Escape to Ilocos for only 2,999!

Roadtrip Travels offers a one of a kind group tour experience of Ilocos.  Explore the many sights of the province including the historic city of Vigan, the heritage church in Paoay and the beaches of Pagudpud,  for only 2,999!

Inclusions:

• The tour includes roundtrip van transportation with the assistance of a guide and photographer.
• Entrance Fees
• Standard room accommodation 
• Please take note, that they are under the Homestay, Lodging/Pension House Category and upgrades are subject to additional fees.  Room assignments are done per group.

Terms and Conditions:

• Open Tours are combined individual or groups 
• Exclusive tours are available upon request.  Same rate applies to 12-14 participants.  
• Van seating is on a first come first serve basis
• 4-6 person shares a room.  Additional fee applies for double and triple occupancy option.
• Confirmed reservations are strictly non refundable but is considered transferable to the third party designated by the client otherwise the participant's group will be responsible for the payment of his/her balance.
• All tour details and itinerary may be altered or canceled due to hazardous conditions, uncontrollable circumstances or any fortuitous event which may arise. In the event that a tour gets cancelled due to these reasons, you may opt to reschedule your tour to a different date, subject to the van and room availability.
• Roadtrip Travels (CMDJ Travel and Tours) has the right to cancel any tour that does not reach the required minimum number of participants (at least 12 pax per van).         

Available Dates:

• October 2-4 (2nd Van Open)
• October 9-11 (8 Slots)
• October 16-18 (3 Slots)
• October 23-25 (Open)
• October 30 - Nov 1 (2nd Van Open)

Buy now for a minimal booking fee of 100 pesos.

Ramen Cool, Best Lunch Deal in Pasig

Would you believe that I got all of these for only 200 pesos, as part of their daily lunch promo?  The set includes fried rice, gyoza (that was originally 3 pcs.), ramen, kani salad, slices of egg roll and iced coffee.  I'm already excited to check what they have for lunch today!

Foodie Finds: Momma's Boy, San Antonio, Makati

Our neighbouring Baranggay San Antonio in Makati, is my favourite dinner destination because of the variety of "Hole in the Wall" foodie places in the area.  As I was driving home one evening, I chanced upon a brightly lit entrance. Initially I thought its a drinking place because that time, all i see on the tables were beer bottles.

A few weeks later, I was in the look out for a place to eat after gym, and the alley I took coming from Yakal St. led me to their entrance.  I decided to give it a try.

If not for the tables, I would have mistaken it for a Spa with all the Balinese accents.

The Asian Decors continued to the interiors, with some Thai, and Indonesian Mandalas.

Upon inspection of their Menu, they actually offer Western and Asian Fusion Food.

The appetiser selection seems good, but I'm going for something a bit heavy and tried their Adobo Pasta.  I find them a bit expensive, especially for a solo foodie like me, compared to the other restaurants in the area, but the taste, presentation and ambiance makes it worth the hard earned peso.  

What I found cheap was their beer at 50 pesos.  That explains the group of customers I saw during my first sight of the place.  

They have low tables on the indoor dining area for big groups to lounge.

I would definitely come back to sample their appetiser with a bottle of beer, or maybe a bucket.

My plateful of Momma's Adobo Pasta.  A sweet Filipino twist to the Italian Classic.

Boracay Pubcrawl, A Definite Must Try

Boracay is my favourite beach.  Needless to say, I couldn't count anymore how many times I have visited the Island.  I was fortunate to have seen it, when there were very little development along the White Beach, and now getting lost figuring out where my favourite establishments went.

I have tried Island Hopping, Paraw Sailing, Banana Boat and others.  I was never attracted to taking the ATV's, Para-sailing, nor Kite Boarding.  Most of the time, I'm on a budget and would rather spend  my money on beers during happy hour watching the sunset.

For the National Heroes Day Long weekend, I found myself on the Island again.  I took the opportunity of getting myself 4 days of vacation adding a leave to the extended weekend.  I originally booked for a 5 day stay, but the pressure of work forced me to go back to the city a day early.

