At the edge of the sea, a Filipino table

At South Palms Panglao MGallery, Chef Bettina Arguelles opens Tiya's House with a degustación rooted in regional flavors, memory, and place

- FELICIANO RODRIGUEZ III

Only in the tropics, and perhaps only in the Philippines, does the Christmas season arrive like this. Morning sunlight spills easily across a beachfront resort. The sea breeze moves without effort. Waves settle into a steady, calming rhythm. Somewhere, softly projected from hidden speakers, the familiar strains of the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack drift through the air as guests make their way to breakfast. It is an unhurried, almost surreal pairing: jazz-inflected holiday music and bare feet on sand. It is a scene that feels entirely local and deeply comforting. I would not trade it for anything.

That was how my day began at South Palms Panglao MGallery in Bohol, where I had been invited to experience Tiya's House, the resort's new destination dining concept led by Chef Bettina Arguelles. The setting alone sets expectations. Tiya's House is located in an ancestral beachfront structure, designed less like a restaurant and more like a home that opens itself to conversation, memory, and food. From the start, the experience feels intentional, grounded in place, and quietly ambitious.