Another article for our go-to destination this pandemic, Tagaytay. Invited by one of my friends, I don't know where to start or what to write, I had a great time, too much to translate it into words.

I was invited for a three day stay in Taal Vista Hotel, formerly known as the Taal Vista Lodge, one of the most prominent hotels in Tagaytay. It was a short-notice that I initially turned down. I had a lot in my plate during the normal days juggling priorities in one hand, I realized I needed this break. I phoned my friend and said I changed my mind, count me in, I need a breather.

One of the reasons why I gave it a go was for the reason that it was a hassle free vacation, no rt pcr test needed, but health declaration form must be presented and guests should be fully vaccinated. Tagaytay has been very welcoming to its guests since 2020, it's very close to Manila and always been Manilenyo's go-to destination during this pandemic. 

It was a quick trip from Manila to Tagaytay, if my memory serves me right it took us only an hour to reach Tagaytay, by far the quickest travel going to Tagaytay I had.  Upon arriving we were greeted by the hotel staff, they carried our bags and we registered our names at the lobby. I walked past the lobby extension all the way to the hotel's restaurant, I was amazed by its contemporary interior, it was not even the room yet but I was impressed in an instant. 

It's been a while since I had my hotel stay and I missed the feeling of being surprised by the hotel's interiors, that "ooooohh, this is nice" kind of moment was what I was missing. 

 

 Before we headed up to our rooms, our group decided to have lunch at Veranda (TVH's in-house restaurant) since all of us haven't had breakfast yet, we figured it's a good start, we heard excellent reviews about their food and we couldn't wait to try it. We waited for the food to be served, maybe around thirty minutes or less, when the food arrived we took photos of them. 

If you are in a company of bloggers, "Eat it while it's hot" is never their thing, for instance if you ordered a sisig just off the grill, you will see it sizzle but you're never going to eat it hot, believe me. The photo sesh took thirty minutes. We enjoyed all the food they served, like literally I couldn't choose which one is the best, we had Salinyasi, gising-gising and crispy pata, all were superb but for that meal alone I would go for gising-gising, just because I could mix it with my rice and eat crispy pata and salinyasi with it. We also got the chance to talk to the chef who prepared our food, he shared how the food was intricately prepared and what other dishes they would serve for us in the couple of days, this light conversation with him made us all excited for the next meal. 

After indulging ourselves with Veranda's food we went up to our rooms, we were given keys for each room. By the way TVH is only a four-storey hotel, not like the ordinary airbnb accommodations, it's not a condo. Actually, on our way up to our rooms I asked the hotel attendant "do you have a penthouse?" she just simply said no but I later realized that it was a stupid question to even ask, face palm. 

The room was perfect, but I had to admit,  there are other hotels with more modern designs and interiors but what made the room perfect was the view, it has the best view of Tagaytay. Of all the places I have been (hotels and bed & breakfast in Tagaytay) this by far was the most stunning view I had of Taal. From the little veranda of my room I can see the Sky Ranch theme park, as it sits next to it. I was enjoying the cold mountain breeze and seeing the fog building-up in the view made me realized that I haven't felt this in a while, this is exactly what I was missing. I stayed in the room for a bit before we headed down and went for a walk. 

 

 

After an hour of spending my me-time, we went for a walk, we went for a guided walk tour and discovered fascinating facts about the hotel. They call it "A walk through time" and found that TVH is the Philippines' second oldest hotel next to Manila Hotel, I had to ask and confirm again if we were talking about the entire Philippines or just in Tagaytay, and yes in the entire Philippines. 

We saw the history wall that tells the story of the hotel, it's like trip down the memory lane seeing the old photos of its old façade, the people who stayed here, guests who made history and people who paved the way to the country that we are today, significant people who once guested the hotel. 

What really amazed me was the fact that it was built years and years ago but the aesthetic and its charm are never behind the times. This 82-year old 4 star hotel continues to serve the present generation and will carry on to serve the next. 

See the guided walk tour package here: https://bit.ly/3C8EMYv

It was a tiring day, a snuggly cozy room was the best way to call it a day. I had a real relaxing time the entire night, just me and my laptop, streaming my favorite netflix series, it was a perfect me-time. It's been a while since I had this kind of self pampering. 

