Thursday, January 24, 2013

Cheap accommodations: Coron Reef Pension and Coron Ecolodge

Uuuy.. in fairness. 61 na ang followers ko. 58 lang siya last week. hahah! Effective ang pagpaparinig sa last post.

Ma'am Carla: O after Boracay ano na ibblog mo?
Me: Coron ulit
Ma'am Carla: Coron na naman!? Hindi pa ba nauubos yan?!

hahah! Ang winner ng reaction. Sarap gawan ng re-enactment.

E kasi naman, I've been to Coron for 3 times already. If you've been reading my blog for years, you already know how much I love the place. I promised myself to build a home there. Really. I mean really.

Since I haven't started it yet (oy don't laugh. seryoso ako nyan), let me give you my own share of experience of the two accommodations I've been recently. Isang pang Pureza at isang pang Gretchen Barreto. Oy I have nothing against the other ha. Baka ganun isipin nyo e. Pareho ko silang bet depende sa pangangailangan. (Depende rin kung babayaran nila ako sa post na to. Chos. Joke lang.)

Anyway, October last year, I went there solo again by accident. My friend, na itago natin sa pangalang Rachelle Dela Fuente, failed to board on the day of her flight. Nauna ako ng 3 hours sa kanya. If she's going to purchase another ticket, that would be twice the original price kaya ayun, umuwi na lang ang Charotinang Paner na yun. hahaah! Don't worry walang pandaigdigang digmaang naganap.

So yun na nga. Buti na lang P600.00 lang ang aircon room with private bath sa Coron Reef Pension. (walang kaligoy ligoy ang promotion na to. hahah!) Nagulat ako sa laki ng rooms nila. Pwede ng kumatay ng baboy sa loob.

Hindi ko alam kung para san ang timbangan sa labas. Siguro nga para sa baboy.

Let me take you inside...
 
Bed #1.. 2.. (ward lang ang peg? hahah!)

..3 beds just for me. On the left is another door going to the bathroom.
Kahit pa nagmistulan akong pasyente sa mga kamang yan, it's comfy and clean. If I would be given a chance to stay there again, I won't hesitate.
 
Peek-a-boo inside the bathroom..

 
Laundry area on the right

Toilet and bath on the left
Nung una hindi ko alam kung para san ang hose. Hindi pala kaya ng powers ng tubig sa CR. hahah! Kailangan ko pang isaksak ang kabilang dulo sa lababo ng laundry area chaka pa ko papasok sa loob. Spell h-a-s-s-l-e. Hindi ko rin malilimutan ng minsan nagmadali akong lumabas ng CR. Alam mo yung feeling na paglabas mo, hindi mo pa pala kwarto? Yun ganun. Ayun.. Nakalimutan ko yun. Hello World ang katawan ko sa napakalaking bintana ng laundry area. Kung may manyakis mang naka-abang e hindi ko na alam. Magka kulani sana sila.

May stand-by generator din sila no. Wag ka. Kahit chipay ang rooms nila, afford nila yun. Pero, sa gabi lang nila binubuhay yun in case nag Chris Brown out. Minsan akong umuwi ng tanghaling tapat, sakto brownout, isinumpa ako ng kilikili ko sa sobrang init. Lumabas na lang ako at ito ang tumambad sa akin. hihihi!


may libreng pool sila in fairness.
Pero hindi ako naligo. Tumambay lang ako. hihi! Wala na kong damit pang basa dahil uuwi na ko kinahapunan. La Sirenetta Restaurant can be seen outside. Ayun o. Kita mo? Kaya if you're going to ask kung pano pumunta dun, baba ka lang sa Sirenetta. Ok?

Libre ang coffee sa kanila. Sa tulad kong, nakaka-apat na tasa ng kape kada araw, ikalulugi nila yun. hahah! They also accept paluto. The owner is very approachable. Well actually hindi ko alam kung siya ba ang may ari. hahah! basta siya ang supervisor that time (Hi Ms. Marichu!^_^) They let me extend my stay until 2:30pm for free since my flight is 4pm pa and the usual pick up time of van service is 2:30pm. I was about to leave when I noticed that one of my ID was missing. I tried searching for it but to no avail. Ms. Marichu told me to leave since the van is waiting and I might miss my flight. Sabi niya she will just send it via LBC if ever I won't find it. Ang sweet niya. thank you for being so nice. hihihi! Well I found it when I was inside the van. Iba na ang burara.

