Book Piso Fare Like a Pro

Airlines like Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, Philippine Airlines, and Skyjet offer crazy deals with their promo fare frequently. During the promo period, You can get a flight for as low as P15. There was even a time that I managed to get a roundtrip flight for my friend with check in baggage for just P350 RT to Davao. But getting those cheap flights aren't easy. You should be well equipped to make the most out of those promos.

TIP 1 Follow Airline Facebook Page and set to SEE FIRST

Set the Airline Facebook page to See first so that when they post a promo announcement, you'll see it first on your feeds

TIP 2 Sign up for an account

Create an account on the airline website if you don't have one. Having an account will give you access to cheaper flights, your booking details, exclusive member only promos, plus discounted price on top of the promo.

TIP 3 Ready your companions' details

Once you have an account, enter the details of your companions on the Guests List. This is essential when booking promo fares since your goal is to get as fast as possible to the payment page. Keep in mind that during promo period, you are only allowed a specific number of minutes to reserve the seats and a slight delay might lose you those precious seats.

TIP 4 Make sure you have enough funds on your Credit Card / Debit Card

Cebu Pacific only allows online payment on the first day of promo and having a card on hand gives you the edge and enables you to secure the promo fare easily once you found it.While with Airasia, you'll be waived of processing fee (usually ranges from P250-P750) when you book with your card.

TIP 5 Use Multiple Devices to check for flights

Using multiple devices will allow you to check multiple destinations on sale at a time. This tip is efficient for those with flexible travel dates / destinations. It will also give you the option to fly in multiple cities. Why not hit two birds with one stone? if you can't find a cheap return ticket from the same city, why not consider booking from another city. Apart from getting cheaper flights, you'll get to explore more places in one vacation. This will allow you to cross out multiple places on your bucket list (or the world map). For example:

MANILA - KAOHSIUNG / TAIPEI - MANILA

MANILA - ROXAS / ILOILO - MANILA

Get the idea?

TIP 6 Be flexible with your destination

Don't spend too much time searching on just one destination. Just because the other city is not popular doesn't mean there's nothing to it. Every destination has a lot to offer you'll just have to research.

TIP 7 Book through the app

Airline Websites are usually slow during the promo due to the number of users trying to load the page at the same time so it will be better to use the app.

TIP 8 If you are booking for a large group, book by batch

Since promo fares are limited, some flight schedule might only have a few seats available. If that happens, check how many flights on the same day have available promo fares and see if those schedules can accomodate the whole group then book in batch.

TIP 9 Book on the first day of Promo

Promo fares easily sold out it's best to get first dibs so you can have a lot of options.

TIP 10 Decide Right Away

When it comes to booking promo fare, TIME IS GOLD. If you see multiple destinations on sale, decide right away. The promo fare will not wait for you. It might be gone in a few seconds so there's no time to hold back!

So there you go.. Happy Booking!

Baguio on a Budget 2018

Wondering how much to spend for your Baguio trip? You can actually spend less without settling for less as long as you have travel buddies to share the expenses with. Below is the summary of our itinerary/expenses during our Baguio Trip.

ITINERARY

Day 1

• 11:30PM   -  Off to Baguio
• 4:30AM    -  Breakfast at Good Taste
• 6:00AM    -  Mass at Baguio Cathedral
• 7:00AM    -  Camp John Hay
• Butterfly Sanctuary
• Cemetery of Negativism
• Liberty Loop
• Bell House
• Bell Ampitheatre
• Secret Garden Walk
• 10:30AM  -  Snacks at Choco-late de Batirol
• 11:00AM   -  The Mansion and Wright Park
• 12:00NN   -  Minesview Park and Good Shepherd
• 1:00PM     -  Lunch at a Restaurant outside Minesview Park
• 2:00PM    -  Check in at Cafe Caridad
• 7:30PM    -  Dinner at Pizza Volante in Session Road
• 9:30PM    -  Night Market at Harrison Road

Day 2

• 7:00AM   -   Breakfast at Chowking (just a minute walk from our Transient House)
• 10:00AM   -   Check out at Cafe Caridad
• 10:30AM   -   Early Lunch at 50s Diner Session Road
• 12:00NN   -   Tam-Awan Village
• 1:30PM   -   Baguio Market
• 3:00PM   -   Meryenda at my Uncle's house
• 7:00PM   -   Off to Cubao

So far, we're able to make the most out of our trip and we didn't had a hard time travelling from one tourist spot to another because the taxis are everywhere. There are still a lot of tourist spots to visit but there's always a next time.

