Tag: cebu

The Great Tourist Destinations of The Philippines

Posted by Nick Yap Cugtas On May 12, 2010

This is my maiden post here at HeaRty’s Haven. After asking Roch if I could write, she happily obliged. It’s just amazing the vast amount of knowledge this girl has, and the amount of fun one can have. Food expert, travel expert, and an all around fun expert.

The Philippines is a great tourist destination, and with Roch, I got to experience just how fun the Philippines can be especially when you’re with the one you love. I try to come to the Philippines twice a year, because I truly just love our nation and our people. But, rarely will I ever venture out. Usually a coffee place is the extent of my vacation, but this time around, it was different, and it was simply an amazing experience.

The readers here at HeaRty’s Haven, know just how wonderful this girl is, but trust me, she’s so much more. And with her as your travel companion, it’s literally being in heaven all the time. It’s corny, but it’s true. The Philippines is definitely a perfect place for couples to vacation in, and tourists are always in for a treat with the vast amounts of activities and places that you can go to.

In Cebu, where I hail from, there’s Plantation Bay, the gorgeous old style churches of Santo Nino, and even their modern malls and the great varieties of restaurants to choose from, it’s old world meets a modern lifestyle that, I believe, the Philippines would do well in advertising towards these themes.

Whenever I talk to colleagues, friends, or new acquaintances here in The U.S., their mindset is always often centered on the only news that ever comes out of the Philippines. Whether it is natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, or tales of political turmoil, we really need to set the record straight at just how fun, exciting, and memorable the experiences here can get. We’re a nation that is blessed with such beautiful and majestic islands, and even in the heart of Manila, the hustle and bustle of the day scene, is balanced out with the terrific night life of the metropolis.

And when we speak of places like Tagaytay, where Roch and I spent a few days at Sonya’s Garden, dined out at Antonio’s, and had the most wonderful Bulalo at Leslie’s, I just can’t believe the great experiences that one can have in our very own backyard.

Even the malls and the cinemas are truly something to admire, especially when in places like the United States, one rarely ever sees such a great amount of malls and shopping centers. Having that shopping experience in the Philippines is as good as any other places in Asia, I really have to emphasize this.

I could go on and on with this, but the main point of my maiden post is simple, discover the Philippines, enjoy it with someone you love, the breathtaking destinations are endless, and one need only to randomly point to a map to realize, that at each corner of our islands, there is always something new to discover.

Tsim Sha Tsui & Tea Bar In Cebu

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 25, 2010

Tsim Sha Tsui Dimsum & Tea Bar
2/F The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Philippines
(032) 238-9209

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Looking around for a place for a light snack we found ourselves at The Terraces located in Ayala Center. But we wanted delicious food with Chinese flavors. Good thing we found it with Tsim Sha Tsui after looking around for around 10 minutes. As we looked over the menu, you could tell it was really focused with just the right amount of menu items to choose from.

Focused mainly on dimsum & tea, this place is definitely going to be a success if opened here in Manila.
The menu was well-designed with pictures of the items and it was a treat to read. I was so amazed that I took each and every page of the menu. You can find them in my flickr album (the link is at the bottom of this post).

Here is what we ordered:

Soft Tofu with Preserved Egg (Php 80)

I love tofu, and with this dish tofu has never been so rich, with such nice sauce, and some century eggs to go along with it too. It’s definitely light, but very appetizing.

Pork Dumpling with Chili Sauce (Php 65)

The dumpling was also really good. By itself, it would have been great, but oh how much better it really was with the Chili sauce. I remember the dumpling to be cooked just the way it should be, not overcooked, and the wrapper soft to chew into too. Good thing we weren’t that hungry that time, or else we would have definitely gotten another order of a few items that we ordered.

Meat Spring Roll (Php 60)

The spring rolls were okay, but I do have to say that it wasn’t as greasy as some spring rolls tend to be. It wasn’t salty either, which is always good.

Lo Mai Gai (Php 70)

It’s called “machang” in chinese. Just the usual steamed rice with pork and some other ingredients.

Tsim Sha Tsui Original Steak (Php 75)

And you thought eating light meant you couldn’t have steak, well you can hahahaha! And oh, you should really try this dish. It looks too salty, but it really wasn’t at all. Did I mention it’s sooo tender?

Watermelon Mocktail (Php 70)

This is the drink that I ordered. At first I thought it was just me, so I took another taste. It didn’t taste like watermelon at all. In fact, it tasted like soda only a bit sweeter. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, it’s just something I wouldn’t order again.

Black Mamba Iced Tea (Php 50)

The black mamba, according to Nick was really good. Sort of like a cross between iced tea and fruit punch. On a hot day, this is definitely something to drink because it’s refreshing.

In terms of ambiance, I love Tsim Sha Tsui’s interior design. Green color, very bright, cool menu too! Pictures can be found in my online Flickr album.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 21, 2010

Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan
1 Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City, 6015 Cebu, Philippines
(02) 340-4888

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We weren’t supposed to stay at Waterfront but due to unforeseen circumstances, we ended up staying at Waterfront Mactan for our last day in Cebu. We arrived exactly at 2PM just in time for check-in. The first thing I asked was if there was wifi in the room. The lady said there was, but we had to pay extra (Php 600 for 24-hours but they do have 12-hour and hourly rates as well). By the way, you can’t share the connection, the internet is good for only 1 computer.

