The Italians have a concept for piddling around known as “Dolce Far Niente,” which means – the sweetness of doing nothing. I learned about this concept after watching Elizabeth Gilbert’s masterpiece Eat. Pray. Love. like a million times. The idea finally sunk in to me so I asked my dear husband to spend a weekend “staycation” with me in one of the resorts in Mactan just because. Sure, there are plenty of high end resorts to choose from but Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort clearly stood out for many reasons.
Established in July 1989, Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort is one proud member of the Bluewater Resorts group, a wholly Filipino-owned chain of resorts showcasing the best of Filipino culture: creative, warm, friendly, attentive, caring, and relaxing.
The moment we stepped out of the car, we immediately felt the Filipino warmth and hospitality. The resort staffs greeted us “Maayong hapon!” which means “Good afternoon!” in English. We were then escorted to an open native pavilion for our check in and welcome drinks. Shortly thereafter, our room key was handed over along with a map of the resort (because the resort is pretty huge) then we were taken into a golf cart to transport us to our room.
Our Premiere Deluxe room was ideally situated on the beachfront. We were literally a few steps away from beach yet a little tucked away for some peace and quiet.
Wow, floating beds! I exclaimed.
The staff informed us that this is the resort’s trademark. Aside from the design and cleanliness of their well-appointed air conditioned rooms, the size of our room was also impressive.
Room amenities included a mini bar, a wall-mounted flat screen cable TV, NDD/IDD telephone, a large sky lighted bathroom with free-standing bathtub, closet, bidet and separate shower with rain shower head, private veranda and coffee/tea making facility plus free WiFi.
There were three inviting, beach-inspired, lagoon-shaped swimming pools (one of which has a kiddie slide), all with a shallow depth ideal for children. Pool towels were provided for guest use and all pools had lifeguards on duty.
The resort is known for its Marine Wildlife Saltwater Lagoons which was filled with assorted tropical fish including groupers, clown fish and 2 black tip reef sharks. A scheduled shark and fish feeding activity is offered daily at 4 PM.
The beach has fine white sand with thatched umbrellas, and the cove-like formation owing to the nearby private island gives the place an “exclusive” feel. There was also a beach volleyball court and a life size chessboard on a first come, first serve basis. For the water sports enthusiasts, there were various activities available, such as jet skiing, diving, snorkeling, and boat trips to the surrounding islands.
One of the highlights of our staycation at Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort was our dining experiences. Each morning, we looked forward to having our breakfast at Allegro, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort’s main restaurant which offers al fresco patio dining by the pool.
My husband was extremely ecstatic of their Western breakfast choices with premium quality bread and spreads. While yours truly was drowning with Asian breakfast options especially Filipino favorites such as danggit and tocino. Most guests would gather around the egg and noodle station where the Chef recommends a daily must-try.
On our first dinner in the resort, we indulged our guilty pleasure at Allegro’s theme dinner buffet and my gosh… The buffet options were overwhelming! Appetizers were to die for, incredible entrees, massive dessert table, unique noddle station and quaint crepe station. Our next 3 meals were secured by the amount of food we ate that night and I’m not even ashamed to admit that!
My husband and I also had the opportunity to enjoy a 3-course pre-Valentine’s day dinner at The Cove Live Seafood Restaurant, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort’s premier restaurant overlooking the Bluewater Private Island and the open sea. This cool and breezy resto offers ala carte lunch and dinner menus, choosing the freshest sea bounty varieties from seawater aquariums and have them prepared to your liking.
Overall, it was a stress-free, wonderful weekend escape at Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort that sealed our Valentine’s day this year. The combination of the resort’s excellent rooms, on-site services and dining options makes it a great place for a weekend getaway.
We left with a heavy heart. 😦
Hope to be back soon!
*We were invited to stay at Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort in return for our honest and open review. The views and opinions expressed on this post are purely ours and not influenced by the hotel and its affiliates in any way.
Travelosio 
Wow! Look at those buffet options! I wonder how the oysters were like?
