Boracay

This trip was my first trip to Boracay – believe it or not!  I like going to the beach but somehow I’ve never been to Boracay.  So I’m going to give you a perspective from a Boracay first-timer. 

Boracay is so popular that I think I’m the only one I know who’s never been there.  And a lot of people keep telling me that Boracay is not that nice anymore and all other reasons why I shouldn’t go there. 

But based on my trip, I would say, of all the beaches I’ve been too - (Palawan, Ilocos, Batangas, Puerto Galera, Bantayan, Cebu, Sentosa, Sabah, etc… )  I still think Boracay is the best I’ve been to yet.  Hubby’s been to Phuket and still prefers Boracay. 

The white sand in Boracay is something I don’t think  I’ve ever encountered in a beach before.  It’s like polvoron or even powder!  And I love that you can go out far into the water and still have the water come only up to your knees.  That’s important for me because hubby and son can’t swim and I don’t want to have to constantly worry about them being washed away by the undercurrent.   What’s more there are not much stones to hurt your feet when walking on the sand. 

I’d understand why westerners would love to stay there.  It’s like a secret paradise hideout. 

We stayed at True Home hotel in Station 1.  For me, a person not so fond of crowds – especially at the beach, staying at station 1 was probably the key to my having a blast. 
The hotel had a beach front and our room – the Junior Suite -  was facing the beach and had its own private balcony.  As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, you are greeted by the view of the beach!  (without having to see the people and them seeing you)

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Italy Vacation

Hubby and I recently went on an Italian Babymoon vacation. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa and Venice and had an absolutely great time!

It was my second time in Rome, and this time I got to stay there longer and get to know the city better. We rented an apartment from Rental in Rome. I have mixed reviews about their service. They don't respond to emails right away. I had to send emails a couple of times before they replied.

We stayed at a rented apartment in Via Capo d' Africa called the Costantino Loft. It was very cold when we were in Rome and the apartment didn't have a good heating source so we were still quite shivering inside the apartment even with the heater on. But then again, I come from a tropical country. I'm also not a fan of incandescent bulbs which the apartment used for all of its lighting as they are not energy efficient. The shower area was super small. I'm a 5'0 petite woman and yet I have a hard time maneuvering inside the shower. But the apartment owner was nice except she didn't speak English and we didn't speak Italian. And the location was excellent. It's very near the Colosseo and as soon as you walk out the apartment building, you'd have a view of the Arc of Constantine. Once you get a hang of the buses, it's pretty easy to get around and back.

One thing to note when having coffee in Rome when you're on a budget is it's cheaper to have your coffee standing up by the bar. Be wary of bartenders asking you to take a seat.

We just spent one day in Florence and Pisa. Florence was nice and there were so many shops selling leather bags near the church of Sta. Croce, I went a bit crazy. There's even a Leather school inside the church. Note that there's another entrance to the Leather School where you don't need to pay the 5Eu entrance to the church. But the church is also pretty interesting because it's the final resting place of some famous Italians like Raphael and Michelangelo.

Pisa, on the other hand, was just so so for me. I don't exactly get the point of preserving a building that wasn't designed properly in the first place. In my opinion, all the renovation and maintenance takes away from its charm. If not for the maintenance and renovations it wouldn't even be standing at all. And if I remember correctly, only a few of the tower's marble remain original. Most of it have been replaced.

Of all the places we went to, we both feel that Venice was the place we loved most and we definitely plan to go back there in the future. We loved Venice partly because the bed and breakfast we stayed at was really nice and cozy and the owner, Lorenzo, was very warm and accommodating. So if you are planning to go to Venice, be sure to check out Ai Tagliapietra Bed and Breakfast. The place is very near Piazza San Marco yet far enough to be away from the touristy area.

Here's some when going for a vacation to Italy:

1. A rented apartment might prove cheaper than a hotel if you're staying for at least 3 days.


2. If you're renting an apartment, the tourist offices would be the place to get your maps for free.


3. Consider taking the train to and from the airport to the Termini station. It costs only 11Euros per person compared to a 40Euro taxi ride for 2 going to central Rome.


