Local celebrities begged off tapings, and influencers scrambled to get an invite to the recent two day launch of the Omega Seamaster Aquaterra in the exclusive Aman resort. After the event, several of them sent event organizer Marilen Nunez gifts and notes with a similar message, “Thank you for inviting us to the most beautiful event we have ever attended!” The secret to this impressive party?
The Venue
Amanpulo is part of the exclusive Aman chain of international resorts. The rack rate for a beach casita goes for more than 2 thousand dollars a night, and even though it’s part of the Palawan islands, the airfare for the private plane costs more than a ticket to Hong Kong. Service is luxe all the way, and the pristine powder white sand and azure waters of Pamalican Island, are exceptional, even for the region. The Palawan islands for the Philippines have consistently been named best in the world, so that is saying a lot. Each casita has a solar powered golf cart assigned to it and some clusters of villas have butlers, private chefs and sizeable swimming pools.
The Guests
Everyone knows that one of the secrets to a great party is the combination of guests. In this event, Omega gathered the stylish people from showbiz, media and fashion, and since they all knew each other, it was an instant riot. As fashion designer Rajo declared at lunch to the entire table, addressing his partner, interior designer Nix Alanon, “Let’s get married here na! All our friends are here already! “
The Activities and Set Up
The festivities started with lunch at the beach club, followed by dinner by the pool. In between, all the bikinis came out as everyone found their own piece of paradise to do their “shoot”. The venue is totally instagrammable, and provided ample content for everyone’s social media feed. The evening found the main pool area transformed for the welcome dinner. The next day, everyone had a chance to pose on the iconic Reyna chair by Vito Selma and get a portrait done by fashion photographer Magic Liwanag . After that, a ride on a yacht to a floating pavilion where the first of the Omega seamaster aquaTerra watches are on display. A tour of the island is incorporated as guests go from the southern tip of the island to the spa and private beaches and pools to spot more Seamaster watches on display.
Dinner was a total surprise. A narrow candle lit path led to a stretch of beach and one long table for a dinner set up for 60 people. A total of ten thousand candles as far as the eye could see lit the beaches on either side and the word Omega in neon lights blazed from the sea. To end a spectacular two days, a fireworks display erupted at 11pm, bathing the darkened ocean in glowing light.
