One of my favorite time of the day is dusk. I love watching that moment when Day and Night meet and the departing sun seems to celebrate their union by painting the sky in hues of pink. Alas, the time comes for Day to depart, and the Night mourns their loss by blanketing the night sky in grey and black.
———- Photo taken at Les Maisons D’Itac using a Huawei P30 Pro.
Sunsets at Les Maisons D’Itac are best viewed from the beachfront or the pool.
These were taken on our first day in the resort.
The cottage was at the border of Les Maisons and Villa Presito, its neighboring property that’s also managed by the management of Les Maisons. As it was occupied during my stay, I did not go to the cottage itself since it’s considered owned by Villa Presito. I thus just contented myself with taking photos of the setting sun from Les Maisons’ beachfront.
I watched as the clouds turned to shades of yellow and orange before fading into shades of grey, then black.
It was cloudy the following day, so the sky was mostly plain.
Because the weather was perfect for swimming, I also spent most of the afternoon splashing around in the pool.
And on my way back to our cottage, chanced on this view.
Since Les Maisons D’Itac is a secluded resort, we had most of our meals prepared by their staff. (I went out for dinner only once, and even this was a challenge since there was no available transportation going out. The manager was so nice, though, as he offered to drive me to my friend’s restaurant in nearby Dumanjug.)
The food was always served in the main building; it served as the resort’s lobby and dining area.
Late in the afternoon, on the day we checked in, a staff asked us what we wanted for dinner, so I chose Chicken Curry. (This was how they prepared my food: they would tell me the available dishes for my next meal, and I just had to order in advance.)
This was my Chicken Curry.
While delicious, the meat was overcooked, so it was not tender anymore. Still, it was one good meal. I liked how the curry was not overpowering, and the dish had just the right amount of spiciness.
Note that all their lunch and dinner meals already included a bottle of cola.
Breakfast was also included in the room rate, and for my first breakfast in Les Maisons, I ordered longganiza, which was really good. It was served with eggs (over-friend and too oily for my liking), fruits in season, coffee, and fresh juice.
The fresh mango juice was excellent. The fruits were also sweet!
For my lunch that day, I ordered Adobong Pusit. I did not like it because it tasted sweet, and I couldn’t taste the squid ink at all. I prefer a blacker, saltier, and more squid-ink-infused Adobong Pusit.
I ordered Grilled Fish for dinner, and I consider this my best dish in the resort.
It just looked burnt, but it was grilled perfectly, with the white meat all fleshy and soft and tasty. The sawsawan was perfect, too!
My friend visited me on my third day in Les Maison. She arrived early, so I included her in my order for breakfast. It’s funny how the staff misunderstood my order. I told her to prepare an order of hotdog and another order of longganiza, but she mistook that as one order of breakfast, with one piece of hotdog and one piece of longganiza.
This was our lunch.
It’s on this day when a staff gave us a proper menu. Before, they would just tell me the options for my upcoming meal (fish, chicken, beef) or show a list from a torn page of a notebook.
My friend ordered Pork Adobo while I ordered Fish Fillet. Her son had hotdogs, and I also ordered a plate of French fries for him.
My friend said the adobo was sweeter than she would have liked.
My fish fillet was okay, but dry.
We had chocolate cake for dessert, and we did not like it. It was too sweet and tasted like it’s prepared straight from a carton of cake mix. (My friend bakes, by the way.)
That evening, I skipped having dinner in Les Maisons to dine in my friend’s restaurant instead.
On my 4th and last day in the resort, I had Corned Beef and the usual egg, fruits, juice, and coffee.
It was good, though I would have liked it more if they served Delimondo or Purefoods Corned Beef instead of Argentina.
Note that Les Maisons only had one restaurant, so if you’re staying 3 nights as I did, the food may get boring. They do cook for their guests, though. That is, you can bring the ingredients and have the resort chef cook your preferred dish. Had I known this, I would have arrived there with groceries in tow. Te he.
And this concludes my dining experience in Les Maisons D’Itac. Click HEREfor my full blog about the resort.
We stayed here for three nights in January this year and during our visit, had the whole place to ourselves.
The rustic and tranquil ambiance was what made me choose Les Maisons for my first out-of-town trip for 2021. Isn’t this inviting?
Our room I booked the Maison Ulysse because I fell in love with it when I saw its photo on Airbnb. I love homey accommodations, and the room’s distinctly Filipino touches added to its charm.
Of course, the four-poster bed is another plus point for this room.
It had a spacious couch, too, that’s perfect for lounging, especially during high tide since it’s right in front of the window that opened straight to views of the beach.
I love listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and because Maison Ulysse is by the beach, throughout our entire stay, the sound of the sea was my lullaby every day.
The bathroom was spacious, with native décor and shell accent. There was no hot water, though, and the toilet would not flush on our second day. Good thing they fixed it promptly.
Maison Ulysse has two floors, with the bedroom on the second floor and a spacious living room on the ground floor.
The al fresco ground floor living room was my favorite spot in the afternoon since it’s perfect for sunset-watching and listening to the sound of the crashing waves. Its couch was also so comfy that on my second night, I slept here after dinner and woke up late in the evening only because it’s gotten cold.
