Holy Week in the Philippines sometimes mean traveling with the family. This year was a local trip to Balesin Island. We still had to ride an airplane though. We were at the hangar before sunrise.
With this post, I am taking you on a short video-heavy tour of some of the places in Balesin we have set foot on. There were more themed villages to see, like Bali, Phuket, Costa Del Sol and Balesin Village. There were fruit and flower farms, fish and aviary to visit, too.
En route to Balesin Island, day one
These were the unusual boarding passes.
There’s our ride!
Upon arrival, we first had breakfast at the Balesin Clubhouse. After filling our bellies, we rode a shuttle to the The Royal Villa. Here’s a quick tour of one of the Royal Suites, where our family of five stayed.
After the assessment of the sleeping arrangement, the kids could not wait to go swim. A pool was located beyond the lanai outside the back door of the rooms. Beyond that pool was the view of Lamon Bay.
Hot sun up there, they didn’t care!
It was actually a big jacuzzi.
Here’s our view for the next two days.
A strip of beach all to ourselves at The Balesin Royal Villa! The sand was soft and fine. Sunset was on this side of the island. Therefore, we had the chance to enjoy it; while the kids had a blast trying to make a sandcastle and forming mermaid tails. Hooray for beach toys!
Day two, a bit of exploration
I grabbed my watercolor pad and Sakura Koi watercolors upon waking up. The little boy was also awake so I brought him with me. While he soaked in some sun in his PJ’s, I painted.
But, whoa! The sun in the beach gets so hot so quick, and I had to finish my work later.
After breakfast, we got ready and rode over to Greek-inspired Mykonos Village.
Again, the kids swam, this time in another jacuzzi.
We also had lunch here. Greek food was served and it was delish!
We spent a lot of time swimming in Mykonos, in the covered pool, before we got a shuttle to Toscana Village. The place somehow reminded me of pasta.
The last village we visited was the St. Tropez Village. Someone mentioned there was a crêperie here. Sadly, we were still full from lunch.
This village was very colorful and so summery.
Even the inside of the lobby looked bright and cheerful.
Then, swimming and games
The children continued swimming back at the Royal Villa. Us parents tried to relax. Someone thought of a group bonding activity for the last night of our stay. All 40 of us joined in the fun.
I realized that:
- It doesn’t matter to the kids if we toured all the villages, or not, just as along as they got to swim.
- Swim (more accurately – frolic in the water), they shall, thus, lots of sunscreen was needed. Despite our effort, they still got sunburnt.
- Because beach suns are extra hot! I don’t know why.
- The little ones also want me, their mommy, to swim with them.
- It’s fascinating to observe how the beach scene changes when the tide is high or low.
- Even nice resorts have cockroaches. My daughter found a big one in one of the hampers.
- We cannot choose the time of our departure from the island. To those who went to Balesin, is this also true for you?
Have you been to Balesin? How was your experience?
