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It's More Fun in the Philippines: Bataan - Day 1 at the NPC Nuclear Power Village

Saturday, June 9, 2012 Category : DIY Tour, Do and See, Hotels and Accommodations, It's More Fun in the Philippines, Philippines 0

Since I am just a short post away from wrapping up my Macau travel adventures, I'm going to blog about my Bataan adventures since I've been itching to do it for a long time already.

If you remember, last August 2011, the Philippines had a rather extra long weekend because of several holidays. So, I was so flustered thinking about being stuck at home. I wanted to go to Baguio but my reservation was put on-hold and when it was finally okay, it was already too late to go. Anyway, my family and I ended up staying at the National Power Corporation's Nuclear Power Village in Bagac, Bataan.

It was my third time to set foot in Bataan. The first one was when I was in college; the second one was for a 2-day work-related matter. But the road we took going to Bagac was different from the one I used before, so it was like my first time going to Bataan.

Anyway, I liked Bataan. In fairness, the roads are wide and paved; there are a lot of trees and really, nature still abounds. However, there are not too many vehicles on the road and Bagac is like 2 to 2 1/2 hours away from Manila.

To reach the NPC Village, which is now open to the public for rentals of the villas, is really easy. It's after the Philippine-Japanese Friendship Tower, turn right from the gas station and you're there.

The Philippine-Japanese Friendship Tower

The Village is past its glory days. Really. The houses are sad looking and old, but for its price, its okay. I think I paid around Php 3,000 with discount, for 2 days and 1 night. However, if you need to use a ref, the tv or a gas burner, you'd have to rent it for a fee. I forgot how much, though. Anyway, they have a maximum number of guests allowed per house but don't worry, they won't make a head count. We were almost 20 in our group although the allowable people per house is just 10-12. We didn't pay extra. If you prefer, they also have a small hotel.

It's easy to know that this place has once been grand. See the helipad in front of the hotel.

Most of the amenities are non-operational. But at least, the pool remains.

But there's a fire station inside! How cool is that?

There are 4 huge rooms (or 5?). We all fit in. I requested for extra sheets and pillows and they didn't charge me for those.

These are the bungalows. So huge. Ours is across this one, but smaller.

These are the abandoned bungalows.

And bring your own food. It's difficult to find a place to eat, even at the "bayan."

There's a good thing about the NPC Village. It comes with free entrance to the West Nuk Beach at the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. They also have lodgings at the Beach but it was fully booked so we had to settle with the village. The catch: it's about 15-25 minutes by car from the Village. But the trip is all worth it, I promise.

The NPC Village also has a swimming pool; old but clean and decent, and the compound is huge and good for a stroll or for jogging. And, there are a lot of guava trees. We just picked from the trees, with blessings from the guard (he says it'll just get rotten anyway), and the guavas we got were so delicious! Juicy and ripe! Yum. We even got to take home some.

The guavas either just fall on the ground or get eaten by birds, like this one.

And, if you don't know it, you can view from the Village, the famous Las Casas Pilipinas, a resort nearby which painstakingly restored, piece by piece, some of the historic houses, mansions and even school buildings, from around Luzon.

Las Casas Filipinas as seen from the NPC Village.

Finally, I must say that the views here are gorgeous. See the photo below where the road seems to meet the sea and the skies.

Macau Adventures: Day 3 - The Venetian Hotel

Category : Hotels and Accommodations, Macau, Shopping 0

It wasn't my first time at the Venetian but I was glad to be back. I love the huge rooms and the opulence, and the fact that you can fit 6 people in the Bella Suite; more if you don't mind sleeping huddled like sardines on the bed, or sleeping on the floor.

Anyway, Venetian is such a huge hotel so it's easy to get lost. Good thing they give their guests maps for easier navigation. While there are a lot of people milling around, once you get to the hotel wings, you'll see a staff checking people out, asking which room you'll go or asking to see your key card. Security is good.

As for the room, it's plush and very large. You could do cartwheels in there. The beds are kept separate from the sunken living room with railings. There are two queen-sized beds and the sofa converts into a bed, too. Just ask for extra sheets, pillows and a comforter if you want to sleep on it. Oh, there are two tvs, too.

Of course, the bathroom is huge. The shower, toilet and bath are separate, with the dressing area taking up much of the room.

My friends and I availed of Venetian's package which includes breakfast and one-way ferry to HK for two, a photobooth picture and 200 MOP shopping credit at participating stores at the hotel.

This is the package we availed.

The room we got has an amazing view of the surrounding hotels but I think most of the rooms have equally compelling views. After all, the windows are floor to ceiling and there are no uninspiring edifice in the vicinity. At night, you'll get glittering lights from the hotels.

The Venetian is so huge we didn't even had the time to explore it in its entirety!

Like this place seen on our windows.

City of Dreams, Crown and Hard Rock.

There is another attraction at the Venetian that pulls people in, aside from its casino: shopping at the Shoppes at the Grand Canal, Shoppes at Cotai Central and Shoppes at Four Seasons. These sections are interconnected so you could go from one section to another.

