Buffet Lunch at Honda Bay
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On July 8, 2011
Having lunch at the Pandan Island in Honda Bay was a blast! Some of us even used their hands in eating. I stuck with using spoon and fork though 😛
The food was exceptionally good. If you’re wondering how much this costs, the buffet lunch is included in the Puerto Princesa Adventour Package (with Honda Bay tour) by AirPhil Express.
We ate at the available wooden tables and chairs in the beach. It was a different setup compared to what we usually have in the restaurants but eating good food with a view of the beautiful beach was just perfect!
Not to mention how delicious the food looked like. We were like soooo drooling as we see the food being plated in the buffet table.
The food tasted as great as how it looked like! We had the ff.:
- Cucumber & Tomato Salad
- Chicken Adobo
- Shrimps
- Pork
- Fried Fish
It was a complete meal. We had servings of pork, vegetables and seafood! Everything were home-cooked. Some dishes were even prepared in the beach itself! We had such a wonderful meal in Pandan Island at Honda Bay!
If you want more, there are vendors who will offer crabs and other food items that they can cook on the spot and serve on your table. The prices are actually very reasonable. We didn’t get more as we are very satisfied with what our tour guide prepared for us 🙂
We were just so lucky to have Anne as our tour guide. Not only was she very cheerful but she was one multi-talented lady. Aside from being able to provide history in each of the places we visited in Palawan, she was able to prepare such a beautiful meal for us in Honda Bay.
Suffice to say, sometimes, eating food in this setting is much better than eating in a fancy restaurant.
Honda Bay Island Hopping
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On July 8, 2011
As part of the AirPhil Express Puerto Princesa Adventour Package, we went on an island Hopping in Honda Bay. Honda Bay’s original spelling was Hunda Bay but since people kept pertaining the place as Honda Bay, they decided to change it to Honda Bay.
Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa, Palawan is known to be a great place for snorkeling and fish feeding. With that in mind, we dropped by a rental store before going to the pier for our tour.
There were fins, aqua shoes, snorkeling equipment, diving clothes and even camera case (so you could take pictures while snorkeling)! Each item can be rented for Php 150. I was ready because I brought my own snorkeling gear but I did buy some bread (Php 20) as I wanted to experience feeding the fishes.
We were asked to register at the pier before boarding the boat for our island hopping.
Boat fare ranges from Php 1,300 to Php 1,500 per boat with minimum capacity of 6. Additional person will be charged Php 220 for a 1-3 cylinder boat and Php 250 for a 4 cylinder boat.
There are numerous islands in Honda Bay. The boat can transport us there. If we decide to stop over one island, we also have to pay for the entrance fee. The rates are as follows:
- Cowrie Island – Php 25/person
- Pandan Island – Php 50/person
- Snake Island – FREE (give donation to use the cottages)
- Starfish Island – Php 70/person (Php 50 if paid at the pier)
- Lulu Island – Php 50/person
- Pambato Coral Reef – Php 50/person
But why do you have to worry about all those fees if you can just avail one of the Puerto Princesa Adventours by AirPhil Express? All you need is to pay just one package ALL-IN then enjoy the wonderful Honda Bay Island Hopping. We certainly did! 🙂
Among the 18 islands and islets in Honda Bay. We visited three, they are:
- Pandan Island
Pandan Island is known for the numerous Pandan trees in the place. I actually exclaimed ‘Pandan Juice’ when the tour guide was sharing the information. I was so wrong! hahaha! The Pandan tree is not the same Pandan used in juices but the one used in making products.
I liked Pandan Island a lot! There were white sands, the weather was beautiful when we went there and the scenery looked so good! We took a lot of pictures there. Here’s me trying to strike a pose 😛
Our tour guide prepared a beautiful buffet lunch for our group. I’ll share more details in a separate post. I must say, dining with the beach in full view was heavenly!
