Short but sweet Baguio stopover

Straight from Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, we ascended to Baguio. It took us 1 ½ hours of travel. We were greeted by a foggy weather and drizzle as we made our way to the country’s summer capital.

We are not Baguio first timers so we skipped the more touristy activities in the city. We just wanted to spend a few hours in Baguio and catch up with what’s new in the city.

Our itinerary was: eat + ukay and pasalubong shopping + chill. That’s the most relaxed itinerary ever.

We arrived past 2pm in Baguio. I noticed that the streets in Baguio seem smaller now or there was too many people walking? We had to walk sideways sometimes to make sure that we don’t bump people walking towards our direction. I must say Baguio is crowded these days. It was just 2pm and it wasn’t the rush hour yet and people are all out on the streets.

  

We had our late lunch at Jack’s Restaurant in Session Road. As recommended by JB, we tried Jack’s Rice. It consisted of a quarter roast chicken, chop suey, egg, and a piece of lechon, fried rice. It was a big serving for Php75. Definitelty not bad!!

After our lunch, we went to JB’s house to drop off our things and went back to the city for pasalubong shopping.

I just bought the usuals like peanut brittle, choco flakes, lengua de gato, choco mallows. Although my mom would appreciate bringing a ‘walis tambo’ from Baguio, I hesitated. Hehe I’m just too shy to carry that back home and we’re taking the bus.

Ru, who frequents Baguio, went back to his suki shop where he bought a cardigan. It was really nicely knitted at Php300.

After that, we went to a building of ukay shops. And guess what? I wasn’t able to buy anything. I love thrift shopping. When I’m in the mood to shop but just don’t have the moolah, I go to my favorite ukay shops. It gives me less guilt feeling rather than by swiping my credit card. So, you see it was really surprise I didn’t buy anything even just a 30 pesos top. Haha I may been overwhelmed with all the ukay stuff but honestly most of the stores do not sell cheaper clothes. I can surely buy them in Manila in much cheaper prices. Maybe that ukay complex was priced for tourists since it was in the city center and near other tourist spots.

After my failed ukay experience, we went to SM Baguio just to check the mall. It was dinner time by them and we thought it'd be a shame if we have dinner at SM Baguio. After all, this city has a lot to offer in terms of dining experience.  We debated where to have our dinner. Few suggestions: Forrest House – pricey, Café by the Ruin- not so much reaction from the six of us, and PNKY Café –which is the closest from where we were.

And so it was PNKY Café. We took a cab from SM and paid Php110 for the fare.

PNKY Café is a travel coffee shop with a travel theme and artsy-fartsy restaurant/coffee shop ambiance. It serves gourment coffee and home-made dishes. Acually PNKY is a bed and breakfast which offers homey accommodations as well as well as home-cooked food.

Fortunately, we were the only dining customers that night and we liked how much we felt so at home.

Every nook is gorgeous.

PNKY Cafe's menu is very quirky and unique. The food are named after famous landmarks, cities, and countries. 

We ordered the following. 

Chicken Spinach Riviera

This entree is made of chicken strips, spinach, mushrooms and tofu in white sauce and served with vegetables and rice

Beef a la Seine

This sliced beef dish sautéed with mushrooms, red bell pepper and strawberry is served with vegetable and rice. We highly- recommend this. I liked the way the beef was cooked with mushrooms. It had the right beefy flavor and mushroom taste. For me, this is the best food in our dining experience at PNKY Cafe. 

Le Louvre

This entree is basically cooked with highland spinach, mushrooms, and tofu topped over with rice and drizzled with sunflower seeds. This was my food and I can say that the vegetables are very fresh. I'm not really into vegetables or salads but Le Louvre awed me by the freshness and crispness of the vegetables. 

And for our refreshments, I had their Lemon Slush while my friends had the Strawberry Slush. I love the very refreshing taste of the Lemon Slush which doesn’t dissolve after a while. I tried Erick’s Strawberry Slush and no doubt it was good as well. 

We stayed in the café until late evening and then decided it’s time to go back to JB’s house and pack up and go home to Manila. Maybe next time, we could probably have at least a night stay in Baguio to fully enjoy our time. Time flies fast when you're having fun!


Ru and Yana decided to stay for a few more hours and would catch the bus back home early next morning. Erick and I went ahead since we have to be in the office in the morning.

