Michi Photostory

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were supposed to be in Bantayan Island for 3 days and 2 nights but since there was no more room available, we just book one night in Cebu Parklane International Hotel and one night in Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa. 

After our check-out in Cebu City Marriott Hotel, off we went to Cebu Parklane International Hotel. If it is not hot and if we don’t have luggage we can just walk (long walk) to our next hotel but we still rode taxi. 

Read: Staycation: Cebu City Marriott Hotel 

Akala siguro ng taxi, maliligaw niya kami, he was supposed to turn left tapos bigla nagright. My husband said, boss, nasa left yung hotel di ba. Taxi driver said “no left turn po.” Hmmm, wala naman sign na no left turn and bigla siya nag-U-Turn, na mas nagcause ng traffic kaysa sa simpleng left turn lang. Wala pa kasi P50 ang metro kaya siguro gusto kami paikot-ikutin. 

Every time my husband goes to Cebu, he always stays in Cebu Parklane International Hotel since this is just near their Cebu office. We went to the reception and I was glad that the room was ready already. The lobby was crowded because there were politicians and supporters who also stay in the hotel. #campaignperiod 

The room was not that big and it looks so dark. Parang ang lungkot lang ng dating. I even asked my husband, ganito ba talaga yung room? He said no, mas ok daw yung mga naging room niya dati.


The bed is good for 2 persons only and not good for a family of 3. 


The bathroom is small but it has bath tub. 


We just took a rest and off we went out for our Cebu City Tour. 

After our city tour, we slept and my husband woke me up and asking me kung san kami magdinner. We’re supposed to eat at Kuya J Restaurant pero tamad na ko maglakad pa so he just bought dinner at Sinangag Express. 


One thing that I look forward in Cebu Parklane International Hotel is the buffet breakfast at Manuel’s restaurant because we don’t have free buffet breakfast in Cebu City Marriott Hotel. Hehehe! 


The buffet spread is good naman, may danggit din. :)


We’re supposed to check the swimming pool but we decided to check-out early at baka matraffic na naman kami on our way to Mactan. 

Likes

1. The location is near Ayala Mall. 
2. They have 3 restaurants; Manuel’s Restaurants, Bean Date and Kan-Anan. 
3. If you want to save money, there are restaurants outside, walking distance from the hotel. 
4. The service and food are good. 

Dislikes 

1. We are a family of 3 and the bed is so small, ang layo sa website photos nila. Room 1111 
2. The room looks dark and amoy kulob din pagpasok, maybe because of the carpet near the bathroom. 
3. Free wifi but only good for 2 gadgets.

Tip: If your company has a corporate account that you can use in a hotel, use it to get a better rate. 

Update February 2018:

My husband stayed in this hotel for three days and he borrowed iron para alisin yung gusot sa damit niya. He was advised that they will get the iron after 30 minutes. Waah! May time limit ang paggamit, hehehe!. I just hope they will provide iron and iron board in the guest room just like other international hotels. 

Anyway, there is a seafood buffet restaurant near this hotel. You might want to try the Isla Sugbu Seafood City Paluto All You Can. 

Update January 2018: Cebu City Marriott Hotel is closed now and it is under renovation. Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corporation contract with Marriott came to an end last December 31, 2017. After the renovation, the hotel will be named Seda. 

We had summer vacation in Cebu last month and since we bought our ticket 8 days before the trip, I was having a hard time looking for resort in Bantayan Island. I inquired and reserved in two resorts that we prefer but unfortunately, no more room available. I know that there are more accommodations in Bantayan Island but I don’t want to take risk since it was a long travel.

I’ve been reading reviews online so mas prefer nga namin yung two resorts, fully booked nga lang. So I gave up and let my husband book our hotel in Cebu. My only request is I want an overnight stay in Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa because that is on my bucket list. 