When I woke up the next day, I got to enjoy the cold weather of Tagaytay while sipping a hot chocolate, it couldn't be any better. 

I spent my entire 3 days satiating myself with everything I can here in Taal Vista Hotel. 

MY STAY HIGHLIGHTS:

GLAM PICNIC PACKAGE

Aside from its magnificent view of Taal Volcano, nice cozy accommodation, and delectable food options, Taal Vista Hotel offers a unique experience to all their guests. One of the must-tries is their Glam Picnic Package where guests get to explore and enjoy their finger food options, they served assortments of finger food like Pizza, slices of bread, cakes, charcuterie platter, etc. I loved how they set up this Glam Picnic, we enjoyed sitting on the neatly trimmed lawn, enjoying the food, the weather and witnessed the sunset fade. We had this activity around 3pm until we all had our tummies full. I would love to do it again on my next visit to TVH.

 

For inquiries check their website here: 

https://bit.ly/3LSJii2

DINE UNDER THE STARS

Another food experience you all must try in Taal Vista. Dine Under the Stars is not your quintessential dining experience, here in TVH, they will always go for the superbs and the extravagant. We had this on our last night, it was a lovely set-up under an IG-worthy dome, though I was here with my friends I still felt the romantic ambiance they are trying to convey. They served NY strip steak, sea bass, rissoto, chicken, salad, and lemon sherbet. Most of the dishes they served reminded me of Hell's Kitchen, honestly. We started around 5pm, we could still see the breathtaking view of Taal, at around 6pm we could see the city lights from where we were. 

We enjoyed this Dine Under the Stars so much, I can say that it was the  highlight of our stay in TVH. Make sure to try this during your stay! 

This activity is not only for couples, this is also perfect for families who want a little twist on their dinner.

Make an early reservation here: 

Photo credit to Project Gora

I enjoyed my 3D2N Stay here in Taal Vista Hotel, if you're looking for a place with a breathtaking view of the world's smallest active volcano and a room with magical view of it, then hurry and book your stay now!  You will also enjoy the food of Veranda from breakfast to dinner, it will surely be an experience of a lifetime here at Taal Vista Hotel.

TVH Social Media Accounts:

https://www.facebook.com/taalvistahotel

https://www.instagram.com/taalvistahotel/

TVH Website:

https://www.taalvistahotel.com/

I'm so excited to share you guys another food review that will surely give you the full definition of fusion restaurant, not just basic fusion but a place all in one, literally. 1199 Wellness and Cafe is located in the busy street of Wagas St. Tondo, 1199 apparently got its name from their street number '1199', somewhat predictable but I never thought of it, just like the series 90210 which happened to be the zip code of B.H California where they had its setting, I just realized it on the latter (laughs), same in 1199, I just realized that when I saw the address, how could I even miss that?

It was my first time to review a restaurant in Tondo and I heard numerous selection of good food venues here that I badly want to try,   happy to make my first dip of my tondo food crawling here at 1199 Wellness and Cafe.

What I liked about 1199 Wellness and Cafe was its big option for food, it offers wide array of different food, they have Filipino, Japanese, American and I don't know what else they have, all I know was they seem to have everything we crave for, oh yeah have Korean, too. This is a three story house that they converted to a restaurant of different mix. On the first floor was the Asian Waffle, on the second was the cafe for refreshments like milktea, fruitea and coffee, also on the second floor was the ramen and burger station, and lastly on the third floor was samgyeopsal dining. As I entered the place I was welcomed by the buttery smell of their waffles, then we headed up to the second floor to give our orders. We ordered the best sellers and we also tried the samgyeopsal, we basically eat colossal of carbs that night that's one thing I know for sure.

I couldn't pick a favorite, I honestly loved all the food they served. I loved the Strawberry with Cream Waffle, we all shared to enjoy their burgers, the patty was thick and very savory smashed with lettuce, tomato and cheese, the burger was a surprising reveal for us, this something every customers should try.  Of course they also have milktea of different flavors, we just didn't it order after realizing we already ordered too much food. The ramen  and the takoyaki were amazing, too. Everything was great, but the burger for me was just the best. 