Move on na tayo? the other one is Coron Ecolodge. I'm sure most of you have read good review of the place. Well I assure you every penny is worth it. P1,598.00 ang rate niya when I went there. Napag-alaman kong nag increase sila.. P1,898.00 na siya ngayon. Sorry na lang kayo. hahah!

Let me tour you around..

Welcome Home
Reservation was a breeze. Thanks to Mr. Manuel Paredes. He answered all my queries promptly. The accidental solo trip gave me time to just relax and feel that I was indeed on vacation. I made the right choice to spend a day here. Free wifi, coffee overload, airconditioned room, 2 huge beds, cable tv.. need I say more?
 
Light at the end of the tunnel (chos!)
Room ko yung nasa kadulu-duluhan sa kanan.



Tara pasok tayo..

Double Standard Room
I asked them to adjoin the two beds together para sa damang damang pag-iisa. Keberloo.

I was looking for the shower curtain I've read on all blogs but my room has none. Ornussa Sadness.

Complete toiletries and the huge keychain
Sa sobrang laki ng keychain ay ipapa-check in ito sayo ng Airphil Express. lol!

The dining area where you can use the free wifi

Complimentary breakfast
All the staff were attentive and all smiles except for one. I forgot the name of the girl. Gusto ko ng well done na itlog kaya ipinaulit ko sa kanya. Aba lalong sumibangot si ateng. Utusan ko nga ulit. lol! Sabi ko gusto ko ng kamatis na may sibuyas at patis dahil yun ang bagay sa beef tapa. Wala siyang choice. Gretchen Barreto nga diba nga? bwahahah!

Happy, blooming and glowing (literal. Ano bang klaseng camera meron ako. Hay!)
Overall I love my stay here. I've been searching for some hotel with the same price pero ichura pa lang alam mo na ang difference.

Coron Ecolodge
Calle Real, Coron
09064556090
inquiry@myhometelphilippines.com
www.coronecolodge.com

Coron Reef Pension
Barangay 5, Bancuang, National Highway
09198877151
09183361661
chinet@coronreefpensionhouse.com
http://www.coronreefpensionhouse.com/
 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Boracay at last

At hindi ako nag two piece. Baka mabawasan na naman ang 58 followers ko. hahah! Hindi ko maintindihan bakit minsan nagiging 57 sila tapos babalik ng 58 one day. Make up your mind teh. hihihi! Joke lang.

Anyway, sa tamad kong to hindi na ko dapat magtaka. Well, eto na nga ako ulit. I went to Boracay for the first time August 2012. It was also the first time for my mom, brother and my balik bayan cousin.

Ate Ren came all the way from Baguio to Manila and took the earliest flight. It would have been better if I book her in Clark hub. Lagarista lang ang peg? Tinalo niya ang 24 hour shift. hahah! Ang worst pa dun, no vacant room in Tans Guesthouse where I made the reservation. I thought they have receiving area where guest can stay temporarily waiting for their rooms to be available. They gave her monoblock instead. Na-sad ako talaga.

Wala naman ako magawa dahil  2pm  pa ang check in. Kaya ayun, damang dama niya ang awkwardness ng paglalakad sa beach ng naka jeans. lol!

Delayed flight namin. We arrived in Kalibo Airport at 8:41PM. E dapat 7:25PM yun e. Hay naku. Ayoko pa naman mag dagat pag gabi. My mom went to the comfort room. I approached the information desk of  Southwest Tours malapit sa labas ng airport. I don't know how they recognized me. Hihinga pa lang sana ako para magpakilala, sinabi agad ni kuya ang pangalan ko. They gave me a sticker with note "TANS". Fieldtrip?! May ID talaga? ^_^ Then my mom arrived. There were only 5 people inside the bus. 2 guests arrived after us then the bus left. Bumawi ako ng tulog. Tapos narealize ko...

..ganito pala ang pinagdadaanan ng mga kapwa ko artista. Chos!                                                                                                                                           
After 40 min, we're already at Jetty Port. Yes. Ganung katagal. Yung 5 taong nabanggit ko kanina, ninamnam ang stop over. Surprisingly, kahit napaka-onti namin, bumiyahe pa rin yung malaking boat. Amazing! Kala ko before, motorbangka lang. Nagulat ako kasi ka-level niya ang mga fast craft. Nakatulog ako sa Tans agad agad.

Pagkagising ko, ito na ang tumambad... yihii!

Good Morning Boracay!!
Finally


Hindi nagpakabog...

Jump Jump Jump!
We tried Jonah's shake. Naintriga ako e. Mahilig din naman ako sa shake shake na yan kaya it's not surprising na nagustuhan ko naman siya. I ordered mango banana chorva. Di ko na matandaan. haha! Just a tip though, dahil 80.00+ ang isang order (2 kilo na ng mangga yun), kailangan sulitin. Mas malaki ng 1/4 ang lalagyan ng dine in kesa pag ti-nake out (ti-nake out?! lol!). Masyado atang mahal ang basyo (yung 12ml ng Absolute Drinking Water) kaya binabawi nila sa dami. hhihi! Naisip pa yun e no. Going back..


Wala kaming ginawa sa first and second day. Tamang tambay lang since we're waiting for my younger brother to arrive on the third day. Magta-tantrums daw siya pag may ginawa kami ng hindi siya kasama.

Sunset's a beauty
Boracay is more that just a beach. Kahit pa ubod ako ng kuripot, I won't leave Boracay without trying these "classic" activities. You'll be surprised how much discount we have availed dahil sa galing ni mother mag haggle. May gana siyang mag drama nung araw na yun. Pero bago ang lahat, maumay muna kayo sa pictures. Overload na to..

By the way, hindi sa may white beach area ang activities. Dun pala siya nagaganap sa maburak, masukal at ma-grasang dagat sa likod ng Boracay Island. Ang dugyot tuloy ng paa ko at panay langis. Pwede na kong silaban. hahah!

(Frm L to R) My Cousin Ren, Me, Mother,  My younger brother Kevin

My mom having fun riding a speed boat
Speed boat pa lang quota na. Actually na enjoy ko din yung portion na yun. We chose Bluebird Water Activities by the way. But there are popular ones, like Diamond Water Sports. Hindi ko alam kung ano ba ang difference.

Briefing muna. Tinuro lang yung mga sign language achuchuchu... 



I remember when I was chatting with Carla of Blissfulguro.com, I told her the discounted rate that we have availed for helmet diving, she was shocked and told me "Ang mura naman nun! hindi kaya compressor lang ang gamit nung nakuha mo?!?! hahah!" Actually hindi ko talaga alam. lol! Napaisip din ako. But we're alive. I never felt any pain or nausea after. Kung compressor man yun o hindi, misteryo pa rin. hahah! malay ko kung san nila sinaksak ang hangin ko pagkalubog no! ^_^


excitement + takot = pilit na ngiti ^_^

tsismisan pa rin (me, mother, ate Ren)
Take a look on ate Ren's waist. Kinailangan lagyan ng pampabigat. hahah! May gravity issues siyang kinakaharap nun. lol!

parang may sakit lang. hahah!

Every 3 minutes, we were being asked by the photographer using the sign language they taught earlier. My cousin made an "UP" sign (raise your thumb) so she was assisted by the guide para umahon na. Then my mom was next. I was confused by the "UP" sign or "OK" sign. Ayoko pa sana umahon pero yung "UP" sign yung nagawa ko. Ang shongak lang. hahah! Feeling ko wala pang 10 minutes yun e. Naisip kong magpumiglas sa kamay ni kuya pero hindi na lang. Tinatamad ako.

We proceeded with island hopping/fish feeding/snorkeling. Natuwa na ko. hihiih! May sa Agua Bendita ako e. Hayok sa tubig. I was not disappointed in fairness. Everyone was delighted when the school of fish bite into their bread. Mga uto-utong isda yan. hahaha! Kala ko walang ganun sa Boracay because all you can see is white sand without corals and fishes.





The corals were not that abundant. Mostly, patay na. Pero buhay na buhay naman at nangingisay ngisay pa ang mga isda na yan habang kinakain ang bread. hihihi!

Bisaklat
Ichura ko naman. Hindi ko matandaan kung sino kumuha nito. Pero mas marami ang nagbabasa ng FB kaya dito na lang siya ipost.

We didn't dock on the Crystal Cave. 200.00 per pax dun e. No way. Buti kung Sagada level ang rock formation dun. We just contented ourselves in this island with mini cave din. Pwede na yun. Actually, mas gusto ko pa nga ang beach dito. Tahimik. Ang lakas talaga ng dating sakin ng mga secluded beach.





mini rock formation
Napapraning talaga ako sa mga tumutulo sa cave. hahah! Feeling ko wiwi ng bat. Kaya kada patak, automatic amoy agad. lol! mapanghi din ba ang wiwi ng bat?! Mga Taong Tabon... paki sagot.

The weather changed it's mood. Sadly, dinelubyo kami ng slight lang naman. Sabi ko nga sa nanay ko, bakit ba pag ako lang umaalis, kahit may bagyo sa Philippine Area of Responsibility, hindi naman ako affected. Bakit pag siya kasama ko laging may mga ganitong eksena. hahah!




We took our lunch on/in (lecheng conjunction yan!) this island. Sorry I forgot the name. That's also where we found the sand castles. We've been searching for it sa main land. Wala na daw talaga dun sabi nung guide. Hindi ko alam kung totoo ba yun o sinasabi niya lang yun para dito kami magpapicture at mabiyayaan siya ng bente. hahah! Uto uto naman kami.

The sun's up again and we're ready for another adventure. This time parasail naman. Woot woot! I was supposed to join them pero napigilan ako ng bulsa ko. hahah! Hindi naman mawawala ang Boracay e. Next time na lang ako. hihihi!

 
I asked them kung ano pakiramdam ng nasa taas.. hindi na sila makasagot. Namumutla na. hahaha!

may shark daw. lol!
I had fun seeing them panicked. bwahahaha! Wagas ang tawa namin ni mother. Ang bruha lang. Pagkatapos ng shot na to, hindi na nabuhay si D10 ko. huhuhu! bwisit na karma yan. Agad agad talaga?! Nalaman ko na weakness pala niya ang super zoom. After some time, ok na siya ulit. Whew!

Next na ang fly fish. hihihi! I super love it. Takot na takot din ako at the same time. Hindi dahil takot ako mabagsak sa tubig, kundi baka madaganan ako ng nanay ko if ever makabitaw siya. Dun ako na-bother. hahah! Eto ang position namin..

My brother, mom in front, I was at the back, ate ren on the other side.
Pag nakabitaw ang nanay ko, yari ako! hahah! Kaya binantaan ko talaga siya..

My cousin almost fell. hahah! Nakikita ko na siya sa rurok ng fly fish. hahah! Naiimagine kong humalalakhak ang driver ng speed boat habang isa isang nahuhulog ang paa niya sa dagat. Pero hindi nagtagumpay si kuya dahil umayaw na si cousin. hahah! My mom enjoyed it. Hindi ko inexpect yun. Akala ko siya ang unang aayaw. Well siguro dahil alam niyang sakin siya babagsak kaya ok lang mahulog. hahah! I want to go back to Boracay just because of the Fly fish. Yun lang.

Up up and away (kailangan ng microscope para makita ito)



Next, ATV. First time namin lahat. Buti at matic naman pala to. Keri boom boom.


Wagi ang outfit ni mother
After 10 mins, we were forced instructed to stop and hike to a tower where we could see the whole Boracay and nearby islands. Sabi ko hindi namin feel. Mas gusto namin mag drive ng mag drive. Anyway we paid for 30 minutes naman e. Sabi ba naman ni kuya hindi mam. Kailangan niyo pong ubusin ang oras niyo sa taas. I hate him!



model, 18 years old, single, but no longer available

View from the top

I'll post a separate entry for Tans guesthouse.

O eto na ang kaabang abang na breakdown:


Helmet Diving - P180.00 per pax (with CD of pix and vid)
Island Hopping/Snorkeling - P1000.00 per boat (free snorkel set for 3 pax)
Parasail - P700.00 per pax
ATV - P350.00 per pax
Fly fish - P350.00 per pax
Entrance fee for island with Sand Castles - 100.00 per pax

Contact Kuya Noel 09086098830. Siya ang salarin sa murang Boracay Adventure na yan. For the three of us, my mom, bro and I, I bought the round trip tickets last December 9, 2011 amounting to P864.00 each. It's almost a year of waiting. hahaha! And it's worth it. For the accommodation naman, we booked in Tans Guesthouse 2 months before for only 10,800 for 4 nights. They have on going Rainy Days promo that time. Feel free to check their website. Since we're four, a total of P2,700 per pax. The accomodation details are as follows:

ROUND TRIP TRANSFER (from Kalibo airport)
DOUBLE DELUXE (2 QUEEN SIZE BED)
CABLE TV
HOT AND COLD SHOWER
MINI REF
AIRCON
FREE WIFI
SET BREAKFAST DAILY

Ang cheap diba? Sa mga nag-abang, at tinamad din na i-unfollow ako, forgive me for my laziness. Narealize kong kailangan ko pala ang blog ko sa future business ko. Hmm.. Malay mo DOTCOM na ko next month. Chos!