Read: Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa

Few days before our trip, I asked my husband where we are going to stay? Siya na daw bahala. Okay, fine, two days before our departure, we still have no accommodation but my husband already called, inquired, and reserved three hotels for our Cebu trip. I was glad that everything was confirmed before our flight. 

Cebu City Marriott Hotel 

Five years ago, we stayed in Fuente Oro Business Suites, I chose this because it is an affordable hotel and we just really need a place to sleep since we will be out the whole day for our Cebu City Tour. We stayed there just for one night so I was really excited when my husband booked in Marriott Hotel because it is one of the luxury hotels. 

Read: DIY Cebu City Tour

From airport, we just rode taxi going to the hotel. The traffic was bad because there is going construction in Marcelo Fernan Bridge. At that time, four time pa namatayan ng makina yung taxi namin. Feeling ko di na kami aabot ng hotel.

The security in the hotel is very strict, it is like going to the airport where they asked the taxi driver’s ID and checked the vehicle. They also have baggage and body scanner just like in The Manila Hotel. The lobby was not grand but of course better than other hotels. 


My husband booked a room with King Sized bed but when we got there we were advised that it was not available. After that we went to our room, you need the keycard in order to use the elevator. 

Let us have a room tour. 


The bathroom has bath tub and rainshower. 

Look at the toiletries and freebies, there are mouthwash, liquid hand soap, polishing shoe mitt, scrunchie (hair band), nail file and sewing kit which is not common in other hotels. 


We just left our things in the room and off we went to Ayala Mall, it is just at the back of the building as in tatlong tumbling lang. Hehehe! Big savings in transportation because we can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner in the mall. 

Read: Buffet Breakfast at Marriott Garden Cafe

Two months ago, while doing our grocery at S&R, my husband checked the free taste of Fisher Farms Bangus Barbecue and he liked it. It is one thing I like in S&R, there is always free taste, it gives you an idea of the taste of the product. Ang hirap pa naman bumili kasi lagi maramihan yung packaging nila, so if di mo type, sayang talaga bili mo. 



I just can’t remember the exact price because I bought it before Holy Week pa, hehehe! The box includes the boneless milkfish and barbecue sauce. No need to cook in the stove, you just need to reheat it in a microwave oven.



You have the option to pour the barbecue sauce on top of the fish or just place it in a separate container, which I did because my son is not fond of sauces. 



The bangus is good and I would like to try the other products like Fish Nuggets. If you have limited time to prepare for baon, this could save you time.

May 14, 2016 Update: I just went back to S&R and the price is P249.95. 

Mother’s Day is like an ordinary day in our family but I want to have a rest day on that day, lol. I don’t want to cook and I don’t want to wash dishes. In short, the kitchen was closed last Sunday. 


My husband just bought breakfast after going to the wet market, we ate leftovers at lunchtime and went to Tagaytay for our dinner. This time we traveled all the way to Twin Lakes. We left early because we know na traffic sa Tagaytay.

Sonya’s Garden 


We dropped by at Sonyas Garden, we always go to their Country Store just to buy our favorite Hispanic Bread. Two packs lagi kasi kinakain na namin siya sa biyahe. There are times na freshly baked yung bread so mainit init pa talaga kaya masarap kainin. One pack is P150, nagmahal na siya. When we first tried this bread nasa P120 per pack lang. Hehehe! 

Read: Sonya’s Garden 

Twin Lakes 


We always pass by this place if we’re going to Batangas and I’ve seen a lot of restaurants that it is on my bucket list. There is basement parking and no fee for that. 

Amira’s Buco Tart Haus 


We checked the place so we can decide kung san kami magdinner. I saw Amira’s Buco Tart Haus here so I went inside. Amira’s Buco Tart Haus is like a one-stop shop for pasalubong but of course, the famous here is their very own tart which is available in different flavors. 


I bought one box of Buco Tart at P180. Have you tried their blueberry cheesecake tart? I was planning to buy this next time.

