Category Archives: Hotels and Inns

Back to Laoag City (Ilocos Norte)

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After our La Paz Sand Dunes adventure, we again boarded our shuttle bus for San Nicolas   where we were invited for a buffet dinner at Ilocos Rosewell Hotel and Restaurant’s atrium-style lobby. After dinner we checked out the hotel’s rooms.
After our dinner at Rosewell Hotel and Restaurant, we were in for another round of eating, this time at Balay de Blas Pensionne House in Laoag City, as guests of hotel owner Mr. Sammy Bas, for some cocktails and videoke.  The hotel was formerly a residence of the Blas family until it opened its doors to tourists.
Executive Suite bedroom at Balay de Blas

Before everything else, we were allowed to freshen up at its executive suite. The room’s furnishings were all period pieces and one table had a Singer sewing machine base, same as the those in Cafe Herencia in Paoay, where Sammy is a co-owner.

Check out “Restaurant Review: Cafe Herencia“

Spacious living room (take note of the Singer sewing machine
table at center)

Sammy also owns Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and guests can place their orders through the hotel.  The restaurant offers Ilocano dishes (bagnet, igado, poque-poque, dinakdak, pinakbet, etc.) as well as avant-garde versions of the traditional Ilocano fare fused with Western cuisine such as Saramsam pasta, poque-poque pizza and dinuguan pizza.  Some of these dishes were served to us during our cocktails and videoke night which was emceed by media colleagues Ron Rivera and Kenneth del Rosario.

Ilocos Rosewell Hotel and Restaurant: Brgy 1, San Francisco National Highway, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. Tel: (077) 670-6528 and 781-2122.  Fax: (077) 781-3700.  Website: www.ilocosrosewellhotel.com.

Balay da Blas Pensionne House: 10 Giron St., Brgy. 7-B, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  Tel: (077) 770-4389.  Email: balaydablas@yahoo.com. Website: www.balaydablas.com.

Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant: N. Corpuz Bldg., Rizal cor. Hizon St., Brgy. 7-A, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  Tel: (077) 771-5825.  Email: balaydablas@yahoo.com.

Arrival in Laoag City (Ilocos Norte)

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Laoag City Hotel and Convention Center

After our Adams adventure, it was back to our coaster for the 2-hr. drive to Laoag City  where we were to have dinner.  We arrived there by night time and were dropped off at the City Hall were we were welcomed by Mayor Michael V. Farinas and other city officials.

Courtesy call on Laoag City Mayor Michael V. Farinas

After a short presentation on Laoag tourism and Cebu Pacific (one of our corporate sponsors), a delicious dinner of longanisa, fried chicken, bagnet, empanada, etc., was served.  It was now time to call it a day and we were all tired after our grueling hike to Anuplig Falls.  Media colleague Gabby Malvar left our group at this time as he had to return to Manila.  Travel blogger Nina Fuentes left even earlier, prior to our Anuplig Falls hike.

Our bus brought us to the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center at the city’s outskirts, 5 kms. from Laoag International Airport, where we were to stay overnight.  Kim Madridejos and I in stayed in one superior airconditioned double room.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center“

Double room


City Mayor’s Office: Tupaz St., Brgy. 10, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  Tel: (077) 772-1100. Fax: (077) 771-3168.

Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center (INHCC):  Brgy. 41, Balacad, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, 2900. Tel: (077) 670-8817.  E-mail: reservations@ilocosnortehotel.com.  Website www.ilocosnortehotel.com.

Buguey: The "Crab Capital of the North" (Cagayan)

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El Presidente Beach Resort

After breakfast at Eastern Hawaii Casino and Resort, we next headed west, to Ilocos Norte, with stopovers at Buguey and Claveria. We arrived at Buguey by 10 AM and were dropped off at the El Presidente Beach Resort where we were welcomed by town officials led by Mayor Licerio Antiporda III and his wife. The skies were overcast and it was very windy.  Before entering the conference hall, we were given a welcome drink of fresh buko juice, still in its shell, plus crab sandwiches.  While waiting for the start of the press conference, some sampled the Lamba Sparkle Berry Delight, a cocktail consisting of a 1/3 cup each of the following: native Buguey lambanog (nipa palm wine), sparkle and red berry juice, plus half a teaspoon of sugar; then garnished with lime and cherry and, finally, all the ingredients are shaken, strained and poured into a cocktail glass.

Lamba Sparkle Berry Delight

In his speech at the presscon, Mayor Antiporda enumerated his efforts to further boost the town’s tourism potential as well as to fortify its claim to being the “Crab Capital of the North.”  He also informed us that the local government-run El Presidente Beach Resort will soon be undergoing a total makeover, thanks to a PhP32 million loan from Land Bank, and will be turned into a U-shaped, bungalow-type hotel with 15 guestrooms and two dorms and will be renamed as the Buguey Crab Hotel.

