A Weekend of Leisure at Le Manoir Des Bounganvilliers

We did a little thing this weekend. We went away. Again. So many of you know we love to trapeze around the Philippine Islands combining work and play. We never say no to an opportunity to have a pop-up or a long bangka ride for a scenic photoshoot! Though this time, we wanted less work and more play, so we invited our friends to spend a weekend with us in Puerto Galera at Le Manoir Des Bounganvilliers.    

At 7:30 am on a Friday, our Motley Crew of fifteen drove up to Batangas to sail to Puerto Galera. We hopped on board El Rapaz, our friends Jaime and Isa's sixty-foot trimaran; we’re all about comfort and leisure, so of course, a little sail is necessary. El Rapaz came equipped with a banana boat, a wakeboard, a floatable throne, and an amazing crew that ensured maximum safety and fun. 

Before we hit Le Manoir, we docked on a beach to test out the toys El Rapaz came with. We all tried it with varying successes, but man, was it fun! By mid-afternoon, we were all hungry, so it was time to sail towards Le Manoir for a home cooked lunch by owner and chef, Erick.

It's difficult to encapsulate what Le Manoir is like. For starters, it was a thirty-year labor of love, and you'll see why. Each room has a different theme, inspired by Erick and Michel's (the two owners) travels around the world. The house glistens when the sunbeams hit the individually placed tiles, and each room has a different theme from countries like Thailand, Morocco, India, and Afghanistan. Inside and outside, everywhere is a feast for your eyes. 

 Once we got situated it was time for our late lunch, which this time, was a feast for our stomachs. Erick used to be a chef for the UN, so we were treated with the best kinilaw (local ceviche), bistek, salads, and saba spiced with ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. All of us went back for seconds... (or more). We poured some sparkling wine—Chandon, of course—and added some pomelo for a little magic. We thought the late lunch filled us up, but at around 10 pm, just as some of the early birds were thinking of going to bed, whilst some thinking of a top-up, Eric came out with a pan of freshly made vegetable curry–a perfect nightcap.

We got up early to shoot the new Rafiki prints around the property with our talented friend Susan Larsson. You might see some of our friends striking a pose too. 

The rest of the day was spent sipping drinks, eating nibbles, and lazing about in the pool until we decided to shoot our commemorative image, a 3D scan. But we'll save that story for another time :)