Read: Buco Tart

The Farm Organics 


I’ve been meaning to try their food after I watched it on Kris TV but I didn’t know that they have a branch in Tagaytay. We took advantage of the brunch buffet which is only available every Saturday and Sunday, from 10-7PM.

Adults P550 
Kids (5-12) P290 

The buffet spread was not that big but it was enough to satisfy your hungry stomach. We were not really hungry that time because we ate Hispanic bread, hehehe! But we decided to eat early dinner since wala rin naman magawa sa Twin Lakes kundi kumain. Hehehe! 

They have baby back ribs, grilled salmon, roast beef with buttered vegetables, lechon belly, pasta in aligue sauce, bacon, longganisa and bulalo. You can choose adobo rice or plain rice. There are salad, champorado, pancake and omelet. 3 types of pastries and 3 kinds of fruits. The buffet includes organic coffee or cold freshly brewed iced tea. 


Since it is a buffet from 10-7PM, you can’t expect hot or warm food, tapos nasa Tagaytay pa. So I told my husband baka mas ok kung lunch time ang buffet or we will try to order from their menu para mainit yung food.


The foods that we have tried are hit and miss, I enjoyed the grilled salmon and champorado but I did not like the lechon belly. My husband enjoyed most of the food except for the bacon, I don’t know ang alat niya. My son only ate omelet, rice, and brownies. Lugi na naman ko sa bayad, buffet tapos egg lang gusto. Waah!

Read: Food Trip in Tagaytay

When we went Cebu, we booked our tickets 8 days before departure and that was my first time. I usually buy our plane ticket, several months before or even close to one year to take advantage of the seat sale. Aside from the big discounts and savings that I will get, it will also give me more time to plan for our itinerary. 

But because of the limited time, we went to Cebu without a definite itinerary, I just listed the possible things that we can do and of course a list of restaurants that we can try for a food trip. Of course, number one on my list is to eat Cebu’s lechon. 

Anyway, according to my research, when in Cebu we should eat at 

AA’S BBQ 
Harbor City Dimsum House 
Golden Cowrie Native Restaurant
Chikaan sa Cebu 
La Marea 
Lantaw Floating Native Restaurant 
Cucina Uno 
Larsian’s barbeque 
Casa Verde 
Ilaputi 

I noted the recommendation and I was surprised to see the La Marea Pastry Shop in Ayala Center Mall. I did not bother to check where those restaurants located, pag sineswerte ka nga naman. So on our third day after eating at CnT Lechon again, we dropped by at La Marea to try their famous warm brownie cup.

We were standing there for so long and the staff was on the phone, she just kept on talking, parang di pansin na may customer na siya. Finally, pinansin na rin kami but still, may kausap pa rin sa phone so she took my order, prepared and served the brownie cup while talking on the phone.


I don’t think it is a good customer service, she should serve the customer first. Honestly, kung taga Cebu lang ko, nagback out na ko. Inisip ko na lang, nandito na sa Cebu, itry na rin namin. I just ordered one Classic Brownie cup at P120 and one box of Butter Sylvannas at P175. 


The staff placed the brownie cup in a microwave oven and put a scoop of ice cream before serving. It is a combination of hot and cold desserts that is good for sharing. The taste is good and I was planning to do it at home. I’ve been seeing recipes of brownies in a cup and I just need to buy ice cream. Hehehe! 


The Sylvannas was good too, naubos din agad.

We celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday but because of the Election 2016, natabunan ang mga nanay, hehehe! Mas marami pa yata posts related to Election kaysa sa Mother’s Day. Would you believe, there are even Election Day promos like buy 1 take 1 of drinks or ice cream pa. 

The night before the election, I was writing again my cheat sheet just to be sure na tama lahat ng mashade ko especially for the senators and para mabilis na rin. After writing the names. 

