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March 26, 2024
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A Feast of Many Flavors: 7 Ways Wanderlusters Can Spoil Their Tastebuds at Misibis Bay

From sunset cocktails to breakfast buffets, private dinners and live grilling by the shore, Misibis Bay delights traveling gourmands who love the island life and its many flavorful offerings. Here are eight delicious ways this private island resort in Albay showcases their food and dining chops.

Sometimes, when vacationing at a resort for longer periods — especially when it's located far from other attractions or placed on a separate island on its own — travelers may experience cabin fever (or in a tropical country's context: island fever), finding nothing else to do or see, soul restless; and for foodies — palate craving for more kinds of flavors. You'll never have this sickness at Misibis Bay, already an island playground for the thrill seekers with their many sporty and adventure-filled activities.

For gourmands, dining experience is made more unique and memorable in this luxury island getaway with the many food outlets and special dining packages offered. From sunset cocktails to breakfast buffets, private dinners and live grilling by the beach, Misibis Bay in Cagraray Island, Albay, delights traveling gourmands who love the island life and its many flavorful offerings.

Here are seven delicious ways this private island resort in Albay showcases their dining chops, leaving every guest's stomach satisfied and tastebuds never bored.

1. Taste local Bicolano flavors at Spice Market

Spice Market is the resort's signature restaurant that offers international cuisine while highlighting the trademark spices and dishes from the Bicol region. It's open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and depending on the number of guests booked at Misibis Bay, offers buffet meals that feature Bicol and local dishes. For breakfast buffet, the restaurant offers a mix of staple comfort food (like cereals, breads, pancakes, egg station, sausages and bacon) and Filipino favorites (tapa, bangus, adobo, goto/arroz caldo,  etc.) to fuel your morning. I enjoyed unlimited heaps of bacon, and even serving as topping on my bowl of champorado both mornings of our stay to act as crispy salty components to replace the traditional tuyo (dried salted fish) topping. Deliciously addicting!

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Spice Market
 
Breakfast buffet
 
Champorado my way for breakfast: topped with cereals and salty bacon bits

We were able to sample Spice Market's best local fare one evening, and while I am quite familiar with most of these Bicolano dishes since my mother's side of the family is from Bicol, it is always interesting to experience different interpretations of local cuisine — the inflections in flavors are just as varied and colorful as our country's many dialects. My favorites from the Spice Market's specialties are their Tilmok which is another term for Pinangat, a coconut meat delicacy made from scratch with fresh crab meat, and pork Adobo sa Asin which is not salty as the name might hint. This top hit at Spice Market (their best selling dish that some guests request to order for takeout!) skips the soy sauce, adds some salt, and uses equal parts red and white cane vinegar.

Tilmok (P425): minced crabmeat and shrimp wrapped in taro leaves and simmered in fresh coconut milk
 
Adobo sa Asin (P535): pork bellys simmered in vinegar until tender then pan-fried' topped with sauteed garlic chips and peppercorn, served with steamed rice

 

Spice Market Buffet Rates: P750/person for Breakfast, P950/person for lunch, and P1,100/person for dinner

 

2. Sip and refresh by the pool with Sula Bar and Cocoon Cafe

Just a hop and skip away from Spice Market is the Sula Bar, a poolside bar where they offer a wide selection of refreshments, spirits, wines, and cocktails. Here, you can beat the heat in two ways — by swimming at the infinity pool and by long sips of cold beverage of choice. Many guests head to this pool mid morning and afternoon as an alternative water activity for the beach a few minutes' walk away.

Infinity Pool, beside Spice Market

A few walks away is the lagoon pool which has a cafe located at its end. Cocoon Cafe serves premium coffee, tea, and light snacks. This cozy nook of the resort is the ideal place to unwind peacefully after a long day of watersports or ATV — get lost while reading your favorite book, browse your social media feed with their free wifi to update yourself with what's happening back home (try not to think of work, though!), or munch on some comfort food while the little kids are splashing around the lagoon pool. These two poolside dining options are ideal for in-between snacking and sipping light, as the main meals in Misibis Bay can stack up to be quite a feast — don't spoil your appetite!

Lagoon Pool

 

3. Toast to a great getaway with Sunset Cocktails at Five Views

The summit where your special sunset session will be held is called 'The Five Views,' as you get to take in an overwheming view of mother nature's splendor , highlighted by five peaks: Mayon, Malinao, Masaraga, Iriga, and Isarog. With a majestic view and the freshest air to welcome the day's sunset, this special spot of Misibis Bay has become a choice for proposals and romantic dates for guests.

Arrive and seat yourselves on the beanbags, while your personal butler prepares your cocktails and canapes. While the food wasn't filling as our spreads for dinner and lunch, I found this sunset session to be one of the most relaxing and satistying experiences at Misibis Bay, one that every guest should not miss. Another unforgettable one is shared last on this list, so do read on.

 

Sunset Cocktails at Five Views ( P890/person, minimum 2 pax) is inclusive of 2 rounds of cocktails from the 5-Views Drinks List or local beer, and pica-pica. Add P300/person to upgrade to 2 glasses of French House Wine and Assorted Canapes.

 

4. Arrange a special dinner set-up with candlelight and your very own maître d' for the night.

Honeymooning, celebrating an anniversary, or surprising loved ones just because? Let Misibis Bay spoil your palate with a private dining experience at the resort. Two perfect spots in the resort for an intimate dinner gathering are beachside and at the quieter side of the pool area — have dinner with an elegant table setting, with a pathway all lit up by candlelight.

