Sweetest Escape <3

Completely unplanned. No actual budget. Screw itinerary. Randomly pick hotels 4 days before the getaway. Old swimsuit. Just completely…unplanned.

So how did we survive Boracay with limited budget on hand? Simple!

1. Enjoy the beach!

 

I made it sure that I’ll get tanned as I leave Boracay. So on my 4-day stay there, I spent most of it swimming! Sometimes, alone. Dreen would always stay on the shade while I brave the sun. Hahaha! Well, I can’t blame him. He is already tanned after 4 days in Palawan and a week in Boracay. Yea,  I just had to say that because that’s what he always says whenever I ask him why he wouldn’t swim with me. Yabang no? *Dreen, okay na?*

This was in White Beach while this..
..was on the Puka beach (last November getaway)
Puka beach is exclusive for several hotels like Shangri-La, Boracay Regency and Alta Vista. If you don’t want the crowded White Beach, check-in to one of these hotels so you could go to Puka beach. For me, I love white beach more!

2. Vanity mode : ON

Some of  my favorite photos. Since no one could take our photos, and we cannot just leave our cameras on the shore, we set a certain hour for “photoshoots”. Mind you, our hotel is a 10-min walk from White Beach so it really is a hassle for us. But when you look at the photos, everything seems worth it! One of the reasons why I enjoyed Boracay because I got beautiful pictures. Well, I have Dreen to thank for.

3. WITNESS SUNSET

The best and most romantic part of our trip is the Boracay sunset. We made sure we would capture its beauty! I’m a super fan and lover of sunsets, but what makes it more special is witnessing it with the one you love.

4. BORACAY NIGHT LIFE

Dreen would always ask me to go out with him during night time. True enough, Boracay is so much alive at night. Bars. Fire dance and street food stalls. I love the energy at the island during this time. We walked from one station to another, just talking about random stuff. We even slept a while at the shore. Oh how I love that moment when we just lied down next to each other, looking at the starts above us..and then it rained. I remember writing on my journal that one day, I want to dance with him in the rain. How great that it happened in Boracay! Brought me to tears!

5. FOOD TRIP

Jonah’s fruitshake

 Chori burger or grilled chorizo. 

Unli Goto 

We were on  a budget so having food stalls around the island is really helpful to us. Hahaha. Jonah’s fruitshake is a must-try. It is really different from any other fruitshake stores you’ll see in the island. You can find it along D-mall at in Station 1. Perfect for sun-bathing.
And then there’s chorizo burger. Last November, my friend was looking for it all day. I learned from Dreen that it will be available pa on the afternoon, at around 5pm.
The unli goto costs P50.00. I have nothing else to say about that.

There are so many things you can do in Boracay. There are so many ways to enjoy your stay there. Just be wise. ^_~

And here’s the video of our sweetest escape..because the photos we took were not enough to show how enjoyable our 4-day stay there was!

Boracay : Balai Capiz

All in the name of love.

Dreen flew last February 21st to Boracay for his Toyota training. The moment we knew about this, he kinda “joked” about me following him there. I never thought of its possibility but I have to admit, I did consider. Prior to this, we already booked a trip to Boracay on September of this year. That’s the original plan. But I guess, blessings do come unexpectedly. I have talked to my accountant at GW Kalibo about my plan of going to Boracay. Apparently, I’ll be booking a route from Manila-Kalibo since it is cheaper than the fare to Caticlan. Smarter me, I know. She invited me there and offered me a ride from Kalibo to Caticlan. How can I say no to that? So I bought a ticket right away.

It is my first time to ride on a plane ALONE. It was also my first time to try Zest Air. Most of my flights are always with Cebu Pacific Air. I didn’t know that Zest Air is on Naia Old Domestic or what they call now as Naia Terminal 4. Good thing I was two hours earlier from my flight so I didn’t freak out when I learned about it from the guard at Terminal 3. Lesson learned, look at your ticket for instructions beforehand!

If you’re going to Boracay (for the first time) and landing in Kalibo , you may find the following reminders helpful :

1. Kalibo is two-hour ride away from Jetty Port, Caticlan.
a. Jetty Port is where you would ride a ferry boat that would take you to Boracay Island.
2. You have two choices on going to Caticlan from Kalibo:
a. Van — there is a sign in Kalibo airport which offers a van ride inclusive of the ferry boat fee from Kalibo to Caticlan for P250.00
b. Bus ride — there are buses on the city proper which go to jetty port. Fare is for P127.00.
3.  There are certain fees on which you will pay on Jetty Port:
a. Banka (if you ride a bus) — P 25.00 on day time and P30.00 night time.
b. Terminal Fee — P40. 00
c. Environmental Fee — P50.00
4. From Jetty Port, there are tricycles going to your desired station : 3,2,1. If you’re a group of two-three people, do not take the special trip. It is way costly than usual fare. But if you are a group of more than five, haggle. P100-120 from Jetty port to Station 2 is fair enough

Anyway, I am no expert here so I must continue with my story, hehehe.

