, its own plunge pool (for guests who prefer to savour their alone time) and private landscaped garden?
With 34 fully furnished, fully airconditioned villas and de luxe rooms to offer, Amorita is the perfect place to escape the urban jungle, Jorolan told members of the media who dropped by the resort for a three-day respite.
“We have groups coming from as close by as Cebu, who come here just to spend the weekend, and go back to the city at the start of the work week. Ginagawang weekend getaway ang resort,†says the GM.
Jorolan, an amiable gentleman who traces his roots to urban living, admits that life on the island has a lot of perks.
“You can sit back and actually enjoy the scenery,†he relates. “Life goes by at a leisurely pace.â€
Amorita has six Ocean View villas. Each villa has a room which opens out onto a deck and plunge pool, and affords a spectacular view of the ocean, best enjoyed from the king-sized bed situated in the middle of the room. The villa also has a mini bar, cable TV, hot and cold shower and state-of-the-art blinds that one can easily operate to let in light, provide a better panorama of Alona beach, or enclose the occupants in a cocoon of privacy.
There are also six Garden View villas. These are the ones facing away from the ocean, but have beautifully landscaped gardens and wall-high hedges that shield the occupants from those passing along the paths.
“We try to foster an atmosphere of openness, so that guests can be at ease even when they are in bikinis or draped in towels, but there are still those who are shy about exposing themselves in beach wear, so we put up these hedges out of respect for their wishes,†Jorolan admits.
Aside from the villas, there are 22 de luxe rooms that come equipped with a huge shower stall, a mini bar and cable TV. Some even have verandas that provide a view of Panglao’s waters (currently obstructed by ongoing construction).
“We hope to eventually have 80 villas and de luxe rooms after all this construction is finished. We’re currently putting up another cluster of de luxe accommodations,†Jorolan says.
“And by next year, we will have the services of Mandala Spa,†he adds, indicating a of sawali enclosure in a corner of the property, where the wellness center will be located. “We might even offer butler service as an extra feature. At Amorita, we go out of our way to meet the guests’ needs. Our aim is to do better than what is expected of us.â€
In addition, the facility has an Infinity pool, a recreation center, and a coffee shop/restaurant.
More than RomanceBut Amorita is not just a romantic getaway for couples. It is also the perfect jump off point for tourists wanting to savour the many attractions that Bohol and its waters offer.
“In the waters right below us is actually a marine sanctuary. If you go diving or snorkelling, you will see a glass wall enclosing the area where a vast selection of marine life is kept and preserved. The Boholanos are vigilant about protecting their natural resources,†says Jorolan.
In fact, the property was once used as training area for the actors of Muro-ami, the Cesar Montano film about Visayan deep sea divers.
“By next year, our dive center will be up and running. Those who are just learning to dive can get basic lessons there, while more the advanced divers can get their supplies from there,†says Jorolan.
Jorolan says Amorita has a DIVErsion Package (valid until March 31, 2008) which offers a three-day, two-night stay which includes complimentary daily breakfast and either lunch or dinner, and a choice of either dolphin watching and introductory lessons in diving in the facility’s dive pool (for non-certified divers), or a complimentary fun dive at the house reef and dolphin watching, and the unlimited use of kayak and snorkel equipment for the certified divers. The package also includes a complimentary full-body massage, roundtrip airport/seaport transfers (Tagbilaran-Amorita-Tagbilaran). Rates for de luxe rooms are P16,215 for single, P10,740 for double, P9,600 for triple, and P9.030 (rates are per person).
For those who prefer their attractions above water, Amorita offers its TOURrific package, a two-night, three-day stay with complimentary daily breakfast and a countryside tour that includes visits to the world-famous Chocolate Hills, Baclayon Church, the Blood Compact monument, the Bohol bee farm and the Baclayon Museum. The tour includes a visit to the tarsier sanctuary and lunch on a floating restaurant that traverses the Loboc River.
Getting thereFrom Manila, Amorita is an hour and a half away via Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific, which have regular direct flights to Tagbilaran City. Amorita, which is 20 minutes away from the airport, provides roundtrip airport transfers for all its guests.
Bohol is also a fast two-hour ferry ride from Cebu or Dumaguete. Take the Oceanjet, Weesam, or Supercat Ferries. Amorita is just 35 minutes from the Bohol sea port.
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