Tag: travel

Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan

waterfront hotel mactan

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.


Avilon Zoo

avilon zoo 12

Avilon Zoo
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
(02) 941-8393

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It’s funny that I have lived all my life in the Philippines but I’ve never been to any of the zoos in the country.   In all my travels, I  have always made it a point to visit the famous zoos.   I’m really glad that at least for once, I was able to visit the more popular zoo in Manila, the Avilon Zoo.

Entrance fee is at Php300 and I think it’s more than worth it considering the # of animals on display.  The place is well designed and they are still renovating.  I just hope they maintain it better though.  It will be such a waste if they don’t take care of the zoo.  It can be one of the best in the world, I really believe it.

The highlight of my visit was definitely the fact that I was able to hold several animals.  We just needed to pay Php50 for each animal.  Let me show you some of the pictures that I took with the animals.  The monkey was my favorite one!  Her name is Trixie & if you notice in the picture, she’s wearing Crocs!!  She’s sooo sweet too, see how she hugged me in the picture.

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This one I love too!  The bird was a bit heavy, so the caretaker had to help me carry it.

avilon zoo 15

I’m sooo scared of snakes.  I knew I had to conquer this fear one way or another, and Avilon Zoo gave me that chance, so I took it.  It was definitely an experience.   I won’t be able to forget it, I’m still scared of snakes though 😛

avilon zoo 16

Aside from being able to hold some select animals, we were also allowed to feed some animlas.  Below is a video I took of the Arapaimas.  The other guests were feeding the fish with chicken heads.  Each small bucket costs Php20 which is pretty cheap 🙂

Other animals that can be fed are farm animals.  Here’s the menu they prepared:

  • Carrots – Php 20
  • Okra – Php 10
  • Sitaw – Php 10
  • Talbos – Php 10
  • Chicken Feed – Php 10

It’s the biggest zoo I think in the Philippines.  I took soo many pictures but below are some of the best ones.  Enjoy the view!

avilon zoo 13

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avilon zoo 18

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avilon zoo 6

avilon zoo 5

avilon zoo 4

avilon zoo 3

avilon zoo 2

avilon zoo 1

It’s just too many to see.  I also heard they have a mini version of the zoo located in Tiendesitas.  The Montalban, Rizal zoo is a must-see though.  It took us about 3-4 hours to visit the place.  Might take longer for you.  The rest of the pictures can be found in my Avilon Zoo album.

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

Santa’s Photo Station at Trinoma

trinoma santa photo station

Santa’s Photo Station
4/F Trinoma Mall, North Triangle EDSA, Quezon City
(02) 901-3000

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Christina and I were walking around Trinoma when we saw some people taking pictures.  The place was designed so beautifully, you could feel that it was christmas!  I thought at first that we had to pay for it.  But after reading the description on the stand, we went for it.

Well, I always bring my camera so there wasn’t any problem at all.  Good thing I’m always ready wohooo!  This was a pretty cool idea from Trinoma considering everyone love taking pictures and also we love the holidays!

christmas trinoma

It was located at the same floor as the cinemas.  People can just go there while waiting for the movie.  It really is a nice way to reward shoppers. Kudos to Trinoma for this bright idea!

leigh trinoma christmas

We really loved it!!  Instant Photo Shoot! 🙂

santa trinoma

Here are some information for those of you who want to do this as well.

  • Santa’s Photo Station runs until January 13, 2010 from 10AM to 9PM
  • Only one group at a time is allowed at the photo station.  I suggest you go early, we were there at around 10AM so we didn’t have to wait for long.
  • Moving & touching decors aren’t allowed but ofcourse we can sit on the chairs & sleigh 😛
  • Children must be accompanied by parents or guardian inside the photo station.

christmas tree trinoma

Complete pictures of our instant Photoshoot here.

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

Travel Diary: Taiwan 2009

taiwan ticket

After three months, I was able to finally finish my Travel Taiwan posts (which all happened last September)!  Wow, there was a lot of information to share.  It was why it took such a long time to complete everything!

To make it easy for you to track everything, let me share with you a list of all my Taiwan travel posts. Truly astounding!

Shilin Night Market
Ikari Coffee
Leofoo Village Theme Park
Lunch at 旭成港式料理
Taipei 101
Modern Toilet Taipei
Believe It or Not Museum
Food Tripping at Bali Ferry Port
Shisanhang Museum of Archaeology
Huwei Fort
Fort San Domingo
Bay Cafe Tamsui
Fuyou Temple
Tamsui Longshan Temple
Tamsui Morning Market
Breakfast at Dongwu Hotel Taipei
Taipei Story House
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Confucius Temple
Pao-An Temple
Cheap Movie House in Taipei
公館 Gongguan
寶藏巖 Treasure Hill
Taipei Water Park
重順川菜餐廳 Chong Shun Restaurant
My Favorite Stinky Tofu in Taipei
中和市興南觀光夜市 Zhong He Night Market
Dinner at 周師傅
一號出口 Gate One Cafe Shop
人間 People Restaurant Taipei
國立臺灣博物館 National Taiwan Museum
台北二二八紀念館 Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
二二八人文咖啡館 Relax 228 Coffee Shop
國家圖書館 National Central Library
中正紀念堂 (Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall)
哈瓦那咖啡 (Harwana Coffee)
西門町 (Ximending)
Taiwan’s Ever-Famous Pork Stew Rice (燉肉飯)
至善園 (Garden of Perfected Benevolence)
國立故宮博物院 (National Palace Museum)
饒河街觀光夜市 (Raohe St. Night Market)
Dozo Izakaya Dining Bar
Computer & Electronic Stores at Taipei
台北市動物園 (Taipei Zoo)
肯德基 (KFC Taipei)
蔥花 (Shinyeh’ Table)
台北捷運 (Taipei Rapid Transit System)
朱銘美術館 (Juming Museum)
信三肉圓 (Xin San Rou Yuan)
金包理老街 (Jin Bao Lane Street)
陽明山國家公園 (Yangmingshan National Park)
Breakfast at 美好美 (Mei Hao Mei)

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

Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market

士林夜市 Shilin Night Market
Between end of Wenlid Road, Jihe Road & Zhongshan N. Road
MRT: Shilin Station or Jiantan Station

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If you only had only one night to spend in Taiwan then Shilin Night Market is that place to be in.  It is known to be the most famous and largest night market in Taiwan.  It is very popular among tourists and locals alike.

Vendors usually start to prepare around 4-5PM.  People start to visit the lively & crowded place at around 8pm and usually stay around until 12midnight.  We went to Shilin Night Market at around 10PM and was able to leave at around 1AM.  Wasn’t able to buy much things though coz I was dead tired hahaha!  Bad timing indeed!  I regretted that.

士林夜市 Shilin Night Market is divided into 2 sections.  First is the nonfood, which is a very loooooonggggggggggg strip of shops that sells clothes, accessories, jewelries & other stuff.

clothes shilin

shopping shilin night

There are even pet shops and arcades.   Look at the kittens below, super adorable!

kittens shilin

arcade shilin

The other section is all about food.  This is what Shilin Night Market is very famous for.  Eateries & food stalls cover the whole section.  It was a bit slippery as there were people who spilled food over the floor.  Anyhow, what famous food that can be found here?  There are fried bread, omelettes, noodles, stinky tofu, bubble tea, etc.

food shilin

My feet really hurt a lot after the experience.  There were just too many interesting places to go to!  Time was really never enough to walk around the whole Shilin Night Market.  It was a great experience and definitely unforgettable! 🙂

Did you just ask for more pictures of our last hurray for Taipei trip?  Here is Shopping Galore .

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

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