The Talipanan Beach Adventure 2015

It's summer time!  And that means plenty of sun, surf, and the eventual sunburn.  Make sure you bring some sunscreen because it's a must to keep your skin young and healthy.  Now that we got that out of the way, this year we decided we wanted to go to the beach but somewhere near Manila.  We thought of the usual Laiya escape but we go there pretty much every year.  So where else?  Puerto Galera of course!  It's a perfect place for that perfect weekend getaway because it's so near and easy to get to.  It's budget friendly and you can spend the weekend on a nice beach.

As many of you already know Puerto Galera is a well known beach escape near Manila and the diving site choice for many foreign tourists.  The place is packed with tourists, local and foreign alike, such as Sabang and White Beach.  It's a party place just like Boracay.  But if that isn't your thing there is a quieter beach located in the same area:  Talipanan Beach!

Talipanan Beach, Puerto Galera

Talipanan Beach is located just a bit South from White Beach and has white sand.  Not as fine as Boracay but it's beautiful either way.  And the best thing is, it is quiet and far away enough from the hustle and bustle from the loud party scene.  This is the perfect place if you want peace and quiet.

There are plenty of resorts to stay at Talipanan Beach but the one we decided to stay at was Amami Beach Resort.  It's not a very fancy resort but it has all the basics that you would need.  Its got a big bed, hot shower, private bath room, and it's just a hop away from the beach.  The resort is owned by a very friendly Italian-Filipino family.  The resort is only about 1 1/2 years old but if you look at TripAdvisor you will see it's already number one on the site.  Like I said, it's not a very fancy resort, but they do make up for it with great service and even greater food.  It's a very relaxing and laid back resort and the owners will make you feel at home.  But the main reason we wanted to stay there was because of the food.

View from Amami Beach Resort

Massimo, the Italian cook at the resort has great feedback from all who have visited.  His expertise is pasta and I really do suggest you try it.  My two favorite dishes where the Bolognese and the Bacon and Mushroom pasta.  It is excellent and it's not something you can easily get in Manila so try it.

If you decide you want to party a little you can either take a tricycle or walk over to White Beach.  If you're a bit adventurous I would suggest walking.  It'll take about an hour or two but it's well worth it for the view.  You'll have to do a bit of climbing over rocks but if I can do it with a 3 year old strapped on my back I'm pretty sure you can do it too.

The walk to White Beach

Carrying my daughter over rocks.

You'll pass a very nice privately owned beach resort on the way and it's quite beautiful.  I asked some of the locals who owns this place and they said it is owned by the Ayala's.  No wonder.  Private beach resort with private helipad included.

Talipanan Beach, Puerto Galera is the perfect getaway for the weekend.  Living in Manila is quite stressful and going to the beach is one of those things I love to do to relax.  If that is your thing also and do love good food, this is the place for you.  Nice and quiet with plenty of great food.

Perfect Staycation: Azumi Boutique Hotel

Every year we try to do something special with the family for Valentine's.  It's not just a day for lover's or for couple's but it's also a perfect time for families.  This year we decided on staying put near the city but hang out at a hotel.  My wife suggested we stay at Azumi Boutique Hotel because she's heard a lot of good things about it.  So naturally we decided to check it out.

So we did the Google thing and checked out the pictures and reviews of fellow writers and the news was pretty good.  And the price was oh so good!  For a mere P3,8888 (Valentine's special) we got to stay overnight with breakfast for 2.  And they offered a free stay for my sister in law and my 3 year old.  Which was pretty nice of them and the deciding factor for me when I was inquiring.

But I think the regular price for a night there is around P2,800, which I think was the first price the reservation officer said before she offered me the Valentine's Special that included a 30 minute foot massage for two.  Hmm...come to think of it I think that was the additional P1000 plus the breakfast.  Either way I still think it was a good price.

The interior and exterior of the hotel is very nice.  Pretty modern design and the staff was very helpful.  Although the hotel itself is very affordable the staff still treats you like it's a 5 star hotel.  Which is a very nice touch and definitely something that other hotels should emulate regardless of their target market.

The waiting area was roomy enough and comfy.  The restaurant is on the left side and on the right side you find the nail and spa place.  When we got to the hotel there were plenty of people being served so we had to wait about five minutes before being called.  The check in process only took another five minutes max and was hassle free.

One of the best things about the hotel was the room.  Not only was it clean, it was surprisingly roomy and very comfy.  I've stayed at plenty of budget hotels in my time and they were all small and cramped.  The room we got was large, comfy, and the view was pretty nice.

Another draw to the hotel was the infinity pool located on top of the hotel.  It's got a nice view overlooking  Ayala Alabang.  One thing I didn't like about it though was that it was pretty cold.  A heated infinity pool would have put this hotel over the top for me.  Imagine hanging out in the warm water at night with all the twinkling lights.  Now that would be a sight to see.

