In the mood for love

Does your heart need mending? Do the fires of your romance need rekindling? Or do you just want to savor your still-going-strong relationship?

Then hie off to Boracay, that famed paradise in the northwestern tip of Aklan’s Panay Island. Boracay has just the right ambience to set one in the mood for love.

Forty minutes away from Manila via Air Philippines, one may reach Boracay by first passing by Kalibo, a town known for its annual Ati-Atihan festival. From here, one takes a 90-minute land trip to Caticlan, from where a 30-minute ferry ride gives one a panoramic view of the dumbbell-shaped island, many of whose over 200 resorts are readily visible. Revelers stroll leisurely on the seashore, foreigners and locals play volleyball by the beach, while sports buffs enjoy sailing, snorkeling or jetskiing.

Away from all the tensions of city life, relaxation is the way to go in Boracay if you want to attend to matters of the heart. Love is easily in the air – the whole year through – at the Pink Patio Resort at Brgy. Balabag, just a hundred steps away from the beach front.

Pink Patio, a Triple A resort accredited by the Department of Tourism, never fails to meet anyone’s vacation expectations. With its well-interiored rooms, it offers all the comforts of a home away from home and a love nest at that. Each room has cable TV; a private toilet and a bathtub; piped-in music; a telephone; a comfortable bed; an open closet; and a Bible inside the side table for spiritual inspiration.

Enjoy a late brunch or early merienda of healthy fresh salads, sandwiches and fruit juices at the resort’s Garden Café. For light and easy afternoons, choose from aromatic brewed coffee and other coffee concoctions. The Café is a mecca not just of coffee lovers but of lovers of conversations. Here, talks can range from casual conversations to "affairs of the heart."

Sip on drinks under a well-lit sky at Pink Patio Resort’s Apache Bar after partaking of sumptuous Chinese cuisine at the Golden Bamboo. This part of the resort is ideal for hanging around with local and foreign visitors before enjoying Boracay’s exciting night life in nearby clubs and bars.

A word of advice: Relax and soothe your cares away in the expert hands of the resort’s well-trained masseuse. It’s an experience guaranteed to soothe your cares away.

Couples who plan on a different date at night can head for the Alpha Fitness Center. The activities here are sure-fire ways to get all that adrenaline going. The center is definitely a hot and must-go-to place for health buffs who want to meet their work-out needs. It boasts of a multistation stairmaster, treadmill, recumbent bike, cross trainer and free weights.

However, if you really want to be in tip-top shape and to lose a pound or two, try rock-climbing instead. The resort’s outdoor adventure is an awesome 11-meter wall that challenges the stamina and strength of both professional and first-time climbers. Go for it with your loved one and see how far your teamwork can go.

Sauna or aroma therapy is ideal after a workout session. This is another way of tapping into one’s love energies. Or, before going for a group or intimate date, do take a plunge in the swimming pool near Nautica Bar or have jacuzzi by the pool.

With the promise of enjoyable days ahead at Pink Patio, who says love isn‘t lovelier the second... or third... or fourth... time around?

(For inquiries on Pink Patio, e-mail [email protected])