Mommy Pehpot, Author at Mommy Pehpot

Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review

My first time to write Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review.

That was not our first time in Bataan (related story: Overdrive: Bataan-Pampanga) but it was our first time to look for a resort, on a HOLY WEEK! Well, it was just Holy Wednesday so our hopes are high. We started from Bagac town then to Montemar area then last stop at Las Casas, all resorts were fully booked! So much for impromptu resort hunting!

Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review

We end up staying in Cabanatuan. We were trying to book a room at Acropolis (related story: Acropolis North Water Camp and Country Club Review) kahit ayaw ko ng bathroom nila, fully booked din! There was a room available in Microtel (another related post: Short Review of Microtel Cabanatuan) but we end up checking Harvest Hotel first, the husband liked it, check in na agad agad.

The hotel is new! It only opened last December and still on soft opening.

Firs impression: The website could use some tweaking.. ang bagal! People from Hospitality Innovators Inc please take note.

Next impression.. I love the pool! And the room! and the food! and the staff!

Let’s take this Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review one step at a time, shall we?

Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Rooms. I love the room where we checked in. It’s big and spacious. It comes with a queen size bed and when two extra bed was added, the room is still spacious. I can’t help but compare with Microtel where 2 queen bed room is only half the price, though. Anyways, here is the photo of our room and the bathroom:

Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review

We got a suite for 4500 PhP (soft opening price) + 2 extra bed which includes breakfast, we paid half the price for the extra bed (extra bed price is 1000 PhP). We paid 5500 PhP for the room + 4 breakfast.

TV with CIGNAL Digital TV.. makes me want to subscribe to Cignal when we move to our new house! Below that table is a mini ref.

Photo of the restaurant that served buffet breakfast during our stay. Buffet breakfast is priced at 400+ PhP per head. The buffet table includes cereals for kids, assorted breads, assorted fruits and 3 viands.

Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan serves the famous Cabantuan Longanisa.. it’s garlicky and very tasty! If you love your longanisa on the salty side, this one’s for you! (sana lang may kasamang kamatis for the real authentic Novo Ecijano experience)

Day 1 buffet choices: Beef tapa, Sardines, the super duper tasty Cabanatuan Longanisa (asan ang kamatis?!?)

Day 2 buffet choices: Bacon, Daing na Bangus, Chicken Sausage

SO that’s the reason why this hotel is priced as such.. the food is really good.. specially the pandesal and the longanisa! and the staff is very accommodating, courteous and eager to serve.

The only reason that we would not go back at this hotel is the lack of adjustable vanity mirror in the bathroom. For someone with an eye problem like me, mahirap mag make up when the mirror is not this (as in this) close to my face (related story: Taal Vista Vanity Mirror). So if you want to see me on your hotel again, FYI, pakipuno ng salamin ang dingding! Just kidding! Bumili na ako ng handy mirror pagdating na pagdating namin dito sa Pasig.

More pool photos for Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Review

See how shallow the kiddie pool is? Sati’s not afraid to swim by herself! The kiddie pool and the adult pool is only separated by a small division..

The part where the kids are sitting is the small divider of the two swimming pools.

No worries letting the boys swim by themselves.. not just because they knew how to swim but the pool was only 4 feet deep.

TRIVIA: This is the only hotel in Cabanatuan City with a grand staircase. If you are planning to make a gran entrada for your events specially wedding and debut, Harvest Hotel is the place to be. Inquire directly at the hotel for Harvest Hotel Cabanatuan Wedding Package.

Scholastic Sizzling Summer Sale 2015

This is the kind of book sale that you SHOULD NOT MISS! It’s Scholastic Warehouse Sale 2015!! My excuse to hoard books: it’s summer time and I need to keep the kids busy! hahaha

How to go to Scholastic Warehouse Sale via Public transport– trust me when I say that it would be better to go there via cab.. but if you insist.. here’s how to go there via bus. From Galleria, board any Cainta/ Taytay bound bus, alight at Jenny’s where the unloading area is at the bridge. You’ll notice that there’s a stair somewhere there, go down and follow the map below.. walking is your only choice.

If you’re going to take a cab, just tell manong that you’re going to Sorrento Oasis, C Raymundo.