I have seen the post of my friend Travelust Ph, since we were just around the area we gave it a try, it's worth it. If you're bringing your car please advise them ahead of time so they can assist you where to park, they do not have a parking area (yet) but they can work it out for you like how they assisted us. I was happy and guilty at the same, I felt guilty that one of the staff had to go out and assist us when the restaurant was in pick hours and customers were lining up.

I enjoyed all the food here, no doubt customers were in full blast (with social distancing of course), even in a resindential location the restaurant is thriving, as seemed the pandemic was never a hindrance to their business. I would love to bring my friends here next time, I highly recommend this place for an absolute gastronomical pleasure. Thumbs up!

Though we were not staying in a fancy resort. I enjoyed my time here, I was with my friends that I haven't seen for a while, roughly ten years that we have not seen each other, luckily we live in the social media era, poking them to say hi once in a while is just one click away, so this trip was relevant and special to me. We left Manila around 7am of a saturday morning, our Waze app routed us in the outskirt of Metro Manila, passing Taguig Bicutan-Sucat-Muntilupa all the way to the towns of Laguna. The supposed 3 to 4 hour drive turned longer than we expected, 7 hours to be exact. 

The resort's amenities were ok, not the best resort in Batangas but it's decent. The advantage of staying in a simple resort like this is you will not be bothered with tourist influx, it was quiet  and very relaxing, too. We bought food supplies in the market near the resort, nothing beats grilled fish and pork belly for lunch by the beach, partnered with iced cold soda and good catch-up laughs with friends, this the ideal beach getaway.   

 A quick getaway from a 3 day stay in Cebu. It was a work related travel in Cebu, I did not suppose to have much time for leisure travel, 'supposedly'. It's also my nature to get out of a sticky situation a breeze, and eventually found my way to freedom, if you know what I mean, and just like that I had a day and a half to go somewhere I wanted. Prior to my trip, I already anticipated a chance to have a quick getaway and everytime I go out of town it's almost instinctive to look for a possible place to visit even without a clear plan or itinerary ahead, I always wing it out. 

I discovered this place from a random google search, we were infact hesitant to book a room, it was a bit pricy, also the fact that we will arrived late we thought it's not worth the money. But guess what? I was with my boss, so money wasn't really an issue, uhuh you read that right (laughs).

We booked this exclusive ocean villa in Cebu R Resort, I did not expect much from this resort, we expected a fancy accommodation but I reckon it was way better than we all imagined. From Mandaue it took us around 2 to 3 hours to get there, the check-in time was 3pm, we got there almost 6pm, at least we captured its stunning sunset view. We stayed in a villa with jacuzzi, though we did not use the jacuzzi, we enjoyed the place. From the touch of its room they obviously show off a classy minimalist ambiance. I loved the unique concept of the place, the contemporary outdoor structures complimented its theme.

ROOM RATE: 

DELUXE R

Regular Rate: 4,800

Promo Rate: 3,840

DELUXE R W/ GARDEN VIEW

Regular Rate: 5,300

Promo Rate: 4,240

SEAVIEW KING R

Regular Rate: 6,400

Promo Rate: 5,120

SEAVIEW TRIPLE R

Regular Rate: 7,500

Promo Rate: 6,000

FAMILY R

Regular Rate: 9,000

Promo Rate: 7,200

OCEAN VIEW

Regular Rate: 9,900

Promo Rate: 7,920

OCEAN VIEW W/ JACUZZI

Regular Rate: 12,000

Promo Rate: 9,600

EXTRA PERSON-1,000

EXTRA PERSON VILLA- 1,500

DAY TOUR RATE

INCLUSIVE OF:

USE OF THE POOL

ACCESS IN THE BEACH AREA

PLATED LUNCH WITH DRINK

ADULT- 1,000

7 YRS OLD AND BELOW-500

8AM TO 5PM

NO PETS ALLOWED

NO OUTSIDE FOOD ALLOWED

NO COOKING

Note that the resort has its in-house restaurant. 

I'm thrilled to revisit Cebu R Resort, next time I will book a lengthy stay with my friends, or maybe with my family, they will surely enjoy this place. Thanks again Cebu R for this memorable trip. Amd of course my boss for covering all the expenses of this trip. 

