Dockyard dance with a killer view of the Pudong skyline, the very boutique 19 rooms of Danish functionalism finally opens its doors to the public! Next month, eyespy goes to 2010 World Expo Shanghai, Copula me at the brand new Waterhouse at South Bund!
The Waterhouse at South Bund
Maojiayuan Road 1-3,
Zhongshan Road South,
Huangpu District,
Shanghai
+86 21 6080 2988
sales@waterhouseshanghai.com
Spent the weekend in Cebu for a diving trip and uncovered this hidden gem of a resort Abaca! I generally stay at boutiques and avoid big chains when possible, the bf took control this time and gosh, was I green with envy!
You arrive at a giant sliding steel gate with nothing but a "Please Sound Horn to Open" punctured across, pretty secretive. I looked left, ah, there's the Abaca sign, nice and discreet. Gate opens, enter pathway of bamboo/palm trees and delicately lined pebble paths to arrive at the Abaca Restaurant. Someone foreign must've done up the place. I passed by French windows, colonial fans, modern wicker chairs and original slabs of tree as tables to arrive at the outdoor terrace of stone with rushing water.
Food was to die for! Thin crust clam pie pizza with shaved potatoes, smoked bacon and garlic cream was divine, the lunch trio was presented so neatly on a cheese board, I was going to call out the kitchen staff for a hug. I engulfed the celery cream soup , shoved spoonfuls of the best potato salad I've ever had (secret is dill!) and devoured the Cuban sandwich piled with slow cooked pork and ham. Dessert was even better! I have this thing for bananas and my obvious choice was the banana chocolate trife. It comes in a pot with amaretto soaked lady fingers, sliced bananas, chopped almonds under thick gooey custard and topped with a bed of cinnamon sprinkles. I was so flipping happy and gosh was it cheap! HK$302 for lunch, drinks and dessert, a steal!
I peered out of the restaurant to discover modern deck chairs lined neatly next to an infinity pool. Some really fit WAG was perched on a rock looking over the ocean, flipping magazines. I'm jealous.
Talk about true boutique. They've only 6 suites and 3 villas. Asked the matinee, Yes Ma'am, we're fully booked.
And look at that spa! When it looks that good, it must be good. Drool, when's the next flight out to Cebu? I'm coming back
Abaca Boutique Resort + Restaurant
Punta Engana Road,
MActan Island, Lapu Lapu City
Philippines
Tel +63 32 495 3461
