Travel

Someone seems to be enjoying that beer A LOT!

The rainy Manila weather made me think about our Boracay escape last September, and how I never actually finished blogging about it. We were really lucky that the weather cooperated with us during our trip. We did have rainy mornings and evenings, but the sun was shone merrily throughout the day. It was just the kind of weather we were looking forward to.

Perfect weather!

We spent most of our weekend in the water.

Mr C and his usual underwater shot.

Off to the cabanas to take a break from the sun.

I thought I was starting to get dark already but Mr C said it was all just in my head.

Our latest hobby – doing the crossword puzzles in the newspaper.

It’s nice and quiet at Sur. Perfect for honeymooners!

When the sun to go down, we went back out to the beach hoping to enjoy our first Boracay sunset. The rain clouds were starting to roll in though, so the setting sun was partly hidden. That’s ok though, it didn’t stop us from going for one last swim!

Late afternoon, and my ugly bunny face.

Relaxing with Mr C!

My favorite pair. These guys have gone EVERYWHERE with me – Boracay, El Nido, Puerto Princesa, Cabu, Davao, Batangas, Zambales… The list goes on and on!

The kids of Boracay are just AMAZING at making sandcastles!

Last swim for the day. It was starting to get chilly already.

A view of the sunset from the water

The perks of having a waterproof camera.

We chose to just have dinner at the resort on our first night since it was raining and we were both tired from travelling, and already a little tipsy from the beers.  The food at Sur was just so-so, and the servings were pretty small.  It also took long for our food to be served after we placed our orders. I don’t think we’ll choose to eat there again if we book a stay there next time, unless absolutely necessary.

Mr C had the beef salpicao, which was good but a little on the tough side. I ordered calamari which took so long to arrive that I was too hungry by the time it was put on the table so I didn’t bother to take a photo anymore. We also got an order of tuna sashimi.  The meal was a bit pricey, as expected. In my honest opinion, it wasn’t worth what we paid for, but that’s what we get for being too lazy to go out.

Beef salpicao, rice and atchara

Tuna sashimi

We went straight to bed after dinner since we wanted to wake up early the next morning. And that’s about it for the first day of our Boracay escapade!

More, more, more Boracay Day1!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

A few posts ago, I shared the story of the Discovery Country Suites staycation that I purchased through Deal Grocer. Since that was such a success, I made it a point to keep an eye out for other great deals. Meanwhile, a few posts ago still, I officially declared September as our Wedding Anniversary month. And so I spent a good deal of August planning activities for me and Mr C, and for the two of us with TLC. As luck would have it, Deal Grocer came out with an Acacia Hotel Staycation deal at the beginning of September. And that’s how we spent the final weekend of our anniversary month.

There are three things that I love most about our stay at Acacia. First, everyone was smiling – from the K9 handler at the door, to the housekeeping people, all the waiters, pool attendants, front desk staff, butlers, EVERYONE. Even over the phone, you can actually hear the smile on the face of the person you’re talking to! It put me in such a good mood being around all those cheery faces. [Read more…] about Acacia Hotel: Home Away From Home

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,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

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 ! *