I’ve never looked at Cagayan as a tourist destination. To me, it has always been home. So the idea of going sightseeing there was quite new to me. But I welcomed it because I had been hearing great things about the developments in Sta. Ana, a remote northeastern town. The three-and-a-half hour drive from Solana, my hometown, was bearable because the roads were good. But it was a relief to finally arrive at our destination and stretch my legs. We passed by Port Irene and Eastern Casino on our way to Sun City where we were booked.
Sun City is the only luxury resort development in the area and it caters mainly to the Chinese crowd who come to Sta. Ana straight from Xiamen and Guangdong and other parts of China and Taiwan. I was impressed when I saw solar panels powering every villa, and was even more awed when I saw the interior of our three-bedroom villa. It had all the requisite features of a five-star villa such as flat-screen TV in every room, rainshower heads, king beds and free wi-fi. The design was a tastefully curated mix of Asian, not the dragons and jade sensibilities of a tacky Chinese restaurant, but beige and white drapes, dark wood furniture, muted green walls with spare touches of gold and taupe and brocade from the bedside lamps and cylindrical chandelier.
The villas alone were impressive enough but the real shock came by way of the infinity pool, fully equipped gym and posh spa. They were certainly not what you’d expect to see in such a remote place.
Posted April 26, 2010 in travelswithgusto.wordpress.com
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