For the expenses:

so for less than P2500, you'll get to tour around several tourist destinations and eat at several local restaurants in Baguio. If you want to buy some pasalubong, an additional P300-P500 in your budget will be more than enough.

Puerto Galera during the Low Season 2016 Part 3: The Superb Experience

At 8:30 in the morning, all ten of us were already inside the bus. I thought the bus will depart at 9 but it's only 8:45 when we left. We took the ALPS bus going to Batangas Pier and as expected, we paid P175 per person but the kids were given student discount. The trip was smooth although we experienced moderate traffic in Batangas. It was 11:20 when arrived the port.

Waiting at ALPS

At Batangas Port

At the port, a lot of fixers are following us especially when they saw that we're in group but when I told them we live in Puerto Galera, they turned away from us. I know it's funny but I can't think of any other way we could get rid of them. Anyway, someone from MSL approched us and wanted us to sign up and upon seeing he is wearing the MSL T-Shirt, we started inquiring. We asked for a discount and I told them it's our Mom's birthday (thinking that might help), and after a few minutes of negotiation, they gave our Mom a free round trip ticket. The two kids are also free. We paid our terminal fee through them so I was really glad that our trip this time was hassle-free. We just paid them and after handing us our tickets, we went to the Departure area. We didn't make it to the 11:30 trip but at 12:12, we were already asked to board the ferry and in no time, we're on our way to Puerto Galera.

At the Departure Area

Inside the Ferry

We arrived at Muelle Pier at 1:26PM where Minolo's free shuttle service picked us up and took us to White Beach. It was a 30-minute zigzag trip. After we were dropped off, Ate Merlyn from VM approached us and offered us a family room for P2500, but since it was in 3rd floor, I just requested for two Quad rooms in 2nd floor which they readily gave us. I tried to haggle to get the room for P1000 each but they told us it's a weekend so the price is really higher. Well, I'd say their price of P2500 is fair enough.

Our room at VM Resort

After we unpacked our stuff, we went to Food Trip to have our late lunch. The place is full even though it's already past 2. Their kind staff seated us in a separate dining area that has a huge industrial fan. The food is just okay as expected.

We all went back to our resort and they changed to their swimming attires except me because I opted to take a short rest before dinner. It's already past 11PM when I woke up and I was surprised to see everyone's already sleeping. Too bad they missed Mindoro Sling and the fire dancers but I'm pretty sure they're all excited for tomorrow's island hopping organized by Queen Reyna.

At 5 in the morning, everyone's already awake and ready to have breakfast. We were scheduled to be picked up at 6. We had a little walk until we reached Terminal. They offer the usual breakfast combos plus unlimited rice. Their service was very slow. It took almost 30 minutes before we were served our orders plus the staff who waited our table forgot to list down one order and so we had to wait another 30 minutes. It's already past 6 when we finished our breakfast and the tour organizer was already waiting for us. She was really nice and even though we're late she just smiled at us and asked if we're ready to go.

Two trikes picked us up and drop us off to the port where our boat was waiting. By the way, we paid P2100 for unlimited island hopping and round trip transfer from our resort to the dock.

At the dock

The boatman asked us if we want to avail of the optional trip to the Underwater Cave, Coral Garden, and Giant Clams. To visit those sites, we need 3 small boats. Each trip would cost P200 per head but if we want to visit all three it will only cost us P300 per head, so we agreed to visit them all.
(I will provide the details of our island hopping on a separate post.)

It took us three hours to visit the three sites and after that, our boatman brought us to Maliklik Beach so we can have our early lunch before we go snorkeling again.

After our lunch, we then headed off to Bayanan Beach where the boys enjoyed snorkeling. They spotted different kinds of fish.

By 1PM we're already on our way back to our resort as we still have to catch the 3PM trip to Batangas Pier.

By 3PM, we walked to the far end of the White Beach where the MSL ferry is docked and after paying the exit fee of P10 per head, we boarded the ferry and in a few minutes, we're off to Batangas Pier. We were the last ones who boarded and unfortunately, there were no seats anymore so we just have to sit down at the entrance. So for an hour and a half, we have to endure it. I wasn't able to take a nap but the person seated behind me was playing some good music and at least that helped made the trip enjoyable. The ferry ride was smooth and I was happy it wasn't like the last time we're in Puerto Galera where there was a storm and everyone was nauseous because of the waves.

At the pier, the buses going to Cubao are all full but we were able to catch one in a few minutes. I was not able to check what time we left the pier. I think it was around 5 and we arrived in Megamall at around 8.

The trip was really fun. I was expecting the worst but only the best happened. We never encountered any issues before and during our stay and it was one of the most unforgettable trip to Puerto Galera I had ever experience.

