MANILA, Philippines - “Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes, a fantabulous night to make romance, ’neath the cover of October skies,” Van Morrison croons in his jazzy 1970 classic, “Moondance.” Although he is singing about one night in autumn, he could have very well been describing a night at Abacá Boutique Resort and Restaurant, Cebu’s most luxurious and by far, the most exclusive resort in Mactan.

Dreamy and stunningly beautiful with just the right lighting, warm, glowing candles everywhere, lush landscaped gardens, contemporary tropical aesthetics with elements of wood and stone, a black-tiled infinity pool that plunges into the ocean, and a terrace overlooking the sea― Abacá’s charisma is unlike any other.

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It’s Cebu’s answer to Mexico’s Costa Cayeres or Cap Juluca in the Caribbean island of Anguilla, at a not-so eye-popping price. It’s a place where famous people can go incognito, and still get rock-star treatment without the fuss; a place where “the staff talks to you when you want to be spoken to, and leaves you alone when you want to be left alone,” Jason proudly claims.

Regular Joes with a little extra dough can join the A-list bandwagon in getting away from civilization and get the ego boost that indulgent coddling can give. And with six well-appointed suites and three villas with private pools and iMacs, spa bathrooms with pedestal tubs and separate rain showers, feather-top beds with exceptionally soft linens, Jim Thompson silk pillows, LCD TVs and an up-to-date DVD selection, you can get some no-holds-barred first-class R&R in the privacy of your own room.

From 24-hour private butler service to an oceanfront spa offering botanical facials, massage therapy, and custom-made body treatments using natural, indigenous ingredients for services, which can also be enjoyed in the privacy of your suite, this resort provides its guests all the necessities of life.

‘Contemporary Filipino’

Hong Kong-based partner Jeny Compagnon designed the spacious rooms in a distinctive style she refers to as “contemporary Filipino heritage.” Largely tropical but with a contemporary Asian feel, classic wood and stone accent the rooms’ whitewashed walls. Filipino antiques, wood carvings and bespoke Kenneth Cobonpue accent pieces give them character. The owners ensure that “there is nothing generic about the rooms.”

Jason’s wife Anna developed and produced Abacá’s botanical based toiletries, including hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.

Although the rooms have only been open since last June, the restaurant at Abacá has made a name for itself since it first opened two years ago. With access to the island’s freshest seafood and fabulously fresh, often organic, produce, Jason and his staff whip up Mediterranean-influenced Californian dishes that are clean, simple and compellingly good.

Changed daily to accommodate market-fresh ingredients, menu mainstays include appetite-stimulating salads, knock-out wood-oven-fired flatbread pizzas that trigger that alarmingly instinctive I’ll-reach-for-another-slice-before-someone-else-does desire, and the herb pappardelle pasta with wild mushroom, braised veal and parmesan. The Angus rib-eye is in a class of its own here with the beef flown in chilled―never frozen―weekly from the US and aged in a chiller for an additional 2-3 weeks before it hits your plate.

The carefully crafted wine list is a fitting companion to the menu with an eclectic mix of wines to suit any budget. Abacá also has one of the most comprehensive champagne list in Cebu, as well as, a cocktail list which uses only the finest premium pours for pure, potent libation.

First-rate

The service is first-rate. Led by general manager and newly appointed partner, Glenn Ylanan―who Jason affectionately describes as “a lifesaver that is every bit as much of Abacá as I am, pure dedication, warmth and foresight”―the service staff is warm, friendly and attentive without being intrusive. They are knowledgeable about the dishes and move efficiently, with confidence, ease and graceful purpose in their every action.

Interestingly enough, 15 percent of Abacá’s staff is hired from its host barangay, and most of them have had no prior service or kitchen experience. Choosing to hire locals is in line with Jason and his partners’ goal of contributing to the community through personal development and people empowerment. This socially responsible undertaking is “not a PR thing,” Jason insists, but “it’s the right thing to do in the locality in which we do business.”

As well, Abacá patrons will be pleased to know for every customer, P10 is put into a fund for the residents of Sitio Buot, the community just outside the resort. Residents can avail of social services like a relocation allowance, death benefit, pregnancy allowance, senior support, and most importantly, school supplies for over 300 children a year.

Abacá is also one of the biggest contributors to the annual Battle of Mactan and Lapu-Lapu City fiesta.

If the devil is in the details, then Jason and his partners are the gods of obsessive perfection. Extremely passionate and driven, Abacá is the result of their belief in excellence. Everything about Abacá, from its ambiance and design to the food and service, is representative of their grand vision―excellent yet completely unpretentious.

Living by their creed, “We didn’t come here to be average,” an experience at Abacá is synonymous to Jason and his partners’ lofty definition of luxury. Abacá offers guests extreme attention to detail, even anticipating and fulfilling needs that you didn’t know you had.

Abacá’s room rates begin at $270.

Abacá Boutique Resort + Restaurant is located at Punta Engaño Road, Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; tel. (32) 4953461; www.abacaresort.com; email relax@abacaresort.com