Crab claws anyone….?

Afterwards, we were all invited to partake of the feast prepared for us: steamed shrimps; brackish water crabs, both steamed and cooked in the half shell; breaded prawns; seaweed, oysters, fresh fruits (mangoes, bananas) and bocayo (coconut candy). Some, foregoing the use of spoons, forks and knives, decided to dine kamayan style. While we were doing so, we were regaled with a bevy of native dances performed by schoolchildren and young adults.

Driftwood by the beach

After dining, some of us slipped out the conference hall to burn the excess calories gained as well as to check out the windswept black sand beach, observe people harvesting shells or children playing and to admire the high, turbulent waves breaking on the shore, a consequence of the converging waters of the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Cagayan River.  Prior to our leaving for Claveria, everyone in the media group was gifted with a bottle of Buguey lambanog to take home (I was given two).

A Second Taste of Luxury in Sta. Ana (Cagayan)

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Eastern Hawaii Casino and Resort

After our half-day Palaui Island excursion and lunch at the port, we were again picked up by our CEZA bus and brought to Eastern Hawaii Casino and Resort where we were to spend our second night in Sta. Ana.  Our media group was welcomed, with cool welcome drinks and face towels (in lumpia form), by Front Office supervisor Mr. Carl Dulay and his cheerful and attentive staff.  Surprisingly, I was assigned my very own spacious ground floor airconditioned room .

Check out “Resort Review: Eastern Hawaii Casino and Resort“

My spacious suite

Just like Sun City before, it used to just cater to Chinese from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau but is now opening its doors to Filipino tourists, we being the first to do so.

The infinity pool

Since it was still early in the afternoon, some of the ladies went for a swim at the pool while Kenneth del Rosario, Sheryl Songsong, Ron Rivera, Kim Madridejos and  I had a pansit merienda and a chat with Mr. Dulay at a picnic shed by the beach.  Later, tired after our Palaui hike, I had a late afternoon siesta at my room.  I totally forgot my complimentary 15-min. massage. Dinner, consisting of a number of ihaw-ihaw (barbecued) dishes (fish, pork, etc.), sizzling sisig, grilled prawns in butter, etc., was served at the nearly finished clubhouse beside the pool.  After dinner, Ms.Ma. Theresa “Tess” Liwanag, the resort’s Asst. Gen. Manager and HR Head, hosted a number of team building games for our group.  My breakfast the next day, at the Chinese restaurant, consisted of longanisa, fried egg, garlic fried rice, coffee and fruits. C’est la vie.

Eastern Hawaii Casino and Resort: Sta. Ana, Cagayan.  Mobile numbers: (0918) 916-0645, (0927) 808-5432 and (0917) 448-2123.

Arrival in Sta. Ana (Cagayan)

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Cagayan Holiday & Leisure Resort

After our seafood dinner at Gonzaga, it was again back to our bus for a shorter (40-km.) drive to Cagayan Export Zone Authority in Centro in Sta. Ana and it was already 8 PM when we arrived at the upscale Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort (also called Sun City Hotel and Casino) where we were to call it a day.  I wasn’t expecting anything bordering on the luxurious in this part of the country but boy was I surprised.  Upon entering the resort’s gate, I thought I was in a classy resort the likes of which can only be found in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Reno or Macau. Well for one, the 7-hectare Cagayan Holiday & Leisure Resort is the first and the only high-end resort in northern part of the Philippines that offers complete world-class facilities and amenities.

The online gaming  Casino

This PhP400 million (HK$ 70 million) resort, a subsidiary of the Sun International Group Ltd.,  was ormerly opened only to high-rolling Chinese nationals from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan but this Cagayan Economic Zone Authority-operated resort will soon be opening its doors to locals with us in media being the first to try out its world-class facilities.

One of the resort’s F&B outlets

Upon arrival at the resort, we first checked out the online gaming casino before proceeding to the restaurant where we were warmly welcomed by Sta. Ana town mayor Darwin A. Tobias.  Also prepared for us was a gourmet dinner with delicious cream of mushroom soup, barbecued chicken lollipop, sweet ham, fish fillet and mixed vegetables which we all enjoyed.

Bedroom with twin beds at Villa

Gabby Malvar, Ferdz Decena and I were assigned a nearby (the others were transported to their villas via a golf cart) neat and clean Asian-inspired villa.

Check out “Resort Review: Cagayan Holiday & Leisure Resort“

Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort: Brgy. San Vicente, Sta. Ana, Cagayan.  Tel: +853 6644 8811 and +853 8844 4422.  Mobile numbers: (0917) 588-9916 and (0908) 894-7042.  E-mail: reception@cagayanresort.com. Website: www.suncity-group.com.

 

The Lighthouse by the Bay (Subic, Zambales)

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Our special Victory Liner media bus approaching 
Lighthouse Marina Resort
After our very filling, 2-restaurant food tour in Clark, it was now time for some R&R for our Lakbay Norte 2 media group at Subic Freeport Zone.  We left Clark for Subic around 12:30 PM and we arrived at Lighthouse Marina Resort just before 2 PM where we were welcomed by members of the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau. Considered as the number 1 hotel among 17 in Subic, the 3-storey Lighthouse Marina Resort, owned by the Avecilla shipping clan, is a sleek and ultra-modern 34-room boutique hotel capped by a 20-m. high lighthouse. Designed by the architectural firm Palafox Associates in almost austere Italian architecture, it has an elegantly simple facade.

Our assigned suite

We checked into a warmly appointed airconditioned suite with king-size bed, a 42-inch, wall-mounted LCD cable TV, minibar, fridge, coffee/tea facility, IDD phone, writing desk, DVD/MP-3 player, in-room safe and electronic door lock.  The bathroom, similar to the one I’ve seen at the Marriot Hotel in Manila, has glass walls (with electronically raised or lowered curtains for privacy).  A novelty, though, is its free-standing tub reminiscent of Old World baths.

The resort’s icon

The white and maroon lighthouse, the resort’s icon and the most photographed landmark in the port, was done in surprisingly detail very faithful to naval architecture specifications.   Fronting the swimming pool, the tower is home to the 720 London Music Bar, its counter, which accommodates 15, is shaped like a ship’s bow. Lighthouse Resort sales representative, Ms. Jozen Curva toured us up the lighthouse to admire the stunning, panoramic view of Subic’s harbor.The grand, high-ceiling lobby has huge floor-to-ceiling clear glass windows, an ensemble of Citterio-inspired lounge furniture and a grand piano, all done in beige colors. Sands Al fresco, where we had breakfast the next day, offers sumptuous grilled food, seafood, Mediterranean and international cuisine.  Wi-fi service was great here. 

Lakbay Norte 2 Media Group

Lighthouse Marina Resort: Subic Bay Moonbay Marina Complex, Waterfront Road, CBD, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales, Philippines.  Tel/Fax: (047) 252-5000 and (047) 252-7545.  Toll Free Manila Number: (632) 711-0019.  Manila Sales Office Tel:(632) 892-3534 Fax: (632)815-8296.  E-mail: marketing@lighthousesubic.com. Website: www.lighthousesubic.com.

Microtel Inn and Suites (Tarlac City, Tarlac)

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After our visit to the Manaoag Shrine, our media group proceeded to Tarlac City where we were invited by representatives of the Tarlac Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCVB) for dinner at Fisherman’s Diner.  Their crispy pata was really good.  Also here, after dinner, we had a ball singing our hearts out during the videoke challenge (won by Gabby Malvar).
Microtel Inn and Suites Tarlac

It was now late and we arrived at the Microtel Inn and Suites by 2 AM for a little shuteye prior to our very early morning departure for Brgy. Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac, our jump-off point for our Mt.Pinatubo  trek.

Our double queen room

We stayed in one of the hotel’s 50 airconditioned rooms with bath, fridge, IDD/NDD phone, internet-ready data port, electronic key card entry system  and cable TV (single/double queen and suites, PhP2,106-3,861).  The hotel also has a 20-pax meeting room and offers wi-fi access (at lobby), safety deposit boxes (at lobby), currency exchange, mailing and fax services. 

Tarlac Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCVB): TCVB Pasalubong Center, Robinsons Luisita, San Miguel, Tarlac City, Tarlac.  Mobile number: (0917) 514-3619.  E-mail: tarlac_cvb@yahoo.com.ph.
Fisherman’s Diner:  Sitio Mannga 2, Brgy. Matatalaib, Tarlac City, Tarlac.
Microtel Inn & Suites Tarlac: Luisita, Brgy. San Miguel, Tarlac City, Tarlac 2301.  Tel: (045) 985-1770 (trunkline) & 985-1974.  . Fax: (45) 985-1975. E-mail: tarlac@microtel.ph.  Website: www.microtelinn.com. Manila sales and reservation office: 2/F, PHINMA Bldg., 166 Salcedo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.  Tel: (632) 810-9526, 813-7523 & 813-8553.  Fax: (632) 817-3942.  Domestic toll-free: 1-800-1888-7171. 

Hotel Elizabeth: A Touch of the Mediterranean in Baguio (Benguet)

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The Mediterranean-inspired Hotel ElizabethThe first day of our Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC)/North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB)-sponsored Lakbay Norte 2 media tour started in Baguio City, the Philippines’ “Summer Capital,”  where we checked out the city’s vibrant art scene, notably the Tam-awan Village in the morning and the BenCab Museum (and meeting BenCab himself) in the afternoon.