It was a short but sweet stay in Baguio and definitely worth our time :D

Spending the Rainy Day at Thunderbird Resort – Rizal

Because, it was a long weekend I’m sure everyone had plans on how to best spend it, may it be on an out-of-town trip or a staycation at home.

Since I was really looking forward to the first long weekend of the year, I made sure that I get to maximize the weekend by doing some personal errands and having some R&R.

Now, let’s talk about the R&R part!

We had complimentary day tour tickets for two at Thunderbird Resort – Rizal from my sister. Of course, she didn’t just give it for free but in exchange of something with lesser value. Anyways, Erick and I decided to avail it since it’s the long weekend and it’s expiring on September.

Thunderbird Resort – Rizal is luxury resort nestled in a valley along the Sierra Madre range. It’s located in Binangonan Rizal which is almost a 2-hour drive from Manila. The resort boasts its well-designed 41-room suite overlooking Manila and Laguna de Bay which gives a relaxing view up in the mountains. They have themed restaurants namely KOI Restaurant, Pool Bar for outdoor dining and Cabana Bar for parties. There’s also a world-class casino and an 18-hole golf course inside their huge property. In the hotel facade, there’s an infinity pool and outdoor jacuzzi surrounded by lush green surroundings.

Thunderbird Resort in Rizal 

Reserving our day tour tickets

Two weeks ago, I called up their front desk office to reserve for our day tour. I immediately informed the receptionist that I was holding a gift certificate which is good for a day tour for two persons. I was told that they only accept GCs on weekdays and we can only use it on August 30. I clarified if it was really good on that day since it was a holiday and as far as I know most GCs/vouchers are not valid on holidays; but she said we can use it. So okay, we had it reserved that day. But eventually, we had to move it to August 29 because my dad will be arriving from abroad the next day. We called up once more to re-schedule it and it was another long conversation of explaining the validity of the voucher and even describing how it looked like..errrr. In the end, they asked us to send it via fax or email and provide our numbers for confirmation. We never got a call or a text message confirming our reservation so we called them up the day before our tour. The front desk was happy to confirm that we can have our day tour the next day. 

Our experience

We got to the resort around 10am and we presented our gift certificate upon our arrival. After checking some things, the receptionist said we can go ahead for our day stay. She politely informed us that they really don’t honor GCs on holidays but since we have reserved weeks before, they are able to accommodate us. With a smile, I told her that when I reserved the GC their front desk told me I can use it on weekdays even holidays so we went ahead. I got a little pissed because she made us feel that we are not paying customers, thus not a priority, because we are only using a gift certificate. Well, first off Miss, I didn’t ask for your GC. It was given by your marketing manager to my sister which she passed on to me. Of course, I didn’t say that to avoid any awkwardness which was evident already. She added that it was their first time to honor a GC. Well seriously? If you sell or give GCs you gotta have a process for that! But in all fairness, she delivered it in a courteous manner but I can’t help but feel belittled. I’ve never felt that way in many times I’ve used a voucher.

So anyways, they assisted us and helped us find a spot near the pool. They also provided us huge towels. We immediately changed to swimming clothes and just stayed near the pool.

Because words are not enough to describe that day, here are some pictures J

We really liked lounging in the outdoor jacuzzi. The weather was really cold because of the erratic rain and cool breeze and just soaking in the warm water was relaxing. There were many times that we saw the rain coming and we would just sit in the jacuzzi and stay there while the rain pours.

They also have lawn where you can play volleyball, soccer, or just laze around. A kiddie slide and swing is also found in the corner.

Contrary to what I’ve seen in their website, the hotel is not that big. The pool was really small which was crowded by hotel guests and day tour visitors. If there is one big part of their property, surely it was their 18-hole golf course.

There isn't much to do during a daytour but swim, eat, and laze around.

Food

Our day tour admission tickets includes food and drinks consumable worth Php1050.

We ordered from the Pool Bar and our order arrived thirty minutes after. Such a long wait but I didn't want to complain anymore so I let it pass. After our wait, the waiter arrived and apologized for the delay.

On our table.. 

Hainanese Ginger Chicken sautéed in ginger, soya, Saoshing wine, and Chinese herbs (Php335)

This was the blandest chicken rice I’ve ever tasted. For its price, we could have ordered something else. And I am wondering if Hainanese chicken is deboned because this one’s not.