ASIA'S MOST UNIQUE AND OPULENT SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Experience the romance and grandeur of Shoppes Grand canal where guests are entertained by serenading gondoliers and enjoy performances by signature Streetmosphere™ performers with colourful antics of jugglers, living statues, musicians as they wander around the colourful Venetian streetscapes. Shoppes Grand Canal is a luxurious one-million-square-foot indoor mall with more than 330 stores featuring world renowned brands and the best boutiques from New York, Paris, London and Milan. From fashion, gadgets, jewellery, accessories to over 30 restaurants and an extensive food court, there’s bound to be something for you, for that special partner to something for the family.

MACAO’S ULTIMATE LUXURY DUTY-FREE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

With its addition of nearly 100 intimate boutiques and galleries, Shoppes Cotai Central, as part of Shoppes Cotai, Macao’s Ultimate Luxury Duty Free shopping experience, joins Shoppes Grand Canal and Shoppes at Four Seasons to offer a staggering 600 stores to choose from, the most in any one single location in all of Macao! This shopper’s paradise includes some exciting new first to market brands in Macao and is set in a refreshing environment abundant in natural light, with cascading waterfalls, green vegetation and rocky cliff sides.

A REMARKABLE LUXURY MALL THAT IS BEYOND COMPARE

Shoppes Four Seasons personifies the bespoke elegance of the Four Seasons and is Macao’s first luxury mall, home to more than 160 luxury and designer brands like Audemars Piguet, Bottega Veneta, Cartier, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Every shop occupies a lavishly spaced area in which guests can truly enjoy the delights of shopping with bespoke service whereby guests can receive personalised attention from a shopping consultant, and rest assured that the Mall Concierge and limousine delivery service are always at the ready. For a comprehensive range of cosmetics, beauty & fragrance, DFS Beauty World, which features over 45 international cosmetic brands, to complete their new look.

Of these Shoppes, the Shoppes Grand Canal is most frequented by visitors. Why? Because there's an indoor canal with gondolas to take you around and the shoppes are Venetian-style which little arch bridges, lamp posts, and yes, the ceilings are painted with clouds.

Another reason why it's famous? Koreanovela addicts know the answer! Boys Over Flowers had location scenes shot here.

Hotels and Accommodations: Courtyard @ Heeren, Melaka, Malaysia

Friday, March 9, 2012 Category : Hotels and Accommodations, Malaysia, Melaka 0

As you may have probably noticed, I only have good words for Courtyard @ Heeren, which is not surprising given the quality of the service it provided to us. It was clearly superb.

Our trip to Melaka would not have been possible were it not for the suggestion of the Courtyard @ Heeren staff, the affable Amar, to buy us bus tickets for an earlier departure for a return journey to Singapore. It was really unexpected for the staff to go out of their way just to make our plans push through. Imagine, the staff had to reserve and buy the tickets for us and the hotel paid for it in the meantime. When we arrived, we paid for the tickets. I was thoroughly impressed! So, to Amar, Audrey and the rest of the Courtyard @ Heeren staff, thank you very, very much!

Location

It is located along Heeren Street, a few feet away from the Heeren Guesthouse, almost in front of the Baba House, and a very short walking distance from the famous Jonker Street. It's centrally located so the places of interest in Melaka are within comfortable walking distance from the Courtyard. Here's the map they sent me via email so I would not get lost.

Reception

Courtyard @ Heeren is one of the many heritage homes-turned-boutique hotels in Melaka. But I assure you that this one is a gem. Their rates are quite reasonable, and I dare say, cheaper than what I expected to pay for, and their rooms are just divine.

Anyway, when we arrived at the Courtyard @ Heeren, the staff, including Amar, promptly gave us some welcome drinks, cold pomelo juice, and helped us settle in. The room was not yet ready since we arrived earlier than the check-in time but we had no problems with it since we needed to go out immediately to withdraw some cash at an ATM machine (Amar told us how to go there in detail). Amar gave me the tickets, which I paid for, and gave me a receipt of our room booking which I previously paid for by credit card.

The door to the left leads to the rooms on the ground floor.

Reception area (main door on the left side)

Stairs leading to the breakfast area.

Superior Room

This is the first room that you'll see and surprisingly, it was not noisy at all. This, despite the fact that everyone has to pass by our room to get into the other rooms.

The superior room has twin beds and the bathroom is just so cute with colored glass. The bathroom has an illusion that it is bigger than it is (although it is quite at a comfortable size) because of the mirrors obscured by the wooden bars. I love the rain shower and I should say, the bathroom is really clean.

I should say that the superior room is definitely a bargain at RM 200 I paid for, and that includes breakfast for two, too. The colored glass on the windows gives the room a certain warmth and undeniable charm. Over all, the room is just so pretty.

Breakfast area

Accessible through the stairs at the main entrance. Breakfast is basic but tasty. There's an omelet station, too.

Around the Hotel

There is a small courtyard inside with seating area and furniture reminiscent of those I usually see visiting old homes in the Philippines. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia, really. The mortars and pestles on the garden are a nice touch; and old iron (is it?) for cooking/baking are so cute I wanted to just stare at them all day. There was even a old blade fan from a ceiling fan converted into a deco piece.