We stayed at Balai Capiz which is located at Station 2, Brgy. Bulabog. If you do not mind walking 10 minutes maximum from White beach and staying on a not-so-fancy but with oh-so-friendly-and-accommodating staff, I can say that Balai Capiz is the perfect place to stay in Boracay! Mr. O already checked in there when I was still at Kalibo airport and as I have arrived, he was already friends with the staff. You can see them smiling and laughing and really doing their task of accommodating all our needs.

The hotel only has four rooms. I love their interior. It’s very relaxing especially at night.

We stayed at this air-conditioned green room. Its regular price is at P1,500 per night.

Other rooms :

Mr. O and I agreed to make this our “regular” hotel whenever we visit Boracay every February. Yes, it’s going to be our tradition!
You may book Balai Capiz by clicking THIS

And oh, they have free wifi and coffee 24/7!

BALAI CAPIZ HOTEL
BULABOG, BORACAY ISLAND.

So what’s with Boracay? Wait for my next post!

I have visited Boracay last November of 2011 and I have tried several food stations and island hopping (which I haven’t blogged about much aside from this, just because). So now that I have visited it again, I told myself that I would make it more memorable and enjoyable. Let us not just get into details as to why

The Helmet Diving Experience

If there’s one thing that I super love about my Boracay trip, it’s the Helmet diving experience! We were at Puka Beach when the caretaker of Alta Vista de Boracay offered us an island hopping activities package which includes snorkeling, going around the island (Manny P’s rest house, crocodile island and more) plus Helmet diving for only P1, 200. But if you only want to try the helmet diving, you only have to pay P700.00 (inclusive of photos and videos) or P350.00 if you want a cheaper one.

It was my first time to be this close to fishes and  be on the deeper part of the ocean. I love feeding them! Nakakakiliti!!!  It was really scary at first but as you go deep down and see the beautiful creatures around you..you’ll just be amazed!

Watch the videos!

Don’t forget to try helmet diving when you go to Boracay!

I don’t care. I’m posting it here.

Sheer cover-up from Cococabana (not really sure of the spelling, haha)
Swimsuit from The Wet Shop
Slippers from Ipanema
Hype this on lookbook here. Thank you :3

I don’t have much time to post about my Boracay trip last November because my schedule sucks big time. So instead of talking about the whole heartbreaking getaway, I’ll just share you some of my bikini photos which you may find..hmm, whatever.

Sorry but this sheer cover-up makes me feel like I’m Anne Curtis! Though my eyes look so puffy, I still feel sexy and beautiful when I’m wearing it. Heeeeee! I always love going to the beach though I can’t swim beyond 4 ft. Heeee.  I love  lying  on the sand, building something out of it, or burying someone or myself,  and write names! Nothing can beat that!

The next photos may not be beautiful in your eyes so I suggest you stop reading now! But if you wish to continue, you may do so but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you

I hope I can be really sexy. Not just on pictures or on certain angles! Heeee.

I just can’t wait for summer! I’ll definitely go back here and I pray I can enjoy it that time!

Boracay Day 01 : Alta Vista De Boracay

We arrived at Caticlan airport around 9am. Being first timers that we are, we didn’t have any idea on how to go to Alta Vista from Caticlan. We know that there’s going to be a shuttle picking us up there but we forgot to notify them about our arrival. The people in Caticlan were very accommodating, thus we were able to get to Alta Vista in no time.

Everyone goes to the Caticlan Terminal, in which you have to pay like P150-ish. I forgot the right details! T_T From the airport, you’ll ride a tricycle all the way to the Caticlan terminal (for the ferry boats). The fare is included on the 150-ish you’ll pay at the counter. Prepare for another 50 pesos for the terminal fee, and get your haggling skills ready for your battle with the tricycle drivers. We had a good deal of P160 from the terminal to Alta Vista. It was located at Station 1,  almost 20 minute-drive from the terminal.

This is the view from our room located at Bldg I, 3rd floor.

Living room : where we stay most of the time!

Bedroom : The bed on the right side is all mine for 2 nights!

Wash room : Where I blow dry my hair :3

Terrace : Where I spent most of the night talking and crying to Mr. O.

Hotel Swimming Pool : Where I drowned myself when I was crying on one Thursday night.