Dinner set up for two at the Lagoon Pool
 
Dinner set up for two by the beach

Our five course meal (appetizer, salad, soup, main, and dessert) included popular Bicolano dishes from Spice Market, but guests can always request for other kinds of specialty dishes to be served in their five course meal. Each course is carefully presented and explained by your butler for the night, ours for the duration of our vacation was MacDonald and he explained the dishes further whenever I ask about the food. Dinnertime is made more magical with candlelight, a sky full of stars, and your personal butler for the evening ensuring everything is prepared just the way you like it.

Meditteranean appetizer of salad and fresh seafood cakes with pesto
 
Deconstructed Caesar (P350 ala carte), a best seller: choice of grilled chicken or smoked salmon, soft boiled egg, romaine hearts, parmesan shavings, anchovies, crispy bacon
 
Dessert: a duo of chocolate lava cake a la mode and special leche flan turon

Private dinner set up (resort premises) is priced P1,750 for a maximum of 4 persons; minimum of P1,300/person with a choice of grilled seafood/meat or a 5-course meal, inclusive of a personal butler.

 

5. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of seafood and meat with your family or friends by getting a Teppanyaki chef prepare your food right in front of you.

The mouthwatering smell of the freshest local seafood sizzling on a flat grill wafts in the evening air as we sat ourselves on our special table for two set-up by Misibis Bay. The crashing waves on the shore on my right, the Teppanyaki chef to my left, expertly maneuvering and slicing the meats. Encircling our dinner setup were again, candles inside brown paper bags, glowing beautifully against the midnight blue evening sky.

 

Seafood lovers will greatly enjoy this special Teppanyaki live cooking — plates of alimango, tanigue, salmon, and prawn prepared right in front of us were served with different sauces to season each protein to our taste. The finale of teppanyaki fried rice gathers tiny chunks of every grilled item we had into this warm bowl of addicting rice that we were doubly challenged to save space for dessert — the rice was too good to skip!

 
Teppanyaki rice

Private dinner set up of Teppanyaki live cooking at the resort  is at P1,750 for a maximum of 4 persons; minimum of P1,950 per person.

 

6. Eat the freshest 'beach cuisine' lunch of seafood and fruits at a private cove

Included in my list of my favorite pleasures when vacationing in a tropical island is to walk barefoot and sink my toes into warm sand, and to eat fresh seafood with much gusto using my bare hands. If this kind of island feasting is what your gourmand heart is longing for, then book an unforgettable feast with Misibis Bay's lunch at Bahi Cove.

Bahi Cove
 

It's a short boat trip from the resort's beach to the private cove, and when you arrive, a table setup awaits and beside it, a grilling station lined with the freshest seafood that will be cooked for you. I took in two of my pleasures in one go, as I was barefoot during lunch, demolishing a growing pile of prawns and crabs on our table. Fresh salads and seafood ceviche complimented our grilled proteins, and the smokey flavors of bangus and liempo were just an absolute delight to devour with spoonfuls of rice. To end our island lunch, we sweeten up with fresh fruits and kakanin (sweet sticky rice) of suman with gata served with latik sauce, sapin-sapin with sweet corn, and maja ube topped with grated cheese. With this dining package, you enjoy Bahi cove all to yourselves for a good four hours–more than enough time for a leisurely sunshiney lunch and a rest period to kick back and lounge, swim, or work on your tan.

 
 

Lunch At Bahi (private cove for 4 hours) is P8,000 for 2 persons. Additional P2,000 per person.

 

7. Get up close with Mount Mayon through a private cruise and greet her breathtaking sunset view with some wine and snacks.

Want to make your vacation at this Bicol island truly memorable? Then book yourself a sunset cruise and pre-order your wine and light snacks to bring with you. We took the speedboat cruise around the island on our last afternoon in Misibis Bay to view Mayon Volcano, and it was what sealed our trip beautifully. We were able to view the volcano (albeit cloudy) the day before when we did a day tour around Legazpi City during our pitstop at Cagsawa Ruins, but there is nothing like a totally unobstructed view of the majestic Mayon, and pairing the beautiful sight with some wine, pica-pica, and good company.

Sula Channel

The leisurely cruise was set against the backdrop of a peaceful afternoon, with our guide Kap Jake making us feel like VIPs as we toured the surrounding waters of Cagraray Island until the Sula Channel. Our Captain shared stories about the surrounding areas and communities, and would explain to us the different areas we would point out from the boat. Sips of red wine accompanied the sight of quiet, calm waters, with birds chirping in the background. Mayon Volcano is known in local folklore as 'Daragang Magayon' (beautiful lady). Stories tell of the lady dying in the arms of her lover and she rises to live as this gorgeous but raging volcano. The clouds are her lover, protective of her beauty, and it's been said that only the pure of heart and intention have the privilege of having a glimpse of Mayon in full stunning view. Truly mesmerizing that she decided to show herself to us that afternoon, and as everyone in the boat was smiling at this beautiful sight, our butler refills our wine glasses for a much-awaited toast.

 

Sunset cruise around Misibis Bay is P3,660 for a minimum of 6 persons.
 

 

Getting There:

Misibis Bay is located at Cagraray Island in Bacacay, Albay, Bicol. By plane, it is a 50 minute flight from Manila to Legazpi, and a one hour road trip from Legazpi Airport to the resort. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Tigerair have flights from Manila to Legazpi City. Land transportation (bus liners) from Manila to Legazpi also available, travel time approximately 12 hours.

For inquiries about the special dining packages and resort bookings, email reservations@misibisbay.com or call (0917) 5991606, (0921) 4873869 or (0915) 5006833. Like Misibis Bay on Facebook (/misibisbayofficialfanpage), visit their website (www.misibisbay.com), and follow on Instagram (@misibis_bay).

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