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

Weekend in Nasugbu

Since everyone agreed to Nasugbu, I searched online for resorts and one of my colleagues, Ron suggested Berna Beach and L Caraz. We checked out their websites and the following day, I inquired for their rates. Berna Beach is a bit pricey so I contacted L Caraz. I talked to the owner and he suggested that I rent their private house (it has a private pool and costs P8000 good for 20 pax) but when he checked the bookings, the private house was already reserved on the day of our outing so I opted for their Family Units instead. A Family Unit costs P5000 and is good for 12 pax. It has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area and a living room. We're 24 so I reserved 2 units. After securing the resort, I had to search for a van. Luckily, Hubby's officemate has a van available for rent. For just P6000 for 2 days (plus P1500 fuel and P350 toll fee), we're able to get a good deal.

On the day of our outing, we left Cubao at 12 in the afternoon. The supposedly 2-hr travel became 4 1/2 because of the traffic in C5 and Alabang.

When we arrived, the girls and boys splitted up. Boys stayed in Family Unit 1 and the girls in Family Unit 2. We requested for extra matresses since each room only has 1 bed. Since the place is huge, each room can fit an extra matress and the living area can fit 2 more. The charge for each matress is P200 but they offered us a discount so we're able to get the matresses for just P100 each.

Just outside the resort, we bought charcoals, ice and filtered water and it's very convenient because we can just go out and buy there if we run out of supplies.

A picture of Hubby and our son taken by Martin from his iPhone

After dinner was prepared, everyone gathered at the common area of Family Unit 1. The common area is huge that we all were able to eat inside.

In the morning, after having our breakfast, we headed off to the beach. We noticed that the nearby resort was jam packed. The cottages are full of guests but it's a good thing that at L Caraz, we're the only ones swimming.

By 10AM, we're all packed up and at  exactly 11AM, we headed off to Manila. I think it was already 12:30PM when we reached the boundary of Tagaytay and Batangas and we had a stop over to have lunch at Betchay's Bulaluhan and another stop over in Collette's Sta. Rosa Road to buy pasalubongs. We're supposed to go to Rowena's but it's crowded and we're all tired so we just decided to go to Collette's instead.

We arrived in Manila at almost 5PM already because of the traffic but we all enjoyed and everyone's looking forward to our next outing.

Each of us only shed out P1120 (P700 for the food and P420 for the van) for that fun and exciting weekend getaway.

L Caraz Beach Resort
Apacible Blvd., Nasugbu, Batangas
+63 9178418281
+63 9228110629
+63 9103088895

Pares Retiro along P. Tuazon Now on its Soft Opening

Yesterday, we had breakfast in Pares Retiro. It's a newly opened restaurant along P. Tuazon Blvd. that serves Pares, Silog meals, Mami, etc. This is my second time to visit. During our first time eating here, I didn't really liked their Pares. The beef is so tough.

This time, I ordered Sizzling Sisig. Jen ordered Beef Chami(P95) and Tokwa't Baboy(P50) and Ira had Pares(P80).

They served the soup first then it took a while before they served our order especially the Sisig. That's understandable since they are still on soft opening but I got really disappointed when their waiter served the orders and he accidentally spilled the soup on me but didn't even bother saying sorry. He even acted like nothing happened. He didn't even mopped our area even though the soup has spilled on the floor.

The Sisig has some bits of Chicharon and it's good for two but it's not something to crave for. Well, I can describe it as decent considering the price is at P105.

After eating, I asked Jen and Ira for their ratings. They both loved the food there so Jen gave 8 while Ira gave 9. But for me, I will only give them 6.5 even though their meals are cheap because I can get better food and better service for the same price. So, our overall rate for Pares Retiro is 7.8

Pares Retiro is located along P. Tuazon Blvd. corner 17th Street

Tanay Road Trip

It's my rest day and I was feeling bored at home so I convinced Hubby to take me to Tanay and it took a while before he said "YES" so I got excited when he finally did and I immediately called my friends Jason and Ira and asked if they wanna come with us.

We set off before 1PM without really knowing where we're going then in the middle of our travel, we just finally decided to go to Sierra Madre Resort in Tanay. It's already past 2PM when we arrived and there are groups of people who seemed to be having prenup pictorials.

On our way to Sierra Madre Resort

View of the pool from the deck of Sierra Madre Resort

  

The feel of Baguio right outside Metro Manila

After an hour, we're all hungry so we went to Mang Frank's Bulalohan just right after Pranjetto Hills Resort but unfortunately, Bulalo(P300) is not available anymore. He offered us Silog meals (P100) but Jason suggested that we go to Tiolo's in Antipolo instead.

Inside Mang Frank's Bulaluhan

Yep! Jay Taruc was here!

It was already a quarter before 6PM when we arrived in Tiolo's so we're really, really hungry and tired.

Tiolo's is located infront of Unciano Hospital

The place is so cozy and there are not that much diners that time.

T-Bone Steak is at P183

Hubby and I ordered Pork Belly. It's cheap at P68. Jason and Ira order T-Bone Steak and the steak is bigger than their plate LOL! They foods are okay. You'll get what you pay for but it's not really something you'll be craving for.

After a few minutes of chatting and eating, we headed back home. This is one of the most tiring but enjoyable trip that we have.

Davao Trip - Summary

Our 3D/2N trip in Davao last March 20-22, 2014 was an unforgettable experience although I'd say 3 days aren't enough to enjoy everything.