Alta Vista de Boracay deserves a 100% rating  all-in-all. From its buffet breakfast, shuttle service every hour from hotel to D-Mall, special service to Puka Beach, very accommodating hotel people, cozy hotel facilities down to a very good hotel service! They made us feel like we’re royalties :3

ALTA VISTA DE BORACAY 
Brgy. Yapak, Boracay Island,
Malay, Aklan, Philippines 5608
Trunkline.:+6336-288-9888                                                                                                                                                                                       Fax No..: +6336-288-4801

Manila Reservation Office: 
5th Floor DMCI Homes Corporate Center, 1321 Apolinario Street, Brgy. Bangkal,
Makati City 1200, Philippines

The Longest 20 Seconds of my Life.

I guess it was last year (correct me if I’m wrong) that Enchanted Kingdom has launched their newest ride called EXTREME. It is not included on the ride-all-you-can pass so if you want to experience it, you have to pay P80.00

You can see that I’m a bit excited but I was already praying inside ! Hehe.

I hope you can hear RR and Celine! I wanted to laugh but I was too scared!

It lasted for like 20 seconds or so, but seemed like forever!

RR was trying to scare me just before we try this, and he won. I was shouting the whole time (and praying!!)  I really don’t know what to hope for since I don’t have any idea how the ride goes. So as it reaches the top, and as I see the whole Laguna in my eyes, I can’t help but be amazed and scared at the same time. Amazed because I can see the whole city, and it’s really beautiful. Scared because I can hear the people scream : “Ayan naaa, babagsak na kayo!!”, plus RR and Celine keep on mumbling bad words over and over again. I just closed my eyes as we fell from top. I was about to shout when I realized the ride was already done. I wasn’t able to let my emotions out!! As I try to stand on my foot, I felt my knees weakened. RR compared the feeling of riding EXTREME to the feeling of experiencing something..ah never mind!

I just don’t know how to describe what I felt from this ride. All I know is that..it is worth paying P80.00! Hehe :3

Enchanted Kingdom with Logica People

 

What happened on Enchanted Kingdom:

Photo 1 : Went there with Logica people (Celine’s officemate)
Photo 2 : I always ride Flying Fiesta first whenever I go to EK. That should always be the start of my adventure. I don’t know why but I just feel like doing so, hahaha!
Photo3:  Rode several rides like Anchor’s away (which I can ride 5 times straight, btw. I love that ride!) And tried this EXTREME ride (that’s what they named it) which payment is not included on your ride-all-you-can pass so you need to pay P80.00 for you to experience it. I’ll blog about it because it deserves a whole blogpost!
Photo4: RIO GRANDE. The ride I hate the most because you can’t get out without getting wet! I just don’t know what came to my mind that I agreed with them to try it twice. I end up going home with my shorts and underwear super wet and me feeling very very sticky T_T It was fun though!
Photo5: After Rio Grande and Log Jam, Celine and I went to the comfort room to change and freshen up. You know what happened, it lasted long enough for our friends to experience this ride, Space Shuttle (which is the highlight of EK). I want to try it but Celine thought it’s so corny if it’s just us two. BOOOO!
Photo6:Enchanted Kingdom at night. We didn’t wait for the fireworks since we are all starving. I just love EK at night!!
Photo7: The aftermath: We decided to go to Central . It’s just one crazy night to tell you more about it. So I have to stop here.

Thank You Lord for being so kind. It’s such a rainy weekend but God blessed us so much that it didn’t rain so hard the whole  time we were at EK

And this was what I wore:

Hype this on lookbook here. And read more about it here.

Let’s Bookay-Ukay na!

I have a few books collection. There are several authors that I truly admire. I have read a number of books too from different genre. Tagalaog and English, Fiction and Nonfiction, Comedy, Romance, True to life stories and sorts. I also love Ukay-Ukay (thrift shops). Some of my clothes I bought from there. I have visited Tagaytay for an Ukay-Ukay. I have gone through a lot of places and still look for an Ukay-Ukay. These two things, I so love.

Have you heard of the bookstore named Bookay-Ukay = Books being sold on Ukay-Ukay way — meaning second handed books sold at a very marked down price. BOOKS+UKAY= A MUST TRY!

Just what I’ve said on my last blogpost, I went there with friends as part of Michy’s birthday itinerary.

The place is just a small room full of second hand books.

I started browsing books and I found some interesting ones.

All’s well that ends well,

This book is too cute! Book of Moe!. The Simpsons Library of Wisdom. MOE! I love Moe! I love the Simpsons too! Wonder what this book talks about.