Going back to Boracay's evolving activities...

I have a day to myself before my partner arrives from Cebu, and while waiting, I am back to my usual routine.  Wake up around noon, lunch at D'mall, afternoon tea at Real Coffee, Happy Hour at Tpaz.

I would have to say, the highlight of this visit would be joining Boracay Pubcrawl.   You can't really miss them.  They're everywhere along the beach wearing the iconic yellow shirt.  If you book early, you can enlist for 790 pesos.  I secured my and my partner for the Saturday slot.

That Saturday afternoon, we started drinking early.  We were having Long Island at Red Coconut around 2PM, followed by beers at Tpaz while waiting for the Crawl to Start.  We were a bit Tipsy, when the Crawl Captain informed us of the rules.  No drinking using the right hand, which I violated and made me finish what was left of my red horse bottle on the spot.

We were told to ask 3 fellow Pubcrawlers of unusual things about them.  Ofcourse, by this time my confidence, fueled by the alcohol that afternoon is up the roof.  We were guided to the beach for the group picture taking and orientation.  we missed some of the stops and games, because I have to meet my partner who just arrived.

After settling him to our hotel, we caught up with the group at Boracay Regency.  I was having another beer while waiting for them.

I remember dancing, until they ushered us to the D'mall to board a tricycle to another bar which I don't remember.  After another bottle, and few minutes of dancing, they took us to Club Paraw, which would be our last stop.

I remember making friends and laughing so hard and losing it in a good way.

Boracay Pubcrawl is a definite must try every time you're in Boracay.  I know I'm doing it again.

Credits to Boracay Pubcrawl for the Group Photo!

Weekend to Boracay on a Budget

Going to Boracay from Manila nowadays is so convenient.  You have the options to fly via Kalibo or Caticlan, and the boat ride to the island operates 24/7.

If you're on a tight budget, you don't have to wait for promo fares.  My itinerary would only cost you less than 2500 pesos round trip.  With an additional 500 pesos, you can get a decent stay for the night.

If you get off from work, around 5PM on a Friday, you can still catch the 2GO ferry that would take you straight to Caticlan, leaving daily at 9PM that would take less than 10 hours.

In case you missed it, your next option is break down your transportation taking the RORO route. You first need to catch a bus going to Batangas Pier and purchase the next departing ferry ticket to Calapan, Mindoro.   The ferry ride is about 2 hours.  Upon reaching Calapan port, you can take a Van to Roxas Port.  They tend to cramp every inch of the vehicle on this leg of the trip, so be prepared to get squeezed on this 4 hour land journey.  Upon reaching Roxas Port, you need to once again catch the earliest departing ferry to Caticlan, Aklan.  The ferry ride takes 4-6 hours depending on the Shipping Line.  From Caticlan Port, you need to take the RORO exit, and then enter again taking the Boracay bound entrance after paying the Environmental and Terminal Fee.  The boat ride only takes 15 minutes.  The entire RORO journey is around 12-16 hours.  You can use your time on the ferry ride to rest and reserve your energy for a compressed Boracay trip.

Your one way fare would be around 1200 pesos.  You might have to spend more on the cup noodles and water being sold in the Ferry Vessels.

For your return trip, you may opt to ride 2GO again, but they depart early morning Daily leaving you just a full day on the island.  You can reverse your RORO trip and leave Caticlan around 2PM to make it to work Monday morning.

This option is also good, in case you want to forego your flight and extend your stay.

Your next problem would be accommodation.  AirBnb choices for Boracay would offers as low as 450 pesos per night for a shared room.

Manila to Batangas:  167 pesos
Batangas to Calapan:  192 pesos plus 30 pesos terminal fee
Calapan to Roxas:  180 pesos
Roxas to Caticlan:  400 pesos plus 15 pesos terminal fee
Caticlan to Boracay:  25 pesos plus 100 pesos terminal fee plus 75 pesos terminal fee
Total:  1,184 pesos

You can also use this itinerary in case P-noy suddenly declares a Monday or a Friday a holiday and you don't want to be stuck in Manila.