Tag: travel

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Discovery Country Suites, Tagaytay, Cavite

We stayed at the Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay for the wedding. We decided on the hotel because it is very near Moon Garden, the reception venue.

The hotel has that nice and homey feel, especially if you have a posh and luxurious home. There are only a few rooms so you won’t encounter too much hustle and bustle. Each of the rooms had distinct design inspired by specific cultures, e.g. American, French, Japanese, Thai. Some of the rooms have a magnificent view of Taal or open to a nice garden that has.

The rooms were a bit expensive at P6.5k for the two rooms we got, Nara and Siam. There are less expensive rooms at P5.5k but we opted for the two because they are at the lower ground floor (less disturbance to the other guests) and between the rooms is a pretty big family area opening out to the garden (more room for family and relatives).

The staff was nice, friend, and were very accommodating. Upon request, they fixed up Nara for the photo shoot, then again after the wedding (although I was expecting them to have already done it while we were away). They even waived the additional charge for additional guests when some of my family decided to stay overnight at Siam. They even added more cookies when they served their complimentary milk and cookie night snacks.

Getting There: Getting there is a quite easy. From Metro Manila, you need to go through SLEX, exit towards Sta. Rosa, just follow the road till you reach the Tagaytay ridge road, turn right and watch out for Country Suites on your left.

Rooms: The rooms were great. Each has a theme, such as  Japanese for the Nara room and Thai for the Siam room. The rooms were spacious and well designed. Room rates are P5.5k, P6.5k, and P9.5k for the best room (Oxford). All rooms come with hot water, air conditioning, and wide-screen LCD TVs with cable. WiFi is available and but is not too strong in the rooms where we stayed.

Food and Beverage: The room is inclusive of breakfast for two. Food at Verbena, the in-house restaurant, is about P300 to P500 per order and drinks at less than P200 per drink. But you can always go out and the many Tagaytay restaurants along and near the ridge road.

Facilities: They have a jacuzzi, a garden, a library of books and DVDs.

Rating: 4/5

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Acuatico Beach Resort, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

Just came back from a rather short honeymoon at Acuatico Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas. The resort wasn’t bad. The problem is we ended up with a room that was so cramped! I wasn’t able to snap a photo but the bathroom was like just the shower here, the bowl beside it, and then the washbasin beside it. The bedroom was similarly cramped. We stayed the night because we got there late already and we had no more time to look for alternate resorts.

But everything else was good. They got a really awesome infinity pool with a bar in the middle, good facilities, beach, and food. The resident manager and the staff were also nice and friendly. I didn’t see the other room-type but, even though expensive, it just might have ended up to be  better experience and worth it.

Getting There: Getting there is a long process (a detailed map is available here). From Metro Manila, you need to go through the full length of SLEX, exit towards Batangas, take the Star Tollway, exit towards Lipa, then to either Padre Garcia or Rosario, then to San Juan, and finally to Laiya and a long stretch of resorts accessible via a mixed gravel and concrete road. Cars can navigate the road but you’ll need to moderate your speed. Total travel time is around 3 to 4 hours.

Rooms: Room rates are P5.5k for the cramped room, and P7.5k for the bigger room. All rooms with hot water, air conditioning, and wide-screen LCD TVs with cable. WiFi is available and the signal is very strong in the room.

Food and Beverage: The room is inclusive of breakfast for two. Your choice American or Filipino breakfast. Food at the in-house restaurant is about P100 to P300 per and drinks at less than P100 per.

Facilities: They have an awesome infinity pool, a good beach,  kayaks (that you can row to nowhere really), and they can arrange for jet skis and snorkeling trips.

Rating: 3/5

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Locked Out

Michelle and I went to faraway Nasugbu, Batangas for our canonical interview and pre-canna seminar. While registering at the parish office, I realized I forgot the keys inside the car. The canonical interview was about to start so there was pretty much nothing we could do.

Right after the interview, we asked around for a locksmith. We eventually ended up asking some cops and one of them called and even went to fetch a locksmith he knows. Unfortunately, the guy was off on some errand and we had no choice but to wait. When he finally arrived, one of the cops accompanied all of us to the church parking lot where the car was.

