Out Of The House

I’m already excited for my birthday, and it’s not til February! I think it’s because I’ll be celebrating my 30th, which for me is a milestone year. In the middle of trying to decide how and where to celebrate next year, I realized I hadn’t completed my series of birthday blog posts for 2012! I actually have a whole list of pending posts that I fully intend to finish before the year ends. I’m happy that today I will finally get to cross this post off my list!

I celebrated my my last birthday as a 20-something doing two of my favorite things – eating and staying at a hotel. This staycation was booked through Deal Grocer, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite discount deal sites. I had been dreaming of a Discovery Country Suites escape for a long time, and when I saw this one I knew it was finally time for me to get my wish. And all in perfect timing too!

This boutique hotel is located along the Tagaytay-Calamba road, and is very easy to find. There are a lot of parking spaces available right in front so you don’t need to worry about where you will leave your car for the night. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very cheerful security guard. I love it when a hotel’s staff is all smiles. I think it is very important that they are pleasant and cheerful, after all they work in the hospitality industry!

You’ll know you’re there when you see this sign.

Discovery also unknowingly gave me a fabulous birthday gift in the form of a free room upgrade. The Deal Grocer voucher was valid for either the Ceylon, Andalucia or St Tropez Suite. I booked the Andalucia Suite via email, and apparently someone else booked the room at the same time through their website. The reservations person didn’t see the website reservation, which was confirmed first, until after he had sent my email booking confirmation. And so I had to be assigned a different room. Since Ceylon and St Tropez were both already booked, I got my free upgrade to the Nara Premier Suite. Happy birthday to me!

I loved the Japanese-themed room, with the tatami mat flooring and pebbled bathroom.  The room is on the garden level, so we had direct access to the Jacuzzi and the pretty garden, plus our own patio area.

Lovely Japanese accents

A room with a view

Mr C’s signature panoramic photo

After my shopping spree at Ilog Maria, I really enjoyed hanging out with the boys on the patio. The cool Tagaytay afternoon air plus the refreshing welcome drinks we were served was a winning combination. What a way to relax!

Our garden for the day

TLC and Me

Welcome drinks: Mango shake with mint. Yum!

Mr C and his Mini Me

We spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy in the room. Mr C and TLC checked out the available TV channels while I took photos of the bathroom. Yes, the pictures are dark and grainy, thanks to my unreliable BlackBerry camera. The camera is one of the few things I dislike about my phone.

Surfing through the channels

Off to the bathroom I go

Bathrobes! And behind me is the closet

The shower area reminds me of the sauna/baths you see in Japanese movies

The usual amenities and some magazines on the shelf

What I was really looking forward to was the wine and cheese buffet. Mr C was in a hibernating mood and decided to just stay in the room the whole afternoon, so I went to Restaurant Veberna with just the little guy. He and I both enjoyed what he calls The Wine And Cheese Party.

My date 🙂

We borrowed some magazines from the hotel’s library, and just relaxed in the room before dinner. I was a bit buzzed from the wine so I just stayed in bed and watched TV til we got hungry.

Relaxing on his bed, inside his pillow fort

We had dinner at Restaurant Verbena that night. I wasn’t about to let our stay pass without sampling the food that so many people have been raving about. We had so much to eat over my birthday weekend that I was surprised we still had space to eat a lot in Tagaytay. I’ll post about our yummy dinner, and our yummy breakfast too real soon! In the meantime, check out what we had for lunch the next day at Buon Giorno.

Much love and happiness,

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DAY 1 (Part 2)

We arrived at the Jetty port a little before noon, and Mr C and I were both getting hungry. Luckily, all we had to do was sit and wait, and follow the travel agency guy when he said it was time to go.

Waiting for the boat, and sugar high from eating too much Mentos

We opted not to stay in the air-conditioned section of the boat since the wind would help keep Mr C from getting seasick. It was a good choice too because it allowed us to enjoy the view. Eventually, people seated inside came out to take photos.

We’ll get to eat lunch soon!

Scattered rain clouds

Enjoying the view

It was a really short boat ride, only about 10 minutes or so. I was a bit worried about the dark clouds we passed, but as we got closer to the island, the skies started clearing up!

