The ‘New Normal’ at Magic Resorts

Who would have thought that the world would end up looking like this six months ago? Well, we didn’t… however, like a line from a song goes “When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around” – The Police, if you’re asking. We at Magic Oceans did exactly that. We simply refused to be pinned down by this pandemic! After all, the sun still shines in this part of the world.

Due to the preventive actions taken by the Bohol province, the island managed to stay Covid-free for over two months and is one of the only few provinces with a handful of Covid-cases. The local government implemented an island-wide lockdown and was the first province to introduce the mandatory wearing of face masks and halt social gatherings.

Hence, the local government eased the lockdown and allowed people to travel within the island. Accommodation establishments were permitted to operate under the ‘new normal’ providing that they met all the requirements set forth by the Philippines Department of Tourism and other government agencies — a light at the end of the tunnel for us!

We didn’t waste any time. We decided to get Magic Oceans Covid-19-proof as soon as possible, to be able to offer all the local and stranded tourists on the island the best quarantine possible. We set up a protocol, organised a core skeletal team and obtained all the requirements (like hand sanitisers and thermometers among other things). Official facility inspections followed and finally we received the certificate to operate in these new circumstances — one of the first resorts in the country!

Geared up and ready for action, we first thought of the foreign tourists who might be in the middle of their holiday when the lockdown happened, perhaps stranded on the island either by choice or pure circumstance. We took advantage of the power of social media to let everyone know that we were open and ready for service. In response, we had several guests who happily obliged to being quarantined in this pocket of paradise at Magic Oceans. One couple even stayed for four months!

The situation further improved when more and more towns opened their borders and a few outdoor activities could operate again, under certain guidelines. We started with offering shore dives — the perk of having an amazing house reef! As soon as the word was out, a few divers from Panglao immediately grabbed the opportunity to be in the water again. Pictures were taken and were posted to their social media accounts and before we knew it, it almost felt like normal times again.

Although the resort operation and capacity is limited, we have a steady stream of visitors. From enthusiastic divers, business owners on the island (who obviously didn’t have much to do) to a handful of stranded tourists and some local families looking for a nice weekend getaway. Most of the guests returned to the resort several times and spread the word of the secret getaway in Anda called Magic Oceans. While July and August are normally considered as slower months, Magic Oceans was fully booked for several weekends. We could use a holiday ourselves!

With half a years’ worth of pretty much doing nothing, our bodies are rested but our minds are stressed from all the uncertainty for the future. With this in mind, we teamed up with our partner, yoga instructor Raisa to offer special retreats for those wanting to completely relax their body and mind. In this time of pandemic, who else is more stressed compared to the frontliners? The men and women at the forefront working long hours under unfavourable conditions. It started with a handful of medical practitioners who shared beautiful pictures of their relaxing time at the resort on their social media accounts, and word of mouth, that we have a steady flow of visitors from the medical field who wanted to momentarily escape the white walls and smell of disinfectants inside medical facilities and instead, relax surrounded with tropical green foliage and the smell of the ocean breeze.

Magic Oceans is a safe, peaceful and relaxing hidden getaway, and we are glad that during these difficult times, we have been able to render service and solace.

In addition, our sister property Magic Island in Moalboal has re-opened having recently been inspected and granted the official certificate to operate by the Philippines Department of Tourism.

We can’t wait to be extremely busy again, not only with local tourists but with our valued guests from all over the world. Come and visit as soon as you can. We’re ready and waiting!

Spend time at both resorts for the best Magic Dive Experience, an incredibly rewarding diving holiday at a fantastically competitive price! Contact us to book your Philippines diving holiday.