4. Buy the ATAC bus tickets (valid for 24 hours/3 days/7 days). Getting lost in the bus is cheaper than getting the bus tour. We got the 16 Euros ticket each for 7 days which was so worth it. It lets you get on the bus and metro free while it's valid.


5. Eat your breakfast standing up by the bar! The Bars (Cafes as we know them) charge extra (almost double) for sitting on tables. Be wary of bar servers asking you to sit down. They probably want to take advantage of you being the ignorant tourist.
   Once we ate at this bar along Via del Babuino near Piazza di Spagna. The bar server (tender?) asked us to sit but we insisted we'd stand. When we asked for the bill, he was charging us 20Euros for a pizza, a small sandwhich, a cappuccino and a hot chiocolato. He didn't even give us a breakdown of the charges! So when we asked how much each individual item was, he just said "Ok, then 17 Euro." He then gave us a tape receipt that still didn't have a breakdown, only a the amount 17.00 Euros. Honestly, we've been eating 50Euro meals and we don't really care as long as we know it was worth 50Euros. But it sucks to know you're being cheated. In the end, we paid the 17 Euro. It's hard to argue with someone who can't speak English.


6. The good value for money restaurants are far from the tourist spots. If you go to Rome expecting to sample good Italian food, you might find yourself disappointed like I was. We'd recommend I Buoni Amici on Via Aleardo Aleardi 4 for good value for money (it's not cheap but it's reasonable and the food is good.) We also liked Franchi along Via Cola di Rienzo (1 bus stop away from Piazza del Risorgimento) in the Vatican area. You can get something to munch on from there before you wait in line at the Vatican Museum. And we also tried Alle Fratte di Trastevere Ristorante in Trastevere which was also good. It was the first good place we tried after being frustrated with other places. I almost cried because I finally was able to taste what I expected Italian food to taste.
   
   Also, one thing to note: I saw Luzzi Pizzeria behind the Colosseo recommended in 2 of the guide books I read. It does get packed at night with locals but I didn't really find their food amazing. Their trippa ala romana which was recommended in Let's Go Italy guide book was actually blech! Plus, one time we were seated near the kitchen, I was observing them do the bread, I'm quite certain that they recycly the bread they serve. They take uneaten pieces of bread from the tables and serve it to other tables. I'm not sure if this is common practice in restaurants but when it comes to this bit of information, ignorance is bliss.

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Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu

Since it's summer and there's no day that I haven't been thinking about the beach, I thought why not reminisce about my best beach vacations.

The white building is Shangri-La, the pink ones, I think, is Hilton

The first one I'm gonna write about is our trip to Mactan, Cebu last November 2006. This was a memorable one because Jorey and I went there for our engagement pictures. During this time, I still wasn't allowed to go with Jorey to anywhere where it was just the two of us because we weren't married yet. (My family's what I would call selective conservative - conservative only when it comes to girls.) So mom came with us for the trip. :)

I took this shot of myself while tinkering with my timer and tripod.

The weather was perfect!

We stayed at Shangri-La, Mactan and it's probably one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at. The white sand beach was very clean and beautiful. The breakfast buffet was superb. The best thing about it was there were a lot of places that made good engagement pictures - coz that's what we came for aside from some fun in the sun.

I didn't take my own pictures at Plantation Bay but this one from our engagement pics is my favorite.

We also took a few pictures at the Plantation Bay, which was not far away from Shangri-La. I suppose some people would find it nice but it wasn't really appealing to me. The resort had a hollywood studio/theme park vibe going, it looks good in pictures but up close and personal... not really my type. It looked too man-made for my taste.

One thing I like about Cebu is that a lot of the 1st class Philippine exports come from here. So before we went back we just had to pass by Avatar's building to score some cute accessories.

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