Mr C loves taking panoramic shots of whenever we go somewhere

A closer look

At the port, we were welcomed by personnel from our hotel, Sur. We took the hotel shuttle, which was air-conditioned, and a million times better than a tricycle since it was noon, and very hot and humid. Again, I’m glad we booked our transfers through Sur.

Happy to be out of the heat, and headed for the hotel

Most people come to Boracay with a whole itinerary of activities in mind. That has never been the case with me. My ideal beach trip involves lounging in the sun, swimming, making sandcastles or writing on the sand, taking  long walks, and lots of r&r. Luckily, Mr C is exactly the same! No parasailing for us, no banana boat or flying fish, and definitely no helmet diving. Ours was most certainly the lazy person’s Boracay trip. I enjoyed every moment of it!

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by this view

When in Boracay, there is no better place to be lazy than in the quiet and mostly secluded Station One. I’ve only ever stayed in Station Two once, and it wasn’t even by choice because I was there for work and that was where we were housed. It was nice because everything was close by, but I missed the serenity you get when you book a hotel in Station One. Meanwhile, I’ve only ever BEEN to the Station Three area once, and I have to say that it really isn’t for me. Yes, I can be prissy sometimes.

Welcome to Sur

We chose Sur Beach Resort as recommended by my sister in law. It is a beachfront resort located in Boat Station One, in between White House and Two Seasons. It’s relatively cheap for a resort in that area, and of course rates were significantly lower because we went during low season.

Checking in

We arrived before check-out time, and our room was still occupied, so we decided to go out and get lunch first. I filled out all the requisite forms, then we changed to flip-flops and left our bags at the reception. The receptionist on duty, Ranny, said he would just SMS me when the room was ready. And we were off!

Guess where we ended up?

We meet again, Jonah’s

I found out before we left that Jonah’s moved from its former beach front location to a smaller space along the road. We saw their sign on our way to Sur, and I was so excited to have a fruit shake so we decided to eat there. The waitress informed us that they were only serving sandwiches and short orders since this was a temporary space, and their main store was being renovated. It’s a good thing we were only looking to have a light lunch.

Mr and Mrs C at Jonah’s, September 2012

Mr C ordered a watermelon shake with milk. I asked for my usual melon-mango shake, but the waitress informed me that they were out of melons. Boo! I opted instead for a watermelon shake without milk. Even though it wasn’t what I originally wanted, it was still so good. I love Jonah’s shakes!

Watermelon Shake (PHP90.00)

I ordered a Chori Burger (PHP90.00) and Mr C had a Club Burger (PHP150.00). Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take any photos of the food. We were so hungry that we went right for our sandwiches as soon as they plates were placed in front of us. Mr C’s burger was better than mine. Both were a bit messy to eat. Both were served with fries. Our meal was surprisingly filling. And that’s about it.

Just as we were finishing up, Ranny called to say that our room was ready. Perfect timing, I was dying to take a shower and get changed. We settled our bill, walked back to Sur and checked in. As soon as we got to the room, I went straight to the bathroom to shower. Meanwhile, Mr C took the only photo we have of the room before we messed it up.

Kissing swans

We booked a Superior Beachfront Room, which has a king sized bed, a single bed, perfect for a small family. It has a really big bathroom with a bathtub and basic toiletries. There is a refrigerator and a flat screen TV with cable in the room, and it has a private balcony overlooking the sea. At PHP 5040.00 a night, I’d say we made an excellent choice with Sur.

Here’s a photo of the Superior Beachfront Room from Sur’s website

Also, check out the first post in the series, Airphil Express and the Kalibo Experience.

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on  Facebook  and  Twitter ! *

I love Boracay. Then again, who doesn’t? I’ve been lucky enough to be able to visit the island at least once each year since 2008. Each time though, I went for work. My only non-work trip there was during my first visit with my family back in highschool.  Mr C, on the other hand, had only been able to visit Boracay once, sometime in highschool as well, with his family. So when Mr C and I were deciding where to go for our first anniversary, Boracay became the obvious choice. We were sure to have a relaxing stay with great food, happy hour on the beach at sunset, and a lovely view throughout the day. Best of all, it was a budget-friendly option.

Did somebody say happy hour on the beach at sunset?