The locksmith got on with unlocking the door with a tensioner and a pick. It was slow going but  it’s comforting to know that for my car locks, it’s not as easy as using a wire as I’ve seen done on a friend’s car. Eventually, he succeeded in turning the lock but he found out he was turning it the wrong direction! So he started again on the other direction, gave up, moved to the other door and eventually succeeded.

Once the door was open, the cop checked my license and registration which was a good thing: he’s doing his job. Once he was satisfied, I thanked him and he left. I paid the locksmith, thanked him, and he too left. It was a just modest amount and at least I didn’t have to go back home just to get my spare key. Whew!

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2009 March 21 to 22 Putipot, Zambales

Last week, in what has become an annual pilgrimage, I went to Putipot again. Criso mentioned that she and some of her officemates are planning a trip to Putipot.  She invited Michelle and I. Coincidentally, I’ve promised Michelle to take her there and I figured it would be a good time since I prefer to go there in a group. We decided to go and I invited a bunch of people. But eventually only Ralph and his girlfriend Tiff committed.

Early Saturday, Michelle and I met up with them at a Shell gas station on the the northbound side of NLEX. After a quick breakfast and Chow King and purchasing some supplies at Shell select, we went on our way.

Our route took us all the way to the tip of NLEX, SCTEX all the way to Subic, then through the various towns of Zambales. We made a quick stop at San Antonio for a visit to the pamilihang bayan or town market. It was a pretty long trip, almost 7 hours and at one point I got a bit lost and had to rely on Google Maps on my phone to make  sure we’re on the right track.

But eventually we got to Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales. For a change, I decided to park at Dawal Beach Resort instead of my usual Isla Vista Beach Resort. I was irritated by the unfriendly staff of the latter when Michelle called them up for directions. It turned out that Dawal is actually much better, not just in facilities but also in friendliness. Everything was a snap and in no time at all, we’re put-putting on a boat to Putipot.

The island was almost as great as it was as before though the crowd seems to be thicker . But there were some welcome changes. Gone are  the fugly Globe tents of the previous year and the island seems to be cleaner with some trash bags and cans in strategic locations. In their place are huts which, fortunately, are made of native material so it wasn’t so bad.

Of course we were prepared with tents so we foregoed the huts and set up our tents. After swimming, we cooked then ate dinner of grilled liempo and tuna. This was followed by tequila. I was tired so the tequila got to me pretty quick and I was off to an early sleep. I didn’t even get to see the stars at midnight and the sunrise at dawn :(

The next day, we went swimming again, packed most of the stuff up then cooked and ate grilled chicken for lunch. We then completed our packing, called for our boat, put-putted back to Dawal, washed up, and soon we were on our way back. It was much faster going, 5 hours, and we got home in time for dinner.

Not a bad start to the summer!

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Moon Garden, Tagaytay

Michelle and I attended a fair at Tagaytay last Saturday. It was a smallish affair with only a handful of exhibitors. However, we did get to meet Vergel of Town’s Delight. He suggested a place called Moon Garden and offered to show us around the next day. Who are we to decline such and offer, yeah? So the next day, we went back to Tagaytay, met up with Vergel and did just that.

Moon Garden is a nice bed and breakfast situated in a relatively secluded area. They have a spacious graveled parking area. From the parking area, you follow a small path and enter a small gate into a lush garden. The garden has a mixed Asian and European feel.

The highlight of the place is, obviously, the moon theme. Little moons are scattered here and there: hanging from trees, in pots, etc. You can almost play find the moon or something.

In the center of the garden is the restaurant area. There’s a large dining area where you can find a fireplace (no logs nor fire, though) and a small fountain. There’s also a segregated hut or two for dining.

Just below the restaurant area are the casitas where you can spend the night. The casitas are spaced away from each other so that you can get a reasonable level of privacy and your night of serene solitude in the midst of the garden. I can just imagine how nice that would be. Maybe we’ll give the place a try one of these days.