Hubby: Hon, patingin nga ng list mo. 
Me: Hmm, no copying! Lol 

My husband and I always talked about the election, candidates, articles or videos that we have seen. We always watched the presidential debate in order to help us in deciding and choosing our bet. But of course, we are both different persons so for the past 3 presidential elections that we voted, never pa kami nagkapareho ng list. 

We don’t argue or insist on our own bet. We learn to respect each other views and opinions. “My vote is my voice” so even my husband cannot dictate me. So it is really sad when you see family or friends na nagtatalo sa social media.

Election Day May 9, 2016 

I’m not aware that as early as 6AM, open na ang precinct so when we learned this, nagmamadali kami at gusto namin maaga to avoid the long lines. Last election, we waited for 1 hour and 30 minutes just to vote. I don’t want to experience it again.



Here in our place, they are giving envelopes a few days before the election, the envelope includes paper where our polling place, cluster number, precinct number, and PCVL number were written. There is no money in the envelope, only sticker and sample ballot. Hehehe! By the way, may libreng hatid and sundo din, so nakakahiya na pag tinamad ka pa bumoto. 

I appreciate the information because it made our life easier when we went to the polling place at 7:15AM, we just went straight to our cluster number and fell in line. I was happy that everything was organized and we were done in less than 30 minutes.



The election is already over but the counting of votes is not yet done. Medyo matindi labanan sa VP. I do hope that there will be a change in this country and hoping for a peaceful country.

We cannot deny that life is series of ups and downs, I’m pretty sure that once in our life, we feel sad or empty. Being down from time to time is normal but if the feelings already affect your daily routine, you don’t enjoy life or worst you want to end your life; you need to seek help. 

Depression is not equal to sadness it is much more than that. Some people say that they feel so empty, helpless, or lifeless. There are signs and symptoms of depression that you need to watch out for if you are feeling suicidal, you really need to ask for help and support. 

I won’t go into details about depression but I just want you to know that life is a gift to be enjoyed, don’t give up because the best is yet to come. I cannot say that I’ve experienced depression but I admit that I felt sad and empty before, yung feeling na I’m just existing but not living the life that I want.

I felt that when I resigned from my job and became a full-time mom, I have no salary and career. I did not dream to be a homemaker but now I no longer work. Sad at first but I have to remind myself



So if you are feeling sad, I do recommend you read this book “From Depressed to Determined - A 6 Step Guide to Thrive and Have Personal Success” by Viviene Bigornia 

This book will give you the step by step guide on how you are going to end the sadness and at the same time learn how to achieve your dreams and goals in life. What I like in this ebook is “Your Turn”, there are activities that you need to do in order to apply the 6 steps. An activity that will help you to understand yourself and write down your thoughts, wants, and goals in life. There are activities that will encourage you to do more and stay motivated. 

Sharing with you some points that inspire and motivate me... 






You can download this ebook for $2.99. Click here

We are budget travelers so we always book an economy class but during our trip to Cebu last week. We had a chance to experience both Economy Class and Business Class.


We wanted to use our Mabuhay Miles to save money but the problem is, there is an additional $34 fee each to book a ticket (Manila to Cebu) and we can only book premium economy and business class. So my husband bought Manila to Cebu Economy Class Ticket and chose Business Class for our Cebu to Manila flight using Mabuhay Miles.

Read: How to Redeem Flight Rewards with Mabuhay Miles 

Manila to Cebu

Park ‘N Fly 


We parked the car at Park ‘N Fly, we used to park the car at the airport because it was only P50 per night but they already increased the rate so my husband chose Park “N Fly.

Read: Advantages and Disadvantages of Parking at Park N Fly 

NAIA 2 

Then we rode the shuttle and off we went to NAIA Terminal 2, it’s been two years since our (my son and I) last travel via plane so I was a little bit worried because of the “Laglag Bala” scam. I even put a binder clip in my bag just to make sure that they cannot put a bullet.


