Now I know what every navy seal feels traveling in silence, in darkness, guided only by moonlight that glitters on the surface of a calm sea, the stars twinkling across the night sky, reflecting against the black sheet that is the ocean, disturbed only by the surreal glow of gas pressure lamps from single hull canoes fishing for squid. Each boat has one fisherman, tending a net. Our little boat purrs by, as the short 10 minute ride makes the crossing and arrives at a wooden pier jutting out from a sparsely lit white sand beach, the unbroken line crossed only by the occasional gas powered torch set on a bamboo pole, creating a line of light that reflects on the tables set on the beach.
I know it’s late and this trip was plagued with delays from the cab into the airport to the flight itself and the unusual traffic in Lapu lapu City. Then again just before Moalboal when we have a flat tire, the expected arrival at the pier at 4 extended to 7 p.m. But at last, just within my reach is the pier and as I disembark onto it, Ryan Rosell, their Front Office Supervisor, in his floral printed shirt and white pants greets me “Aloha, welcome to Badi-an!” and instantly all the pain and the aches of the long trip drift away, and as a lei of kalachuchi is hung around my neck it works like a magic wand that dissipates the tension clinging to my body.
To you sweetheart, aloha
This is Badian Spa and Resort, where a simple greeting on your arrival with a sincere smile takes you right into the heart of the islands charm. No wonder it was chosen as one of the 10 best spas in the world for 2006 by Asian Spa magazine, obviously not just for the facility but the conduct of the resort. As I hear my first aloha. I know that this visit holds some magical promise as the greeting can mean so much. Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, compassion, mercy, goodbye, and hello, among other sentiments of similar nature. In olden days and in some instances especially among the elders, Hawaiians put their foreheads together and say “alo,” and then breathe out saying “ha,” thus literally facing and exchanging their life’s breath. And as, I step out onto the beach; I feel life’s breath coming back to me.
Aloha from the bottom of my heart
The reception hut at resort is a self standing structure and each visitor is welcomed with a lei, a soothing fruit punch, served in a hollows out coconut shell with the customary mini parasol. A little kitschy you might say, but, hey, why does one go through the bother? After 25 years you’d think they might change this kind of overused and abused welcome drink but as the saying goes, “..if it isn’t broke, why fix it?” Hartwig and Maria are totally affable couple who have lived and breathed Badian over the last 25 years. When they saw the island, they immediately fell in love with it and have built all their experience, dedication, commitment into building not only the resort but the people who live with it and have made Badian their life’s work. “.. You must always do the right thing..” Hatwig says and he speaks about this subject covering the entire range from taxes to honesty, we recognize sincerity of the warmth that the staff shows because they inherit that from the couple’s attitude, a true sharing with their people of their own values as owners.
Keep the smile on your lips
The pace of our dinner on the beachfront was ever so gently measured, as each course arrives in perfect time, from the green salad with mango and orange slices, through the creamy sugar beet soup, yes, sugar beet soup; dark deep and red; and cilantro sauce, not burnt but enough to let the natural sugars heighten the flavor of the crustacean, and our chicken in curry sauce, it was paced peacefully in time with California Rose’. Our conversation worked along the lines of sharing with the people not as an employer but as the one caring person to another, to pass on the attitude of always doing the right thing. They care for their people as the are a major employer of the town of Badian and as we watch a small dance show on the beachside, Maria reminds us that these are the youth from the town, children of some of the employees of the resort, whom they’ve supported in this effort to steer them clear of any wrong doing. It feels so much like family that you feel like you’re watching children of the host performing before you.
Our conversations with Hartwig and Maria are typically so convivial moving with ease from one subject to another. Through our lunch at the panoramic restaurant overlooking the pool and our dinner at the poolside level, we are thrilled by the stories that can only come from many years of managing a resort but after 25 years, they may have settled on their target markets that will sustain them for a while. The warm day was perfect for the Zaru soba, cold noodles we were having as our appetizer for lunch including our discussion on best Japanese restaurants in Manila. This is the real secret of the property, little improvements adopted from their many travels as their chef Marichu Digaum has learned her skills from many years of practice in the kitchen and the guidance of the owners. We dine on prawns in coconut sauce, served like a cocktail from a hallowed out fresh coconut with the meat still intact, a traditional item reminiscent of a similar item at the Datai in Langkawi, shelled and sitting in the shell in a reduced coconut sauce; as well as an herb crusted fillet of lapu lapu redolent with the crust of herbs and reduction used as sauce – Truly the result of careful experimentation and not purely chance, reflecting an understanding world cuisine. Surprisingly, her training is in house with the inputs of the owners to emulate the product of professional work.
If this is going to be any indication of what to expect in the coming days, I almost know it . . it will be all good . . it will be all right.
