New Year’s in Amanpulo – part 2 of 2

And so the story of our New Year’s in Amanpulo continues…

(Click here for New Year’s in Amanpulo – part 1)

Our family was quite lucky that every day of our stay here, the sun was out and the skies were clear. Nature worked harmoniously together and everything just proved to be the perfect backdrop for a great year-ender.

The beautiful ocean was so inviting! The crystal clear turquoise waters were too hard to resist! So one morning, the Hubby and I plus our 2 boys decided to go kayaking.

I was paired with my 9-year old son (while the Hubby was with our 5-year old boy), and of course, the Mummy took this opportunity to talk to her son about a few important things in life…

Being one with nature with just my eldest during the last day of the year, made me sentimental! 🙂

The New Year’s Eve dinner for the guests of Amanpulo was set up beautifully, with hanging giant white lanterns at the Picnic Grove.

I’ve always enjoyed dining outdoors at night especially when at the beach!

The moonlight and the sea breeze plus the fact that you know you are “dining under the stars”, just make everything more enchanting and… romantic 🙂

The grand buffet station.

As with any buffet, there was a whole lot of food! So here are just some, out of the many, from that delicious spread… or to put it simply, these are what I ATTACKED! 🙂

Fresh giant Prawns and the biggest Alaskan King Crabs.

Fresh Oysters and Mussels.

Fresh Green and Pasta Salads, Smoked Salmon and Trout.

A platter of some of the most delicious Hams, Salamis and Cold Cuts.

Roasted Duck, Lamb and Veal Chops.

My favorite : Giant Grilled Lobsters!

…And Baked Scallops! (Can I say the word GIANT again? :))

The most wonderful Cheese selection…some of them were with fresh Truffles and some were marinated in Brandy and Chestnuts!

And of course, the dessert! As always, this was the highlight to my meal! 🙂 There were many other desserts in the buffet, but this was the only one that stood out for me : the Valrhona Chocolate Cake. No explanation needed.

And as the countdown began, we brought out our favorite bubbly, a present from a dear friend! 🙂

For what is a New Year’s celebration without Champagne?

The guests all gathered by the Main Clubhouse to watch the Fireworks!

The Pool was beautifully illuminated by the dazzling Fireworks in the sky!

It was a fantastic show that everyone, both the kids and the adults alike enjoyed!

The next morning was more quiet and calm…

The family heard Mass at a small and rustic Bahay Kubo somewhere towards the end of the resort.

 It was a good way to start the new year.

Then we headed out to the beach once again. The first day of 2013 was such a beautiful day!

We decided to go boating and see more of the Pamalican Island.

This is really one unspoiled island we can be proud of! How I wish that all our beautiful islands are kept this way.

We all decided to go snorkeling in this part.

The Spoiled Mummy is no water baby (when it comes to the deep ocean), but since one of my New Year’s Resolution is to face my fears and jump at every opportunity in front of me, I willingly took the plunge! 🙂

Besides how can I not take advantage of this? I was already in one of the world’s most beautiful islands!

(Even Conde Nast Traveler agrees! Click the link to see that our very own Palawan has been included in the Destinations to Watch in 2013.)

…And with that big jump into the unknown, I saw and realized how amazing, no make that – spectacular the whole creation is!

(And how truly lucky and blessed we are to be surrounded by such beauty!)

This was the nice and comfortable boat that took us around the island.

Cocktails before sunset!

And then we all waited for this…the sunset of the first day of the new year.

Sunsets are always breathtaking, don’t you think? 🙂

And since this was the first time the sun went down for 2013…I dare say, this one was even more awe-inspiring and thought provoking than usual.

With so many rich experiences from 2012, lessons have been learned and wisdom has been gained. Past is past as we all say; not only is it time to move on, it is now time to look forward and look ahead! I am filled with a lot of hope, optimism and anticipation of what this new year will bring.

The only thing I know for sure is that the BEST is yet to come.