Pacific Heights Private Resort - Samal

Last Monday, I told you about our R&R slash supposed team-building with other village officers and youth. Which was promptly ruined when a group of gatecrashers, well, crashed the event. It was a good thing, though, that the resort we went to is a lovely one so our day wasn't completely ruined. (It was also a good thing that they arrived at lunch and we were still able to have fun in the morning.)

Pacific Heights Private Resort

I've actually never heard of this resort before, which is understandable as it is quite new. As the name also implies, it is a village and the resort is supposed to be exclusive for them, However, for some reason, they recently decided to open the beach resort to the public. Yay!

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures because, for the first time ever, we went to the beach yaya-less, So I was constantly running after a little 3-year old whom we shall not name, and I was also constantly wet with seawater. But here are some photos that we managed to take:

Click here to read my review of Pacific Heights Private Resort.

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The Impromptu Beach Trip

I was not able to work nor was I able to blog yesterday because my dad literally woke us up and told us we're going to Samal Island.

Ha?!

We weren't prepared, although we did have a big stock of food inside the fridge. You see, my tita, my cousins, and a nephew of ours arrived from Bicol last Sunday. They are staying in a little hotel near our subdivision (Luxor One Inn), and the arrangement is that they visit our house to eat a meal, i.e. breakfast or lunch.

Yesterday, they visited us early in the morning to eat breakfast at our home when they, apparently, had the idea to go to Samal. Then, they woke us up (I was already awake, but Yuri was still sleeping) to tell us that. What?! Being the good sport that we are - aside from the fact that no one could complain about going to the beach on a summer day - we immediately got up, ate breakfast, and prepared our stuff.

Can you spell haggard??? Just look at that face. And hair! Poor Yuri got woken up from a deep sleep but was excited anyway to go back to his favorite place: the beach!

My Toddler Beach Trip Checklist

I know it's the middle of May, and I know (if you're in Davao, too) that the weather has turned from ultra sunny to rainy-now-and-then, but in the Philippines, it's always summer so I'm gonna go ahead and post this checklist anyway.

Actually, I prepared this post a month ago but failed to write a draft due to #brownoutproblems. And sayang naman ang photos. And we're bound for another beach trip naman so...

Anyway, if you're Filipino like me, going to the beach is no alien task. That's because anywhere you go in the city, the nearest beach is just a few minutes away. I still could remember my high school and college days when we'd go off to a beach-trip when classes are cancelled or the professor/teacher is away. It's literally pack your bags and yourselves and go!

However, I found out (not in the hard way) that going to the beach with a toddler in tow is completely different. Before, I only needed my phone, a towel, and some extra clothes and I'm good to go. I didn't even bother bringing sunblock then (my negrita photos will prove it), and I didn't care.

Now, it took me a couple of shopping trips just to complete Yuri's stuff for his first trip to the beach - and it was just a daytrip! If I could pull off going to the beach bringing just myself, it wouldn't work with a toddler because there are so many possibilities to prepare for and risks to avoid.

If you're like me who have a toddler and want to pack everything but not overpack, I'll try to help you by showing the most essential stuff I brought to Yuri's first beach trip:

1. Sunblock

First is, of course, sunblock! Evidently, one sunblock isn't enough for our company of 5 1/2 (you know who the 1/2 is hehe). In fact, Yuri gets the biggest share of sunblock because he has the most sensitive skin among us.

At first, I wanted to buy organic sunblock, but I didn't pursue it because they usually are more expensive and they don't provide as much protection as the commercially-available ones. I know that SPF 15 blocks 94% of sunblock, but somehow, I can't imagine wearing SPF 60 on my skin and only SPF 15 on my son's. At the beach. In the Philippines. During the summer.

How about you? What brand of sunblock are you use for you and for your little ones?

2. Skin Protection Kit

Yuri at Costa Marina Beach Resort

I really don't know how much salt and saltwater Yuri ate and drank last Sunday.

I am no beach bum for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a mall-and-airconditioning kinda girl rather than an outdoorsy girl. Second, I don't know how to swim. #confession

However, when Yuri was growing up and beginning to develop a mind of his own, I noticed his certain affinity to the water and the outdoors. Water plus outdoors equal to beach, right? So I was willing to drag my butt to the beach all for the love of Yuri! Good thing Samal Island is just 30 minutes away!

Long story short, after too many cancelled plans, postponed dates, and change of venues - our first options were Villa Amparo or Playa Azalea - we finally found ourself in a beach that is a lot nearer to Davao but still beautiful on its own merit: Costa Marina.

Only 15 minutes away from Davao's shore, Costa Marina is a popular beach getaway for many Davao locals because of its affordable rates. I also chose this resort because it's a lot "quieter" than the more popular Paradise Island.

Well, it wasn't really quiet that day since we were surrounded by a lot of barkada-type groups who were drinking. That's the downside of going to the beach on a Sunday. Nevertheless, I still appreciated that the beach wasn't crowded.

Just like what I had thought, Yuri immediately fell in love with the sea! It was love at first sight and he wasn't even slightly frightened of the waters.

When we went to deeper waters (me carrying him of course), he even wanted to let go and swim on his own. Not yet, baby!

Then, while other kids (like me) would scrunch up their faces upon tasting seawater for the first time, this kid of mine licked his lips and said, "sarap!" It was hard for me to keep him from drinking more. My goodness!