Where to Stay in Manila: Suite23k

This was Laura's first airplane ride and first visit to Manila. We were lucky enough to chance upon a seat sale by Cebu Pacific. Since Laura was only a year and a half old, we only paid Php 350.00 for her. This was my and Ron's way to celebrate our birthday in 2014.

  Belton Place from the street, the pool and the reception area

Looking for a comfortable accommodation that's good for 1 night, I searched through all the group sale sites like Metro Deal, Ensogo and CashCash Pinoy. After checking all the online reviews, I finally decided to buy an offer for Suite23k.

The bed, the love seat and the way out

It's not a typical hotel accommodation. It's a studio unit at Belton Place, a condominium located in San Antonio, Makati City. It's in the 23rd floor, unit K, thus the name Suite23k. It only takes 1 ride from Suite23k to go to Ayala Center.

The shower area and the toilet

Upon our arrival at Belton Place, we were immediately greeted by our host who happily assisted us to our room. The room has a queen-size bed, a love seat, television set and a kitchen where you can cook your own meal.

The view from the bed during day and night time and a decorative wall clock

The glass window was located beside the bed. At night time, you could see the lights from the neighboring buildings right in your bed. The accommodation came with free access to the swimming pool which is located on the 7th floor. It has adults' and kids' pool.

All in all, the place was like a home away from home - your own personal room. In a rate of 1 to 5, I'm giving it a 3.5.

Day Trip to Guimaras - 08/2012

Part of our trip to Iloilo City was to visit the island of Guimaras, the home of sweet mangoes. We left One Lourdes Dormitel early in the morning and had a quick breakfast at La Paz market to taste Iloilo's original La Paz batchoy. We then headed to Ortiz Wharf and took the ferry to Jordan Port in Guimaras. The fare was Php 14.00 and the travel time was around 15 minutes.

The moment we docked in Jordan port, our belongings were inspected to make sure no one brought mango seedlings. This act is strictly prohibited as this may affect Guimaras' local mango variety. We were immediately greeted by our contact driver/tour guide/photographer, Kuya Gerald.

The smallest plaza and our firing experience

On board Kuya Gerald's multicab, our first stop was the country's smallest plaza. We took some photos and headed to our next destination, overlooking Guimaras' mango plantation. As per Kuya Gerald's advise, we stopped by a shooting range and had a good time. It has been quite sometime since Ron had his hands on a gun, back when he was in college studying Criminology.

Museo de Guimaras, Mango pizza and the Trappist Monastery

After a tiring firing series, it's time for food. But just before that, we stopped by Museo de Guimaras. Although it would have been nice to really check inside the museum, time constraints told us to skip it. We then headed to The Pitstop and ordered their original mango pizza, made from Guimaras' sweetest mangoes. With a little hot ketchup, it was a perfect combination of the sweet mangoes and cheese. Yum!

Our next destination was the Trappist Monastery. It was a big compound and felt very solemn. Aside from the church, you would also find a gift shop were products made by monks and nuns were sold. And this was where we bought our pasalubong - dried mangoes and tarts with cashew nuts.

View at Valle Verde and Camp Alfredo

Our next stop for the morning was Valle Verde Mountain Spring Resort. Our main purpose of going there was to get a view of the island's stunning beaches. Next in line was a quick stop at Camp Alfredo. Kuya Gerald said there's a zip line inside, but we chose to skip it because of my condition.

Guisi Lighthouse

I would consider this next stop as the highlight of this trip - the Guisi Lighthouse. It was built in 18th century in the southwestern part of Guimaras where the Guisi beach can also be found. It was built to guide seafarers passing the Iloilo and Guimaras strait. In the same place was also a ruined building which would make as a very good backdrop for photo ops. Although it was prohibited to climb inside the old lighthouse, we still sneaked inside and took some photos.

Inside the lighthouse, the ruins, Guisi beach and Raymen beach

And what's a trip to Guimaras without the beach? Our last stop - Raymen Beach Resort. It was also the perfect time for lunch so we had sinigang and eggplant salad. Burp! We were supposed to have island hopping in the afternoon, but it was a windy day so all island hopping activities were cancelled. Well, this is definitely one good reason to come back to Guimaras someday!

Where to Stay in Iloilo City: One Lourdes Dormitel

We had a chance to visit Ilo-ilo City last August 2012. I was 3 months pregnant then. We originally planned to tour the city to explore its culture and old structures, reason for me to look for a place in the city. After weeks and weeks of searching online and reading the reviews, I finally sent an email to reserve a room at One Lourdes Dormitel.

Our double room

One Lourdes Dormitel is located along Fuentes Street in Iloilo, a walking distance from Robinson's. I reserved a double room for Php 850.00/night for 2 nights, which was a hassle-free reservation considering everything was done via email. 

