Category: Accommodations

No one disputes Baguio City as the summer capital of the Philippines. Because of such fame, many other temperate communities around the country call themselves little Baguio. Though there are many other cooler places around; Sagada and Banaue, to name a few, Baguio still remains the place to go for the majority of Filipino vacationers. With a climate that may go as low as 8 °C from December to February, Baguio is the most sought-after vacation spot for those who are looking for an extraordinary chill. The Mansion: The official residence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines ... Read more

When things become really difficult, I kick the normal weekend routine and spend some quality time somewhere else, a place outside the metro but would not deprive me from the basic stuff such as the internet, a good place to eat, and a private place to relax and think over my decisions. The Harvest Hotel in Cabanatuan was one of the places that interest me. It was fairly new at the time and was advertised on a huge discount at Agoda. Without having any second thoughts, and also to avoid overthinking, I booked a standard queen for a night. The Harvest ... Read more

I am not sure if Go Hotels patterned their accommodation chain with Tune Hotels but the marketing, the branding, and the offers are almost the same. While Tune Hotels is a sister company of the budget airline, AirAsia; Go Hotels of Robinsons Land Corporation partners with Cebu Pacific Air, also a brand under the Gokongwei group. Tunes Hotels, however, has established reputation in 5 countries already such as Malaysia, Philippines, United Kingdom, Australia, and India while the Go Hotels chain is only present in the Philippines. The waiting area for guests I found a very affordable room at Go Hotels Otis branch so I ... Read more

Whenever I face a bitter situation, I usually hop on long bus rides to think about it and plan for a perfect scheme to resolve or ease the predicament. One moment, I did not go farther than I usually do. I headed to Angeles City, instead, just two hours from Manila with no plans in mind. Since the main reason of the escape is to think, I decided to look for a peaceful place to stay. I grabbed my phone and searched for hotels nearby using the Agoda app. Red Planet Hotel Angeles City offered a very affordable rate. I immediately ... Read more

It was my first time in Kuala Lumpur. I arrived via a bus from Singapore. The only information I had was I am alighting at Puduraya. I had pre-booked my accommodation at Agoda and I used that as assurance that I’ll have a good place to stay. The problem, however, was getting to the hotel from Puduraya. Luckily, I had the address of Tune Hotel Downtown KL – that lessened the worry a bit. The bus took nearly 6 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur. It was already 2 in the afternoon when we arrived in Puduraya. I followed where most of the people go, without any ... Read more

Three weeks before my Davao, Samal, GenSan and Lake Sebu trip, my father was rushed to the hospital due to heart complications. He spent 10 days in the ICU, costing us a fortune, hence I thought of cancelling the anticipated jaunt. However, I couldn’t simply scrap everything—I got all my plane tickets and hotels paid. In the end, I pursued the trip with very minimal cash at hand. My first day wasn’t really special. I just spent the day and night at Tune Hotel Davao, went out only to eat, checked out the following day, and then headed to Davao City’s Santa ... Read more

What I immediately noticed when I visited Punta Isla Lake Resort are the sweet sound of the tree dwellers. Singing an un-arranged lullaby, the Eurasian Tree Sparrows, the Chestnut Munias, the Pied Fantails, the orioles, and the swallows emanate a music that was so fresh to the ears. Listening to these songs while wandering along the flower-filled alleys, the rustic stairways, and the healthy greens of the resort really feels extraordinary. Almost every corner of the resort is ornamented with natural flora, in which some are seemingly of foreign origin. Lake Sebu as viewed from Punta Isla Lake Resort The ... Read more

I had been to some great destinations around the Philippines. Palawan is a top choice, then there is also Mountain Province, Ifugao, Cebu, Camiguin, and a lot more. I had been to some random southeast Asian destinations too. To mention, I backpacked Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam in 2013 followed by Indonesia–Singapore–Malaysia series in 2014. [Related Post: 15 Interesting Places in the Philippines to Spend the Long Weekend] You might be wondering how I managed to pay all these travels despite being a middle-income employee. Well, to tell you honestly, I only have three secrets: I plan a year ahead to get promo airline tickets, ... Read more

I could see the reefs in the seemingly shallow deep. From a afar is a mangrove-forested shore shielded with a concrete dike. On the other end are few houses overlooking the rock cliffs. Few seconds later, I heard the ships honked, signalling that we are approaching the port. Yes! In few moments, I could finally set foot in Siquijor. I missed the fast craft so I decided to hop on a Roro vessel. It wasn’t a bad choice since my resort is closer to the Roro’s port compared to that of the fast craft. Fastcrafts enter Siquijor island via the ... Read more