Cintai Coritos Garden: A Balinese inspired resort in Batangas

Who would have thought Manilenos can now have a piece of Indonesia in more or less than two-hour drive?

Cintai Corito's Garden is a Bali inspired private property turned into resort located in the province of Balete, Batangas. The resort is made out of love as it was built by the owner's affection for his wife and family. I would say that this is the perfect place for those you wanted to have a quick escape from the bustling city and just unplug.

Our Weekend Family Getaway via HomeAway

Tagaytay is a known place for Manilenos who are seeking for a quick escape from the busy city. Aside from the cool breeze and family-oriented spots you'll experience there, Tagaytay has become a food haven over the past years. Having said that, it's no wonder why the town has a lot of hotels and condos standing and being constructed around it due to its popularity to locals and foreign tourists.

I wanted to treat my family with an out of town trip and Tagaytay would be the best option for a weekend getaway. Now, the next thing would be, where will be staying? A five-star hotel would costs me a lot and merely out of my league. I simply don't want to put all my cash on accommodation for our trip. However, I maybe on a tight budget but I would still like my family to experience a fancy abode. It's really hard to find a place that is affordable and packed with amenities... luckily, I discovered HomeAway which has given me a discount with our booking.

Accommodation in Gigantes Island: Rosewood Place Resort

If you have read my blog post about our island hopping tour at Islas de Gigantes (also called as Gigantes Islands) then you're probably wondering where did we stayed during our tour. Well, the title says it all. Our group stayed at Rosewood Place Resort found at Gigantes North.

Note: If you are looking for a grand resort with generator, hot and cold shower, or cable-installed television on your room then I would say that this is not the resort for you.

I would describe Rosewood Place as a plain and simple resort. Our stay here will gaves me peace of mind and somehow feels like living to basics again. I added the term "somehow" because although the rooms are air-conditioned and has faucet with unlimited water supply, Rosewood Place has limited access in terms of mobile and internet signals. There is no television on rooms. And lastly, it does not have generator which means there is no electricity from 6am to 6pm (which is implemented in the entire island).

Sibadan Fish Cage of Port Lamon, Hinatuan - Surigao del Sur

After a long drive from Butuan City to Hinatuan and by that I mean 4 hours straight drive, my friend, Byron, and I were searching for an accommodation/hotel to settle for an overnight stay. During that time, we have 2 factors that we need to consider in a hotel we're looking for. What are they? First, it should be affordable and cheap. We were only two in this Surigao del Sur trip and having a fancy hotel was too costly for backpackers like us. Second, it should be near the Enchanted River. In our itinerary, we planned to spend the next day at Enchanted River. Therefore, we need an accommodation that is near the place to save time in terms of travelling. So what we did were to ask the locals of Hinatuan for some advice. We told them the 2 factors I stated above and they recommended us to try out Sibadan Fish Cage.