Family Travel Archives - Page 15 of 19

2 Weekends in Tagaytay and Batangas

for a big family like mine, it was really hard to look for travel deals that will suit our needs.. more often, deals would offer accommodation for 2 (and 2 kids free) and not for 4 kids and 2 adults.. my option would always be a accomodation for 4 (plus 2 kids free), yan saktong sakto sa amin ang mga ganyang deal.. so when Ensogo offered an overnight stay at Chateau Royale good for 4, I did not hesitate and bought not just one but 2 vouchers. That’s overnight stay + dinner and breakfast for 4 for 3000+ Php, swak na swak! And we can choose a room with two queen sized beds..para sa amin talaga ung deal na un! What’s the best part is, Chateau Royale has a playground, a swimming pool and horseback riding (plus rock climbing!).. if you ask me, it’s a perfect resort for a family with kidsss (stress on the s haha)

Cinnamon bites + blueberry cheesecake from Bag of Beans

First weekend we went there, we had breakfast at Bag of Beans (wala na silang cinnamon roll ahuhu) then straight to the resort.. maulan nun pero keri lang.. (may baon akong sandamakmak na vitamin c at paracetamol just in case haha)..

The kids had so much fun.. err but not so much for me.. pagoda coldwave lotion ako to the point na nilagnat ako pag uwi namin dito.. it was our first time to travel without my mom or my sisters. Just imagine how stressful and tiring it was for me.. pero masaya naman kids kaya OK na rin.

Our second time to the resort, my 3rd boy requested for my ate to be with us (ay ako din naman gusto ko kasama sya haha) and the weekend trip also served as my first born’s birthday celebration (although his birthday falls on the 24th)..

too much of Bag of Beans so we decided to eat brunch somewhere else.. good thing a blogger mentioned about Molave Market that serves the freshest bulalo.. it’s waay cheaper compare to known bulaluhan in Batangas.. but still a little pricey considering the location..carinderia type with a not so carinderia kin of price 🙂 but yes, the beef is fresh!

But before having our lunch at Molave Market, we dropped by at Residence Inn for some animals sight seeing..unfortunately, by the time we were to feed the tiger and the lion, it rained so hard.. but we had a blast watching the show at the inn:

off to Chateau Royale after lunch.. the sun is showing a bit that weekend, the kids were able to enjoy the pool unlike the first time we were there… pero not for my younger kids.. hehe gininaw agad!

the next morning, me and the older boys strolled around the fog (with their cozy jacket.. the one I bought at Walmart.. in fairness cozy talaga!)

our second time was better than our first (though the food was better the last time we were there).. hindi masyadong maulan eh, so the kids had more fun at ako naman nagkaroon ng “me” time because ate was there.. I even tried rock climbing 🙂

We had lunch at Claw Daddy (Nuvali) on our way home (that’s another story)..

That’s two weekends of fun, fun and fun! at gusto nila ulit bumalik sa Chateau Royale with my mom and my other sisters and my nephews.. aba suki! In fairness, though the resort is not that classy, I’m quite happy with the service and our accommodation.

Horseback Riding in Tagaytay

I have been telling my husband we should do a Tagaytay weekend. You know, not just an ordinary breakfast in Tagaytay but spending Saturday and Sunday there. Looking for a cheap hotel in Tagaytay is not easy, specially the one that offers horse back riding, play ground and a swimming pool. Luckily, I found a good deal that offers 2 days and 1 night stay at hotel near Tagaytay at 55% off.

The hotel is Chateau Royale Batangas and included in the deal was 2 days/1 night accommodation good for 4 persons (perfect for us, family of 6), free 3 course dinner, plated breakfast and free use of some of their amenities (playground and swimming pool). It’s a steal, considering the many amenities the hotel offers.

What made me buy this deal is the fact that the hotel offers horse back riding. You know how much we love horse back riding, er, I mean my kids. In fact, one of my dream destination for them is an equestrian holiday, and if my kids would enjoy riding, I on the other hand, would enjoy shopping at equestrian clearance. A hotel that offers horse back riding in Tagaytay is a must visit hotel for us.

Of course, the free use of swimming pool and playground is another factor, having 4 kids is not an easy task and all I want for a weekend vacation is a nice play where they can play and be as wild as they want.

