Royal Bellagio Hotel's Frozen Brazo de Mercedes

Earlier today, I had a meeting in Royal Bellagio Hotel which is located along P. Burgos Street in Makati City. The hotel has been our client for more than 4 years now and I must say that I have established a good personal rapport with the Hotel Manager, Ms. Boots Magno. Knowing my love for sweets, she made me try one of their desserts, the Frozen Brazo de Mercedes.

The cake was absolutely divine! It had four layers comprised of egg white, egg yolk, ice cream and crushed graham crackers. Really yummy!! The merengue on top had the perfect consistency while the custard filling provided the right sweetness. The slab of ice cream and the base of crushed graham gave a different but wonderful twist to this classic dessert. 

I shared about a third of the cake with my colleague while I unabashedly finished it off. ;)

The Royal Bellagio Hotel is home to Caffe Ibiza Italiano and the Filling Station Bar and Cafe, with the latter popularly raved for its 1950's-theme and memorabilia. The hotel itself is famed for its elaborately decorated theme rooms which have been featured in several magazines and even a television show. 

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Royal Bellagio Hotel

5010 P. Burgos Street

Makati City

Telephone Number: 899.5555

Website: http://www.royalbellagio.com

Back in Fort Ilocandia

I'm back in Fort Ilocandia Hotel in Laoag in Ilocos Norte to attend to some urgent business matters. We took the Cebu Pacific flight and arrived here at past 9 o'clock last night. Immediately, we met with our host for a quick briefing and some late dinner.

When I woke up this morning, I immediately stepped out onto the veranda to check my surroundings. This time around, I had a view of the pool. 

After breakfast, I ventured out to the part I wasn't able to see the last time I was here.

Fort Ilocandia's lap pool

After our meeting (which extended to a late lunch), I decided against exploring more of the ground and went back to my room as I couldn't stand the heat.

I stayed inside my room, glancing every now and then at the window to catch a glimpse of the sunset skyline. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. It was already 6pm and it was time to head to the airport to catch our flight back to Manila.

But just before checking out, I chanced upon this sight which was but a fitting end to a quick business trip that went well.

Photo Op: Pueblo Por La Playa

After our lunch in Silangang Nayon, we proceeded to the very colorful resort just a couple of hundred meters away. 

My Spanish boss translated the resort's name and said that  Pueblo por la Playa is Town by the Beach in English. 

It is a Mexican-themed residential and country club nestled on the coast of Pagbilao Bay in Quezon. 

For our "survey", we were first brought to the restaurant. I stepped outside and took a picture of this sight:

view of the hotel and the infinity pool

Next, we were ushered into the receiving area of the resort where the function rooms and 14 hotels rooms were located. We were also greeted by this view:

 picturesque infinity pool

We took a short tour of the building and I found the hotel corridor to be very colorful.

the festive-colored hotel corridor

We also viewed a couple of rooms but my pics aren't nice :(  But before I forget, here are the other shots I took:

view of the beach from the parking lot

Pueblo por la Playa as viewed from Silangang Nayon Restaurant

The resort is strictly for members only (or member-sponsored guests). According to the club and resort manager, a lifetime membership pass can be had for Php 300k.

For more information, click here to view their website.

Photo Op: The Sulo Riviera Hotel in Lucena City, Quezon

In most cases during our business trips, we do a "survey" of a hotel which simply means we take a look at a typical room layout. Sometimes, I tag along with our technical guys and I get my photo opportunity ;)

One such hotel that we recently surveyed was The Sulo Riviera in Lucena in Quezon. It is located in front of the Grand Terminal, a few meters off the Diversion Road of the National Highway.

I got the chance to check out the rooms on the second floor.

View of the hotel lobby from the second floor

Ambassador Queen Room for Php 3,500 per night

Ambassador King Room for Php 4,000 per night

... with a view of this pool

The Executive Suite 

... with its own sitting room ...

... and garden view

Regular Room

Regular Twin Room

All rooms are equipped with air conditioner, hot and cold shower, and cable TV. Complimentary breakfast for two is also part of the package.

The other facilities of the hotel are a restaurant (located near the pool and garden areas), function rooms, a wave pool and a Victorian-garden.

Victorian-inspired garden is a great venue for weddings

The wave pool boasts of a maximum capacity of 1,500 persons (whoa!)