After swimming you might want to check out Romulo's Cafe in the lobby of the hotel.  They have  a pretty good selection of traditional Filipino foods.  You should try out the Laing and the Tinapa rolls.  It's a bit pricey but well worth it for the taste.  If you're a bit budget oriented you can always try out the fast food places nearby such as Jollibee and Domino's Pizza.  But with all the money you're saving on the hotel room you might as well try it out.

Overall Azumi Boutique Hotel is definitely worth a visit.  Not only is it very budget friendly it's also located near a lot of great commercial establishments.  You can check out ATC during the day and then go rest at the hotel.  Or you can just stay in your room and relax.  Either way, I'm pretty sure you'll have a great stay at Azumi Boutique Hotel.

For more information you can check out their website at http://azumi.ph/.

New Year; New Hobby at Kodanda Archery

It's another year and I figured why not try out a new hobby.  Something new and exciting.  And archery is something that I have always wanted to try out so I figured why not?  So I went and checked out the Kodanda Archery Range at the lower ground of the Makati Cinema Square (in Makati of course), which is near Greenbelt and I took my family with me for the ride.

It's a small indoor archery range and is perfect for beginners and a great practice venue for advanced practitioners.  For a small fee of P550 plus P30 for the target paper (total of P580) you can try out your skills for an hour.  Why not release the inner Hawk Eye or Katniss in you?

The range fee is around P250* if you have your own equipment.  So for serious and advanced archers this is a great practice venue for you.  (*Please check with Kodanda what the current cost is).

I mentioned that Kodanda is a great place for a beginner because included in the price is the equipment and basic training.  The Kodanda team will help you put on the necessary equipment and give you a proper safety and basic archery lesson before you begin.  For any sport, safety is one of the most basic things that need to be taught and archery is no different.  Because, let's face it, you don't really want to end up at the pointy end of an arrow.  :)

Kidding aside, the Kodanda team will give you proper instructions before you begin releasing those arrows onto your target paper.  And part of that training includes proper gear, which is gladly modeled by my beautiful sister-in-law below.

In modern archery there are three (3) basic bows that are used.

• Recurve Bow
• Compound Bow
• Traditional Bow

If you're wondering, the Olympics only allow the Recurve bow to be used and this type of bow is what is used at Kodanda archery.  One of the main reasons is that this type of bow is great for beginners to learn on.

Modern Recurve Bow

Once you go through the basics and safety procedures you'll be allowed to release those arrows.  The Kodanda Archery team will be there throughout the session to help out if you have any questions.

Archery is a fun and challenging sport.  It takes a lot of practice and patience to excel in it.  My wife and sister-in-law enjoyed it tremendously and are willing to pick it up as a hobby.  Which is good news for me because I always wanted to pick it up as a hobby myself.  No excuse now for me.  :)

Archery for me is an elegant sport and can be done by men and women alike.  And apparently, the women in my life have a knack at target hitting.  I think I will start behaving more from now on, especially since they are going to pick this up as a hobby with the help of the Kodanda Archery team.

Check out Kodanda Archery on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/KodandaArchery

See you there folks!

Regions Organic Coffee

The perks of travel and food writing:

•  you get to do what you enjoy
•   Learn something new every time

This time we got to travel to Balanga, Bataan where the wife and I got treated to the new and improved Regions Organic Coffee shop.  The coffee shop itself has been around for a while but under a different brand name.  Now, with the husband and wife entrepreneurial team at the helm of the coffee shop, they are putting in their own spin and vision for Regions Organic Coffee.

The branch for Regions Organic Coffee shop in Balanga is located at 2100 Laurel St., Balanga Bataan and is open from 2:00pm-10pm daily.  If Bataan is a bit far for that quick coffee break, try these other branches near you:

·         Naia Terminal 3

·         Kalaayan, Quezon City

·         D. Tuazon, Quezon City

·         CCF, Tiendesitas, Pasig City

The branch in Balanga is conveniently located next to some doctor’s offices where you can get a quick dental, facial, or eye checkup.  You can drop by Regions right after that check up and have a well deserved treat.  The shop itself is a small, but very comfy haven for those coffee lovers out there.

After settling down we decided to get the obvious choice at a coffee shop.  We decided to get coffee!  The Organic Farm brew (P75 for 8oz/P85 for 12oz) is made out of 100% USDA organically certified coffee beans.  If you’re already familiar with different coffee beans you can smell the difference right away as they pour the hot water onto the ground beans.  It’s a must try for any coffee aficionado.  

