Poctoy Beach, Marinduque

Went for an overnight trip to Marinduque for my grandma's 89th birthday celebration.  I was really looking forward to Poctoy Beach as I've seen so much good photos that my cousins have taken and read lots of positve reviews.  Well guess what, the reviews didn't match my expectations.  The maybe next best beach to Boracay tripadvisor review is a total lie.  It got white sand with walkable soft sand under water but nothing matches the crystal clear water of Boracay with powdery white sand!  Three plus points though, it is very peaceful in the beach, you get a good view of Mt. Malindig and the accommodation is very cheap.  We paid 2,000PHP for a 3BR air-conditioned house at Rendezvous Beach Resort and if you are only planning to stay for a day, a pavillion can be rented out for 200PHP.

Poctoy beach is located in Torrijos.  It is approximately 2 hours from Boac.  You have to rent or drive to get there.  I didn't see a single jeepney to and from Torrijos.

How to get to Marinduque?  

There are two ways to get to Marinduque - land and air.

We flew this time.

Zest Air is the only plane carrier in Marinduque.  Travel time is approximately 30 minutes and flies daily.  There is a massive delay on both our flights.  We have to wait 2 hours on our way and 2 hours on our way back.  Good thing Marinduque has decent airport.

For more info about Marinduque, please go to this article http://theclosettravelblogger.blogspot.com/2011/04/boac-marinduque.html

Club Balai Isabel, Talisay Batangas

This is an honest account of our Club Balai Isabel Experience.

Booking:

I am on a Long Distance Relationship and every time I see my fiance, we go on holidays.  He normally pays but I make sure that I treat him to anything when he visits.  I subscribed to groupon and when I saw a Club Balai Isabel deal for 3D/2N for PHP 5,912, I immediately booked without researching as a friend had been.  The booking to make the story short was difficult.  I rang them several times a day and noone picked up.  It was only when I sent them facebook messages that they responded.  They are not lenient with dates too.  I tried booking for the dates that I desired and I was told that as a groupon buyer, they only have few dates available for me.  Pushy as I am, I asked for another date, 17-19 which falls on a Fri-Sat.  It wasn't available, so I moved to 16-18 and I got the booking.  I asked for a confirmation voucher and they gave me a wrong one after 6 days of booking so I had to ask for the right vouchers again.  It was such a horror!!!

TIP:  Send them emails, facebook messages, ring their numbers to get the booking.  You have to be very aggressive with them as being nice won't get you anywhere.

The Room:

The room was massive.  The problem is, they have 2 large beds.  Not good especially when you are on a Romantic Holiday.  There is nothing romantic than 2 separate beds.  When our attendant dropped us off, he said, ring us if you need anything.  There weren't any phones.  He said he's gonna check with the concierge and we never heard from him again.  The groupon promised a lakeside suite but instead, we got a room with a shit view.  I can only see palm tree blocking view.  The bathroom is very small too.  They provided 2 small bars of soap and 2 small jars of shampoo and conditioner but that's about it.  They had no extra tissue paper in case it runs out.  2 bottled water and 2 instant coffee.  When I asked for a hairdryer, we were told that they don't have any available and when we asked if they can bring some tom, we heard the "I'll double check" answer which is an actual "no".  On our second day, the room smelt too.

The Food:

We ordered kare-kare, sizzling sisig, 2 cups of rice, 1 buko juice and 1 softdrinks and the bill came a little less than 1000PHP.  It was expensive for what it was considering the portion and taste of the food.  There were nothing special about it.  The sisig was nice but burnt.  The staffs are very friendly though especially Alfie.  He was all smiles the whole night and was trying to speak in English with Luke.

The complimentary breakfast was a joke.  The rice portion is very small.  Refrain from ordering beef tapa and longganisa to avoid disappointment.  Even Luke was disappointed with longganisa and was happy that he didn't get beef tapa.


If you want cheap food and massive portion, please ask the trike driver to go to Milan's.  It's 5-10 minutes away from Club Balai Isabel.

 We had 1/4 kilo of Sinigang na Maliputo, 1 order of Beef Tapa, 1 cup plain rice, 1 cup garlic rice and 2 drinks for PHP 555 and the food was nice.