Triple Decker Clubhouse Sandwich with bacon, grilled chicken, egg, lettuce, cheese, and cherry tomatoes (Php395)

Nothing to rave about the sandwich; I can even make something like that at home. And the bread wasn’t even toasted. 

There is also a 10% service charge. So yeah, we were disappointed with Thunderbird’s hotel food. 

Overall experience

Well, I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy our trip at Thunderbird Rizal. After all, it was a complimentary day trip from my sister.

The things I loved about the resort:

-        - Its location high up in the Sierra Madre which gives a breathtaking view of Manila and Laguna de Bay

-       -  I love how green the surrounding is! It was a serene sanctuary in the mountain

-      -  Outdoor jacuzzi was a plus since it was very relaxing dipping there

-      -  Free shuttle service to- and from- the resort

    The things I didn’t like:

-        - Poor customer service especially for gift certificate holders

-        - Food was blah! I have high expectations of hotel food and theirs was unacceptable considering the expensive prices in the menu.

-      - Pool was really small. Yes it was an infinity pool but swimming with 10+ people on a small pool was not enticing at all.

-      - There weren’t much anything to do on a daytour. Our activity consisted of alternatelty dipping in the pool and outdoor jacuzzi, eating, taking pictures, and observing people for the lack of other activities to do. If you’re not into casino and golf and you’re not staying overnight, Im not sure if it you would enjoy such limited activities.

-       - Limited facilities i.e. there was only one changing room and it was common..errr

-      - There was no lounge area four day tour guests. You have to spot yourself a place near the pool.

We were thinking maybe our whole stay would have been pleasantly different if we were not using a GC and we were staying overnight. If you want a vacay where you can just lock up yourself in the room and get catch some sunshine and fresh air, then maybe this resort is for you. But if you’re a type of person who wants to engage in fun activities during a vacay, then maybe not. 

How to get there

-   

They have free shuttle services in various pick-up points. Below is the schedule. It's kinda blurry though so you may also call their front desk to check the schedule.

Shuttle schedule

I’m really hoping that our experience will be totally different when we book ourselves at Thunderbird Resort - Poro Point in La Union in October. Thunderbird, please don't fail us :)

Contact information:

Thunderbird Resorts - Rizal

Eastridge Avenue

Binangonan, Rizal

Philippines 1940

Email: rizalreservations@thunderbird-asia.com

Tel. No.: (+632) 651.6888

Fax No.: (+632) 651.6893

*The views written here are entirely based on my experience. It shouldn’t be used as a basis to decide whether you will book at Thunderbird Resort – Rizal or not. Last time I checked, we are still a free country and we are entitled to our own views and opinions. Peace :) 

Epic Roadtrip to Majayjay Falls

So last weekend, I tagged along with Erick and his HP officemates Elyn, Jade, Joel, and Keith on a trip to Taytay Falls in Majayjay, Laguna. I haven’t been out for a while and I kinda missed the feeling of being on a trip. Erick initially told me that it’s going to be a hardcore roadtrip – as in no plan on hand but drive the owner-type jeep until we reach Majayjay. I knew that he was worried about me but I told him not to be a worrywart. I’ve been on trekking and camping trips which means I can survive with just the basics. 

We were supposed to meet around 10am in San Pedro but the guys were late and we left around 11ish bound to Majayjay. We met traffic in Calamba which made us hungry. Thank goodness it wasn’t really a hot day. Traffic and hot weather are not fun especially when you’re on a long travel.

Our first stopover was Iskargu in Calauan. It’s the restaurant of Jade’s tita. We arrived there past 12noon, just in time for lunch. The parking was full which means they must be serving good food. We immediately parked the jeep as soon as one car left.

Iskargu means isda, karne, gulay—which is a really unique name for a Filipino restaurant.

I liked the Filipino ambiance of Iskargu. As soon as I entered the place, I remembered KaLui’s Restaurant in Puerto Princesa, Palawan because of its Filipino-theme. You can see Filipino touches on the interiors. The tables, chairs, and floor are made of wood and the rest of the restaurant was made of native products like nipa, sawali, etc. The windows are big and open which gives you a perfect and very refreshing view of the rice fields. Ah, I miss the life in the province!

Refreshing view from our table

On our table. My top food picks from our lunch..