  

Puerto Galera during the Low Season 2016 Part 2: Finding a Good Accommodation

There will be 10 of us travelling, 8 adults and 2 kids and I was thinking of staying either in White Beach or Aninuan Beach. Kids will enjoy it in Aninuan Beach because they will have the beach to themselves but the adults will like it in White Beach because of so many things to see. So, what I did after reading reviews and forums is I texted the resorts that matched my criteria:
-Affordable
-Clean bathroom
-Large room
-Near the beach (at least beachfront or just a few minutes walk to the beach)

*TIP: Contacting the resort directly gives you the opportunity to haggle and most of the time they offer cheaper rates than online booking sites

Here are the resorts I took into consideration:

WHITE BEACH
Palangga's Beach Resort (Contact No.: 09989798660)
-I saw them in Agoda. They have a good rating and they offer the lowest rate for an A/C Family Room for just P2,375 (tax included) but when I texted them to inquire, they just told me to check out Agoda so I just immediately cross them out on my list. They're the least accommodating and I thought that time what if their customer doesn't have access to the internet? so there's no other way to make reservations I guess.

Villa del Car (Contact No.: 09993068046)
-I learned about Villa del Car when I read a blog post about it. It's not beach front but just a 5-min walk. They have cooking utensils and gas stove available for guests who want to cook and they offered the family room (good for 8 pax) for just P3000. 

VM Resort (Contact No.: 09175234945)
-This is our go-to resort whenever we stay in Puerto Galera. They're just a few steps away from the beach. Their rate through Agoda is P1900 (tax included) for a Quad Room, but you can have the room for as low as P1250 when you book with them directly. I texted them twice but got no reply.

Sea Jewel Resort (Contact No.: 09328392280)
-This is located right after VM Resort and they have one of the cleanest rooms in Puerto Galera. I inquired about their rate and their quotations are:
Deluxe Twin Room P1900
Deluxe Quad Room P2500
Deluxe Family Room (for 6-8 pax) P4000
As much as I want to stay here, their rates are higher compared to other resorts plus the fact that their Family Room only has 3 double beds so I was thinking it will be uncomfortable for the 10 of us to squeeze ourselves in.

Bangera Inn (Contact No.: 09267064051)
-What I liked about this place is their Mediterranean decors, the clean rooms and bathrooms (as posted on their Facebook), and their high review score. Unfortunately, their Family Room rate is also at P4000. 

Livio's Lodging House (Contact No.: 09293709727)
-Livio's Lodging House has a high rating on Facebook probably because of their clean rooms and cheap price. I texted them and they are accommodating. They offered their Fan Quad Room for P1000 (P600 for 2 pax then P200 for extra person). But since we'll be needing 2 rooms, they offered us 2 fan rooms for just P1500. A/C Rooms cost P1500 for 2 pax plus P300 for extra person. Their rooms have a kitchenette and aref. They're located along the main road but just a few minutes walk to the beach.

Agbing Beach Resort (Contact No.: 09202394571)
-They have a good rating in Agoda. They offered the Apartment type accommodation for P3500. It has 1 small bedroom that fits 2 double bed, a living room, a dining area, a balcony, and a toilet and bath, and they would provide 2 extra matresses free of charge. If we want an apartment with a kitchen, that would be P4000 but they suggested we get 2 Deluxe Rooms instead so that we can have a spacious room a separate toilet and bath each room. Their regular rate for the Deluxe Room is P2000 for Low Season but they offered us 2 rooms for just P3500. The offer was tempting but I still asked them if they can give us the 2 Deluxe Rooms for P3000. They immediately agreed but told us that each room is strictly for 4 adults only. They also offered us extra matress for our kids for P350 with pillows and sheets.

ANINUAN BEACH
Sunny Beach Resort (through Agoda.com)
-They have an 8.1 rating in Agoda, they offer free breakfast for their guests, they have a pool and they offer their Quad Room for just P2000 per night (in Agoda). P4000 with free breakfast is a pretty good deal. But there's just one thing that makes me hesitant. It's in Aninuan Beach and we have to take a tricycle if we want to go to White Beach.

So, after days of reading reviews and blog posts, and negotiating with resorts, I finally decided on reserving with Agbing Beach Resort. I liked that they're easy to deal with and they have taken into consideration the convenience of their guests.

Puerto Galera during the Low Season 2016 Part 1: Going to Puerto Galera - Bus Fares, Boat Rates and other Fees

My Hubby and my Brother-in-law wants to surprise my Mother-in-law on her birthday and they decided on taking her and the whole family to Puerto Galera. I, being a cheapskate, was the one assigned to do the planning and budgeting.

