As a birthday treat for our son Santi, who turned 9 years old last week, my husband Mike and I opted to bring the kids to Plantation Bay in Cebu for a late summer weekend. For years, we had been hearing about this resort-cum-spa from discerning traveler friends who often rave about how the many resorts in Cebu are now so world-class and worth visiting. Now then, Mike and I thought that a trip down South would be a welcome change for our family and that since the summer crowd was long gone, we might have the resort to ourselves at much reasonable rates.

Lo and behold, days before we were scheduled to leave, two major typhoons hit and flooded major cities. Classes were being canceled. Worried that we would have to cancel the trip at the last minute and while the kids kept bugging us about the trip, all we could do was pray that the rains would let up before our departure. Well, miracles do happen and on the day we were to fly, sunny skies woke us up that very morning. Slight drizzles didn’t dampen Santi and sister Tricia’s spirits as we were told that Cebu was enjoying its fair share of sunny weather.

The funny thing about going on a plane ride is that kids always think that you’ve reached another country once you land. And so, when we reached Mactan airport, Santi and Tricia felt they were in a totally new place. They only then realized that they were still in the country when they saw the billboards and the rural countryside on the way to Plantation Bay. As soon as we reached the resort, the kids excitedly hopped off to explore the grounds.

Plantation Bay is oddly located in the heart of Mactan, after a half-hour drive through a dirt road lined with hundreds of nipa huts. The part of Mactan where the resort lies isn’t really fully developed yet and is a couple of kilometers away from any major commercial complex. I suppose that is what is charming too about this place because it seems like an oasis in an otherwise densely populated rural landscape. The resort-cum-spa is essentially made up of elegant cabanas that encircle an artificial lagoon. There is an outlet that opens to the sea for those who choose snorkeling and diving or taking rides to the other islands. But the serenity of the entire place that greets you already gives you a sense of ease and relaxation that most holiday visitors or honeymooners crave for.

Fortunately, we were checked into a nice room that had open access to the lagoon—a wonderful way for the kids to run around in their swimsuits and just freely jump into the shallow waters. The verandah also had chaise lounge chairs where I chose to read a book and put my feet up most of the time. Nicely too, although we soon discovered that the place was packed with Korean, Japanese and European tourists, we barely bumped into each other since the place was huge enough to give you private space as you needed.

The resort offered so many things to do, from active sports to just plain spa massages (unfortunately, most of that we didn’t dare to spend dollars on!) that the foreign tourists obviously took advantage of. Although a bit pricey I must say, the place does deserve our kudos for being so well kept and the service warmly given. For certain, we all had a wonderful time just lazing around, taking long strolls together and just throwing ourselves in the water.

I have often thought about what summer indulgence is all about—like foot spas and warm towels wrapped around your tired, calloused feet or just reading a favorite book under the sunny skies overlooking a lagoon. But I realized that our late summer indulgence was really much about spending a memorable weekend with our kids—or what Bo Sanchez calls "nuttiness" or just being nutty with each other. What may have started out as a birthday treat absolutely turned out to be one late summer indulgence we will all relish as a family. And in the years to come, we sure plan to spend some more nutty summer indulgences together.

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