Amenities:

You have to pay for almost everything that you do in Club Balai Isabel apart from the 2 swimming pool.  I'm so shocked how much you need to spend to actually have fun in the place.  I'm willing to pay for the Taal boating and horse back riding but I draw the line in Mobideep pool.  It looked so dirty.  I'm happy that we got free Butterflies Foot Reflexology and Dr. Fish Spa.  This must be the highlight of our trip.  The experience left us totally relaxed.  :)

Other amenities include basketball court, kayaking.  The rates are available in the front desk.

Review:

All in all, Luke and I were very much disappointed with our Club Balai Isabel experience.  The guests were very noisy although there were few groups that were checked-in.  I've expected more from the reviews that I've read.  The Taal view was superb though.  The food was expensive for what it was.  The staffs are friendly and all smiles.  I didn't like the lady at the front desk though.  She wasn't able to help us with our needs.  She didn't orient us with any of the Balai Isabel's facilities.  I didn't hear the usual " our check-in time is ____ and our check-out time is ____ and breakfast is served between ____ and _____.  She didn't tell us how to avail our reflexology nor our dr. fish spa.  Nothing.  I've expected more and experienced less.  I won't go back if I need to pay again.

How to go to Club Balai Isabel?

I'm a fan of the public transportation as I don't drive.  

You can either take the Tanauan Batangas bus from Cubao or from Buendia.  Ask the driver to drop you at Tanauan City.  From Tanauan, take a trike and ask the driver to drop you to the Talisay jeepney terminal.  Ask the driver to drop you near the Cathedral and take another trike to Club Balai Isabel.

Ariel's Point, Buruanga, Aklan

Cliff Diving is one of the newest craze of Boracay.  Ariel's Point offers unlimited cliff dive on 3 different levels and unlimited food, drinks and alcohol.  Yes,alcohol.  The food is just okay though, they had the usual pancit, rice, grilled fish and fruits.

Who can go to Ariel's Point?

Anyone but I don't guarantee fun to people who can't cliff dive.  I can't swim and so it's irrational for me to cliff dive.  

If I don't cliff dive, what else can I do in Ariel's point?

Snorkelling and kayaking.  Limited number of snorkelling gears were provided on our 18 people group.  I counted 4.  If you don't cliff dive, make sure you secure 1 of the 4 snorkelling gears.  There aren't much to see underwater though.  I still like Siete Pecados of Coron.  Please do kayak on the nearby beach.  It is very unspoilt.  If you are a good swimmer, Luke recommends snorkelling in the area in between Ariel's Point and Ariel's Point beach front.  Please note that Luke is a licensed diver and amazing swimmer.

How much is the Ariel's Point experience?

It's 1400PHP per person.  It leaves every 11AM everyday depending on the weather so make sure that you register at least a day before.  The registration is Located in Ariel's House in Boat Station 1 near Obama Grill.

You get Ariel's Point baller after joining the tour.

Ariel's Point beach.

Ariel's Point.

Ariel's Point beach.  You have to Kayak on your own to get here.  

Puka Beach (Yapak), Boracay

Puka Beach is named after Puka Shells.  Sadly, there were not much left on the beach now.  It is situated 15 minutes by trike from White Beach Boat Station 1.  It is very peaceful, hassle-free from people offering trips, clean.  Something that I've hoped for when I go on holiday.  They were only a handful of people when we visited. 

How much to get to Puka Beach?

From Boat Station 1, we paid 40PHP each plus 150PHP on the way back.  It is the standard fare from Puka Tricycle Station.

What to bring?

a.  Food.  There are 2 restaurants in the area, one beach front with okay food and one less than 5 minutes walk away from Puka beach entrance.  2 locals selling iced lollies and lunch to order, respectively.  

b.  Beach Towels.  Unlike white beach, you can't find any beach chairs and umbrella here.  If you wanna get a good lie down, beach towels is a must.

c.  Snorkelling gear.  I can't swim but I saw 2 people snorkelling in the beach.  You have to be a good swimmer too as the current is a strong compared to White Beach.

d.  Sunscreen.

 Unspoilt.

 Strong current.

 You get shells the closer you are to the shore.  I had to pick a handful to compare.  *wink* 

Souvenir shops.

White Beach, Boracay

Above is a video of me trying to attract fish.
The fishes are definitely not afraid of people.  The more sand you pick, the more fishes you will attract as your hands might pick up worms.