We asked if there is an earlier flight pero nakaalis na daw. If we did not eat lunch, nahabol siguro namin, lol!. So we waited for our 4PM flight, there was a little bit delay in our boarding time but at last, makakalabas na rin ng Luzon.

Economy Class 

My son loves to ride an airplane and he loves sitting in the window seat so I already accepted the fact that I will always sit in the middle seat.


In the Philippines, Philippine Airlines is the only airline that offers free meals but there is nothing special about their free meals so I was surprised when they served the meals. Wow! Hindi na biscuit, level up na sila. If I remember it right, during our Manila to Cagayan de Oro flight,Dewberry cookies, nuts and coffee lang. Sobrang nakakabusog para sa breakfast flight. Lol Anyway, we enjoyed the Chicken Franks Bunwich Sky Treats.


Finally, we landed at Mactan Cebu International Airport. We just took a taxi to reach the hotel.

Cebu to Manila

After few days, we have to say goodbye to Cebu, we took a cab from Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa to Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Business Class 

There is a different line for Economy Class and Business Class tickets so waiting time is not a problem. The staff offered me an earlier flight pero wala daw food, so I declined. Sayang Business Class ko kung wala food. Lol.

Cebu Mabuhay Lounge 

After that we went to Mabuhay Lounge, it was our first time tapos ang nabasa ko agad “No Wifi” today. There is free wifi in the lounge, malas lang wala siya that day. So after getting to our table, we immediately check the free food and drinks available.






My son was asking me, where is daddy? I have to explain to him that his dad has an economy ticket so he is not allowed in the lounge. My husband doesn’t want to upgrade his ticket at sayang daw ang miles.




After few hours of waiting, the staff approached us asking for our boarding passes. Madelay daw kasi flight namin and she will check kung mamove kami sa earlier flight. I gave our ticket but after few minutes kinuha ko ulit, naisip ko baka kami lang mamove ang flight. I informed the staff that I have a companion sa economy flight so maghintay na lang kami.

After few minutes, she approached me again and asked me kung ilan kasama ko sa economy. I said, isa lang. Then she asked for the name and boarding pass. Fortunately, we were able to get a new flight. She gave me our boarding passes and even my husband’s economy ticket.

The staff informed us that we can already board the plane. I was looking for my husband at the boarding gate, I thought nauna na siya. So we were all surprised nung pagpasok niya ng plane. Nandun na kami at iniwan daw namin siya. Lol

We were on the first row 1A and 1C and at that time kami lang sakay ng business class. There are newspapers and blankets on top of our chairs and the flight attendant served welcome drinks, I chose orange juice while my son water. She informed me about the menu (Grilled Tanigue or Pork Belly) and I chose Pork Belly.



So this is Business Class, spell SPACE. We have big front seats and more space. The most exciting part is the food because this time we have hot meals. But since my son doesn’t like to eat the food and busog na siya sa lounge, I asked the flight attendant if she can deliver it to my husband. I gave her the seat number. Thanks!



After eating, the flight attendant gave us hot towels. Then the pilot announced that we were going to descend na. I did not notice the time, kakakain. Lol

NAIA 2 

Upon arrival, we have a different carousel for Business Class and Premium Economy. There is a priority tag in our baggage so we were able to get our baggage ahead of time. My husband called Park ‘N Fly to pick us up. When we were about to leave I saw familiar faces, mga nakasabay namin sa Cebu to Manila flight, kararating lang. There is really an advantage in having a priority tag in your baggage.

Advantages of Business Class Tickets 

1. A special lane for check-in
2. Priority check-in, boarding, and luggage handling
3. Access to Mabuhay Miles Lounge
4. Welcome Drinks
5. Hot Meals
6. Priority Airport Standby

Those are the differences between economy flight and business class. We enjoyed our business class experience and thanks to Mabuhay Miles.

Read: Economy Class vs Business Class of Philippine Airlines: International Flight 
NAIA 2 Mabuhay Lounge 
5 Ways to Get into Airport Lounges