We arrived in Iloilo City a little past noon and went straight to the dormitel. Finding it was quite a challenge because it's not in a place where all the other hotels are located. There was a little vulcanizing shop in front of the dormitel. Good thing our cab driver was patient and helped us look for the sign.

The restroom

The check-in process was very quick. After showing to the frontdesk a copy of the emails, we were immediately ushered to our room. The room had 2 single-sized beds, TV, cabinet for your clothes. It was neat and clean and the beds were comfortable. The rest room was spacious. Even better if they had bidet or a pale as some people like me, are used to water-sealed toilets.

One Lourdes Dormitel also offer free wifi access, which we immediately tested upon arrival. And just like what we read online, it was fast! I was able to upload our pictures right at the comfort of our room. We also ordered food from the room menu and it was delivered in no time. Everyone was courteous and friendly. 

All in all, One Lourdes Dormitel gives you the value for your money and more! 

Where to Stay in Manila: Armada Hotel Manila

After staying in Heritage Hotel for 3 days, we were booked in another hotel - a lesser known hotel named Armada Hotel Manila. It was the Chinese New Year and Heritage was already full on other days by the time our rooms were booked. Armada Hotel is located along Marcelo del Pilar St. in Malate, Manila. We were booked the Deluxe Room for 2 nights, before going back to Heritage Hotel for another week.

Armada Hotel's Reception

We arrived in the hotel before 2PM, the regular check-in time of hotels. It was so nice of them to bring us orange juice while waiting for our rooms. This made us feel welcomed right away and comfortable.

Our very spacious deluxe room

When we finally got into our room, we were happy surprised to see that the room was very spacious for 2 persons. It has 2 queen-sized beds that it can comfortably fit 4 persons. It also has a closet with robes, coffee-making facility, a study table and a huge rest room with bath tub. What I really liked about our room were the glass windows on 2 sides. Although the view outside was not that great, it's nice to see the streets anytime of the day.

Our queen-sized beds

Armada's buffet breakfast did not have as many selections as Heritage Hotel, but we agreed that it was better because each morning was complete with fish, pork, chicken and beef. Their food also tasted like they were specially prepared and thought of. They also had salads, cereals, waffles and all those good food for breakfast.

The rooftop pool

To add to our already very nice experience, their wifi worked and it was free. Although Armada did not have sauna and jacuzzi, I personally enjoyed the ambiance of their rooftop swimming pool as it was not very accessible to people. 

Sunset view from the rooftop

Overall, it was a very nice experience that we requested to be booked again in Armada for our 1-week extension. And given a chance, we will keep coming back.

Where to Stay in Manila: Heritage Hotel Manila

Having stayed in Manila for 7 years before going back home to Davao, I used to pass by this hotel every time I go to Baclaran or Mall of Asia. Then I thought to myself, "How does it feel to stay in this hotel"? It looked grand and classic outside.

The Heritage Hotel Manila

I just had the chance to stay in Heritage Hotel Manila for a couple of weeks early February this year. And this post is all about my experience while considering this hotel my home for half a month.

The Heritage Hotel Manila is a 4-star deluxe hotel in Manila situated in the corner of EDSA and Roxas Blvd. It's 5-10 minute away from the Mall of Asia, City of Dreams and around 20-minute away from Manila Ocean Park. From their official website, they have 7 guest room types.In the duration of our stay, we booked the Superior room with 2 full-sized beds.

Superior Room w/2 full-size beds

Let me start this narrative with our check-in. We understand that they've been in the industry for years. So we expected a little more politeness from the front desk staff. We may have come across as demanding when we repeatedly asked if there's an available room for early check-in (since we're a group of 8), or we just looked plain and rugged that the staff was at a time rude in dealing with us.

I coughed right away the moment the elevator opened to our floor - the 4th floor. It has smoking and non-smoking wings, but the entire floor smelled like cigarette. Coming from a city where there's strict ordinance against smoking, this was a big turn off.

My bed w/the study table

Our room was just enough, though I expected more. It has 2 beds, a flat-screen TV, a closet, bath tub and coffee-making facility. We were shocked to know that we needed to pay extra for internet access when it was included in their room details online. (misleading!)

We had fun during our first breakfast. There's lots of option for food - from bread to cereals to salads to heavy meal. What we observed though as the days went by was that the food was almost the same every day. What I really liked about this hotel is the free use of their gym, sauna and jacuzzi at the lower ground. Their outdoor pool was just okay.

Shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer and shower gel

While their front desk staff were not so nice, we would like to give kudos to their housekeeping for being so courteous and timely in cleaning our rooms.

Note: By the way, the difference between their superior and deluxe rooms is the location. Rooms located on the 5th floor and up are considered deluxe even though they have exactly same size and amenities as the superior rooms.

So will I stay in this hotel again? Preferably not.