Adhara Boutique Resort: A romantic weekend escape by the sea

8/29/2017 Randomly Candid 2 Comments

Last year, I brought my parents to Boracay for a family weekend to celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary (READ HERE). This year, they preferred to celebrate it in a place where they can be more relaxed, near and has a beautiful view of the beach.

And since I'm always the one who is tasked of my parents' vacation itinerary, I looked for a place that suits their preferences. Luckily, I bumped with Adhara Boutique Resort on TripAdvisor when I typed the keyword "Iloilo Resort" on the search bar.


I checked their website and found that it is the perfect place for my parents' weekend staycation to celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary - near, private and has a beach.

LOCATION

Adhara Boutique Resort is located at JC Zulueta St., Poblacion South, Oton, Iloilo, just 20-30 minutes ride away from Iloilo City. It is very accessible to commuters from Iloilo City as Southern Iloilo-bound jeepneys pass by this resort.


If you are from Iloilo City, the best option you can do is to ride Oton Derecho jeepney at Diversion Road in Mandurriao. Just tell the driver to drop you at Anhawan (Adhara Boutique Resort is located inside the Anhawan Beach complex). It will only cost you P15 to reach to reach there.

ACCOMMODATION

Adhara Boutique Resort is an ideal place if you want to have a relaxing weekend stay by the beach. My parents love the ambiance of the resort - quiet, private and romantic.


As much as I would like to leave them alone, I also need to have a short break so I just decided to join them in their anniversary celebration. Anyway, I got their approval.



We stayed in a Standard Room which is a bit spacious for the three of us as it can actually accommodate up to four persons. This fully air-conditioned villa type room is equipped with two queen-sized beds, television, vanity table and chair and telephone with free local calls. The toilet is also complete with toiletry kits and hot and cold shower.


The room also comes with complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea and breakfast for two. However, wi-fi connection is not accessible inside the room. But you can still access it at the restaurant. Well, if you really want to have a relaxing stay, I would suggest not to open your wi-fi or even turn on your phone, unless necessary.

FOOD

Wherever we go, one of the first things that my parents consider aside from the over-all ambiance of the place is the food.

My parents are both health conscious and would always prefer fish and vegetable over beef and pork. Good thing, Adhara Boutique Resort's Azul Restaurant pushes for healthy and organic food. I did not have any problem in choosing what to order for my parents' romantic anniversary dinner by the beach.




We had Sinigang na Hipon, Buttered Chicken, Pancit Guisado and Hawaiian Pizza. We also got a complimentary Lemongrass Iced Tea which is one of the restaurant's specialty drinks. The dishes were served generously and were paired with red rice which completed our organic meal.

I learned that some of the vegetables they are using at Azul Restaurant came from their own organic garden located inside the resort. Adhara Boutique Resort also partners with some local organic farmers to make sure that the food they serve is always fresh, clean and healthy. It is also their way of helping small-time farmers sustain their livelihood.



Our journey to organic living continued the next day at breakfast when we were served with our favorite tapsilog (tapa, fried red rice and egg) and bangsilog (fried bangus, fried red rice and egg). Though we are not used of having rice, especially fried red rice in the morning, we still enjoyed our breakfast with the cool sea breeze that greeted us.

ACTIVITIES

Since it was gloomy when we arrived at the resort on our first day, we never got the chance to see the beautiful Southern Iloilo sunset. But we were blessed with a very good morning weather the next day and so we decided to wake up early and have a short stroll at the calm beach while the sunshine is still healthy for the skin.



My parents enjoyed picking up some shells and stones while walking by the beach, feeling the fresh sea breeze and enjoying each other's company. While I just watch them, choreograph their poses and take their photos.


After the beach stroll, we went back to the resort. I was tempted to have a morning dip at the pool. Who would not if you had it all by yourself? I enjoyed swimming while my parents are enjoying their romantic moment together at the poolside like millennials. Sorry for sounding bitter, but believe me, I'm happy to see them like that.




Adhara Resort Boutique also cater walk-in guests.  Entrance fee is at P300 which can be consumed at Azul Restaurant, Marina Bar, swimming, kayaking, beach soccer and volleyball and spa services. Discounted rate for whole day swimming is only P150.


We never had the luxury of  time to further explore the other offerings of  Adhara Boutique Resort, but among the activities you can enjoy here aside from swimming include jetski, kayaking, horseback riding, kiteboarding and overnight camping by the beach.

ECO-SUSTAINABLE RESORT

In its bid of becoming an eco-sustainable resort, Adhara Boutique Resort will soon launch its own boutique store which will feature all-organic items. They are also planning to have an eco-tour to popular destinations in Iloilo such as the marine sanctuaries in San Joaquin, Bulabog Putian National Park in Dingle and Bucari in Leon.


To give the Ilonggos and tourists a different kind of relaxation, Adhara Boutique Resort has partnered with Spa Riviera for the Sea Spa, a new spa concept, will allow guests to relax and be pampered while feeling the sea breeze. More details about the Sea Spa on my next blog. ;)


Adhara Boutique Resort is truly a sanctuary for those who long for a quiet and peaceful getaway. It is also a good place to spend more time with your loved ones and just enjoy each other's company, take a short break and experience the #bluebythesea.



For inquiries and reservation, log on to Adhara Boutique Resort's official website and social media pages: