Holiday at Acuaverde

Its holiday and its Labor Day! I am one of those escaping the metro for a quick getaway. I initially planned to book Sabangan Beach Resort because its cheaper compared to other resorts within the shoreline of Laiya Batangas but unfortunately its already fully booked on Labor day. I searched for other resorts and found Blue Coral, Acuatico and Acuaverde and immediately inquired for room availability.Among the three we ended up booking Acuaverde because of the positive reviews online and affordable price.

The staff at the reception area shortly brief us when we arrived. We didn't have to register since we did an online booking. We just sign the papers and were given our room keys. The resort also offered welcome drinks upon arrival. The boyfriend is raving about the tamarind juice! Its cold, sweet and give you a splash taste of natural tamarind.

View from Casa Montana room (2nd floor)

I read online that the owner of Acuatico is the same as that of Acuaverde and they are only renting out the area for Acuaverde. I prefer Acuaverde because of its greenery feel. A lot of trees surrounds the rooms and giving shade along the resort. Pets are also allowed for a minimal fee.

The amount you pay for room already comes with full board meals Dinner, Breakfast and  Lunch. We got the arrival lunch since we arrived early at the resort. Excited lang😃 They allowed us to check in early at 12PM. The buffet style lunch was set up at Cocina restaurant overlooking the beach.

View from Cocina Restaurant

The food served were delicious. During our stay, the lunch served were relyenong bangus, sauteed vegetable, beef stew. There's also hot soup (mushroom soup) and variety of fruits. You also have the option to order from the ala carte menu. For those coffee lovers, brewed coffee☕ is available all day.

Dinner at Cocina Restaurant

Buffet area

Swing hanging from Tamarind tree

Stringlights at night time

I was actually expecting for the beach to be rocky but its different.The beach along Acuaverde is not that rocky. Although the sand is not that fine compared to Boracay, the water is clean and clear. You can walk along the beach without hurting your feet. I didn't even have to use aqua shoes.The resort offered a free kayak you can use and enjoy. There's always a guard on the look out for safety.

The water is clear along the shoreline

Guard on the look out! 👀

The next day, I got up early to make sure I can catch the sunrise. It's wonderful! I wish I had better lens to capture its beauty. I only have my iphone unfortunately🙈

  

Catching the sunrise at 6AM!

Sunrise at 6AM

Marco Polo

If there's one hotel that have the best customer service I would say, Marco Polo would top it all. They have the best people - genuine people. Staff working on the floor are very pleasing. Smiling all day and willing to extend help at all times. These are just the simple things that guest really appreciates.

We only booked Superior Room since we only planned to stay overnight. Luckily they decided to upgrade our room to Continental Deluxe Room for no additional charge. I was so happy since this room is situated on topmost floors of the hotel tower. That means that we will be having a good view of the city and us staying on a larger room.

The room is equipped with coffee and espresso machine. I also saw three red apples on the table but I decided to just take it home when we check out😁

What I love the most is the bathroom.I find it more exciting than the bed. I wish I could sleep on it the whole day - on the bath tub with warm water and epsom salt. I'm dreaming! Since we went out after check in I only got to use the bath tub before sleep.

The accommodation comes with a buffet style breakfast. I am more than satisfied with variety of food served. The buffet table is complete with variety of breads, cereals, fruits and different kind of juice and overflowing coffee. You can also request if you'd like fruit shakes.

Cucina at Marco Polo. Grab from Marco Polo site

An overnight stay at Marco Polo although pricey is worth every penny. I would definitely be back but would make sure to book two or three days to enjoy all the facilities. I forgot to mention we also enjoyed an afternoon dip at the infinity pool at the 22nd floor overlooking the cityscape.

Singapore Vacation

Its been a while. I almost forgot I owned this site. I've been hooked up with Instagram and Facebook that most of my time I'm doing nothing but scrolling up & down my news feed expecting something new or something would come up worth criticizing . Lol! I'm just kidding. Anyways, these photos are long overdue. Guess one thing that triggers this post is these wonderful photos of Singapore. We recently planned a 5days vacation in Singapore. Just a quick getaway from the stress of work.

Singapore. Oh Singapore. I would really wanted to come back for the train. They are fast, convenient and are really impressive. The numbered bus also wont disappoint. You would only need a map, mrt card and off you go! No need for a tour guide really. So enough of my words and let me share some of the photos we took on our trip.

Changi airport

We booked in Foresque Residences through Airbnb.

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I could share more photos but I'm afraid all of those pictures includes Me and the boyfriend. Lol. You may get annoyed. So there you go!

Lunch at Mesa

The other day boyfriend and I were strolling along Greenbelt5 looking for a place to have our lunch. Since we are out of budget, we are eyeing for a restaurant that would satisfy our tummy but would not empty our pocket. We end up in Mesa just in the corner of Greenbelt5 along the entrance. It was peak lunch hours and we are third from the cue. The 35mins. waiting time is just fine considering it was peak hours and we could wait while window shopping.

And here's what we had for lunch.



Chicken Pork Adobo Mesa Way

Chicken and pork stewed in soy, vinegar and spices P185.00

Tinapa Roll Wrapped in Lettuce
Flakes smoked fish with tomato, onion and salted egg 145.00

Pork Binagoongan ni Kaka

Pan fried pork belly sauteed in shrimp paste P190.00

Crispy Boneless Tilapia with Four Sauces
Served with four sauces P290.00
 
                
Grilled  Hito
Served with Honey Shrimp Paste P320.00



Overall it was good. It is seldom that you will find a restaurant along Greenbelt5 which could fit in your budget and serve large portion. We even had some food for take away for a little over a thousand pesos. Will definitely go back again :)

Choices and consequences

Ive been checking my post history on one of the social networking site and had read this old post. I didnt remember where I got this or if it was one of my own.haha :) I wasnt really sure what my mood was when I posted this but anyway I feel the need of sharing this.

"Funny thing about life is that nothing you crave ever comes to you of its own... we always need to be ready to accept and that involves paying up front... letting go of certain things. Frienships, Comfort, Truth... everything has ...more its price, the first of which is peace.Then its followed by a sample of what you want... to deepen the hunger... so that when you choose, you choose it willingly. You see, the choice is always with us. and that's what life is... choices and consequences."

Art Center

DSC05534, originally uploaded by calista flippers.

Our country is a home of multi talented individuals. From actors and actresses, sports figures, successful entrepreneurs, writers and painters, we Filipinos are known all over the world because of our notable talents and skills.

Lately i've been wondering around a mall somewhere in the Metro and here's what i bumped into; a work of some of our local artists displayed in the Art Center (click here).

Duets

Friday nights are the best night. Thanks to Mr. Diaz for the very informative site awesomeplanet; I have been informed of this theatrical play "Duets". Duets of Repertory Philippines is four vignettes performed by two actors that explores the lighter side of romance and relationships. Though doubt clouded me when I saw the crowd entering the theater (most of them are on there 30's and are couples), i didn't get any disappointment at the end of the show.

Me and Dale keeps on laughing to our hearts content on the full duration of the play. We become unmindful of how hard and loud our laugh is. Blame it to the plots humor and the people on our back who at the same time are throwing a full load of laughter to the performers.

If you happened to experience the show, you'll definitely know why they deserved the good reviews from the viewers, especially for the last scene which is my favorite of all the four act. The last one is I think the most humorous plus the one of all four that received the loudest clap from the viewers. Maybe that's why it is the one served as the finale; the best is served last.

I was just a bit sad that i wasn't able to take some pictures due to the strict theater security. But i have gathered some from sources.

Angela is about to marry for the third time and brother Toby hates the dress, the groom, the party and only wants the best for her—really.

Shelley and Bobby are divorcing on a holiday in Boracay but drunk on emotion.

Barrie is gay and Janet wishes he wasn’t.

Leaving w/ no trace of disappointment, the show gathered a good rating from me. It run for 2.5 hours and it left us all with an empty stomach. Well maybe because we already have burned our calories stretching our mouth.

We pulled our feet to Pepper Lunch to have our dinner. It was Dale's choice but sorry it was already closed by that time. A bit disappointed we walked straight the corner and ended to California Pizza Kitchen and heres what we got ☺☺☺:

Penne with slices of grilled spicy Italian sausage, mild onions, red and yellow peppers and Parmesan cheese in CPK's own Marinara sauce Thinly pounded chicken breast, lightly breaded and sauteed, topped with fresh arugula, shaved Parmesan cheese and combination of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mushrooms, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, Mozzarella cheese and CPK tomato sauce

At the end of the the day i was asked if i enjoyed it. I said "Well...Good show, good food and good company... and then i SMILE☺. Next Friday?