In dreams, I’ll be with dear tonight
The morning sun filters through my room, which does face east. It’s a hardwood floor that greets my bare feet and it feels smooth and cool to touch. The cottage is part of a duplex that has a separate dressing area from the bed. There is no TV as that is now what I came here for. The bathroom is study in indulgence; as the WC and Bidet stand on one side of the dressing area and off to the other, a curtain of shells reveals a tub filled the night before with water and flowers afloat, while next to it is a stall for the shower. The tub and shower sit in all the brightness of the day as it does look out into the channel, which we crossed earlier. As I step out onto the balcony, I try out the hammock secured in either post of the balcony. The birds are chirping, the cool wind is blowing, and the coconut leaves rustling in the breeze almost take me back to my street dreamless sleep but it is a busy day and I must go. This is your typical setup in Badian, a room that is so well setup that you don’t really want to leave it. This where a famous personality, former Presidential daughter, I mean still the daughter but no longer the President, spend most of the days, avoiding the hot sun lest it transform her into a darkened version of herself but I must proceed as the days holds a promise of seeing what Badian has to offer.
Brush the tears from your eye
It is surprising how the beach seems magically transformed as we walk along the sands of Badian Island. It’s nothing like what I saw (or in this case did not see) when I arrived last night. The sand is white and packed just enough to support a heavyweight as myself. Everywhere, the beehive activity reveals the old saying “a place for everything, everything in its place”. There are those who tend to the beach, and those who tend to the facilities. The beach area itself is a photogenic gem that lines up palm-thatched Huns along a line facing the shore. The picturesque nature of the island puts its best foot forward in this area. Rather than be called on of the 10 best Spa resorts in the world, they should include this beachhead as major attraction. Everything else is just within reach of a short walk, from the dive facility, which does excellent dives to Moalboal and Anthony, resident dive master tells us Pescador island, in spite o many years of divers visiting retains the challenge of a drift dive spot and deserves a second look. Badian does maintain the most modern and biggest air compressor facility in the Philippines, a claim we choose not to argue with. Too bad we did not have the chance to take their pleasure yacht to go dolphin watching and according to Ryan, the occasional whale shark. Instead we go see the Shell Beach bar, which is off to one side, and is a circular bar servicing the beachfront while right beside it crossing the water inlet via boardwalk is the gaming area for what else but billiard and board games.
One more aloha
More than the beach and the diving are the Badian Resort’s Spa facilities, supervised by an Indonesian of petite stature and ever present smile, the spa revolves around treatments in Badehaus where we are treated to a four-hand massage. Ideally, this would be preceded by a session in the Thalasso treatment are where saltwater is pumped through a series of filters and energized with Oxygen where you can choose to sit on a clan shell under a waterfall, or as we have done, in the couch where many tiny bubbles caress your body as you lie their seawater raining down upon you. The word Thalasso is Greek for the sea and refers to the use of waterfall or other mechanical means meant to meliorate the effects of hypertension, arthritis and whole lot of different other afflictions. All we know is that the coming out of the Thalasso pools, you can feel the pores of the skin, ever so much smooth, tighter and more relaxed than ever before. From there it’s the four-hand massage.
The treatment begins with a mute discussion of the different oils from their Indonesian consultant, Ms. Yumi, to choose from the treatment. They range from the romance, which quite expectedly smells like a garden of flowers to serenity, which is more sublime, and subtle, as well as seduction, so spicy and minty. I of course, having gone alone, choose the serenity, so appropriate for the location and purpose. We walk barefoot on the grass towards the Badehaus where the treatment begins with a foot wash off the rough edges of the skin. Then it’s on to treatment table where two attendants (where did you think the four hands came from?) begin with a sheet draped over with you with panache, raised above you and slowly allowing gravity to settle the sheet on your back. They roll the sheet down and begin with two hands caressing the small of your back, slowly working its way up and then the other two hands mimicking the action of the first two, like an echo of a ripple repeating the same action. Along the sides two hands on either side work the shoulder blades, almost equal pressure applied for the same action like a mirroring image of each other. It’s a surreal and feeling that makes the effect even more magnified and mesmerizing. This goes on for an hour and before I realize it’s done, I’ve turned over done onto my back to have the same echo rippling treatment applied and I’m done. “.. please no shower for one hour yet.. “ I am told. The oils still glistening on my body, with pleasure I tell myself.
Then it’s time for goodbye
As all things must come to an end so does this trip, and Hartwig sums it up. As he says, “.. must always do the right thing..” and rightfully so as any testament to success is its longetivity. The Badian resort and spa has earned its place in our hearts and as we depart from the pier, Hatwig, Maria, Ryan and coterie of staff is there guitar in hand, songs of not goodbye but ‘till we meet again cascading in the wind as we wave our farewell, Kitschy but if it isn’t broken why fit it?
And I’ll pray for that day when
We two will meet again
Until then, sweetheart, aloha