My original plan is to have a city tour on our first day since our arrival is at 9AM and the check-in time on our hotel is 2PM but some misfortunate things happened. First, our flight got delayed so we arrived in Davao at 10AM already. We're hungry so I decided to have our Brunch at Lyndon's World's Worst Ribs. It's the first restaurant I wanted to try since their ribs is really popular on the internet. We hired a cab to take us there but the driver said he doesn't know where it's at so we just asked to be dropped off at SM Lanang Premiere. Cab fare cost P120 form the airport. I googled the exact place of the restaurant but I can't find it online so we just asked some locales outside where it's at. After 5 minutes of walking, there are still no signs of Lyndon's. We stopped by a nearby bank and asked one of the guards if he heard of the place, and luckily, he did and he told us to just go straight. And finally, after 15 minutes of walking under the heat of the sun, we were able to reach the location of the restaurant.

View of Lyndon if you're coming from SM

Their menu

Lyndon's Delivery Number

Lyndon's Awful Chicken at P85

Lyndon's Worst Ribs 450g at P200

There are only a few customers when we arrived. I ordered the ribs and chicken, and though the ribs may seem small in the picture above, it's enough for all four of us. The ribs and chicken are good. The ribs are tender but nothing extraordinary about the taste. I also noticed that the food was not freshly prepared. 

After our early lunch, we went to the pasalubong stalls just right beside Lyndon's to buy some Durian candies.

Durian candies here cost P25 per pack

It rained while we're buying our pasalubong so we cancelled our city tour and just go to our hotel in Samal. We're supposed to ride a jeep to Sasa Wharf but the Sasa jeeps are full so we just hired a cab and paid P150 from Lanang to the wharf. At the wharf, we paid P10 per head to ride the barge. The trip from Sasa Wharf to Babak Wharf only lasted 10 minutes. Then at Babak Wharf, we already saw the entrance of Camp Holiday.

At the hotel, we just checked-in, rested for a few minutes then we went to the beach. At that time, the water was too shallow for swimming so we just enjoyed the infinity pool. And the beach wasn't nice but I was expecting that already since the hotel was just beside the wharf.

Camp Holiday's beach front during low tide

On the second day of our stay in Samal, we went to Paradise Island. I was thinking of having a day tour in Pearl Farm but one of my office mates said there's nothing special about the place except the exclusive beach. Apart from that, Paradise Island is the Number 1 Resort in Samal based on TripAdvisor and I read a lot of nice reviews about the place so we decided to just go there instead.

We went to the Habal-habal terminal just right outside Camp Holiday and asked the driver to take us to Paradise Island. Kuya Roger charged us P50/motor for one way. I tried to haggle but he said the P10 fare is only applicable to nearby resorts like Sunset Beach. So we didn't had any choice but to pay him that amount. He gave us his number so that he can pick us up and take us back to our hotel once we're done with our day tour.

At Paradise Island, we paid P200/head for a Day Tour that has a P50-consumable for food and water activities. We enjoyed the place so much since there are a lot of things to do. It's really recommended for families with small children.  They have a mini zoo, playground, billiards, large chess board, spa, water sports rental, and a restaurant that serves great food.

By 3PM we headed back to Camp Holiday and I had an allergy attack. Fortunately, there's a drugstore on the island. We went back to the Habal-habal terminal and this time, we're charged P60 going to and from Mercury Drug. And so, my day ended early because of my medicine.

On our last day in Camp Holiday, there are a few guests that arrived early but the hotel is still not crowded and again we're the only ones using the infinity pool. Sadly, we had to check-out early since we still need buy more pasalubongs in Aldevinco.

We checked-out at 10AM, paid the barge fare again, and hired a cab to take us to Aldevinco. I asked the barker outside Sasa Wharf if there's a jeep going directly to Aldevinco but he just answered me in Bisaya, which I can't understand so, we're forced to hire a cab again. We had a quick tour of the city since Aldevinco is so far from the wharf. We passed by SM Lanang, then Abreeza, then Victory Mall, then Seda, and Marco Polo. Before the cab driver dropped us off, he told us that we can ride a jeep with "Panacan-Ilustre" signage to get to the airport. By the way, the fare from Sasa Wharf to Aldevinco was P170.

By 11:30AM, we're done buying pasalubongs so we checked out some nearby buffet restaurants but they're beyond my budget. Chippen's is at P300 while Zab's at P349. Yes, they sounded cheap because in Manila, buffets are usually at P500 but we're in Davao and it's known for cheap buffet restaurants. So, my husband suggested that we'll just check-in at the airport early then we can eat after. So we rode a jeep going to the airport, but it's not Panacan. It had the "Landmark" signage. Anyway, it will pass by the airport too. So we paid P15 each for the ride from Aldevinco to the airport.

On our way to the airport, we happen to pass by Elyong's. It has a big sign that says P99 Carinderia Buffet so I quickly asked the driver to stop then we had our lunch there. After eating, we rode another jeep to the airport. This time, it had the "Panacan-Ilustre" signage. We paid P8 each. After 5 minutes, we're already at the airport.

Our flight was delayed again this time for 45 minutes but that's okay because we get to stay a few more minutes longer. Everyone was tired from our trip but we enjoyed every minute of it. Next time, we might try to stay in Paradise Island and visit Kaputian Beach.

So that's the summary of our 3-day stay in Davao. I wish I could go back there soon. :)