To know more about their rates, click here to check out their website. For inquiries or reservations, their numbers are (042) 660-5400, (02) 250-8319 and (02) 584-4276.

Silangang Nayon Restaurant in Pagbilao, Quezon

While I was in Lucena last May 12 for a business trip, I called up my brother-in-law and asked him to recommend a must-try restaurant in the area. Without hesitation, he brought us to Silangang Nayon, an off-the beaten-track restaurant in Pagbilao Cove. We drove past the Lucena City-Pagbilao intersection on the National Highway and then turned right at a small interior road and drove for a little less than 7 kilometers to get to this restaurant:

He led us down some steps and crossed a bamboo bridge to get to the bay-side dining area:

He also took the liberty of ordering for everyone. The food took awhile to arrive but we simply enjoyed the fresh air. When our order arrived, I scrambled to take pictures and thought that everything was worth the wait. 

sotanghon noodles with prawns

inihaw na liempo

grilled oysters

scallops

Everything was so fresh and yummy :) The bay breeze heightened our appetites and we truly enjoyed our meal :D

I wasn't able to take note of the price of each dish because my brother-in-law footed the bill. (Thank you soooooo much!) He said that he paid a little less than Php 1,500 for everything and we were 7 in the group. 

With the fresh seafood at absolutely fantastic prices, we are definitely taking another road trip back and have another wonderful meal at Silangang Nayon!

Eve of The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon

Every May 15, the town of Lucban in Quezon celebrates the Pahiyas Festival in honor of their patron saint, San Isidro de Labrador. Tradition dictates that houses are decorated with fruits, vegetables and the like in order to thank the patron saint for a bountiful harvest.

We decided to visit Lucban on the eve of the Pahiyas Festival   to avoid the heavy throng of people and heat on the day of the feast itself. Preparations and festivities were already under way. But most of the decors were not lit. 

Only one house stood out and a crowd had already gathered. 

While walking towards the town plaza, we saw these men making longganisa.

Across the town plaza (where a concert was being held), is Buddy's which is touted to have the best Pancit Lucban.

Also in the vicinity of the town plaza are various restaurants and bars where locals and tourists hang out. 

We hung out here :

I vow to go back next year to see more and take part in the actual festival ... if only I could brave the heat and crowds. I've got a year to muster enough bravery, haha.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!!

Let me just share with you the hand-made cards made by my girls which made me feel really special today:

Trish had a wonderful gift for me as we attended a parents orientation and witnessed her "graduation" of sorts from the Meralco Chapter of the Youth for Christ. This was just very timely. Happy tears swelled my eyes several times this morning. I was deeply honored to be her mom.

To my three girly-girls, thank you for giving me reasons to be a proud mom! All of you have your unique ways of making me feel special. You all inspire me. I love you girls! :)

Getting to Laiya via Ibaan Exit

Travel date: April 30, 2010

On our way to Laiya, I noticed a banner along the Star Tollway advising motorists to take the Ibaan Exit to get to the resorts in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. 

Normally, we take the Lipa exit and go through the city proper of Lipa. (During our trip last February, traffic was rerouted to a one-way street just past the junction after De La Salle Lipa. Though a bit circuitous, this adjustment eased the traffic flow noticeably. This leads to the right road merging to a Y junction with a monument in the middle referred to in waypoints.ph.) 

Last week though, we heeded the sign and went past the Lipa exit and drove 11 kilometers more to get to the Ibaan exit. 

After the Lipa exit, the Star Tollway becomes a narrow two-way road.

After 10.5 kilometers from the Lipa exit, motorists are advised with this road sign.

From the exit, we turned left and headed towards the town of Ibaan. 

turn left and head towards Ibaan

road towards Rosario

We just followed the road and turned left at the end, which led to the town proper of Ibaan. After a few meters past the church, we came to a Y junction, where there was a road sign directing motorists to turn right. We drove about 15 kilometers until we got to the town proper of Rosario. There was a slight build up of traffic leading to the junction with a Jollibee store on the left side. We went straight past the junction, turned right at the end of the road and ended up a few meters before the arc going to the Batangas Racing Circuit. We followed the main road which veered to the left and drove straight for about 8 kilometers before we reached San Juan.

Welcome to San Juan, Batangas :)