Anyway, Maribago Bluewater looks like an awesome resort for a weekend of relaxation and leisure. I sure wished I live closer to Cebu so I can enjoy my own staycation there! Well, maybe someday? I’m only in Davao so… 🙂
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Oh my god. It looks so amazing *_* I want to go there and stay there for a week or month. I need vacation right now .. Thank you for sharing this amazing place, my friend 🙂
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THAT BUFFET SCREAMS TO ME! lol!!
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Looks like a great vacation destination and a great way to get some great R&R for a getaway! Thanks for the detailed rundown! Might have to check this place out!
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Ahahah “dolce far niente “it’s right!
I’m italian:)Means you must relax ,expecially when you’re on vacation!
This place seems to be so beautiful,you sure enjoyed your trip!
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OMG I am so jealous right now! I am here in the snow in Sweden. I would love to go there and chill out! This destination is fabulous. The bed, the food, the little sharks… all so inspiring!
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This resort is jaw-droppingly beautiful! I’m not sure if I could drag myself out of the room with that tub, that tub is the tub of my dreams! I’ve never seen a floating bed before, that is so cool! The beach is gorgeous and I love that there is jet skiing and snorkeling! I would definitely love to visit this resort!
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The sweetness of doing nothing was a concept that I learnt about when researching Tuscan culture and I think it is something we should learn about ourselves. I have to say this is the best staycation I have ever seen!
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Extremely jealous! Gorgeous pics btw. The Italians know what’s up. Doing nothing just because is something Honey and I don’t get to do very often. It involves eating pizza and watching movies or Bob’s Burgers with our other bestie. We’re too busy with work, school, or trying to launch the Honey and Fox blog.
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Oh wow, I want to be here right now. This resort looks so amazing. I am impressed by that dinner buffet!
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woww i love love love everything i’ve seen in this post… you are so lucky ❤
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Love everything. The pictures are great. Perfect spot for summer break. Hope there is veg food in the buffet. Hope to visit this exotic place soon.
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What an amazing, romantic get away! It does the body and soul good to get away and unwind. We try to do it often!
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This looks like a pretty good staycation. I think you may kind of live in a holiday destination as it is!
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Went there 5 years ago and loved it. Your images were a great reminder, now I wanna go again! 🙂
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We still cannot get over the floating beds…
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What an awesome article! Love the pictures – and that buffet has my mouth watering. Next time I’m in Cebu I’m definitely going to spend some time there. Thanks for letting us know about this hotel.
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I love the concept of Dolce Far Niente. Its one of my hubby favorite sayings. I heard it first from Samantha Brown on the Travel Chanel. And staycations are awesome. People tell me all the time they can’t afford to travel and I always suggest them.
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Awesome resort! I love that you have a lot of space in the room. It’s definitely worth staying at, especially since they have a lot to offer, from the swimming pools to the food.
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I am in love with those photos. The room is absolutely gorgeous, the beach is my idea of perfection and that buffet…. I wish I could go there….
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A moment of silence as a wave of great jealously washes over me! I’m not even kidding .. this looks absolutely amazing! I love how the beds seem glow and almost levitate off the floor! Thank-you for making me smile!
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The dining experience alone looks and sounds amazing! I know I would love a getaway here…it looks absolutely gorgeous and very relaxing!
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Se manifique!!! i want wanna hop on a plane right now yo! wow
Such EPIC photography and I love love how you started of with Dolce Far Niente
hahaha that’s soooo me
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I would love to have a staycation in such an amazing place! What stole my heart is definitely that bathroom, bit the big tub you can soak in after a day in the sun. The beach looks amazing as well, all blue water and blue sky. Perfect resort, really!
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Wow! As in wow! What a beautiful place to stay at! I’m loving everything in here especially that tub, oh my goodness! I wouldn’t want to step out of that bathroom alone!
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This is amazing!! Man, they take dining to a new level over there!! I love it. I wouldn’t dare want to leave. I can see myself snapping millions of photos and just enjoying the scenery
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Wow! The place looks amazing, Sarah! You definitely had a stress-free stay-cation on your Valentine’s Day with your hubby. I would love to go there with my hubby coz we both love beaches. Great post to read. 🙂
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Oh wow this resort is incredible! And I was floored with the floating beds they sound so cool, along with the pools. wow!
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Ive been to Maribago Blue Water here in Cebu and it’s so beautiful. Nice post ☺☺
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