Amorita, my amorita!

MANILA, Philippines - Visiting Amorita is like rediscovering your long-lost love and you find yourself having a hard time to let go again.

It’s very easy to wax poetic once you set foot at Amorita, or little love, Bohol’s beloved resort that is cradled atop a seaside cliff of the famed Alona Beach on Panglao Island. From its inviting infinity pool, you get a 180-degree view of the Bohol Sea. And as you savor tranquility splayed on the azure sea and the blue horizon from this vantage point, the soft and sweet breeze steals kisses from you. That starts your affair with Amorita.

It’s not an uncommon situation to fall in love with the resort at first sight. Especially when you’re whisked off to your ocean view villa. Nestled on a cliff, the ocean view villa is impressive — your jaw drops as you enter the well-appointed room that has its own pocket garden and plunge pool. It is also very engaging — you introspect as you settle inside the villa while your eyes meander at the marvelous view of the sea and the craggy outlines of other far-off islands in front of you. Magical, too, is the experience at a garden view villa where your wanderlust is endeared by verdant flowering plants and tropical foliage.

“Guaranteed guest satisfaction — that’s what Amorita is all about,” affable resort GM Nikki Cauton succinctly says. His lovely wife Ria, the president of the resort, adds, “And we do everything here with love.” That kind of love has been given to their guests since the resort started operations in 2007.

If it’s true that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then Amorita will surely be loved over and again by its guests. On top of its kitchen wizardry at Saffron restaurant is chef Raphael “Paeng” Ongchiong. He whips up delicious magic potions and disguise them as food. His balbacua is a mouthwatering rendition of the soupy and gelatinous stew of ox tail (instead of cow skin) mixed with pig’s trotter. His ginataang takla (crayfish simmered in coconut cream with onion, garlic and bell pepper) will keep your palate spellbound. Paeng also dashes magic to other dishes like tortang talong with chorizo de Bohol and halang-halang or chicken cooked in coconut cream with chilies. With its delightful food, it is no wonder that even guests of other resorts dine at Amorita.

Noting that Bohol is famous for its denizens of the deep, Amorita also offers diving and water sports. Make sure to participate also in the early morning activity of dolphin watching.

Because Amorita also wants its guests to feel more loved and experience something more than the regular itinerary of, say, a visit to the Chocolate Hills or a photo op with the tarsiers (these Lilliputian leaping primates become ballistic — and sometimes suicidal — when their peace is fiercely intruded), the resort thought of making its guests’ stay more memorable. Thus, the “Beyond Bohol” adventure was introduced recently. 

“Because Bohol is an experience — distinct, incomparable and special — we devised a way of making our guests see the province that’s beyond the usual, and Amorita’s way of doing this is by conceptualizing tours that we call ‘Beyond Bohol Series’,” says Ria, who, though born and bred in Manila, is a Boholano at heart with her concern for promoting the province’s rich culture and heritage. Included in “Beyond Bohol” itinerary is a call on skillful yet unheard of artisans who learned their craft at the foot of their ancestors; a visit to centuries-old homes that whisper secrets of the past; an audience with specialty cooks who safeguard their recipes that have been perfected through time. And if you still like to go beyond Bohol’s usual tourism, Amorita can also set you a consultation date with shamans who can tell you of mystic stories or your own tale of love.

After all, Amorita is all about love. And once found, there’s no letting go of this kind of love.

(Amorita is located in Barangay Tawala, Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol.For more info, please call 038-502-9002 to 03 or 0917-861-9441.Log on to www.amoritaresort.com.)