Chateau Royale Batangas is located a few kilometers away from Tagaytay, so it’s a perfect hotel for us. Breakfast at Bag of Beans, picnic lunch at Picni Grove then straight ahead to Chateau Royale Batangas. Tagaytay weekend, I can’t wait for you!

Afternoon Walk At Binondo

been planning for this walk since time immorial.. and finally! spent an afternoon with my girlfriends walking around Chinatown..

First stop (after a quick Divi shopping) was Waiying Fastfood at Benavidez Street:

We had Fried Noodles, Fried Rice (2 orders), Hakaw (3 orders), Pork Asado (1/4 lang), Fried Wanton (4 orders) and Hot Salad + Buko Pandan for dessert. We also ordered Cold Milk Tea (5 glass) as suggested by our waiter. Our total bill was 1505 PhP. ang mura di ba? at ang sarap! nag take out nga ako ng buchi (which my husband liked so much), buchi is 60 PhP for 3 pieces. Food and price aside, I think one of the reason why this restaurant is very popular is their staff.. every one of them is very accommodating and helpful. Our waiter suggested on what we should order and how much we should, like the Pork asado.. which he suggested we order just a quarter first. He was the one who mentioned about their fried wanton, which turns out to be a favorite.. we ordered another serving and another 2 for take out! Not only that, when we asked him to wrap the asado sauce for take out, he said he’ll just give us new sauce for take out.. nice! And they were really nice to take our photos even though the place is full:

argh! I know, plastic bag! haays.. food take outs.. I still don’t know what to do with them..

After our feast (Levy has to leave early.. kaines!) we started walking again.. from benavidez to Salazar and then to Ongpin street. Just before the bridge at Ongpin, we found a small store that sells Melona Ice Cream.. at nagulat kami! 25 PhP lang pala isa.. ignorante mode lang.. akala namin mahal LOL

And while Melona melts in our hands, I thought of asking this joke I found online:

3 women are eating popsicles, one is biting, one is licking, and one is sucking, which is married?

Which one? Tell me on the comment section!

Off to Ongpin, to look for Sati’s earrings and we end up at a store almost in front/side of Sta Cruz Church (if I remember correctly, this is also the place where I bought our now gone wedding ring haha).. a few inquiries here and there and I got the little girl a 14K standard gold for 900 PhP (originally 1500 PhP.. ay oo mga teh, ako ay reyna ng kabaratan!).. a few more walks and we stopped for a quick rest and water refill.. then we head back to the stall where we bought Sati’s earrings.. found a really cute earrings for me..got it for 300 PhP, original price is 500 PhP.. turns out, pag alis namin, may pumakyaw sa paninda nya. Maganda daw akong buena mano kaya pumayag sa tawad ko na 300 at totoo naman, based on my expereince pag nilapitan ko ang isang tindahan, dinudumog hehe

kaya ko naman nagustuhan ung hikaw for Sati (kahit wala sa budget) eh dahil sa de roskas sya (tama ba spelling ko) ay basta un, parang de tornilyo ba.. at least hindi na madali maalis ung pakaw unlike sa mga dati nyang hikaw.. mura nga halos every month naman nagpapalit kame..aysus! The swan earrings for me, I bought it kase feeling ko ugly duckling ako dati.. I mean hindi lang feeling, ugly duckling talaga ako.. and it has my birthstone! and yes, I feel I’m a swan now.. hehe

We end our walk with fried siopao..we found it along Ongpin street corner Bahama street (near Metrobank). It’s small store, almost unnoticeable but their fried siopao is very famous. I bought 8 pieces at 16 PhP each.. 4 pieces for my kids and 4 pieces for my “other” kids aka Kieth&Dylan.

Here’s our route during our Binondo Walk:

Green dot is Waiying Fastfood, Purple Dot is where we bought fried siopao and the yellow dots is the gold center.

It’s not the usual Binondo Walk and we did not even have enough photos to say we did walk on the streets of Binondo..first timers! hahaha so in our next visit, I will make our itinerary and as early as now, here’s our must stop list:

Chinatown Welcome Sign
Binondo Church
Binondo Fountain
Sta Cruz Church
Ride a Kalesa
Food trip (Waiying, Quick Snack, Estero, Shin Tai Shang, President’s Grand Palace etc)
Ongpin Bridge
Gold Shopping/window shopping (I saw this uber cool engagement ring and forgot to take a photo.. so next time..)

Any suggestion?