I remember we almost got scammed last year when a fixer approached us and told us he will negotiate with the ticket seller and have our 3 yr. old son waived of the boat fare. After handing us our tickets, we gave him a tip but he asked for half of the supposed boat fare he was able to negotiate. When he started shouting at the entrance of the terminal, we immediately went inside. He was trying to deceive us when in fact 3yrs. old and below are free to ride the ferry. It's a lesson learned and from then on, I will just buy the tickets myself. Anyway, there are staffs from the different shipping lines who will assist you.

So now, the first thing I have to do is check the latest fares. As posted on Jam Liner's Facebook page, their latest fare from Cubao-Batangas Pier is P175. Minolo Shipping Lines reply to my text message is that their fare is the same at P500/roundtrip Batangas Pier-White Beach. Round trip tickets are cheaper by P50 than 2 one-way ticket. Kids 3 yrs. old and below are free of charge. Apart from the bus fare and boat fare, there is still a P30 Terminal Fee and a P50 Environmental User Fee that needs to paid at the terminal. Kids 3ft and below are exempted from the Terminal Fee, and Senior Citizens and students have discounts. For the Environmental User Fee, kids 12 yrs. old and below are exempted and Senior Citizens have discounts as well. I read in a blog post that you can ask for a discount if you're coming in group of 5 or more, so I guess I will do that when we get there.

So, here's a rough estimate of the fare going to Puerto Galera:

Bus Fare (Cubao - Batangas Pier - Cubao) - 350
Ferry (Batangas Pier - White Beach - Batangas Pier) - 500
Environmental User Fee - 50
Terminal Fee - 30
White Beach Exit Fee - 10

TOTAL FARE EXPENSE PER PERSON: P940

Family Day in Baguio - June 2015

It was 2008 since I last visited Baguio and I felt mixed emotions to see that it's very different now. It doesn't have the laid back ambiance that it used to have before. It lost its simplicity but in spite of that, the city still didn't lost its charm and beauty.

It was June 12 and we didn't have any plans earlier that day. My mind is set to just taking a beauty rest for the whole week that I was on vacation leave but then, Hubby texted his brother who happen to be here in Manila for a week long leave too and asked if he wants to go to Baguio. After exchanging a few text messages, our trip was set. I searched online for possible accommodations but all inns are fully booked during that time because of the long weekend. We don't want to spend a lot in fancy hotels so we just decided we'd find a transient house once we're there.

By 7PM, there were no tickets in Victory Liner and Genesis available for reservations anymore while in Dagupan Bus Line, they're on a first come, first serve basis but we don't want to be travelling early in the evening since we don't have any hotel reservation and we don't know where we'll be staying until morning so, we just agreed on catching the 11PM bus. It's a good thing that Hubby's sister went to the terminal earlier since they were able to get us a van that will take us there. Fare is P600, a bit pricier compare to bus fare of P420 but the trip is smooth and fast since the driver took the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). It's expensive to go that way since you have to pay three toll fees (NLEX, SCTEX P218 then TPLEX P218) but if budget's not a problem, it will be better to take the expressway. We left Cubao by 12MN and took the usual 6-hr trip to Baguio in just 4.5 hours so we arrived earlier than expected. It's a good thing that my Uncle and his wife are already awake at that time so, as soon as we're at the terminal, I texted my Uncle to ask how we can go around the city but instead of giving me instructions and tips, they picked us up from the terminal right after we had our breakfast.

After an hour of looking for a place to stay, we were finally able to get a transient house. It's a unit inside a building just beside Golden Pine Hotel. It has a living area, kitchen, dining area, 2 large bedrooms, and a decent comfort room and it only costed P3500.

We only rested for an hour then by 9AM, the van service arranged by my Uncle arrived to pick us for our city tour.

The driver is also the owner of the Starex and he said that we're the second group of tourists that hired the van. We can see that it's really new because the plastic covers are still intact. We paid P2000 for the 8-hr city tour. It's supposed to be P2500 but my Aunt and Uncle haggled so we were given discount. I created another post for the details of our city tour which can be found HERE.

It's just 4PM but we're already tired so we asked driver to take us back to our unit so that we could rest for a bit.