That's ginataang kuhol at pusit (snail and squid in coconut milk), nilagang baka, and laing (taro leaves). YUM. 

After our sumptuous lunch, we were back on the road again. We headed to Majayjay which is more or less a 1.5-hour drive. We passed by different towns like Nagcarlan, Liliw, Sta Cruz, and then finally Majayjay. We didn’t expect that it was such a long drive from Calauan. So we occupied ourselves by telling stories and taking pictures of the sceneries along the way.

Our journey to Majayjay consisted of driving in almost deserted roads, passing by sleepy towns, and appreciating the rustic life. 

After passing through countless sharp curves and having numeorus “are-we-there-yet”moments, we finally arrived in Majayjay. I thought that Majayjay was the name of the falls. It was actually the name of the town where Taytay Falls is located. The name Majayjay came from the word “ma” which means more and “hay” which means sigh. So the town’s name, Majayjay, literally means more sighs because of its beautiful falls, I suppose.

Hay finally, Majayjay!

As we arrived in Taytay Falls, we paid Php30 entrance fee per head and then another Php30 for the parking fee. We started our short walk to the falls which lasted 10-15minutes I think. It was an easy trek because the path is already cemented and clear.

As we were nearing the waterfalls, we can hear the sound of it. It was very inviting and we could feel its cold spatter against our skin.


We immediately changed to our swimming clothes since it was already 3pm when we arrived there. After taking some pictures, we submerged in the freezing cold water…Brrrrrr. It took a few minutes before my body adjusted to the cold water temperature. 

Taytay Falls

HP team 

Our first falls trip. lol.

Falling with the falls :)

I am not a swimmer so I just stayed in the shallow area. Erick is always the adventurous one so he tried to swim near the falls.He seemed to liked it a lot. So just for the heck of it, I also tried to go near the falls. But that is the farthest that I can go with the help of Elyn and Joel.

Getting high at Majayjay

We enjoyed our time in the Taytay Falls. It was a short stay though. At 5pm, we decided to head back. We didn’t want to be driving in the dark.

We were back again at Iskargu for dinner. Yay! Another foodtrip J This time we had bulalo, talong sa gata, and papaitan which was my first time to try.. yes, seriously.

We also had yellow watermelon, honeydews, guava, and buko with young meat. Busog! Another sumptuous dinner care of Jade’s family. 

The aftermath..

Burp!

Iskargu’s food is a truly a comfort food – especially when you are tired because of the long drive and you’re craving for an appetizing food to fill your stomach. No wonder, they are always full. It was really a good meal not because it was free but it was simply one of the best home-cooked meals in the road.

Don't miss it!

So I must say that this day was a very pleasant one and the cheapest of them all. I only shelled out less than Php 500 for gas, snacks, and entrance fee. Super thanks to Jade and her family for feeding us lunch and dinner.. Yey!

FTW! Roadtrip, foodtrip, and adventure, and new friendships. As they say, it’s not the destination but the journey!

Splashin’ Weekend

It was my youngest sister Anne’s  birthday and she wanted to celebrate it on a swimming day trip. Since she loves the water and adventure, we went to Splash Island last Sunday to have some family time. Anne purchased our admission tickets at megadeals.ph where we got a whooping discount :)

Spash Island Spa & Resort in Binan Laguna is a 1 ½ hour travel from Manila. If you get lucky on Sundays, make it a 1 hour travel time. We left Manila around 7am and by 830am, we were already at the waterpark.

One happy family

It was my first time in Splash Island and to be honest I wasn’t expecting that I would enjoy the rides and the slides. I’m feeling  already old for that. Haha.. Boy I was wrong! I felt like a kid again, wanting to repeat some of the rides – Rio Montanosa, Magellan’s Drop, and Tausug Trails are my favorites.

Erick at Tausug Trails

I hated the King Pilipit slide. It gave me a headache. As the name suggests, the slide consists of twists and some are really big twists with the most parts of the slide covered.

Agos Grandes was fun too with its machine-generated waves. I just wish I could play with La Union or Baler’s real waves. But Agos Grandes’ waves compensated for now.

Agos Grandes without the waves hehe

After a day of repeating all the rides and climbing the high stairs to take the slides again and again (which wasn’t the fun part), floating on a rubber in the Balsa River was relaxing. 

happy day

Other fun slides include Water Wahoo, Big Bam Boo…

Kids love the Water Wahoo!

