Somewhere In Time At Alona Beach

You like the view? Ahh, me too! Halika, mag-social climbing tayo!

That was my early-evening view from Amorita Resort, at the northeastern end of Alona Beach. Yes, on Panglao Island, Bohol. It is not really on the beach anymore. It is perched on a cliff, a promontory, that is in fact at the end of Alona Beach. Also one of the priciest in the area, at medyo sosyalin ang dating!

That said, you will never find me checked-in (alone) in such a place. Hello, 2 important points (criteria) I always observe are: 1) if I'm on a beach, my resort should be on that beach, and 2) me limitasyon din ang bulsa ko 'no! Aba, kahit ganito lang ako umasta, the truth of the matter is.., isa rin akong dukha oi!

So why was I at Amorita? Shh, hush lang 'pre... kaya nga sabi ko halika mag-sociel climbing tayo eh!

I was on to a dinner meeting, and my ka-meeting (Bohol residents but not locals) suggested we meet at Amorita. Aatras ba ako? Never butig! Ako pa?! I may not be a fan of this kind of sosyalin resort, but when it comes to meetings involving my 'kumikitang kabuhayan', ah, meet me anywhere. Ikaw bayad!

There.., that is "the because" why I was at Amorita Resort!

If you are/were following my stories, you would readily know, that I was checked-in over there, at the other end of the beach (excuse me lang, it IS mismo on the sand)! How did I get to this place? Nilakad ko, mismo on the beach! That is just almost 1km. Eh sa Boracay nga that's 5km nilalakad natin, di ba?

So back door entrance? Yes, I entered from the white sandy beach itself. There's a wooden gate where you enter the stairs climbing up to the resort area. Oh, beside the wooden gate, there is a guard-house with a mug-looking guard who asked me "yes sir, where are you"! Hehehe I replied "haa, dinner inside"!

Lusot nanaman ang astang K or J, with matching bow bow and bow! Because.., if I did not do that, the dimwit might ask me to go around and enter his resort at the main entrance. That is veeeery far, you'll need a vehicle for that. Yun, napapagkamalan na rin lang tayong K or J, I might as well make use of it!

So, I entered and climbed the stairs. Note: kung Pinoy na Pinoy at mukhang gusgusin ka, you may not succeed doing what I just did above. Those guards are not only unreasonable, they're generally idiots! They won't let you in if you're not a checked-in guest. They don't know the 'marketing value' of usisero!

Up there, I was excitedly greeted by a waiter. I ordered 1 SML, he asked for my 'room number' and was very obviously wide-eyed shocked when I told him that I was not a checked-in guest, and that I will pay cash! He got my order anyway, and served it properly at this kind of garden. So, I enjoyed these views!

The 3 photos above are actually a panorama - 1st pic is the rightmost, 2nd pic is middle, and this last one is leftmost! Try to 'stitch" those 3 photos in your mind, that is how captivating that panorama was!

By the way, it may be a good time to tell you now, why the title of this article is like so.

That is because, when I was looking at that wonderful dusk panorama, there was some faint piped-in music from somewhere within Amorita. And the song playing was "Somewhere in Time"! Makapigil...

Ah anyway.., I also earlier told the waiter (who was wide-eyed surprised again) that I was actually here for a dinner meeting with so and so and so, and that it would probably be at their 'tapas bar'. Oh, I also said "meanwhile, I will stick around here to enjoy the views, so just call me if they are already in there".

Nice looking-out to the darkening skies, as the main strip of Alona Beach started to sizzle, but without the loud cacophony of music from so many bars and restaurants, ah fire dancers too - since I was far!

Now.., all my "ka-dinner" pala, were waiting for me na at the resort's main entrance. Well, I do not know how it looks and I do not even know where that is - since I made a "backdoor entrance", remember? It was only when one of them called me (nabagot na yata), that we realized we were all already around!

About the same time, a waiter came to fetch me. I followed and even took pics along the way!

Tomar. How apt a name! That means "drink" - dyan galing yung "toma" nyo mga parekoy! Oist, did you know that "tomar" can also mean "take something" that is not necessarily liquid? Example: medicines. Yeah, that Spanish word and meaning is even still used in Samar when they say "tomar hin medicina"!

Anyhow.., so nag-dinner na nga. Off limits to this blog hehehe. Basta, I liked everything we had in this place. And, modesty aside, it looks like we had everything they have in their menu! The oxtail is mwah!

Here are more pics I got before and after my meeting:

I don't have anything to say about them. I just clicked and clicked and clicked as I passed by anything because you, my readers, would probably want to hear about this place. I know I will never be back at this resort (out of my own volition, that is) so I looked around, for something to tell you about Amorita!

Okay, dinner at Amorita done. Time to say goodbye, and of course I said I'll walk by the beach. And all my 'ka-dinner' as if chorused to say "really?" and that bewildered me hahah! They are residents of this island, yet they don't know if it is safe to walk down there at night. Yes it is, I had it checked years ago!

So I walked along Alona Beach... at akala nyo ba tapos na ang kwento ko? No no no no no. NO!

I needed a place to sit and process what we just discussed during the meeting. It was all in my favor (okay, success) but it meant I needed to return to this place (Alona Beach) soonest! If I went straight to my resort, only one thing was sure - I'd drop like a log (drop like kalag sabi ni Balyag) and zzz ngork!

Thus, I scanned the bars along the way, looking for somewhere not too 'hectic'..,

Let's admit it, Alona Beach is the real night strip of Panglao. FUN is "written" all over the place!

But I found this one to be just the right atmosphere for me - food, crowd, vibe and the likes.

That place is a resort fronted by their restaurant. Its facilities, cottages, pool extend far inside.

I am not very sure, but I think I saw the name "Oasis" on the menu and standee by the pathwalk.

I was looking for something light to go with my SML. They offered that delectable thing - spare ribs"!

Music is not too loud in this place, even if those of their neighbors are, haha! And it's nice to sit around by the front tables or lounge chairs to 'people-watch'. The fire dancers also occasionally come and go.

Otherwise, it is also fine just looking out unto the darkness of the beach and the sea.., families, lovers, workers walking in breezy darkness.., and you still hear the lapping of little waves on the sandy beach.

Such a lovely evening.., and at 11PM, I contentedly walked to my resort to rest in peace!

Hmm, tama ba ang sinabi ko? Rest In Peace talaga?!

Ah anyway, tomorrow is another day.