Cebu Pacific Air's Easter Sale

I was not able to book last time when Air Asia had their Piso Fare last March 23-29. I tried to book a couple of times but I get issues paying online. Three roundtrip tickets to Bohol should've only costed me P650 plus the Processing Fee of P350 so a total of P1000 (yep! it's true!) Oh well I think it's not for me.

So anyway, while browsing through my FB feeds, I saw an ad for Cebu Pac's Easter Sale. The base fare only costs P100 and so, I was not able to stop myself from checking it out. I told my friends at the office about the sale and they immediately searched for flights to Tagbilaran and Puerto Princesa. They were able to find good dates for the five of us. I was a bit hesitant at first to book with Cebu Pac since I already experienced some flight delays in the past and on their website, their performance is just at 69.1% but I really can't resist the super cheap airfare.

We were able to book five round trip tickets to Puerto Princesa for just P3539. So it's just P707.80 per head for the tickets. I think the sale just went on from April 5-6, 2015 because when my office mate checked it out the following day, it ddin't reflect on the website anymore. It may not be as cheap as that of Air Asia's but still, it's cheaper than taking the dreaded bus ride to Baguio.

I still have to count four months before our out-of-town trip but I'm already excited and I have already came up with plans when we get there. I'll be updating this after our actual trip and while I'm waiting, I might be checking out seat sales for next year. (LOL!)

Mahogany Market in Tagaytay

We had our lunch in Mahogany Market and I had to buy meat and other stuffs before heading off to Calatagan for our team outing. It was already 1 in the afternoon when we arrived but the place is still full of people eating at the carinderias. We really don't have any specific carinderia in mind and we're all starving so we just sit down to what's nearest to us. There were bunch of bananas on the table and the waiter said it's free and unlimited. I believe they also offer unlimited barako coffee but I guess we're not offered that anymore since it's already Lunch time. I immediately asked for two orders of Bulalo (P350/order), two orders of Tawilis (P300/order), rice and softdrinks and in 10 minutes, food were already in front of us. There's not really any better place to have Bulalo than in Tagaytay. Leslie's Bulalo is also delicious but a bit pricey so, if you want to eat cheap, then Mahogany Market is the place to be.

At Mahogany Market

They have Crispy Pata too!

After eating, they went to the parking area while I went to buy some food for our outing. Liempo there is at P200/kilo which I think is a bit higher than the usual price because in Pasig Market, I believe it's just P190/kilo. Then I went on to buy Bangus at P140/kilo and Squid for Calamares at P260/kilo. On the other side of the market is the Fruits and Vegetables Section. I went on to buy Indian Mangoes and Shrimp Paste (Bagoong) then I went to the Rice Section to buy 5 kilos of Angelica Rice, which we're only able to consume about half of it. At the back part of the market, there is a stall selling ice, and a small grocery store where we bought softdrinks and booze.

The market has everything we needed for our outing. After we're done eating and buying groceries, we're back on the road for our final destination.

P1000-Budget Beach Getaway Challenge

I scoured the net these past few days to see where we can have our summer outing. One of our options was Punta de Fabian since it's very near the metro and the place is beautiful but when I checked the resort's rates, it's not within our budget. We're ten in our group and our target is P1000/head for the transportation + overnight stay so it's really challenging to get a place out of Manila that will suit our budget. I listed down suggestions from my team mates. Munting Buhangin in Nasugbu was suggested but I read some bad reviews about the place. It's not as clean now as it used to be. I googled "Cheap Batangas Beach" and so Burot Beach showed up on the Search Result. It's a beach in Calatagan, Batangas recently bought by Mr. Henry Sy. The pictures are very promising. When I checked the entrance fee, it's only P100 for an overnight stay. Pro's are there are no corkage fees for food, Table rental is just around P300, plus you can park your car near the beach. The only problem is there is no decent restroom or shower room. So, I searched again for an affordable beach in Calatagan, and so, Calatagan Peninsula Resort and Casa Astillero showed up. Both resorts have affordable accomodation.

For Calatagan Peninsula Resort, their airconditioned family room for 8-10pax with private shower and restroom is at P4000 plus the use of griller and other amenities are free. They also don't charge entrance fees.

For Casa Astillero, entrance fee is P100/pax for an overnight stay. And they allow tent pitching but the price depends on the size of the tent. For a tent that can accomodate 2-4pax, the charge is P200; for a tent that can accomodate 5-9pax it's at P400 and a tent that can accomodate 10-15pax, it's at P600. They have 4 public concrete shower rooms and restrooms for those who will not avail of rooms. And the good thing about Casa Astillero is they don't accept walk-ins so you can be sure that the resort will not get crowded.

I texted the contact person of Calatagan peninsula Resort and Casa Astillero and I got an immediate reply from Pam of Casa Astillero. She immediately sent me a quotation for our group but she said it can be adjusted depending on our budget. The next day, I messaged Jessie on FB, the contact person for Calatagan Peninsula Resort but he said that the resort is non-operational anymore. And so, we ended up reserving in Casa Astillero. I just sent Pam the list of amenities we'll be needing and she acknowledged through email. I find her very accomodating even if you're just inquiring.

So now, I'm glad I was able to get a resort that would fit in our limited budget.

Here's the list of what we availed in Casa Astillero:
(This is for 10pax)
10 Entrance Fee - 1000
2 Tent Placing for 2-4pax - 400
1 Tent Placing for 5-9pax - 400
1 Bonfire - 200
1 Grill Station (with Mini Kitchen) - 400
1 Open Cottage under the tree - 800

TOTAL: 3200

So, for P10,000 budget, here's my plan:
Gas + Toll fee - 3000
Beach Accomodation - 3200
Food (Day 1 Meryenda/Dinner; Day 2 Brunch)- 3800

and here is our actual experience in Casa Astillero