It was a fun-filled day with the fam. To top it all off, we had Max’s Chicken-all-you-can for dinner. Busog!

Chicken-all-you-can!

"Umay" from all the chicken eaten

H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y  bebe gurl!

Discover Corregidor

Corregidor is a small rocky island approximately 48 kilometers west of Manila by a ferry ride. The island served as a military fortress to American and Filipino troops during World War II. However, the island fell to the Japanese forces when they invaded the Philippines in 1942. 

Although Corregidor is in close proximity to Manila, I never had the opportunity to visit this historical island. This year, we didn’t miss the chance to visit the island of Corregidor when we saw the deal in pakyaw.com.ph, Discover Corregidor: Sun Cruises Historical Day Tour with Malinta Light & Sound Show P2150 value for P998. Thanks to my friend Angel who told me about this deal. Erick booked our day tour tickets and called up Sun Cruises reservations office to schedule our tour. 

We decided to use our tickets last Sunday since it was a day before the Vday =)

Around 9am we were already in the ferry terminal and went around Harbor Square to kill time while waiting for our 11am departure. We finally arrived in Corregidor after more than an hour. We boarded the tranvia bus with an English speaking tour guide.

Touring via the Tranvia adds excitement to the Corregidor experience

First thing on our itinerary is lunch! After all, it was almost 1pm when we arrived in Corregidor. After our buffet lunch, we strolled along the South Dock. It’s been almost six months since I was out again in the beach. It felt good. The sun was bright and the cool breeze was very refreshing.

Such a lovely day to spend outside

There are lots of activities to do while in Corregidor, from hiking, biking, night lateral visit, camping, bird watching, rock balancing (which Erick wanted to try) and more. Of course, we did the easiest - sightseeing! Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

Go South

We spent almost half an hour along the South Dock before the proper tour started. We boarded the tranvia once more and went around the island. Too bad, we were only allowed by our tour guide to stay 5-10 minutes per spot because as he always told us we have to catch the Malinta Tunnel Light and Sound and Show at 4pm ;P

Middleside Barracks

The Middleside barracks houses one of the offices of the American and Filipino soldiers.

Rocky Corregidor beach

Corregidor has been called the Island of Rock, thus the rocky shoreline. It's a relatively small island; just three miles long and 1 1/2 miles at its widest.

One of the many batteries

There are 32 batteries in Corregidor but we visited only three. Seeing all the big guns and mortars made me wonder how of all these were transported to the island. The batteries were strategically positioned to defend the island fortress from potential attacks.

                      Pacific War Memorial

For me, the most important site in Corregidor is the Pacific War Memorial. In the complex, you can find the museum, the Eternal Flame Monument, and an altar which has an open circular ceiling. Every anniversary of the fall of Corregidor on May 6, the sun directly hits this open circular and the rays strike the altar. 

Eternal Flame of Freedom

Another spot that I loved is the Eternal Flame of Freedom Monument. It is made of red steel which appears to burn unceasingly when the sun shines on it. From where it stands, Manila Bay, Bataan peninsula, and Cavite coastline can be seen.

Malinta Tunnel

And of course don't miss the Malinta Tunnel Light and Sound Show where the four-year war history of Corregidor is narrated and presented in 30 minutes. There was even a simulated bomb explosion. Interesting!

Overall, our Corregidor experience was great and worth every penny!

contact information:

Pakyaw! - It's a Big Deal
www.pakyaw.com.ph

Sun Cruises
CCP Terminal A. CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (632) 831-8140,(632) 834-6857 to 58
Fax No. (632) 834-1523
suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph
www.corregidorphilippines.com

Day Tour: Daily
Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine, entrance and terminal fees; guided island tour and buffet lunch
A. Day tour with buffet lunch - 1,999.00 Php /person
B. Day tour - Child rate (tour and transfers with kiddie meal) - 1,118.00 Php /person

Overnight
Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine, entrance and terminal fees; Guided island tour, (1) buffet lunch on day 1 and overnight accomodation at Corregidor Inn

Single - 2,880.00 Php /person
Php /person Twin/ Double/ Triple - 1,999.00 Php + /person

Optional: Malinta Tunnel Lights and Sound Show - 150.00 Php