For those who prefer less of a caffeine kick you may want to try out their flavored cream blends.   We decided to try out their bestsellers, which were the Caramel (P130 12oz/P140 16oz) and Green Tea (P120 12oz/P130 16oz).

Caramel

Green Tea

For the chocolate enthusiasts I’d suggest you get the Hot Chocolate Classic (P85 8oz/P105 12oz).  If not for the love of chocolate then for the awesome heart shape design they put into it.  Nothing beats a warm cup of cocoa filled with love and hearts.

Regions also serve food for those who want something to nibble on while drinking that hot cup of joe.  My personal favorite was the Nachos (P125 Half/P175 whole).  It just had that perfect blend of meatiness and cheesiness that I liked very much.  If anything, this is the type of nachos I’d like to bring into a movie theater with me, or while lounging on the sofa.

If you love pasta you should try the Oriental Pasta (P140).  It’s made with chicken, Shiitake mushrooms, peanuts and is served with garlic bread.  It reminds me of a traditional Thai dish I once had.  It’s quite flavorful and has a distinct taste that says Asia.

Another version of pasta that Regions serves is the Spicy Tuna and Beef & Mushroom.   Both are tomato based with the tuna providing a bit of a kick while the Beef & Mushroom is more of a traditional sweet tasting Filipino treat.  Both are good and tasty and are served with garlic bread.

Beef & Mushroom

Spicy Tuna

If you’re looking for something besides pasta you can go ahead and try the Tuna Cucumber Melt (P95).  It comes with a serving of chips in the middle and goes great with a cup of brewed coffee.  You can also partner this with one of the cold drinks.

And for those who just love to skip to the desserts they should try Region’s version of the crinkle the "Whoopie" (P50).  This large sized crinkle is quite a treat.  I especially liked the green one because you could really taste the “tea” taste with every bite.  Again, this delightful dessert goes great with that hot cup of coffee.

The above food and drinks in this blog is just a small summary of what Regions Organic Coffee shop has to offer.  They can definitely hold up their own against the bigger international coffee shops.  For one, they have great coffee, which is of course a must for any decent coffee shop, but not only that, they also have relatively decent prices that we as consumers love.  But in the end, it is the coffee that will bring you back to this coffee shop and its pleasant atmosphere.  

A Truly Asian Experience Part 2 - Petaling Street, Chinatown

As you can tell from the title, this is part two of my Malaysia blog series.  We decided to take the bus to Petaling Street, Chinatown and it took about 2 hours with all the stops.  The bus was quite comfortable and you can take a short nap if you feel like it.  They'll drop you off at the nearest bus station and you have to take about a 5-10 minute walk to the hotel.

We decided to stay at the Hotel Chinatown 2 because of its location inside of Chinatown and because it is near an LRT train station namely Pasar Seni Putra.  From the hotel it's a another 5-10 minute walk and from there you can pretty much go to any of the tourist attractions.  More of that later on.

In Malay, Petaling Street is called Jalan Petaling and like other Chinatown's all over the world it's a pretty busy street all day.  You can do a lot of your souvenir shopping here and the great thing about staying at the Hotel Chinatown 2 is that you can bring your loot right up to your hotel room.

Petaling Street, Chinatown

Chinatown during the day.

The hotel itself is located right along Petaling Street itself and is about right in the middle.  A perfect spot for your adventures.  Not only can you do a lot of shopping there but you're also just a few minutes away from some awesome restaurants such as Nando's, Arabesque, and the local Chinese restaurants to name a few.

A shop underneath the hotel itself.

Blurry shot of the hotel lobby.

Hotel Chinatown 2 is clean, safe, and the staff is friendly.  It's a pretty basic accommodation and if you're looking for something more spacious or luxurious then this is not the place for you.  But if you're the type of traveler who is on a budget, love adventure, and who doesn't mind the hustle and bustle right outside of the hotel then this is for you.  Besides, the beds are comfy, there is hot water, and you can't hear the noises from the street in your room.

Along the street you can find various little trinkets for your souvenir shopping.  But it's also just a short walk away to the new Kasturi Walk and its air conditioned Central Market where you can do a lot more souvenir shopping, chocolate shopping, and where you can eat authentic Malaysian cuisine at the food court on the 2nd floor.

These places are just a few minutes away from Petaling Street and it's worth checking them out.  In order to not get lost, get a map from the hotel.  It's especially worth checking out the Central Market if you're planning on taking home a lot of chocolates.  My wife is a sucker for chocolates and they give you a pretty good deal if you buy more than 1 piece.

The food court is also worth checking out especially when you're always hungry.  It's a really good deal if you're on a budget since a meal will set you back about 6 RM on average.  This does not include the drink since that is sold separately.

The above is only a small percentage of what you can do from Petaling Street.  If you love to walk there is plenty more to see.  Come back for the next part of the blog.