Last October I threw an advance birthday celebration with a few of my blogger friends at the Sundowners Vacation Villas. The place may ring a bell for most of you given the online presence of the said resort, or the many times it had been featured somewhere, from that famous travel website, to your favorite blogger's well-curated gallery. Their beautiful white and blue architectures reminiscent of the famous Santorini has sure caught your eyes at least once in the many hours we spend online. Sitting on the top spot of tripadvisor's list, it's a no-brainer that I'd choose Sundowners not only as the setting for my pre-birthday bash but also the ideal place to welcome my manila friends to my beloved province, Pangasinan.
To accommodate a group of insta-savvy individuals, such as my friends, it takes an aesthetically pleasing place to keep them hyped up the whole trip haha. Gone are the days a good comfortable bed and a sumptuous complimentary breakfast can give one a memorable stay, these days, the interior and the overall look is as important as the quality of service the hotel offers. In short, it has to be instagram worthy, and in my opinion, Sundowners sure has that in the bag.
Let's admit it, in this age of social media, where most go by the saying, 'no photo, didn't happen', we tend to make sure we capture as much memories as possible, may it be for our eyes only, or for the public to see. It quickly became the norm, that it somehow became an issue, breeding a new generation of people who puts more attention to taking photos and videos for the sole purpose of social media content and online validation, rather than living in the now and seizing the moment. I myself has been guilty of this that I've actually once addressed it an entry in the past. read here. I have since then tried to change my ways and I can go on telling you about my more recent realizations, but hey, we're here to talk about the trip, aren't we?
So going back to our trip, It isn't actually my first time to be in Sundowners, I was lucky enough to set foot in the place a year ago when it was still partly unfinished and in the process of turning into the paradise that it is now. I then was able to go back and experience it in a grander scale, when it hosted Zalora's first ambassador's vacation aka the #Zcruise. On my first stay, we were treated to the Panoramic villa which was for me then an already superb choice if you're up for some splurging, but I wasn't prepared for what they had to offer on my next visit. It's given that they'd up the ante considering they're inviting over a big group of influencers & celebrities, but they sure gave us more than what we expected: in the form of a 600sqm, 2 storey, 7 bedroom villa, or what is popularly called now as the Master Villa.
From what I experienced from that epic getaway with my #Zcrew family, I promised myself to go back and relive the beauty before I turn a year older. Fortunately, Sundowners was generous enough to offer my dream birthday week. It was only the most fitting location to throw a party where we can assure of a private and intimate time, plus granting us a much-needed escape from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila without having to fly out. the perfect getaway, indeed.
We arrived on a perfectly sunny day, and from then on everything just went as i wish it would be. Call it a birthday miracle, or the universe just being in our favor, It was a delight having Mr. Sun around in the middle of a typically rainy month. The perfect backdrop for our 3 day and 2 nights stay. I mean just imagine having fashion bloggers in a picturesque place only to have it ruined by a gloomy setting or worse, a downpour #nightmare. kidding aside, It was still surreal how everything fell into place, because I admit the planning process was the opposite. Nothing new considering our busy schedules and conflicting commitments, planning trips with my blogger friends is never easy but it always ends up fun, nevertheless.
Our first day was spent mostly getting familiar with place. besides going around our villa, we all went our ways, together with our photographers, and just scattered around the whole compound exploring every nook and cranny and appreciating each detail put into the whole place, and of course, while scouting #ootd locations along the way, which is very typical when you’re around fashion bloggers and instagrammers haha You bet we made the most out of every instagrammable corner, taking several photos in each one making sure we scored the winning shot.
On the second day, a bunch of our other friends started to arrive, that's when the party really started. From spending the whole afternoon in the pool area, blasting our jam, chilling with a beer on hand and our fave bag of chips on the other, to playing games and just getting drunk the whole night. It was just what we all needed, a break from events, client works, and social media. It's such a good sight, having to spend time with your friends sans your phones and all those gadgets, just the classic good time genuine interaction brings. We tend to undervalue that these days.
Third day came and it started to sink in that it was our last day in paradise. but we didn't let that get in the way for us to make the most out of each remaining moment. We ate in our hearts desire and savored the food that was available there because to be honest, Sundowners has one of the best hotel Menus. What I liked most about it is that they offered variety, something most resorts don't put much attention to. We're used to the usual international or Filipino breakfast sets, which is also good but, in Sundowners, they have more like: Persian, American, and my favorite, Dagupeno cuisine. Yes, they really have a section in their menu inspired by my hometown. You can say that was a biased opinion, but what I can assure of is that everything that we've ordered were nothing short of delicious and not to mention, affordable.
To sum it all up, our stay was definitely one for the books. As cliche as it sounds, there's nothing more I can say to express how everything just went the way we expected plus even more. I would like to give a shoutout to the folks over at Sundowners for being so accommodating and offering us nothing but the best, from their smooth service down to their big smiles every time. Couldn’t have spent my birthday week better.