We begun our day as all days should begin. With an excellent pot of tea, accompanied by an incredible view over the ocean.

We mooched around the villa before making our way down to breakfast.

I often find buffet breakfasts are disappointing. However, not this breakfast! With sunlight flooding into the beautifully decorated room we took our seats, ordered coffees and began to fill the table with goodies.

First, we stocked up on juices. I highly recommend the watermelon as an alternative to orange juice. So refreshing!

A whole corner of indigenous decoration and furniture dedicated to pasty and bread. Heaven!

Bircher muesli, a variety of cereals and these little pots of goodies to spruce things up a little!

Just the beginning…

Sushi!

Fresh waffles and pancakes.

Fresh ‘Bibingka’ is a local waffle crossed with a cake and a pancake. They are served warm every few minutes and I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious these are. They are made with rice flour, butter, sugar and coconut milk. You can have them plain, with melted cheese, with blueberries or a swirl of raspberry jam. I loved the plain ones with a drizzle of maple syrup and some coconut shavings. They literally melt in your mouth.

Heaps of fresh, flavoursome fruit.

An abundance of asian food…

After filling ourselves to the brim we ambled down to the pool area.

Each swimming pool flows to the next in a seamless manner. Surrounding the pools are vast grassy areas with hammocks, cosy cushions and coconut palms giving it a very natural and relaxing vibe.

The private beach was nearly empty! No sun bed wars here!

A little amphitheatre….

After a little relaxation, I took a yoga class and then made my way down to the on-site Chi Spa, Max in tow.

Located amongst the trees and surrounded by a little pond, it is instantly an incredibly peaceful place.

The ‘vitality’ pool. Apparently after just a few hours soaking you come out looking 10 years younger.

We were led to our little villa where the treatment would take place.

As I began undressing to “robe up”, it dawned on Max that he had to wear some rather tiny pants and not his swimming shorts. In disbelief he went outside to check. The masseuse confirmed it was indeed necessary to wear them.

We giggled away and enjoyed our moment of #robelife.

Before we were directed to the treatment bed, our feet were throughly cleaned and felt silky smooth. I have been seriously in need of a good foot scrub after wearing flip flops everyday!

We received the Philippine Hilot massage which uses hot banana leaves and coconut oil to detect areas of energy imbalance and blockages. The hot leaves are rolled out over the skin and left to settle. The masseuse then pulled them away from the skin and if they didn’t come away easily, this suggested an imbalance.

Dosing in and out of a light sleep I felt so pampered and relaxed.

I felt lighter, and every joint and muscle felt loose and free.

After the massage we quickly changed for supper which was booked at the resorts best restaurant, Rima. Sceptical that last nights beach experience just couldn’t be beaten, I was amazed by this beautiful tree-top spot.

You are quite literally amongst the trees.

It felt so good to dress up. I am loving the whole bikini, flip flop, no make-up and salty hair lifestyle but it’s really nice to bounce back into dressing up mode!

We sipped on incredible wine that went down a little too easily and decided on the 6 course taster menu.

Pumpkin foam, roasted shrimp with shavings of truffle. Light and decadent.

Tuna tartar, caviar, tomato jelly and avocado; Maxs favourite starter dish.

Followed by my favourite, timbale of mushroom, parmesan ice cream and forume d’ambert fondue. Completely divine.

Next up was something more sweet but not a dessert, combining fois gras with a cinnamon pear and crispy raspberries. A really beautiful dish.

Liquid parmesan ravioli, zucchini and red capsicum sauce. Obviously this was made to perfection by the fabulous Italian chef, Omar Ugoletti.

Eventually we reached the ‘main course’.

Pigeon on its nest, with fake mango egg and a yummy jus.

Pre-dessert was light and hit new levels of perfection. A seriously high-end kind of chocolate orange!

Orange sorbet with chocolate and pepper. Yes, pepper.

To end this exquisite supper, we were spoilt with yet another taste sensation.

Frozen espresso sabayon, red port wine jelly and mascarpone ice cream. I didn’t want it to end!

By the end of our supper, the restaurant had emptied and we enjoyed chatting to Omar, the talented chef who designed this taste extravaganza. Such a gentlemen and an artist, a fabulous combination!

After a quick swig of calvados, we retreated to our pad.

The beach setting couldn’t be beaten but the food at Rima is some of the best I have ever eaten.

Is it bad that I still went to sleep strategising about what I would choose for breakfast the next day?