Abaca Boutique Resort and Restaurant in Cebu

The big K and I just came back from another wonderful adventure. It was a continuation of sorts of both our birthday celebrations. We started June with a birthday treat for the big K in Tagaytay where I wrote about it here and here. 

Now it was the birthday girl's turn. C'est moi! Yay! 

Well, technically we were still celebrating for the both of us since it was our birthday month. Plus a double celebration is much more fun, don't you think? Specially if you will be celebrating at this awesome place........

Abaca Boutique Resort + Restaurant

Abaca is L-O-V-E!

Abaca Boutique Resort and Restaurant is an intimate six suite and three villa boutique resort in Cebu. Cebu by the way is an island south of Manila that can be easily reached a little over an hour's airplane ride away (much faster than driving to Tagaytay!). 

At the airport we were met by our own personal butler, R. Yup, you read that right. Each stay at the resort includes a 24-hour butler service (I'm liking it already!) And while waiting for our car that would take us to the resort, butler R hands us cold towels and ice-cold water. Perfect to cool us down on a very warm day! 

Modern native-style cabanas each with double-sized day beds surround Abaca's inviting infinity pool. Each cabana also has their own sun lounges for guests preferring to bask under the sun. 

The resort's facility is exclusively reserved for checked-in guests. The big K and I appreciated the peace and quiet we got here which can be sorely lacking in much bigger resorts.

Abaca's gorgeous infinity pool with attentive pool attendants more than made up for the resort's lack of a beach front. 

Abaca started out as a restaurant in 2006 that slowly gained fame for their great tasting California-Mediterranean inspired menu. Two years later they opened their resort. And we're glad they did! 

Arriving at the resort was like arriving at an oasis. The lush tropical plants all around the resort considerably helped cool the temperature on that hot, sunny day. Entering their open-air restaurant that doubles as their reception area we were personally welcomed by the resort's affable manager, G. And we were given another round of cold towels and freshly-squeezed Calamansi juice. 

Lovely view of the sea from Abaca's open-air restaurant where we had lunch while waiting for our room to be readied.

The Oceanfront Spa Villa

We booked Abaca's Oceanfront Spa Villa on our first night. The Tawhay (serene) which was the name given to the villa is a huge room with a king-sized bed. It is an ideal space for a small family of 4 (extra beds can be set up).

Entering the villa, the big K and I were were surprised to see the room all lit up with candles and tea lights. Very romantic! There was a tray waiting for us with fresh fruits, cheeses, a small Happy Birthday cake for both of us and white wine chilling in a bucket. Definitely no skimping here!

We were also delighted on how beautiful the suite was. Careful attention to detail was given to the villa (and the whole resort for that matter!). We were thoroughly impressed with all the wooden furniture and native materials used to decorate the room. Oh, and the 24-inch iMac definitely sealed the deal.

The villa's spa-like bathroom. The resort uses organic hand-made toiletries that comes in ceramic containers made from Mt. Pinatubo ash.   

The villa's private balcony with a partial view of the sea. Perfect place to have one's breakfast.

The Seaview Pool Villa

On our second day at the resort we were given another wonderful surprise by the affable G. They were upgrading us to the Seaview Pool Villa! What a fantastic birthday celebration this was turning out to be.

Kahilom (peaceful or quiet) is Abaca's biggest villa, get this at 125 square meters. That's like 3 times the size of an average deluxe hotel room. And, as the name implies, it comes with its own plunge pool! 

Much like the Tawhay villa, the wooden furniture and decoration of Kahilom were impressive. We particularly loved the massive coffee table which was so heavy even three people would have a hard time lifting it.   

Our own private plunge pool! The villa has a king-sized bed, two day beds that can easily sleep two more persons. A 5th person can be accommodated with an extra bed set-up.

The villa even had two flat screen TVs!

Partial view of the sea from the villa's sitting room. 

Easy access to the plunge pool from the villa's spa-like bathroom.

But what really made our stay at the Abaca Boutique Resort a truly memorable one was not so much the first-class amenities and luxurious rooms we stayed at but the people who work at the resort. 

From the affable G, butlers R and R (yup, we had two during our stay) all the way to the attentive pool attendants and restaurant's wait staff (no, they hardly made us wait), the big K and I received superb service. The resort staff even made it a point to call us by our first names (of course still with the obligatory sir and ma'am preceding it), quite a refreshing experience. 

It's no big wonder they have always been on top of the list of travelers' reviews like TripAdvisor. This place is a keeper. And we will definitely be coming back! 


Next post: Food tripping at the Abaca Restaurant