Waterfront Mactan has a nice location since it’s just 10 minutes away from Cebu’s international & domestic airport. Very accessible & no need to worry about the traffic as the airport is just right in front of the hotel. Actually, the next day we arrived at the airport exactly 45 minutes before our flight hahaha! Talk about last minute..

The lobby of Waterfront Mactan hotel reminds me of some hotels here in Manila. It looked very traditional but still okay… It felt cozy though. Best for guests who are on the go, mostly businessmen.

waterfront reception

We chose the superior room ($135). The room rate is already inclusive of buffet breakfast (I did mention that this was the most memorable breakfast buffet that we had in Cebu right?). The room was just okay. A bed, table, television with cable, safety deposit box, mini bar, refrigerator, bathtub & nice view of Cebu when you look out the window.

waterfront room

waterfront room 2

waterfront room 3

waterfront washroom

What I love most about Waterfront Mactan hotel is their food. Their breakfast buffet is just great and can I say that their room service is the best too? It was 3AM in the morning and I was really really hungry. We ended up calling room service to order Arroz Caldo (Php 200), which is a chicken-flavored rice porridge served with eggs, calamansi, onion leeks & patis. I got the shock of my life when I saw just how big it was! I thought it was just good for one, but would have easily served 4 people. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it, geez it was really good & yummy! I didn’t think that they would be able to make it that good! Well, I know I was really hungry but I really believe they cooked it right and the ingredients blended right too!

arroz caldo waterfront

The hallway is nice too and UNO restaurant has to take credit for that coz of its wonderful design. Made it photography worthy 🙂

Waterfront Hotel is famous for its casinos. I was a bit disappointed though with their Mactan branch as the casino was small. I’m also a bit pissed with the security officer at the casino reception, would you believe that the girl really checked every bit of my bag? Like even the candies in my bag she had to check. I felt a bit disrespected with the act but I just didn’t let it affect me. And oh, there’s a Lapu-lapu statue outside the casino too.

waterfront hallway

Lastly, what is a hotel without a swimming pool?

waterfront swimming pool

See the rest of the pictures in my Flickr album. If you just wanna relax and stay in the hotel room, then I don’t think this is the place for you. I can say that Waterfront Mactan hotel is best for people who are planning to tour around Cebu, have early flights the next day, or for business people on the go. The room rate is cheap and the location is good too as it’s very accessible.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Breakfast Buffet at UNO Restaurant

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 12, 2010

UNO Restaurant
Waterfront Mactan Airport Hotel & Casino
1 Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City, 6015 Cebu, Philippines
(32) 340-4888

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The most memorable breakfast I had during my holy week vacation in Cebu was at UNO restaurant. UNO is located inside the Waterfront Mactan Hotel & Casino which is very near the Cebu domestic airport.

The buffet is open from 6:00-10:30AM. I really wished I didn’t have a hard time waking up that day coz I could have used those precious minutes eating more food at the buffet.

The design of UNO restaurant is astounding! They have this multi-colored small rectangles beneath the buffet tables. It complements the wooden floors of the restaurant plus the overall feel of the place. They have great service too (well except for one lady who obviously had a very bad morning hehehe!).

The breakfast buffet is included in the room rates but if you’re not checked in, the fee is at Php 684.75 net per person.

My favorite of all the food items offered in the restaurant is their… CHICKEN! My golly! Believe me when I say that it was perfect! It was marinated & cooked perfectly. I wonder how they did it! I really just wished we had more time to spare because the chicken was too good… Even after a week, I can still feel my enthusiasm as I was eating the dish.

waterfront chicken

Another favorite of mine was the omelette. Well, basically because it was cooked right on the spot. I also love the chef at the cooking station. They were so accommodating and even delivered the omelette to us. There were a variety of omelettes to choose from — mushroom omelette, ham & cheese omelette and omelettes with a variety of ingredients to choose from. Might as well request for a sunny side up or scrambled eggs if you want to. They also have hard boiled eggs for consumption.

omelette waterfront

Just like most hotel buffets, they serve breads..

breads waterfront

Dimsum was also part of the buffet since UNO restaurant serves international buffet…

dimsum waterfront

Orange & Pineapple juice (fresh!)… they also serve coffee & tea at your table..

juice waterfront

Pancakes!! They have generous servings of ingredients/condiments to go with it too..

pancakes waterfront

Other food items in the buffet are sausages, rice, bacon (another fav!), donuts (yes, they had them too!), noodles, vegetables, cereals, fruits, desserts, etc..

waterfront buffet

It was truly a great dining experience. UNO restaurant is really an eye candy. They serve mouth-watering dishes and service is great! It’s cheap too at Php 684.75. I took pictures of each dish & can be found in this Flickr album.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.