The food Breakfast is included in the room rate, and here’s a photo of my set Filipino breakfast
Over-all, the food here was good and the serving generous. I’ll just make a separate post about Les Maison’s home-cooked meals next time.
The Pool Les Maisons had one freshwater pool that overlooked the sea.
It’s a little small and deep, so if you have small children with you, make sure to watch them.
As we were the only guests during our stay, we had the pool for ourselves. On the third day, however, about 5 people visited the resort to check the place, and their voices could be heard all the way to my room. I surmise that when the resort is full, the pool gets crowded and its tranquility compromised.
The Beach The resort had a private and well-maintained beach.
Though their beachfront was rocky.
The water was also brackish, and the seafloor even felt mucky sometimes, especially during lowe tide, so make sure to bring beach sandals when swimming here.
This was my favorite part of their beach because of the sandy shoreline.
Other Room Types Uphill, the resort had two villas that could accommodate bigger groups. Each villa had its owns swimming pools, too.
The smaller rooms were located near the lobby. There’s one room, too, on the second floor of the lobby, but I forgot to take its photo.
While I still felt our room, Maison Ulysse was the loveliest of all the rooms in Les Maisons, if you are a couple who want a smaller room than the villas, choose these ones. They’re air-conditioned, too.
The Hammocks Hammocks were strategically placed around the resort, and my favorites were the ones by the pool and the one on the ground floor of Maison Ulysse.
Here’s Hobbes chillin’ like a boss. Ha ha!
Sunsets The resort had excellent views of the sunset (but not of the sunrise). Here are some of my favorites.
The best vantage point for sunset-watching was by the beach or pool, though on my second day, I was rewarded with this view of the yet-to-sen sun while chasing Hobbes on the hills.
At Night It’s very quiet here in the evening, especially considering that we were their only guests during our stay. But the pool was perfect for night swimming.
At Dawn We were here in January, so mornings were always chilly. But the cold weather was perfect for a stroll, especially by the beach because it was the high tide, so the sound of the crashing waves was incredibly soothing.
The Gardens Les Maisons’ gardens and landscape were well-tended.
Every morning, the staff were consistent in sweeping the lawns and watering the plants. Everyone was so polite and would always greet us.
Here’s a photo of my favorite flower in the resort.
Pet-Friendly Aside from the rustic ambiance, my other factor for choosing Les Maisons D’Itac was that they’re pet-friendly. They were also not strict with their guidelines as they let Hobbes roam the resort without a leash. A friend who stayed just this month was even able to have her dog swim on the beach. (Hobbes didn’t because he hates the water.)
Random Photos These are just some random photos I took at Les Maisons. As the weather was mostly cloudy, even rainy, during our stay, most of these photos look bleak.
Minor Refurbishments Needed I’ll end this point by pointing out that while generally well-maintained, it’s still evident that the resort was undergoing some difficulty because of the pandemic. It’s understandable, though, for establishments to put off some refurbishments to save resources during this time.
As examples, the mosquito net in my room had holes and needed replacement and so does one of the window stands.
But what I found really inspiring about the resort, its management, and owners was that even during the pandemic, all the staff were on duty; if they had no guests, they were asked to till the lands of the owner and their friends. As per the manager, this is something that they made sure so that people would have a source of income during these trying times. Isn’t that heartwarming?
For its ambience, service, and excellent management, I highly recommend Les Maisons D’Itac.
It’s Hobbes’s third birthday last week – on the 18th, to be exact – and instead of vacationing somewhere to celebrate it, we decided to just have it at home as a precaution to the rising COVID-19 cases in the province.
We invited our favorite hoomans, and I had fun decorating what was once Plantation Bay’s Penthouse Suite.
The motif was blue, with Hobbes dressed like a prince. Okay, not really a prince, but he just wore a crown and had a “It’s my Gotcha Day!” bandana courtesy of LifeisPawsomeShop (LiP). Here’s Hobbes, all set to welcome his guests.
Food-wise, we had lechon belly, chicken inasal, and lumpiang shanghai from 4A’s Lechon. I also ordered Pancit Malabon from Daniella’s and ube and yema cakes from Cardinal. Hobbes had a personalized birthday cake from Bubbabakes, too.
Isn’t the cake amazing? It showed Hobbes’s trademark tongue-out smile.
He also received tons of gifts from me and my friends and his vets. Here he is, looking so pleased and princely. Ha ha!
More photos of Hobbes in his nook.
And a photo of him with his gifts all lined up so we could account for all and later send our thanks to his godmothers and friends.
He received several plushies, which are his favorite toys, treats and dog food, clothes, new bandanas, a personalized harness from The Rosey Collective, another harness from Zeedog, and grooming essentials from Aroma Paws.
There were so many presents that they didn’t fit on our picnic mat!
In the evening, his vets from Animal Wellness visited him, too. We had dinner in Plantation Bay’s Fiji Restaurant.
Happiest birthday, Hobbsie! While people always say that you’re such a lucky dog, I feel that I’m the luckier one because I have such a well-behaved and smart furbaby.