Everyone's tired but happy but our day didn't end there. I woke up at past 10PM and I asked Hubby if he wants to check out the Night Market since there's one just a few steps from our unit. We went there and I didn't expect to see a lot of things are being sold there but mostly Ukay ukays. I checked out things I can buy for pasalubong but there are just key chains and scarfs. After we reached the end of the night market, we went to eat street foods. I bought Dinengdeng and Rice for just P35 (the taste is just okay for the price) while Hubby bought Shawarma for P50. After eating, we went back to our unit to fetch his brothers since we passed by some bars there and thought we'd drink a bottle or two. We're already late because his brothers were already out when we arrived so, we just decided we'll walk to Session Road. I felt sad to see that it's already different from what I can remember. Before, there used to be old restaurants and thrift shops but now all we saw were fastfood restaurants. There's even Starbucks along Session Road. Oh well, nothing's really constant. I was expecting to feel nostalgic but instead I felt disappointed. And so my day ended with disappointment and a bit of sadness because I have a lot of happy childhood memories in Baguio which seem to have disappeared with those old buildings and shops.

The following day, Hubby and I walked down the market to buy pasalubongs after our morning jogging in Burnham Park. We happened to pass by a Korean Street Food stall. We tried out Gimari. It tasted like the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and it's good. Then we went back to our place to pack our things. At exactly 12NN, we left the unit and went to SM to have our lunch. It's jam packed but we're able to get seats at Dencio's.

We had our pictures taken there and after that we went to the bus terminal just beside SM. The Saulog bus left at 4PM and we arrived at our house at 10PM.

The trip is very tiring but it's worth it. Next time, I'm hoping to visit Banaue and Sagada, and maybe Ilocos and Batanes but for now I need to save a lot for those trips. LOL

Casa Astillero in Calatagan

Last April 5, our team went to Calatagan for our much awaited team outing or what we call our "Anarchy Day". We left Manila at 11AM and arrived at Mahogany Market at 1PM. We stopped by to have our lunch and to buy our food for dinner. We left Tagaytay at 2:30PM and at exactly 4PM, we're already in Casa Astillero.

When we arrived, Sir Romy approached us and I gave him the details of our reservation. He immediately escorted us to the places available for tent pitching. We chose the vacant spot in between the kubo and the a/c rooms.

I was so disappointed to see that the place was crowded. I never expected that much people even though it's weekend since I thought they're only accepting reservations to control the number of guests. There are tents and videokes everywhere and the place is small that it looks like a chaos.

We immediately pitched our tents and unpacked our stuffs on the table provided to us. I believed I paid for a table under the tree but all the tables under the tree were occupied already so they just placed a table right outside our tents. I also paid for a grilling station with mini kitchen but instead got a portable griller. I told Sir Romy that the portable griller is cheaper but he said they just cost the same. Then when I checked out the grilling station, it's free to use for guests. I also asked where we can charge our cellphones, he just said we can use any power outlet. But how can that be possible if all the tables where the power outlets were placed are occupied? Talk about chaos and disappointment.

A few minutes later, my office mate Ron and his wife arrived. They're from Cavite so they thought it would be more convenient to just ride a bus going to Calatagan directly from their place but their fare cost more than when you'll be coming from Pasay. They paid 400 for the fare to Calatagan Market then 150 for the tricycle to Casa Astillero. Not really what I've been expecting.

So, since everyone's at the resort already, the girls started to prepare for dinner. I cooked Calamares while the others prepared the ensalada. The boys grilled the Liempo and Bangus. I forgot to buy water for drinking luckily, just right outside the resort, there are stores selling purified water (P30/5 liters), softdrinks (P70/1.5L), and ice but they always run out of stock.

After cooking, Some of us took a nap. When i woke up it was already past 9 but the videokes are still on full volume so I did not hesitate to sleep anymore. After we're done eating, we asked the caretaker to prepare our bonfire then we went off to the beach for our drinking session. 

The next morning, there were vendors roaming the area selling fresh seafoods at cheap price. I also noticed a guy in a motorbike selling hot pandesals. I checked out the beach. Still at low tide. The sun's up and the view of the beach from afar is superb but the water is so shallow that even at 100m away from the shore, it's still at knee level. 

Beach during low tide

It spoiled our day so we just prepared our Brunch and after we ate, everyone's off to the shower room. There's a long queue over the ladies' shower room and there are only two shower rooms so I think the management should work on having additional shower rooms to accommodate the increasing number of guests.

Our travel back to Manila only took 3 hours. Well, that's the fastest we can go since the road from Tagaytay to Calatagan is narrow.

To summarize, the place clean and well-maintained but the management needs to improve on their service. They should put limit to the number of guests and they should assign a table or cottage number to the guests so that guests arriving in the late afternoon will still get a good and decent spot. The resort is recommended only during off-peak season because the place is nice but was spoiled by the heavy crowd and disorganized management.