Pacific Cebu Resort, Philippines: Scuba diving, beaches & beauty queens!
What do scuba divers and beauty queens have in common? You’ll find out in this fun post!
My film team and I visited the Philippines for the first time, as guests of Pacific Cebu Resort. As you can see from the photo above (with fellow travel blogger Rose Afaye), this is tropical paradise.
I took full advantage of the resort’s relaxation options. Lying in a hammock under palm trees… spa pampering… ordering fresh mango smoothies at all hours… oh yes.
But there’s more to Pacific Cebu Resort than lounging around. They have a top-rated diving school, and guests can get certified in all levels of scuba.
The Philippines have some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the world. Their waters are rich with tropical marine life: more than 500 species of coral and 2000 species of fish!
The 3D map shows that Mactan Island, Cebu is a prime place for under-the-sea adventures.
At Padi Gold Palm diving center, beginners can train with experts in various languages (English, Chinese, Japanese), and dive right from the resort’s long pier.
I went for a hippie look, in a breezy outfit from West LA Boutique. I’m wearing a white “Padang backless dress” by Jen’s Pirate Booty over a swimsuit, and over-sized House of Harlow 1960 sunglasses. I added tie-dye color with a rainbow silk scarf headband, and multicolored sandals from Shibuya in Tokyo.
I wish I could have joined the scuba lessons in the pool. Unfortunately, I have some eye and skin conditions that make it difficult for me to go underwater. Filmmaker Eric dove in for me.
While he learned about scuba safety, photographer Melissa Rundle and I went to explore the pier, which reaches far out into the ocean.
You can see the resort in the back: 6.5 hectares of palm tree paradise, with its own sandy beach front.
We took a break to eat seafood pasta under the romantic thatched roof. (All meals and drinks are included for guests.)
Pacific Cebu Resort has recently been renovated, under the new management of sáv Hospitality. We filmed one of the new rooms, a modern white interior with splashes of color.
The new suites have outdoor lounge beds overlooking the ocean.
… and a private patio, ideal for drinking wine and watching the sun set.
This blissful statue pretty much sums up how I felt during my stay here.
Back to the pier, this time to see Eric make his first dive. But he wouldn’t be alone…
… he was in the company of Filipino beauty queen contestants! These ladies were taking part in Miss Scuba Philippines, a pageant that raises consciousness about marine preservation.
I was one of the judges of the Miss Scuba competition, which was held a few days later. The contestants all learn to scuba dive, and the pageant quizzes them on marine conservation in addition to the usual swimwear, evening gown and talent portions. (I’ll do a full post about the beauty contest later on.)
Getting ready to descend into the clear blue. You can already see the clumps of waving sea grass and coral below the surface.
Eric makes the OK sign with his fingers. Since scuba divers can’t speak to each other underwater, they use hand signals as a visual communication.
He took this selfie with a GoPro camera, which lets you film and shoot in water. Stay tuned for mesmerizing footage from this dive.
I ended the day by watching the pink candy sunset, while sitting by the pool. Ahh.
Come gaze at more photos on the Pacific Cebu Resort Facebook. The resort fits the budget of young travelers, and is a quick flight from Hong Kong or Japan — so I hope you’ll keep it in mind for your next beach escape. Thanks to sáv Hospitality for these warm memories.
Have you ever snorkeled or dived? How do you like my pirate-hippie look?
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LA CARMINA
33 Comments
Love!
Jealous of your travels ^^
I was just there earlier this year. A very nice place, though I was shocked at the poverty in the city proper.
It’s a too often overlooked destination!
love this look on you!
Oh, beautiful place! :D
wow!!
XD
_Super_ glad you’ve finally visited my motherland! Looking forward to more posts.
I love it here!!
What magical, rainbow photos! Love it!
Hehe things get more rainbow once we’re in Lapu Lapu… XD
cool
<3
xoxox
nice see u l.a tell vk and jack spooky said hi for him alwaysO:-)
I love seeing these photos!
Yay!
i wished i could have seen you when you visited here >.<
happy halloween la carmina .
Every day is Halloween! <3
I wanna meet you!
Hyper Diva <3
aaha
The last time I snorkled was 15 years ago… when my family and my best friend’s family visited Cebu. I think we actually toured the same resort. It was kind of boring for us kids because it was partly a business trip (so no fun in the resort). I would love to return and experience it as an adult.
Wow, what a coincidence if it’s the same resort! It’s changed a lot now with the new ownership and renovations. I usually get bored at resorts but there was a lot to learn (like scuba and snorkel) and culture to experience at PCR, so I loved it. I also went into the cities, and on sailing excursions. You must come back!
I was supposed to be going to Pacific Cebu Resort this October too but I got held up with
other things and decided not to prioritize this trip. sooo.. imagine my face upon opening your blog after a few months of not reading it… I can’t believe youre in PH! Life is sooo disappointing sometimes. haha I hope you had fun in Philippines =)
No kidding!! The world works in mysterious ways 0.0
On the positive side, I do hope you’ll come here – the resort is better than ever because of the renovations and new management. And I’m sure I’ll be back soon since I’m continuing to work with them… will keep you posted!
oh my god you went to the philippines ;-; i wish i got the chance to see you
I love the Philippines and want to come back soon!! Here are more of my Cebu photos, and more to come!http://lacarmina.com/category/philippines/
ur in philippines?
I was there last month, loved it!!
Thank you for posting, your blog look amazing. It is like stress free environment with lots of positive vibe with the luscious ocean. Every corner looks so perfect. You look like you are having fun, no doubt. That place is incredible, I wonder how far this place from the Boracay Island?
http://www.pearlofthepacific.ph/contactus.php