As I said earlier, Honda Bay is ideal for snorkeling. Some of us already started the snorkeling activity in Pandan Island as well as feeding fishes. I was busy taking pictures and admiring the beautiful island that I decided to just go snorkeling in our next Honda Bay island destination.
There were other recreational water activities to do in Pandan Island too! Fun activities like banana boating, jet skiing, surfing, G-force and UFO. Try it out when you visit. A few hours just isn’t enough to enjoy such a beautiful place.
- Snake Island
Snake Island is another island located in Honda Bay. This was our 2nd destination. It’s called as such as the place is shaped like a snake.
It’s best to visit Honda Bay during low tide and I’m glad we arrived at the perfect time.
Photo by Boom Boncan
If you do stop over at Snake Island, do not forget to order their halo halo as my travel companions never stopped raving about it. I tried a spoonful as I was too busy snorkeling! 😛
Photo by Boom Boncan
This is the first time that I really enjoyed snorkeling. I saw so much fishes! Fishes like Tuna, cavalla (talakitok) & nemo! Good thing, I brought bread as whenever I try to feed them, lots of fishes came my way. It was a great experience, I hope I had a waterproof camera with me.
- Pambato Coral Reef
Last, but definitely not the least, we visited Pambato Coral Reef. It started to rain so I felt a lil lazy and decided to stay in our boat. I wished I had aqua shoes though, coz if I did, I would have gone and enjoyed myself there. Pambato Coral Reef has 2 sections: one is perfect for snorkeling bigger fishes while the other other for viewing coral reefs.
Honda Bay is definitely one of the popular places in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. If you love the waters and snorkeling then this is a must-vist!
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Honda Bay
Purok Honda Bay, Baranggay Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines
Food at Marianne Home Inn
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On July 7, 2011
As promised, I’m sharing with you the wonderful dishes served to us while we were staying at Marianne Home Inn. It didn’t feel like hotel food because it felt like you’re just in your house. The pantry of the hotel gave this homey feeling.
To be totally honest, I was always looking forward for our meal at Marianne Home Inn. I really enjoyed dining as we sat in the table sharing food, passing dishes around and chit-chatting all throughout.
Breakfast is free for all guests checked in at Marianne Home Inn. However, if you want to dine during other times of the day, there are dishes available for order. I’ll share the full menu at the end of this post.
Here are the dishes served to us when we had our meal at Marianne Home Inn:
We were all raving about the food! Each dish was a winner for us, truly delicious! We were actually asking for more and eating continuously until we can’t eat anymore. I especially loved the squid!
Breakfast at Marianne Home Inn is nice. They serve Filipino breakfast and each plate has 2 food variants then there’s egg and rice. Drinks are free flowing. You can get coffee, hot chocolate or water in the pantry (self-service).
Marianne Home Inn Menu
- Beef Tapa, Longganisa, Tocino or Danggit with egg (combination of two) with rice, coffee and juice) – Php 100
- Fried Chicken with Rice and Atsara (quarter chicken, marinated in calamansi, soy sauce and spices, fried in vegetable oil) – Php 60
- Pork chop with Rice and Atsara (marinated in calamansi, soy sauce and spices, fried in vegetable oil) – Php 60
- Pansit Bihon – Php 120
- Sinigang na Isda (with local vegetable) – Php 120
- Sinigang na Hipon – Php 120
- Sinigang na Baboy – Php 120
- Chopsuey – Php 80
- Fresh Fish with local vegetables – Php 120
- Fresh sinigang na hipon – Php 120
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Marianne Home Inn
Quezon Street Extension, Puerto Princesa City, Philippines
(048) 434-2138
Marianne Home Inn
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On July 7, 2011
One of the good things about AirPhil Express Puerto Prinsesa Adventours is that you can choose which hotel to stay in. Marianne Home Inn is the cheapest among the 3 hotels in the list but you don’t have to worry as the place is made of awesome. Really.
