marjourneys...: August 2016

Sunday 28 August 2016

KANDLE Café with eLBiloves

This is another proof of "Kapag biglaan, natutuloy" cliché. This time, I'm with my college friends, my eLBiloves.

Saw this on Zomato and bookmarked it immediately upon seeing the nice ambiance. Surprisingly, my friend Rea whom I fondly called Sis since college, told us that one of the owners of this cafe is her friend.

It was a rainy Saturday night, but we still pushed through, and no regrets!

Taking the opportunity while no other people yet.

Perfect Stay at Lime Hotel Boracay

Since this is our first trip in Boracay, I want a relaxing and comfortable stay after a day out in the sun. I’ve searched the web and found some promising accommodations considering their ratings, reviews, facilities (esp. swimming pool), location, and of course our budget . Lime Hotel isn’t my first choice or included in my first list either. I just came across this hotel thru Hotels.com and I started to read blogs about it. I’m impressed and so I made a reservation 3 months before our trip. (Para tapos na, hindi ko na s’ya iisipin.)

Lime Hotel Boracay has 46 vibrant rooms strategically located on the main road of Station 2, just a 5-minute walk away to the beachfront and D' Talipapa. It has Sky Lounge and infinity pool that’s perfect for sunset viewing and 180 degree view of the western side of the island.

Panoramic view of Lime Hotel's pool deck

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the guard and the receptionist. They still managed to greet us with a smile even though we arrived at 2:00 AM. They served us their refreshing welcome drink and a cold towel on their spacious receiving area. During our whole stay, the staffs have shown us their best. They were approachable, attentive, and courteous.

The ambience and the smell of this hotel is truly vibrant and relaxing. The colors blue, green, and white, are very pleasing to the eyes.

Reception area

Since we arrived too early, our room was still unavailable and we understood that. Instead, the receptionist offered us another room while waiting for the standard check-in time. The rate is Php200 per hour, not bad. But before we checked-in, we decided to eat first and explore the island nightlife. They also offered to safekeep our luggage in their storage room and that's free of charge! :)

Read maRJey Getaway: Boracay 2016 Day1of3 to know more about our first morning.

We checked in to their Standard Room at 6:00 AM. That was the first time we actually saw their room. It has one bed, working table and chair, LCD television with cable channels, personal refrigerator, and air-conditioning unit with remote controls. Lime sunglasses, waterproof pouch, welcome letter, and bottles of water were also on the table.

The smell of the room is so calming and the clean and comfortable bed is very inviting to just stay and sleep whole day. But of course, you will not do that! :) The bathroom is also spacious and clean, provided with complete set of basic toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, cotton buds, shampoo, conditioner, bath soap, and tissue. Water supply and their hot and cold shower are working well.

We checked out 11:00 AM, headed back to the beachfront and ate our lunch then we checked in again to our "real" room at 2:00PM. This time it's a Deluxe Double Room, located on the third floor.

It has two double beds, and a small veranda facing the main road and the side of Azalea Hotels and Residences. The room is clean and well-lit. Just like the Standard Room, we were welcomed by a short phrase on the wall. And yes, we have another set of Lime sunglasses and water proof bag. :)

Breakfast is included in their package. You have two options: BonChon which is located on the ground floor of the building or the Coffee House which is just a minute walk away. We tried both. :)

What we missed doing here in Lime Hotel Boracay is to watch sunset at the pool deck 'coz we spent our whole day at the beach.

Overall, I’m glad and satisfied for choosing this hotel. I will not hesitate to recommend this to everyone. You get your money's worth or even more! Excellent value for money given all the amenities and services, convenient location, and comfortable stay. By the way, they also have high-speed Wi-Fi connection in all areas of the hotel.

Let’s look forward to other Lime Hotel in Palawan… soon.

Trivia: Andi Eigenmann's FHM May 2016 cover was shot here.

LIME Hotel Boracay
Main Road, Station 2 Boracay Island
Malay, Aklan, Philippines
+63 9062670416
http://boracay.lime.ph/

maRJey Getaway: Boracay 2016 Day3of3

maRJey Getaway: Boracay 2016 Day2of3

Tuesday 16 August 2016

RJ's 28th Birthday

Today is my RJ's 28th birthday. Since this is a workday, we just had a buffet dinner at Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot (by Vikings) in Manhattan Parkview Cubao branch.

The birthday boy :)

Avocado ice cream with cornflakes = YUMMY! :)

To more celebrations with you, ma! No more cheesy messages here. :)

Sunday 7 August 2016

14Four Cafe

I've been wanting to visit this place since May. I remember I saw this when I searched for "Rizal's cozy cafe". I read blogs and I was impressed with the interiors.

Yesterday, we made it happen! :) We had our late monthsary celebration here at 14Four Cafe. Thanks God for the good weather! :)

14Four Cafe is located within the residential area of Gregoria Heights Subdivision in Taytay, Rizal. It was named that way simply because it is its actual address.

How to Get Here?

We reached this place via public transportation and it's not that bad. Here's our hassle-free way that you can also try:

1. From EDSA Crossing Starmall Terminal, ride a UV Express going to Antipolo. Fare is Php50.00 per person. You can also ride a jeepney going to Antipolo or Taytay.

2. Alight at Tropical Hut in E.Rodriguez Street. Other landmarks are Shakey's, BPI, and also Siena College of Taytay. We found this easily because we were guided by waze.

3. Walk few meters and you'll reach the tricycle terminal. Tell the driver to drop you off at 14Four Cafe. Fare is Php10.00 per person.

4. Voila! Hello 14Four Cafe! That easy! :)

Hmmm.. Just look presentable :)

Amazing! :)

14Four cafe is a cafe slash restaurant slash furniture showroom owned by Niki Sambile. The furniture designs are made by her father. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see the showroom. Sticks Showroom is open Mondays to Fridays, 9:00AM - 6:00PM only.

It is highly recommended to make a reservation prior visit. The indoor part of this cafe can only accommodate few, like 20-25 persons. Well, I made mine 2 hours before our visit, while on our way, because... I forgot to do this. I texted the number from their website and good thing they replied immediately. The guests who did not make reservations were situated outside, not bad though, unless it's raining.

For the food, I read some blogs rated them so-so. For us, the food is fairly good enough for its price... and ambience. We love them actually! Or we're just really gutom? hmmm... No! They're really good! :)

Appetizer: Chopped Salad (Php180)

Entrees: Signature Tapa (Php210)

Pasta: Bacon + Mushroom (Php240)

Carafe of Calamansi Iced Tea (Php190)

They don't have dessert on their menu but they have Dessert of the Day so I asked. Unfortunately, it was sold out that's why we just had these pancakes for dessert.