Michi Photostory

On our way home from Purple Oven-Nuvali, I was still thinking about where to eat on my birthday, my husband suggested na ituloy na namin yung Marriott Cafe but I told him, coding ka di ba? But he said, my window hours naman so we can eat ng lunch. I felt happy because finally, the search is over. My husband immediately called Marriott Cafe to reserve and he filed for vacation leave. When we reached our house, I immediately downloaded the menu so I can prepare my stomach. 

The following day, hindi kami gaano nagpakabusog sa breakfast para sulit ang buffet namin. We waited for my son’s online classes to finish and off we went to Marriott Hotel. The buffet starts at 12NN and upon arrival, the staff ushered us to our table but we requested a different table, yung wall ang likod because my son has afternoon online classes. 

I’ve tried different hotel buffets in the past but this was the first time that I downloaded the menu. I love the menu because it helped me in planning what to eat, unlike before na saka pa lang ako mag-iisip ng kakainin kapag inikot ko na yung buffet spread. 

There are prepared meals but what I like in Marriott Cafe is the Live Station or "Paluto" Cooked to your Likings Station. So you can order Singaporean Chili, grilled, steamed, sweet and sour and fried meat or seafood that you like. 

Other stations are Sashimi Station, Teppanyaki Station, Tempura Station, Dimsum Station, Noodle, Bar, Dessert Station, and more. Their buffet spread is not grand compared to other hotels but still, hindi ko din nakainan lahat ng stations. I focused on Live Station, Chef’s Grill Special, Teppanyaki, and Dessert Station. 

Favorite namin sa dessert station is the Gelato, one scoop is PHP155 but scoop all you want for buffet diners. I was not able to take a lot of photos because I was also busy eating. The photos below are from my husband's experience, compared to our experience, mas marami yung seafood nung kumain siya. 

And because of my husband Marriot Cafe’s experience, he said we will eat here on his birthday, but it didn’t happen because Sheraton Manila upgraded us to Sheraton Club when we had our staycation so may libre na kami na buffet. 

After few months of waiting, I finally crossed this out on my bucket list. Since the rate is not cheap, we literally took our time eating and drinking, so we were there for almost three hours. Marriott Cafe also gave me a Complimentary Birthday Cake, but just like our Yurakuen experience, busog talaga kami so take-out namin yung free cake. 

Breakfast: Php 1,600.00 net (Daily) 

Lunch: Php 2,888.00 net (Daily) 

Dinner: Php 2,888.00 net (Sunday to Thursday) 

Dinner: Php 3,188.00 net (Friday) 

Breakfast - 6:30AM - 10:30AM  

Lunch - 12:00PM TO 3:00PM  

Dinner - 6:00PM TO 9:00PM  

Nose to Tail Dinner (Fridays) - 6:00PM TO 9:00PM  

Sunday Brunch Crossover - 11:30AM TO 3:00PM 

Ground Floor Manila Marriott Hotel 

2 Resorts Drive, Pasay City 

Metro Manila, 1309 Philippines

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion-packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing will fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you received in return” Luke 6:38 

We gave away a big part of our savings but God is indeed so good. It is so true that when you give something, God will bless you in return. We may not have an extra budget for leisure but God provided for that. My husband has been working for so long and last year was the very first time that his company allowed them to bring their family on their company outing; provided that anything extra he/she will shoulder that. 

Each employee has his/her own budget so as much as possible, wala dapat extra expense para tipid kami. We stayed at Palmera Suites before but it is only good for two people. Time flies and my son is already a teenager so we need accommodation that is good for 3 adults. Good thing that their company got a Corporate Rate so my husband chose “The Narra Pool Villa” + PHP3,050 for an extra person.

Check-in time is 2PM but we left early because my son has morning online classes so male-late kami ng dating sa The Farm at San Benito kung hihintayin pa namin yung end of class niya. Mahirap maging late kasi for sure, maraming makakasabay sa “Swab Testing”. 

Guest Health Questionaire and COVID-19 Questionaire 

COVID-19 Test Done at The Farm: FDA approved Antigen Nasal Swab Test upon entry PHP3050 per person (13 years old above) 

COVID-19 Test Done Outside The Farm: RT-PCR Nasopharyngeal Test done at any accredited DOH testing center within 48 hours from the time of collection will be honored.

Since mahal din naman ang RT-PCR so we chose the Antigen Nasal Swab Test at The Farm. The healing resort has a booth near the parking lot so swab test muna bago makapunta sa reception. I felt nervous because it was our first swab test so I felt relieved when all our tests are negative. 

We proceeded to Front Office for check-in and as expected, the room is not available so we just stayed in the lobby. The staff gave us welcome drinks. While waiting, I was checking their “Weekly Activity Sheet” and during our stay, we can join the following: 

Morning Walk to Helifarm 

Rocket Yoga for Beginners 

Zumba 

Mandala Flower Healing Sanctuary 

Restorative Hip Openers 

Afternoon Tea & Wellness Talk 

Guided Walk Tour 

Functional Fitness 

Sound Healing 

Beginner Astanga 

Functional Fitness for the Elderly 

Restorative Vinyasa 

When my son finished his online classes, off we went to PESCE for our lunch. You can check this post for our “Food Trip at The Farm at San Benito”

We stayed at Lagoon Lounge while waiting for our check-in but it was almost 2PM pero wala pa rin advise so we went to the lobby. I was a little bit disappointed because we arrived early but we were one of the guests na late nakapunta sa room. Naunahan pa kami ng ibang guests (even my husband’s colleagues), 2:40PM na kami nakarating sa villa namin. The resort has so many guests, so puno na talaga ang lobby, waiting for check-in. 

If I remember it right, we downloaded HANDIGO app, tapos nagscan kami before entering our room. This app will keep you updated on exclusive deals, in-house promotions, resort activities, and events during your stay. 

The Narra Villa is a 200 sqm villa which offers a bedroom, day bed, palatial bathroom with double sinks, a bathtub, two toilets, outdoor and covered terraces, private gardens, and an infinity swimming pool. Maximum occupancy is 4 persons. 

The villa is nice and big even the bathroom but what I don’t like is, the bathroom wall is glass. As in, wala man lang blinds or curtains. I am not a fan of this bathroom, wala kasi privacy. The bathroom has a wide range of natural amenities made of Coconut oil such as shampoo, conditioner, body oil, soap, and hand sanitizer. 

My husband chose this villa because of the heated pool but it was not heated. He called customer service and it will take hours pa daw bago uminit. My husband and his two colleagues booked the same villa but only one is lucky na heated ang pool nila so nakapagnight swimming talaga sila. 

As of this writing may note na sa website nila na “As a truly green, eco-friendly, and sustainable property, The Farm encourages guests to be part of our campaign to reduce consumption and waste in the global hospitality industry. One of the best ways to help reduce our impact is to keep high-energy-consuming amenities such as pool heaters off” 

Hmm, I hope adjusted din ang rate nila kung hindi na heated pool. My husband went back at The Farm at San Benito last July and hindi na talaga heated ang pool. Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on my disappointments because we were still blessed to have a quick break from being stuck at home for a very long time. 

And because of the late check-in, hindi pa kami nakakapahinga, we went out na rin agad because we have Complimentary Treatment which is part of the room package. All I knew is we had three options, I can’t recall the other options but we chose the “Ionization Foot Treatment” 

I’ve read their “Weekly Activity Sheet” so I was surprised when I saw the bonfire near the ALIVE! Restaurant and there is complimentary food and drink pa. May event pala. 

Among the activities, we only booked Sound Healing by LJ, we haven’t experienced this so we want to try it since it is free. If you want to book a Private Sound Healing Class, it is PHP6,000++ hour/session (max of 5 pax). After this session, gusto na agad namin matulog but we need to eat dinner.

We had a sound sleep so late na rin kami nakapagbreakfast. The restaurant is almost full, good thing we found an available table. The room package includes breakfast, this was a different experience compared to our first visit. 

Breakfast Menu  

Fruit Salad with Coconut Yoghurt  

Mixed Green Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing  

Healthy Cereal with Banana and Prunes  

Vegan Omelet  

Live Cooking Station of Pancake  

The Farm’s Arrozcaldo with Vegetable  

Bread Station

Seasonal Fruit Juice  

Herbal Tea or Coffee 

After breakfast, we just enjoyed the pool even though it is cold. We left the room at 11:30AM pero almost 1 hour din bago naprocess yung check-out namin. As expected, ang haba din ng pila for check-out. 

But two months ago, I wanted to try my new Cricut Card mat, so I started browsing Cricut Design Space for birthday card designs. I was surprised that there are FREE designs (for a limited time) that I can use without registering for Cricut Access. So I saved the free designs and started cutting the cards. 

I’ve cut a lot of card designs but I forgot to cut the insert cards, so I’m just sharing the designs that I have finished and I will update this post when I finish the other card projects. Check my update here.

This is the first card that I’ve tried because my Cricut mat was not yet delivered, so I used the regular mat for this project. I like this colorful card even though it is not perfect. I thought it was an easy project, but it took me a long time to assemble the card. Despite that, I will make this project again using different colors and cardstock.

I was supposed to give this card to my goddaughter, but I am not satisfied with the end result, so I will just keep it.

August came and I still don’t know how and where I am going to celebrate my birthday. My husband kept asking me so he can file his vacation leave. Weekday kasi birthday ko so ang hirap magdecide. So when I learned about my son’s class schedule, I told my husband, mag advance birthday celebration na lang ako. So he inquired and booked the resort, a few days before our trip. 

A downpayment of fifty percent is needed to reserve the room via bank transfer. It is no longer refundable if we canceled in less than 7 days so I’m praying for good weather and no more changes in my son’s online schedule. 

Fast forward to our trip, we left after lunch since my son has morning online classes. Travel time from our place to The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya is less than 3 hours. As usual, we stopped at Municipal Tourism Reception Area to present our vaccination cards and pay the Ecological Fee which was PHP20 per person. I’m thankful that no more Antigen Tests this time compared to our trip last January. 

How time flies because eleven years ago, we were supposed to stay in Taramindu Beach Garden but the resort was fully booked so we stayed at Blue Coral Resort. This resort underwent rebranding and facelift and it is now called The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya. This is the 8th resort that we have tried in Laiya, Batangas, you can check this post for my list. 

The Henry Resort has 16 rooms with an airy tropical vibe; you can choose Studio Room - Double Bed or Studio Room - Queen Bed. There are also connecting rooms too if you need bigger rooms. Since we are 3 adults, we chose the double bed for PHP9300/day, the rate is only good for 2 persons so we paid an additional PHP1400/per day for my son. This includes breakfast. 

Upon arrival, we paid the remaining fifty percent balance and the staff gave us the keycard. So parang may hotel-feels ito kasi hindi susi ang gamit. And may alarm kapag hindi mo nasara ng maayos ang door. The room is spacious; the beds and pillows are comfortable just like a hotel. Unfortunately, there is no fridge and no TV inside the room. 

Room Amenities 

Fully air-conditioned room 

Complimentary in-room wifi access 

Minibar with locally sourced snacks 

Complimentary bottled water replenished daily 

All-natural bathroom amenities by Bath Origins 

Fresh coffee grounds from Henry & Sons 

Coffee& Tea making facility 

Hot & Cold Shower 

Luggage Rack 

Note: Wala signal ang Globe sa room namin. 

Outdoor pool with sun loungers 

Beachfront access with cabanas 

Apartment 1B Cafe and Restaurant 

The Honest Henry by Boho Manila 

The Honest Henry Library 

Seaview Deck lounge

Since we arrived late and the weather is gloomy, we no longer have the energy to do any activities so we just went to Seaview Deck Lounge and Beachfront Cabanas; just to enjoy the seascape. Then we had early dinner at Apatment 1B, you can read my “Gourmet Comfort Food at Apartment 1B ” blog post for our food trip. 

We woke up early to witness the sunrise and we patiently waited for 7AM breakfast. We usually eat breakfast at 6AM so medyo mahabang paghihintay sa amin ang 7AM. Buti na lang on our second day, may taho na dumaan so hindi na kami hangry. 

American: 2 eggs, home fries 

Bacon, Corned Beef or Ham 

Filipino: 2 eggs, garlic rice 

Homemade Tapa, Homemade Chorizo, or Daing na Bangus 

Coffee or Juice (pineapple, orange) 

During our stay, the resort are half occupied so medyo marami rin tao so we usually stay at the beach. Nasa swimming pool kasi yung mga guests na may kids na kasama. The only time that we went to the pool is nung nag island hopping yung ibang guests and yung iba na busy pa sa breakfast. But we did not stay long kasi mas mainit pa tubig sa beach kaysa sa pool. 

We also availed of the free use of kayak for 30 minutes, succeeding PHP150 per 30 minutes. (max of 2 pax). Well, okay lang naman ang 30minutes kasi few minutes pa lang masakit na arms ko kakasagwan.

I’m grateful because we had a good weather during our stay, may konting rainshowers lang pero hindi gaano pansin kasi nasa room na kami kapag umambon. Overall, we enjoyed our three days getaway at The Henry Resort. 

Laiya Laiya Aplaya, 

San Juan Batangas, Philippines