Another restaurant review you all shouldn't miss. I saw the blog post of my friend Biyahero Si Bes, yes, that social media influencer guy (laughs). I wondered how I never knew this place after all, it sits almost beside my office. Avelina's Kitchen is one of the best restaurants in the area, at least by far. It welcomes its guests with stunning interiors of beautiful chandaliers, sheer fabrics and dapo ferns, plus the dainty little stuff they put on the table. I paid a visit the night before the valentines day, so as expected, the place was quite full compare to its normal days of operation. 

I loved every little details of it, from its theme to its menu. I remember the old look of Avelina, they didn't have this extended balcony from what I saw before, now they made it not only bigger but they also made it become the quintessential go-to restaurant in the Timog area. While waiting for the food to be served,  looking at the entire area fueled the inner child in me, I never stopped snapping photos in every corner of avelina's, everything here was superb. If you're following my blog maybe we cannot argue that this place was a bit identical to Greenhouse Cafe in Tagaytay. 

THE FOOD

Honestly, the food was just ok, it's above the average price. We ordered Keto Burger, Caldereta, Pansit, Sinigang na Salmon, Fruit Smoothies and Milktea. I'm not trying to be a finicky eater here, the food was good (the main course),  just not my favorite. As for its dessert, I love the Strawberry Ice Cream. I love the creaminess of it and you could taste that it's organic, it was like a home made Keto Ice Cream if there's such an ice cream. This one is a must try, a bit expensive though but it's worth the price. And speaking of Keto, yes they have variety of Keto diet food. I'm not a big fan Keto diet but once in a while it's nice to try them out, which I did. I liked the Keto burger, if I'm on a diet this is not a bad alternative, though I'd still choose the typical greasy buy one take one burger, Angel's Burger in particular.

SAMPLE MENU

ALL DAY BREAKFAST

(All served with rice and two eggs)

Candaba Longganisa- 245

Mindoro Hamonado Longganisa- 245

Lucban Spicy Longganisa- 291

Pindang Babi ng Pampabga- 285

Tapang Baboy Ramo- 285

Baked Lechon Kawali- 280

Plant Based Sisig- 225

Plant Based Tocino-290

HERITAGE MENU

SINABAWAN

Sinampalukang Manok- Half 630, whole 1,110

Sinigang sa bayabas (Salmon Belly)- 345

Sinigang sa Kamias-345

PASTA

Candaba Longganisa Aglio Olio- 245

Pindang Amatriciana- 245

Pansit HabHab- 345

Pansit Guisado with Lechon Kawali- 345

Salmon with Pasta- 345

Rice- Solo 45, Share 165

Mashed Potato- Solo 65, Share 225

DESSERT

Stevia Leche Plan-185

(Yes, they spell it PLAN on their menu, I didn't ask why or was it a typo error?)

Stevia Bilo Bilo- 225

Laguna Ube Halaya- 165

BEEF AND PORK

Beef Caldereta- Solo 414, Share 599

Patatim- 599

Lechon Kawali-445

Sisig na baboy ramo-285

Native Barbecue Chicken Quarter- 325

Tamarind Chicken Quarter- 295

APPETIZER

chicken Strips- 265

BURGER

Keto Burger- 345

Keto Sliders- 285

PIZZA

Keto Chicken Crusted Pizza- 295

Meaty and Beefy Pizza 10" - 599

PASTA

(using only almond flour)

Keto Cheese Lasagna- 285

Chicken Pesto Pasta- 185

Pomodoro- 185

BURRITO

Chicken Burrito-225

Beef Burrito-225

For their full menu send them a dm. They respond quick on messenger. 

I love Avelina's Kitchen, I see myself having another fancy dinner here, or if my schedule permits. I beg everyone to try this place, you will surely love the place and maybe their food. Next time I want to try the plant based Sisig, it doesn't sound delish to me coz I don't eat veggies but I'm curious to try. See yah. 

Address: 

2 Scout Limbaga cor Mother Ignacia Street, Diliman, Quezon City. 

SEE THE DETAILS BELOW FOR INQUIRIES AND RESERVATION: 

https://www.facebook.com/healthymealsphstore/