We booked an Airphil Express flight to Boracay via Kalibo. I’ve never gone through Kalibo before because I was told that the road trip was really unpleasant. I believe in traveling comfortably, so it was always Caticlan or nothing. But in the interest of being budget-conscious, and since I would be travelling with Mr C anyway, I decided to give Kalibo a chance. I think this was also my first time to fly Airphil Express, since I usually opt to take PAL or Cebu Pacific. It was the first time Mr C and I were flying together, and our first three day, two night getaway, just the two of us. Can you imagine that? And we’ve been together for thirteen years!

We didn’t get the chance to travel for our honeymoon. We instead went on a perfect staycation at Sofitel Hotel, a gift from my in-laws. Honestly, this was my idea of a perfect honeymoon!

Honeymooning at Sofitel, September 2011

DAY 1

I was so excited for our trip that I woke up way before my alarm went off on the morning of our departure. We were all packed, and just had to get ourselves ready and head off to the airport. It was a blessing in disguise that we had an early start that day because the overnight parking lot at the airport was crazy full. It took some time, and a 100 Peso tip to one of the guards (was that too much?) before we were finally able to park in one of the slots that the airport taxis usually use. Thinking about it now, we might have been duped. But honestly, I don’t care. Doesn’t say much about the policies in NAIA though.

Speaking of NAIA policies…

We walked to the airport entrance with tickets and valid ID’s in hand. We passed thru the lower entrance, near the arrival area since it was closest to where we left the car. The guards didn’t ask to see out tickets or ID’s though. I was under the impression that they made sure that only people with business in the airport were allowed inside, but I guess I was wrong. Or maybe it was because we were near the arrivals area? Whatever it is, airport security sure wasn’t strict that morning. At least not as strict as I remember them to be, or hoped they would be. Anyway…

Mr and Mrs P Cuyugan at NAIA3

We checked in and got some coffee and banana bread before settling down at the pre-departure area. While waiting, Mr C started playing Triple Town on his Kindle, as expected. It’s a really addicting game, so don’t click on the link unless you intend to waste some time. Meanwhile, I busied myself people watching and reading. It was a bright sunny day and we were both in lovely moods. Vacation mode was activated in full force!

Mr C Triple Town-ing while waiting

Too bad Airphil Express had to spoil it by announcing that our flight would be delayed due to runway traffic. A friend of mine actually warned me before that Airphil is almost always delayed. Maybe I should have listened. So there we sat for an extra half hour while the Kalibo and Caticlan flights of Cebu Pacific took off. Fortunately, I was extra giddy that morning and that helped stretch my patience. But still, minus one pogi (handsome) point to you, Airphil Express!

In the shuttle going to the plane

Because Mr C loves me, he let me have the window seat. Little did I know that Airphil Express had another unpleasant surprise waiting for me there. Eeew.

Can you see what’s wrong with this picture?

A closer look. And I thought I had the window seat…

View from the top

Flight delays and dead bugs aside, we were happy to be off. It was a quick, smooth flight, and I was glad I had my Kindle with me. I actually finished A Game of Thrones over the weekend. The highlight of the flight was the captain’s announcement when we said, “The weather in Boracay is, well, beach weather.”

About to land!

I was surprised to learn that the airport in Kalibo is an international one. You can actually fly straight to Shanghai, Beijing, HongKong, and other Asian destinations from there.

Welcome to Kalibo!

Thank you, Airphil Express for getting us there safely

While Mr C waited for our luggage, I looked for a representative from the Southwest Tours, the partner travel agency of the hotel we booked. One of the smartest decisions we made on this trip was to book all our transfers thru the hotel. If we had come via Caticlan, I wouldn’t have spent the extra money on transfers. But since we were in for a 2-hour land trip, I figured we were better off with a plan.

We traveled to the Jetty Port via bus. The nice people of Southwest remind you to get water or snacks before leaving since it was going to be a long ride with only one stop over halfway ‘for all your restroom needs’, as the travel agency personnel said. I slept thru most of the ride, while Mr C battled with his motion sickness. I am really so lucky that I don’t get carsick, airsick, or seasick!

Off we go again!

I would say that travelling to Boracay via Kalibo isn’t as bad as most people say it is. I’m pretty sure that this has improved immensely from the earlier days. If you ask me, I’d still rather fly in via Caticlan and get to the beach as quickly as possible. But that’s just me.

What airline/route do you guys usually take when you go to Boracay?

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *