Michi Photostory

We’ve been eating at Tong Yang for the last two meetings so for a change, my friend suggested Borro Manila. She reserved a table, a few weeks before our scheduled reunion. It was a good decision because when we arrived, the restaurant is already crowded and there are so many people waiting to be seated. Parking is hard too so we're thankful for the valet parking. 

Prior to our get-together, I checked Borro Manila Facebook page so at least I have an idea of their menu but when we arrived, it took us a long time to browse the menu. A one-page menu pero ang dami din options for pasta, seafood, pork, chicken, beef, steaks, soup, salad, and others. Most of the food is good for sharing so it is perfect for family or big groups. 

They served complimentary bread kahit hindi pa kami nakakaorder. We ordered Creamy Truffle Pasta PHP550, Mixed Veggies with Seafood PHP650, Lechon Kawali PHP530, Stuffed Pork Chops PHP480, Barbeque Pork Belly PH490, Boneless Fried Chicken PHP580 (2), and extra rice + Service Charge. 

When they served the food, we were surprised because of the big serving, especially the boneless chicken, 2 pa naman ang inorder namin. We are group of 8 adults and 4 kids, pero hirap kami ubusin yung order so take-out na lang. Among the food that we ordered, we liked the mixed veggies with seafood. 

10 Scout Borromeo, 

cor Sct. Tobias St, 

Quezon City, Metro Manila 

After lunch, we went to Kandle Cafe which is just a few minutes walk from Borro. I thought they only serve coffee and pastries but they have meals din pala. But we went here for coffee so for my family, I ordered Americano PHP125, Iced Chocolate PHP165, White Mocha PHP170 and Blueberry Cheesecake PHP225. Drinks and cheesecake are good naman but feeling ko mas mahal compared sa ibang cafe na natry ko. 

113 Mother Ignacia Ave, 

Diliman, Quezon City, 

1103 Metro Manila

Travel time is more or less 2 hours depending on the traffic so he was spending four hours or more every single day just to reach his destination and vice versa. His colleague suggested to transfer hotel so when he went back to Westin he asked the staff if there will be no penalty if he will shorten his stay. 

The staff said “Yes, no penalty” but in less than an hour, he received a message stating that he needs to inform them within the day or else there will be a penalty charge. It was already late in the evening so he has only a few hours left to book another hotel. His colleague suggested Aryaduta Lippo Village. He browsed the website and the hotel looks good in the picture. And because of limited time, he booked the hotel without reading reviews. 

Aryaduta Lippo Village is located in Lippo Karawaci which is now known as Lippo Village. It is outside Jakarta and a short drive to the international airport. The hotel features 191 rooms and villas. This hotel is budget-friendly compared to other hotels that my husband tried. 

At the time of his trip, he dropped by Aryaduta Lippo Village first for check-in but no early check-in so he just left his luggage and off he went to the site that he needs to visit. When he got in the taxi, out of the blue the taxi driver told him “You know I hear so many ghost stories here”. My husband was so shocked, he just check in tapos may ghost story pala. Waah! 

When the lady driver said “here”, she was not saying that there are ghosts in the hotel but "ghost stories in the Karawaci area”. Napagkwekwentuhan daw ng mga taxi drivers. And because of that, my husband already felt uncomfortable especially when he saw his room after work. 

He arrived late at night so even he turned on the light, the room was still not well-lighted. So parang Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar feel, hehehe! The room already looks old so it is no longer the same as the pictures on the website; expectation vs reality.

The hotel has a swimming pool designed in Balinese style, a gym, spa & massage, and a team building area. 

For food and beverages, the hotel offers indoor and outdoor restaurants; Lounge Bar, Palm Cafe, Laguna Bar, The Gardenia, and RJ’s Sports Bar and Grill. 

The Indonesian colleague who suggested this hotel also stayed in this hotel. The hotel looks okay naman but because of the taxi driver, nakakadalawang-isip magstay sa Lippo Village area. We don’t know if the ghost stories are true because when I tried to search, I can’t find anything. Also, there are so many guests in the hotel; in fact, my husband was not able to take a lot of pictures in the buffet restaurant because it was crowded. 

401 Bulevard Jendral Sudirman 

1300 Lippo Village

Our plan became possible because of the Philippine Airlines’ Great Mabuhay Miles Getaway promotion. We were able to use our miles to book our Manila-Cebu-Manila plane ticket. My husband also used his Marriott Bonvoy points to book our room. Fortunately, my son has no face-to-face classes at the time of our trip so he was not absent. 

Since we’ve been to Cebu a few times already, we did not plan any tour so we really just had a staycation. We eat, sleep, and swim for 3 days and 2nights. Sheraton Mactan is the third resort that we have visited in the area, we’ve been to Shangri la Mactan and Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa already.  

We took an early flight and the resort is only 30 minutes away from the airport so we were in the resort 20 minutes before 8AM. We knew that the standard check-in time is still 3PM so we were so surprised and happy when the staff allowed us to check-in already. Wow, this is the earliest check-in that we’ve ever experienced in a hotel or resort. 

My husband booked the ocean view room so we really had a nice view of the pool and ocean. The room is about 50 sqm so we have enough space to move around. There is a chair, a working desk, a mini fridge, etc.

The bathroom is also spacious, it has a bathtub, separate shower, and toilet. The toiletries are the same as other Sheraton Hotels that we have tried but this time, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are refillable. 

When I checked the coffee and tea area, parang kulang so feeling ko dahil sa sobrang aga namin hindi pa naprepare yung room. My husband just called the reception and they delivered the missing items plus they also gave complimentary snacks and a birthday cake for my son. 

Since my son has still online classes, nagbasa-basa na lang ako ng mga nakalagay sa room. I found out that Sheraton Mactan is the first Marriott International resort in the Philippines. It has 261 rooms and suites and it offers a fitness center, spa, pool, restaurants, cafe, and bar. 

Our room has no complimentary breakfast so I also browsed the menu for in-room dining. After my son’s classes, we went to 5 Cien for our early lunch. You can check my previous post “Food Trip in Sheraton Mactan Cebu” for my detailed post. 

After lunch, we explored the resort and this is small compared to the two resorts that we’ve visited but it has its own charm. We did not stay long because my son has afternoon classes pa so hintay ulit na matapos. Hehehe! 

We had a quick dip at the beach and pool, then we had dinner at the Buhi Bar. We liked the Buhi Cave Bar, maganda din kasi yung view. 

The following day while we were in the pool, a staff approached us and asked if we wanted to join their activity. We thought it is free kasi sa Crimson Mactan marami free activities for kids but we were wrong, we need to pay pala. But since we have no activity that day, we agreed to join the Seekers Game, malay mo maganda yung prize. We paid PHP687.53 for the game and the program starts at 2PM. 

At the lobby, after registration, the staff gave us a map and laminated cards that we need to answer. There is a time limit for the game and we finished everything before the time was up. We were all tired kasi naman sa dami ng challenges, pero mas pagod si hubby kasi siya yung pinagawa namin ng mga physical activities. 

After the game, the staff informed us that we have Two Complimentary Drinks at the Buhi Bar. Waah! Yung lang pala yung prize sa pagod namin, tatlo pa kami nagpagod so kulang yung drinks. We went to Buhi Bar to claim our prize and the only option is Signature Mocktails, PHP350 per drink. Charged to experience na lang. 

Last day in Cebu so before we had breakfast, we spent our time in the pool first. We had no idea that we will be upgraded to Buffet Breakfast because of our incomplete in-room dining breakfast. So we experienced buffet breakfast at 5 Cien for less than 30 minutes. The photo below was taken on our second day, nag-iisip kasi kami kung buffet or in-room dining. 

Check-out time is 12PM but my husband requested for late check-out because our Cebu to Manila flight was changed. Good thing, he has this benefit so at least hindi kami maghihintay ng matagal sa airport. It was a swift trip but we enjoyed our stay at Sheraton Mactan. Service is also good from the time we arrived until we left the resort. 

Mactan Shrine 

SuTuKil Stations 

Olanggo Island 

Mactan Newtown Township 

10,000 Roses Cordova 

Island Hopping and Diving Spots 

Punta Engaño Road, Mactan Island  

6015 Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines

It was time for lunch so gutom na kami so while we were looking for restaurant, tinatamad na kami mag-ikot so we ended up at Nono’s Comfort Kitchen. There were a lot of diners so feeling ko masarap ang food. 

Upon seated, the staff gave us the menu and as I flipped the menu pages, I told myself that the food is just the same as in other restaurants so we just order to satisfy our hunger. We ordered Nono’s Homestyle Fried Chicken Solo PHP375, Grilled Pork Chop Solo PHP495 and Truffle Cream Big Plate PHP685 + Service Charge. 

We were surprised when the staff served the fried chicken in less than ten minutes. Wow, mabilis service. Nono’s Homestyle Fried Chicken is one of their best sellers. “Crispy boneless chicken fillet with country-style gravy and honey, served with dinner roll, corn on the cob, and a choice of fries or rice”.

After a few minutes, they served the rest of our order. The Truffle Cream Big Plate is good for 2-3 persons, nagtataka nga ko bakit big plate inorder ni hubby. The pasta looks simple because it is only truffle oil and grated parmesan cheese but the taste is good so no doubt that is also one of their best sellers. 

When I saw my Grilled Pork Chop, I felt so sad parang ang lungkot kasi ng plating, magkalayo. It is a one-inch thick boneless pork chop topped with lemon and herbed butter, served with mashed potatoes. According to the menu, 20 minutes to prepare but my food arrived in less than 20 minutes. 

After one bite, my face changed because I did not expect that the pork chop is tender and juicy so I sliced my pork and shared it with my husband and son. My husband didn’t mind the pork because he was busy eating the pasta, sarap na sarap din kasi siya sa pasta. And when he finally tried it, nagustuhan din niya and he said, buti daw inorder ko yung pork.

The pork chop is not Nono’s Favorite but this is our favorite, we liked it compared to other grilled pork chops na nakain namin sa ibang restaurant na manipis pa. I hope the taste is consistent because I will order this again if ever we go back to Nono’s. 

Our stomachs were full so we have no room for dessert, I was excited to try their cake pa naman because I read on their menu “The restaurant began with a slice of cake”. But we knew that there will be next time so no need to rush.

Just this month we went back to Nuvali to visit the new branch of Landers, we frequent Landers Alabang so we would like to know the difference between the two branches. Well, Nuvali branch is much bigger but it is crowded. 

But before we went to Landers, we had lunch first at Nono's, I ordered the same thing which is Big Grill Pork Chop PHP945, Solo Truffle Cream Pasta PHP365 and Plain Rice PHP45 + Service Charge. For the pork chop, may slight difference na siya, mas malambot yung una namin nakain but we still like it.