Just about a three hour drive from Manila is Stilts resort located on the Calatagan Peninsula between the South China Sea and Balayan Bay, this is where the AsianTour 2017 recently took place. For the past three years, BikiniTeam has ventured out into Southeast Asia with a crew of photographers, a makeup and hair team and some of the most beautiful models in the world. This year would be no exception, the crew was bigger and the number of models almost doubled from last year’s event.

The resort itself is nestled on the ocean shore and our two bungalows were literally built over the water. Connected by bridges, the bungalows offered amazing views of the open ocean, stunning beach and overhead views of the abundant sea life just below. There was always a cool breeze flowing through the villa and the hammock was a popular go to spot. One of the coolest things about the rooms is that you could simply walk down a set of stairs right outside your front door that led to the water below. Easy access for a quick cooling swim or photo shoot.

Heading up the list of models were returning tour veterans Tyler Suess and Pashence Marie, both of which attended the 2016 Asian Tour in Boracay Philippines. Tyler pulls double duty as both a model and our video host each year. It wouldn’t be an AsianTour without Pashence Marie along for the ride. She has attended all three we have produced. Her nonstop exercise routines were both amusing and exhausting to watch. The list of newcomers to the event included models Mary Kaitlin, Courtney Newman, Carmela Fernandez, Katie Allen, Kristie Taylor and Lindzay Lee.

Our team of photographers included BikiniTeam co-founder John Neyrot and local photographer Jay Tablante. We were quite pleased to add our long time Florida friend and BikiniTeam photographer Greg Hunter to the roster. Lastly, glamour photographer Mike Prado brought his exceptional skills to the tour along with newcomer Cameron Doane. The hair and makeup squad outdid themselves this year by making all of the models look glamorous. Their day started an hour before the rest of the crew and didn’t end until the last picture was taken.

The first two days in what could easily be described as paradise on earth was spent creating images for the upcoming Miss Maneater swimwear catalog. This is one of Australia’s premier swimwear designers and we were stoked to have the owner, Renay along with us to oversee the process. Her edgy designs were a favorite among the models, each girl had a few bikinis designed specifically them.

The week long event started each day with sunrise shoots with the models everywhere around the resort. Some of the best locations were somewhat difficult to get to. Walking along the jagged rocks on the shore ended in some really cool spots to setup shop. The beach was a favorite spot as well as the garden and pool areas. Each day of shooting ended with an amazing sunset. The group worked long and hard to get the quality shots worthy of being published in the likes of FHM.

We shot over 150 looks throughout the week! Swimsuits for all of the girls were provided by Karo Swimwear, Peach Buns, Blue Sky Swimwear, Harem Swimwear, Bitsys Bikinis, Koki Swimwear, Swimxotic, Sheridyn Swim and Vizcaya Swimwear. Rose Gonzales Designs gave the ladies a bundle of bracelets, chokers and headbands to compliment the shoots while Faded Days Sunglasses provided all of the models and crew with shades to wear.

Old friendships were rekindled and new ones began. Each night everyone gathered for a group dinner to enjoy good conversation, great food and a frosty beverage or two. By the end of the AsianTour, everyone had bonded and the group was one big family. We love creating an experience that will last a lifetime for all those attend.

The models each received some really cool swimwear, jewelry and sunglasses. Once again, a huge “Thank You” goes out to all of our 2017 AsianTour sponsors that allow us to create these amazing photos and videos that last a lifetime. We hope you enjoy this highlight video from the trip, we have some amazing content in the pipeline and look forward to you enjoying watching it as much as we did making it.