Is luxury still worth it?

MANILA, Philippines - Many people would argue that the sea, viewed from anywhere, whether from a barebones hut or a five-star villa, is still the sea. That it doesn’t matter how you get to a destination, as long as you get there. That shampoo is essentially soap for the hair and it doesn’t matter if you pay P80 or P800 for a bottle.

Ever since the Chinese perfected the art of imitation, and airlines began with the budget route, and the boutique service trend started, we’ve been debating the merit of paying extra for the “real thing” or for something more luxurious. Do brand names and long legacies really matter in an age of flash-in-the-pan trends and four-minute attention spans?

Sprawled on Cagraray Island along the coastline of Albay in Bicol is the Misibis Bay Raintree Resort, a small, 38-room vacation spot being touted as a luxury playground. In Misibis, you have the option to either sink in a plush day bed facing the ocean or swim in one of their three temperature-precise (it seems like it anyway) pools. Idling is welcome, but the real draw is the activities: zip lining, wall climbing, wind surfing, water inflatables, mountain biking, traversing the surrounding hills on an ATV.

When Kerastase wanted to re-acquaint the media with their product range and their upcoming products and services for 2010, they chose Misibis Bay. A classic case of like attracting like. The French brand is one of the most well-known luxury haircare brands in the world, and what Kerastase promises is the same thing Misibis does: care that is attuned to your every need minus the fuss and the flash.

And this is where the edge of luxury manifests.

Why do we pay more for a hair cleanser with a French name or for a night spent in memory foam and snuggled under 600-thread count sheets? Doing so for the posh acquaintance it affords is silly and a waste of money. Luxury becomes truly luxurious when it gives you an extra, something beyond what is usually expected.

So if a shampoo gives you that added bounce — but a much-wanted bounce — then yes. If a resort gives you 24-hour butler service — not just 12 — then yes. If it gives you an experience you will always appreciate, then yes, luxury is worth it. And if it cuts down your traveling time from a one-hour coaster journey to a 15-minute chopper ride, then yes, go for luxury.

It’s easy to find a pretty resort — they’re sprouting up faster than mushrooms during the monsoon season. It’s easy to buy shampoo backed up by a 150-year history. And if you are really just looking for a sizeable bed and a clean crapper, or haircare that will clean your hair and maybe keep it from becoming dry at the root, then it’s also easy to be indiscriminate. It’s like choosing sunscreen. SPF 30 is good enough, but a 45 will go a longer way and will benefit you more in the long run.

Kerastase and its broad range of products will give you more than you want but exactly what you need. They have haircare for straight but limp hair, something for straight but dry hair, curly and frizzy, for dry scalp, aging hair, for colored but dry hair, for colored hair that’s not so dry but needs to retain its color. It’s the butler for your tresses, a very efficient one.

The sea is still the sea, but you do experience it a little bit better when you don’t have to worry about where to lay down your towel. Like they say, it is the journey getting there that alters the outcome of the ultimate destination.

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Log on to www.misibisbay.com for more information on Misibis.