It was overcast during the former and it rained at the latter but the sun did peek out, albeit for a short time, just enough time for us to be awed by the Mediterranean splendor of Hotel Elizabeth, the place where we were to stay overnight, as we entered its driveway flanked by gazebos on one side and beautiful landscaping on both sides. It was more so when we entered its lavish but tastefully-decorated atrium-like lobby.  

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Hotel Elizabeth“
Our 4-bed De Luxe Room

Dandi Galvez, Ivan ManDy, Art Villasanta and I were billeted in one of its stylishly furnished and European-inspired four-pax carpeted suites. Come nighttime, we were treated to dinner at the Floral Cafe where we partook of creamy vegetable soup, rosemary chicken with fish fillet and marinara sauce and steamed vegetable sidings plus a dessert of pastries and fruit.  Wi-Fi was strong here and in the lobby, though weak in our room.

After this delicious three-course meal, a number of us decided to burn our excess calories by exploring nearby attractions such as the Mansion House (and its Pool of Pines) and Wright Park, both 200 m. away.  The Good Shepherd Convent and Mines View Park are also within that same distance.

Floral Coffee Shop

Come early morning, after a equally delicious breakfast at our previous watering hole, hotel owner Ms. Jean Salonga-Fernando toured us around the hotel’s other rooms.

Hotel Elizabeth: 1 Felipe St. cor. Gibraltar Rd., Baguio City, Benguet.  Tel: (632) 911-2161 local 148 and 912-2691 (direct line).  Fax: (632) 912-2693. Website: www.hotelelizabeth-baguio.com.

Genting Highlands (Malaysia)

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We arrived at the resort by lunch time and our van driver dropped us off at the First World Hotel which, in 2006, was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest hotel with its total of 6,118 rooms.  The resort has three theme parks – the Genting Outdoor Theme Park (set around an artificial lake), the First World Indoor Theme Park (arcade games and children’s rides) and the Water Park.

The Outdoor Theme Park

Among its 20 signature attractions are the Flying Coaster (a hang-gliding roller coaster), the Corkscrew (the only double-loop roller coaster in Malaysia, it speeds and spins up to a height of 90 ft. above the ground), the Genting Sky Venture (Asia’s only free-fall skydiving simulator), the Haunted House, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not!Museum, Solera Space Shot (a rapid vertical ascent and descent open-air amusement ride) and SnowWorld.

Snow World

We all tried the last mentioned attraction, donning thick winter jackets and gloves as we tried to last 30 mins. in this 6 degrees below zero winter wonderland. We only lasted 15 but within that time we went tobogganing and bravely ate ice cream before calling it quits.

Genting Skyway

Another welcome treat was our spectacular 3.38 km. (2 mile) cable car ride on board the relaxing Genting Skyway which, at its opening on February 21, 1997, was recognized as the “World’s Fastest Mono Cable Car System” (with a maximum speed of 6 m. per second or 21.6 kms. per hour) and the “Longest Cable Car in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.” Open 24 hours, our gondola lift ride took all of 11 mins. as we glided above a blanket of montane vegetation at its lush rain forest.

First World Hotel

Coffee and pastries at First World Hotel’s Starbucks outlet, prior to our being picked up by our tourist van and return to Kuala Lumpur, capped this cool, fun-filled day.

Dorsett Regency Hotel (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

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Our home during our 5-night stay in Kuala Lumpur was the Dorsett Regency Hotel, located in the heart of city’s Golden Triangle.  We all stayed in a 30 sq. m. (322.9 sq. ft.) Deluxe Room at the 24th floor (2411) furnished with 2 double beds, 32-inch flat-screen LCD satellite TV, minibar, in-room safety deposit box, coffee/tea making facility and bath. The hotel also has 38 sq. m. (409 sq. ft.) Deluxe Premier Rooms an,d  45 sq. m. (484.3 sq. ft.) Junior Suites.

Deluxe Room (2411)

We had our breakfast at the first floor, 150-pax, all day (6 AM-1 AM) Checker’s Cafe where we also celebrated our 25 wedding anniversary with Jandy and Cheska.  Beside it is the cozy, 25 pax Cellini’s Italian Restaurant.  Our New Year was spent at the lobby level, 80-pax Window’s Cafe and Lounge where we watched talented Filipina performers.

Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration at Checkers Cafe

The hotel also has a swimming pool (4th floor), 4 function rooms (10-200-pax), gym and offers limousine service, tours, concierge, valet, laundry, dry cleaning, pressing and 24-hour room service. The hotel was a stone’s throw away from KL’s finest shopping malls (Pavilion, Star Hill, Lot 10, Sungei Wang, Berjaya Times Square and Low Yat Plaza), eateries, tourist and entertainment spots.

Dorsett Regency Hotel: 172 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Tel: 603-2716 1000.  Fax: 603-2715 5000.  E-mail: reservations.kl@dorsettregency.com.my