Pampered by God (Part 2)

Blessing #2: Queen Margarette’s Asha Spa


Like I said in my last blog, our trip to Quezon was filled with blessings. Blessing #2 was our stay in Queen Margarette Hotel. What a luxury to be able to stay in Lucena’s finest. 


After lunch in Silangang Nayon, we went back to the hotel to relax. Belle and I discovered that the hotel serves a humongous halo-halo in their restaurants (Kimsuy and Emerald Garden Café) which was perfect merienda for a hot afternoon. Actually we also had it for dinner and lunch the next day. It was that good – even our kids enjoyed it.

Half  of the humongous halo-halo

My cousin, Edna Dy who owns Queen Margarette, had been inviting us to try out their new spa. So we (Belle, her daughter, my two boys & I) booked an appointment at 5:00 for some spa-mpering.


The lobby of Asha Spa was dripping with elegance – from the décor to the subdued lighting. After registering, the boys went on their way to the men’s section while we proceeded to the ladies’ changing room. It was another elegant room, so we couldn’t resist taking pictures even if we were already clad in the white robe and floral slippers they provided.

Elegant changing room

Actually we ran true to our Pinoy nature (you know that saying: whenever two or more Pinoys are gathered there’s picture-taking?) by having shots taken all over this stylish place to record our rejuvenating experience. 


We wanted to hang out awhile in the tempting waters of the jacuzzi but sadly we weren’t prepared and too modest to bare it all even if there were just the 3 of us. So off we went for our Royal Asha massage. 


After the 1hour massage that removed all the stress kinks from our muscles, we were ushered to the lounge for tea. We waited for quite a while – it’s a good thing the seats were so comfortable and the ambiance relaxing – because the boys took time to enjoy all the facilities (jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna) before their massage. 

Drinking tea in the comfortable lounge

Belle told me that she kept thanking God for this treat with every soothing stroke of the therapist’s hand. And I second the motion. It was God’s pampering for his tired servants. 

My blessing: Asha Gift Certificate No. 001

Pampered by God (Part 1)

May 6, 2012 


Blessing #1: Lunch in Silangang Nayon


The cool sea breeze and blue waters welcomed me like a  hug from God. It was an answer to my prayer for a vacation with my sons. We haven’t gone on a family outing for quite a long time and I prayed for this time together. 


It wasn’t even an official vacation.  We were going to apply for new passports in Lucena and thought we’d turn the trip into an outing. 


Orchestrating this wasn’t a snap. There were schedules that didn’t match (my community service, their work) and health concerns (my elder son had fever 2 days before). My cousin Belle and her family, who were coming with us, had the same scheduling and health problems. But with prayers, it all worked out and here we were in Quezon. 

When I first came to Silangang Nayon about 2 years ago, I wished I could bring my children to this seaside park and restaurant. It’s a treat we city folks don’t often get: enjoying delicious native cuisine like sizzling scallops as we lazed in a “bamboo” cottage perched above the sea on the side of a cliff. 

While waiting for our order, we went down to the bridge connecting to the huts in the middle of the sea. I showed my niece, Angeli, the small plane on cable that brought food to the guests who preferred to dine over the water. After lunch we relaxed and enjoyed a bit more of the scenery. 


What a blessing it was for us to unwind from the rigors of work and community service in this place. More blessings were in store for us later in the afternoon and the next day including a hassle-free time (no appointment, shorter lines) applying for our passports. 


I can’t thank the Lord enough for this treat.