Located right in the city of Puerto Prinsesa, Marianne Home Inn is very accessible. The hotel is just an 8 minute ride away from the airport and the famous park, Baywalk, is actually a 5-minute walk.
As you enter the hotel, you’d see the beautiful homey design of Marianne Home Inn. Not to mention, the very warm welcome of the staff when we arrived. The place is fully connected too with free WiFi all over the place.
photo by Marianne Home Inn
All the rooms are located upstairs. As we climbed up the stairs, we noticed the beautiful artifacts (such a beautiful sight)!
Marianne Home Inn has 4 types of rooms. The rates are extremely cheap! This is perfect for those who have tight budgets but still want to enjoy their hotel stay. I really appreciate AirPhil Express doing their research. They do understand as a low-cost carrier airline that their customers are budget-conscious. You should really check out the different Puerto Princesa tour packages that AirPhil Express is currently offering.
- Single Occupancy (Php 900)
Photo by Marianne Home Inn
- Standard Room (Php 1,200)
Photo by Marianne Home Inn
- Dormitory (Php 3,000)
Photo by Marianne Home Inn
- Family Room (Php 1,600)
- Extra Bed (Php 395)
4 of us girls stayed at the Family room. The only complaint that I have is that the blanket is just a cloth and I was freezing every night. But what do we expect from a Php 1,600 room which is good already for 3 pax?
I liked how the rooms are situated. We see a whole view of the city plus the colors of the guestrooms are so appealing!
Guestroom features and amenities are the ff.:
- complimentary breakfast
- LCD cable TV
- individually controlled air conditioning unit
- Intercom
- toilet hot and cold shower
- electronic key card system
- fully automated fire safety system
I can’t help but take picture of the cute slippers in our room. Marianne Home Inn stayed true to their name, ‘Home’. You actually don’t feel like you’re staying in a hotel. For me, when we stayed there, it felt like I stayed in another friend’s house.
A highlight for us and a winner was the food! Each and every dish tasted so good that all of us wanted to bring the cook with us back home in Manila. We were already joking the owner of Marianne Home Inn if we can snatch his cook away from him hahaha!
The pantry also has free-flowing hot chocolate and coffee plus water of course. I was always looking forward for breakfast and dinner as I knew then we would be eating great food at Marianne Home Inn. I’ll provide more details as to the food we have eaten in a separate post, watch out for it 🙂
Photo by Marianne Home Inn
Last, but definitely not the least, the souvenir! We were all cheering when we saw what was going to be given for us to bring home! Marianne Home Inn might not be like the 5-star hotels out there but it’s a place we can very closely relate to home.
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Marianne Home Inn
Quezon Street Extension, Puerto Princesa City, Philippines
(048) 434-2138
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marianne-Home-Inn/128380873903191
Watch FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women Party on PLDT Watchpad
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On July 6, 2011
Were you able to catch the Pacquiao-Mosley fight last time through PLDT myDSL Watchpad?
This time around, PLDT Watchpad is once again bringing one of the most awaited show live! This July 14, 2011 will be FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women Party! As a registered user, you’ll be able to watch the live streaming of the party in Watchpad! Coolness, isn’t it?
A private party that only a chosen few can attend. But you don’t have to worry as you can watch the party as it happens right on your screen! Thanks to PLDT myDSL Watchpad and this can be a reality. You can enjoy and watch the sexiest show in Manila! If you’re a PLDT myDSL subscriber, then you’re in great luck!
Here’s what you should do in order to catch the FHM 100 Sexiest Women Party online:
- Register for Watchpad at http://www.pldtwatchpad.com
- If you don’t have Watchpad, sign up for PLDT myDSL at http://www.myworldmydsl.com
- Like the PLDT Watchpad Crew on Facebook
What are you waiting for? Do grab the opportunity to watch one of the most sexiest shows live via streaming in PLDT Watchpad. It’s true, believe it 🙂