Don’t eat this book.

The movie Angelina Jolie starred on.

Sense and Sensibility. This book is a must read!

And Lea wanted this book so much. STRANGER of Lea, I wanna meet you soon!

There’s a section for Manga and Nancy Drew Series and Sweet Valley High. Sooo me! Hahaha! I love!

Also, they have cute caricatures! My favorite was the face of GMA!

They also have magazine sections. I looked for photography magazines but too bad, there was none. They were also selling CDs and some memorabilia and toys!

i love my Bookay-Ukay experience though I didn’t buy any and ended up being sweaty all over. Will go back here and will buy books na!

Bookay Ukay
located at 55 Maginhawa st. UP Village Diliman Quezon City

Holy week Getaway with my Super Friends

I, together with my super friends, spent the Holy week at Candelaria, Zambales. The original plan was a 5-day trip to Sagada but since one of my friends would not be able to file a leave for that (since he’s working on an international company,holy week is not an official holiday), we changed the itinerary to some island hopping instead. Michy was the one who prepared for everything we would need. From the place we would be staying to the island that we will be going. So, super clap for Michy.

She found Beach house ni Dok which is pretty much affordable and easy to find.

The owner’s son named Carl (who is Michy’s textmate (lol) ) was very accomodating to us during our stay. He gave us almost everything we requested him and visits us from time to time to check us. Sweet of you, Carl. You will meet him if you’ll consider this resort soon

The room that we availed was good for 4 persons but since we are 5, we added one mattress for Tetoy and all of us girls slept on the queen-sized bed.

Their comfort room is clean enough. It’s okay for me as long as it has lukewarm water on shower
(photos from above is from Michy’s blog)

As Bianca has said, every trip has its highlights. So let me summarize (but don’t expect it to be short, lol) our trip with these:

(1) Checking out Beach house ni Dok

On Good Friday, upon reaching the resort, we decided to take an hour at the beach though initially, it was not part of the plan. UTI attacked so I requested that we swim just for a short time and for us to check out the beach as well and watch the sunset. Luckily, my uncomfortable feeling gone after.

It so obvious that we enjoyed the beach. It’s not too cold and it’s already low-tide when we got there so were really able to swim and have fun at the beach. We waited for the sunset!

I always love taking pictures of the sunset but too bad, my tripod was not with me so I really didn’t have wonderful photos.

(2) Before going to Zambales, we painted our nails with summery colors. I got the nail polish from Face shop. It’s such a good quality! Until now, I still have them on my toenails

((3) After swimming (lasted for less than an hour), we changed to our PJs and got ourselves ready for the dinner. We availed the buffet (180/person) for that night. Though I wasn’t really happy with what we had, it’s a good thing pa din that we avoided the hassle of cooking.



Their videoke is so sosyal! LCD screen. But only the family of the owner enjoyed this. Hahahaha. We already went to bed after dinner which led me to my 4th highlight.

(4) I love YAN YAN

I read Bianca G’s blogposts about her recent trip to HongKong and I realized ang dami naming similarities /slaps.self
I love YAN YAN, POCKY!!, and Hello Panda! I love her ulet! Actually this belongs to Michy but I love it so much that she allowed me to have this. Thanks Michy!!

(5) Breakfast before going to Potipot Island

We decided to bring some cup noodles with us so we could cut cost but cutting cost sometimes lead to empty stomach. Hahahaha. I don’t know if it’s me or this noodles really lack taste and color. I did exactly the right thing, I followed every single step written at the back of the cup but still, major fail. Oh well, still thanks to Michy because she gave me a part of her breakfast.

3-in-1 Nestle Coffee that we brought from Manila

And for us to have hot water we need..

Michy’s water heater!! Hahahaha. We will surely survive with Michy around. She’s a certified girl scout! And I am not using figures of speech! Literally, she’s a girl scout! Proud super friend here!

We don’t actually have anything with us to Potipot but the leftovers from our baon from Manila which leads me to my #6.

(6) Lunch at Potipot Island

This contains our life~

Imagine, this is the only thing that we brought to the island together with two bottles of water. I didn’t know how were we able to survive it but yea we did. Maybe because the place is just too good to feel any hunger. Hahaha!

Looks gross but it was really fun eating like this with your super friends! Endless laughing trips and more funny stories! You wouldn’t feel any hunger at all!

Promise, they’re happy though it doesn’t show here. /lol

(7) The  boatride from POTIPOT ISLAND

This is what I wore going to the island

Swimsuit

Long Skirt

Fedora hat

Slippers

Scarf

My best friend Lea is really scared of boat rides but whenever she sees wonderful views, she could overcome them all! Good job! It just took us 10 minutes to go to the island from the beach house.