White Beach in Boracay is probably the most famous beach in the Philippines.  It is the most busy too.  There are a lot of things to do in white beach from parasailing, jetskiing to banana boat.  Recreational activities are done here whilst water sports are done in Diniwid. 

Fine, powdery white.  You can actually run in the beach.

The sand is powdery white and water is shallow.  Perfect for people like me who can't swim.

In the mornings, the beach is lined with beach chairs and umbrellas.  By 5PM, the chairs are replaced by table and chairs for dining.

In White Beach, the food option is endless.  Here are some restaurants that we've tried:

1.  Alf's Eat All You Can Buffet for 350PHP.  

This includes all seafood and at least 15 variety of filo dishes.  This is the most expensive of all the cheap buffets that I've seen but this is the busiest too.  Busy is always a good sign.  :)

2.  The Real Coffee and Tea Cafe.  

The calamansi muffin is to die for.  Luke hates the taste of calamansi but he loved the calamansi muffin more than the banana almond muffin.  For a 45php a piece, this is a must try.  The cafe is located in Station 1, first left after Havianas.  

3.  The Hobbit House.  

There is nothing small about the Hobbit House but the little people that serves the food.  The portions are massive.  Definitely you get your money's worth for what you pay.  The restaurant serves more than 100 variety of beers from all over the world.

One Crescent Place, Station One Boracay

Cost:

We booked through agoda and found one of the cleanest and probably cheapest accommodation in Boat Station 1.  For 5 days, our stay costed Luke £140 according to him.  That's less than 2000 PHP a day.  The people that checked in on the same time with us was less thrilled.  I am assuming that they paid the full price.

The Food: 

The food was nice.  Everyday, Luke and I would try different things.  I normally ordered rice sets and Luke would go for pancakes.  I especially like their tapsilog and longsiglog.  I suggest shying away from the noodles.  It looked like straight from the packet.

The Room: 

The room as I mentioned is clean and okay in size.  Aside from our bed, they also provided another pull out bed.  I am assuming that this room can accommodate 4 people.  Basic toiletries were provided - dispenser for shampoo and conditioner and a soap.  I suggest bringing your own toiletries.  The safe is small but will fit a mini and a DSLR.  The downside?  The toilet takes a long time to flush.  Let's just say, one flush isn't enough.  :P

Final Note:  All in all, I would stay in the place again as it is cheap for what it is.  The staffs are very accommodating and friendly too.  It may be in the residential area of Boracay but at least it is not noisy and busy at night.  CocoMangas is 5 minutes away, so is the laundromat and the beach.  Going to D' Mall is a bit of an effort though.  They have a free internet station in One Crescent Place but slow wi-fi.  They have on call massage service for 400PHP an hour too but I'd rather go to the 299PHP an hour just outside the hotel.

Marikina City Tour

I phoned work today and was told that I don't have to go to work.  My boss moved my day off from Weds to Monday.  Nice huh?  It feels like I went on a long holiday.  I was planning to visit the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite but unfortunately, the Shrine is closed for viewing on Mondays.  My second option was Pan de Amerika in Katipunan but Ruzelle hate it so much I had to put off the plans for now.  Marikina Shoe Museum came to mind, I did a little research and off I went.

Imelda Marcos brand shoes.

 Marikina Shoe Museum

Marikina Shoe Museum(Museo ng Sapatos) housed 300 of the shoes generously donated by the former first lady Imelda Marcos.  She had shoes from Ungaro, Christian Dior, Chanel, Charles Jourdan, Rustan's Lady and I'm assuming her made to order shoes.  One thing in common though, they're very classic in design and colourful.  I actually saw Imelda years ago shopping in Glorietta for shoes.  I was on the same boutique as her, a filo brand.  I remember her trying on one sandals and buying the same style in 5 different colours.  Very Imeldific.  :)

Here's how I got to Marikina Shoe Museum:

I got off at Santolan LRT Station, took a jeep to Ligaya and another jeep to Marikina.  Take a trike to Marikina Shoe Museum.  It's across the Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish.  Most trike driver's don't know the place so just say OLA. :)

OLA

The bike lane makes me wanna live in the city.

They have bikes and motorbikes parking too.  

The marikenos are very magalang and accommodating.  Really enjoyed my short stay of the city.

-originally written on missailema.blogspot.com-