How to go to Scholastic Warehouse Sale via private car- best option is to travel via Ortigas Avenue, after Jollibee/ Rosario Church (this is on the other side of the road, please take note), keep right because the road separates here.. and you wouldn’t want Pasig blue boys going after you.. again, TRUST ME.

See what I mean? Turn right and after Sorrento Oasis, you can find the warehouse sale. You can’t miss it as there is big banner outside. It’s in the left along Sorrento Oasis.

Books from Scholastic Warehouse Sale 2015:

Books for 49 PhP

50% off Books

80% off Books

Books inside is 25% OFF

25% off Books

Harry Potter fans! LOOK! This is good until April 4 only!!! The warehouse sale will be open from March 30 (9 AM to 6 PM) to April 1 (for this day the warehouse is open until 12 PM only).

Scholastic Warehouse Sale Harry Potter Books

I have no plans on hoarding, but I could not resist this promo:

Here are the books that I bought for 2000 PhP:

Scholastic Guide to Grammar (P365 less 25%)
3 Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel (P189 each less 25%)
Scholastic Learn Grammar with Superheroes (P325 less 25%)
13 Usborne Young Reading books (P49 each, original price is P165)
6 assorted books (P49 each, original price ranges from P120-150
3 assorted books (P49 each, orignal price is P200)

That’s a total of 27 books!! And a total savings of 2700 Php!!! And I got P1,000 worth of books for FREE!!!

Pasig City Voter’s Registration Experience

You’ll never see me near any government office (not unless I have to accompany a friend) but to do business with a government office, NO WAY! I do not like long lines, which government service offices are famous for.

So it was not a surprise that it took me 11 long years to register (as a voter) here in Pasig. Last Wednesday, I managed to muster up all my courage and troop down to Pasig City Hall. As expected, the city hall was bustling with people… eto na nga ang long lines that I hate! argh! My anxiety died down as I enter the lobby.. the guards were accommodating and eager to serve and the city hall is air- conditioned! Yehey!!

Pasig City COMELEC is located at the 5th floor of the building. I finally relaxed when I saw a few people at the office. I searched for my Barangay’s window (each barangay have their own window.. bawal daw maligaw eh hehe) and I was done in less than 30 minutes.. mas matagal pa yata ang pag fill up ko ng form.

This is the easiest government transaction I ever did in my entire Filipino life. Eh paano ba naman, pagdating mo pa lang sa area ng COMELEC, nagdudumilat na ang mga poster guides.. anything you need to know/ ask, mababasa mo sa poster.

STEP 1. INTERVIEW

May interview daw? Anong sasabihin ko?!? Jusmeeee, nag handa pa naman ako ng speech, kukunin lang pala ang ID ko. What kind of ID? As I have mentioned, anything you need to know, consult the posters. See image above for the list of IDs they accept.

STEP 2. FILL- UP FORMS

Easy peasy step..they have sample forms plastered on the wall..

STEP 3. RECORDING

WOW! Recording agad! Sing and dance competition?!?

Turns out, this step is for checking of forms and precinct assignment. Umaasa ako.. umaasa ako..

STEP 4. BIOMETRICS

Nag make- up ako.. alam ko to eh..I registered at Valenzuela way back 2003.. nakuha ko ang ID ko last 2013.. we’ll discuss later why it took that long. Nagulat ako sa itsura ko..kala mo pang horror movie.

STEP 5. RELEASING

They gave me a stub and told me to return after 3 months for my precinct assignment.. Now, the burning question: When can I get my voter’s ID (where I look normal)?!?

It will take 3-5 years daw..eh malamang mukha na akong dyosa nun!

PJ Malapit from Step 1 (yes, the one smiling at the photo) explained it to me why it will take that long.. ang ganda ko daw masyado.. ganun katagal bago madevelop ang picture. CHOS!

It has something to do daw with AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identifications System. According to him, all fingerprints of registered voters are subjected to a computerized fingerprint-matching process where they check if the voter is registered in more than one location. The checking happens at the central office, so just imagine the volume.

If I had known that registration is this easy, I should have registered dati pa. O kaya kayo, after Holy Week, go na sa nearest COMELEC office and register!

Gusto ko sana sabihin na I highly recommend Pasig City COMELEC pero hindi naman tayo lahat sa Pasig mag paparehistro (pero sinabi ko din ano).

Next government service office experience: LTO for student permit! Coming soon!