(8)THE  POTIPOT ISLAND

I love the island. I’ve been to Zambales for many times already but this is the very first time that I got really amazed with its beauty. Potipot island is the most beautiful amongst the ones I’ve been to. You would need to pay P100 fee for the entrance to the island but it will be all worth it! The fine almost-white sand, the trees, and there are cottages built too if you didn’t bring tent with you but for our case, we didn’t avail any since we were cutting costs. MAJOR LOL

(9) FUN  FUN AT THE BEACH WITH OUR SWIMSUITS

Also, we were able to use my 55-200mm lens!!

Thank you to Tatay for being our official photographer! He enjoyed using my new lens!  :)

I love my swimsuit!

The top most highlight of our trip (and the reason why there’s summer! /lol)

(10) TAN LINE!!

When it’s summer, having a tan line is a must and I was really glad that I achieved it. Hahaha!

Let me end this post with my super friends’ SUMMER JUMPSHOTS!

4th runner up is  Tatay’s major major fail jumpshot. He had the most number of frames but this is only good shot. Hahahaha! Joke.
3rd runner up is Michy. Good shot but not good enough LOL
2nd runner up is Lea. Having a light feeling. This one, good enough.
And the winner is Janna’s super light jump shot. She is the Potipot’s next jump shot model!
Congratulations!!

I had the best summer of my life! Thanks super friends, until next holy week getaway!

When in Cebu : A must try

Before I proceed with my CROWN REGENCY sky experience, let me first show you some of the crazy roller coaster rides that I am really dying to try! I saw these all in the internet!

The Vertical Velocity at Gurnee, Illinois

Could someone tell me where could I find this one crazy awesome roller coaster ride? This is the best ride I could ever have!

Cyclone in Brooklyn, New York — where Dan Humphrey lives. /lol
I don’t know if I can take this ride, Hahahaha! It’s super long!

The reason why I booked our Cebu trip last March was because I want to try the rides featured at Trip na Trip (an ABS CBN program): EDGE COASTER and SKYWALK. These rides can be found at Crown Regency Hotel.

CROWN REGENCY HOTEL

40-storey Crown Regency hotel is like a hotel and amusement park built into one. It’s the tallest building in Metro Cebu and located right at the heart of the city. We availed the Php950 package which includes the Edge Coaster and Skywalk rides, 4D Cinema Experience and Buffet Dinner.

EDGE COASTER


Edge Coaster will be found at the 38th floor of the building.

I was really dying to try this since I saw it on the said program. It is the very first edge coaster ride in the world! It will have you at 45 degree angle looking straight down as you navigate your seat. You have the control over it so you can play around while on your ride. It’s pretty much scary but fun! I love heights. I am blessed to be very brave with this thing. Too bad we came there at night so I wasn’t able to have good pictures but here is how the ride looks like in daytime:

and here are some of the pictures we have taken while on the ride. Apologies for the low quality. /lol

Kuya Karl and Shae

(1)Ate Marj with Kuya pogi.
(2)Borgy and I.

I remember tilting our seat to its limit and Borgy begging me to put it down.The Edge Coaster takes about 4 minutes to go around the outer rim of the Cebu Crown Regency Tower.

SKYWALK

I thought I would not fully enjoy this ride but I was wrong. It’s weird that I get more scared here than when I was at Edge Coaster. You would walk at the floor panels of the building while the ride’s assistants tell you stories. LOL. It is a requirement for them to take pictures of you doing some poses while they place you at  the edge of the building. In the end, you would have to choose which pictures you want to be printed for Php230/each.

I enjoyed looking at this view of Cebu!

Upon surviving the rides, they would be issuing you certificates!

4D Cinema Experience

I love this part! There were three movie selection but unfortunately, when it’s our turn, only one is available for viewing : THE LOST ISLAND.
Here you would go through almost everything that the character is experiencing. I remember shouting when some water hit on my face and when there were some creepy stuffs under my seat. It was just a short film but a very fun experience. I wonder when will all the cinemas be like this one?

BUFFET DINNER
After Skywalk we decided to have dinner first before trying the 4D Cinema. I love buffets! The hotel’s restaurant is quite big and it offers different Asian cuisines. My stomach seemed to be over-stretched because of all the food that we had!

Great way to end our day!

We returned to Manila the next day but before that, we tried Larsians. Too bad, I don’t have pictures from there since my battery went empty. Booo.

CROWN REGENCY SKY EXPERIENCE

Package hp950 (Edge Coaster, Sky Walk, 4D Cinema and Buffet)