Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts

Ilocos Photo Diary IV: Meet and Greet with the animals in Baluarte, Ilocos Sur

Friday, October 13, 2017
Let's take the tour up a notch with a smile plastered on our pretty faces, shall we? What more could we ask for? We had sand and breeze, magnificent churches, a world famous old city that the old me could only gaze behind a flat screen TV and pot making. Now here\s some more and it includes a big RAWR, literally cause Baluerte in Vigan has a lion and a tiger for that.

The Baluarte or fortress is a must-see attraction for first time visitors, and even for those who have visited Vigan before. The reasons for its being on the list of places to visit are two. First is that it has a mini zoo with animals from other countries and others endemic to the Philippines. It is a private collection and is therefore continuously being improved. The second reason is that it is owned by Mr. Chavit Singson, a well-loved son of Vigan and well-known to most Filipinos and foreigners who follow the Philippine political scene. The resort complex lies in hectares of land that stretches from the rolling plain towards the hills, where the former governor’s multi-storey house sits with a grand view of Vigan and the South China Sea.
Source: Vigan.ph


This is my friend, Diane, while holding the python. Don't worry it is supervised so it is totally safe!








I couldn't find a picture of the whole length of this snake but seriously, as I remembered it almost 7-8 people were holding the whole length of the snake. You can just imagine how long it is.



Okay, let's make this quick with some simple pros and cons.

PRO

It's free. It's interesting. It's really great for kids. The animals here are in some variety. Applause for the animal presentation show.

CONS

It's free, so don't put your expectations up too high. And although admission is free, other activities within are not. 

It's interesting. It really is great for kids. However, I'm not a kid though so...

The animals here are in some variety. "Some" being the key word. The variety is not that wide for a "zoo" or a "safari" or whatever. And in some instances (like the other reviews in this place) it may seem like the whole "zoo" is somewhat a showcase of a Filipino Politician/Celebrity's wealth. You know, humble showoff. But you know, maybe the intention was not that, but to give back to the people. I'm human, people are human so you know judgements will never be avoided.

OVERALL

Maybe if you are within the area or if you have a lot of time on your tour, I will not hurt to visit the place. But if you plan to travel for how many hours to purposely visit the place, maybe it's not such a good idea. It's a nice side trip though.



Check out my other photo diaries to know other destinations. Click the link below.
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Ilocos Photo Diary III: Playa Tropical Hotel Resort, Ilocos Norte

Friday, October 13, 2017
After a day well spent indulging about history, architecture and artifacts, a nice breeze of February summer welcomed us with warm hugs and airy kisses in Playa Tropical Hotel and Resort.

Built in traditional Balinese style, you can relax in truly fabulous settings that celebrate your privacy with charming thatched roof villas, private pools, unique garden bathrooms and exquisite interiors featuring Balinese art. Enjoy heavenly views from the swimming pool that looks out at the ocean. This exclusive resort reflects the wonderful romance of Bali.

Visit their website. Click here.







Our Ilocos Trip was a group tour consisting of 2 bus-full of university students. The fee for the tour was quite decent and fair, not expensive. So you can just imagine what we have in mind for accommodation. We were expecting a hostel-type of lodging or a dormitory type ensuite. But no, our travel company had snatched us quite a grab for a accommodation. 

THEME

Playa Tropical Hotel Resort is not a budget hotel, but is a resort type with beach front and bali-inspired cottages. 

BEDROOM

4 students had to share in a bedroom with 2-queen sized beds with its own toilet complete with toiletries and towels for each of us. There is a flat screen TV, a cable and enough closet space for us. It was spacious enough for us 4. A plus for this is that we were lucky to have an adjoining room because my group of friends are kind of big. This made it easier for us to call an impromptu movie night. 

Our professor, Arch. Chris Pineda was super cool that he got a cottage all to himself. He is kind of "bagets" and easy going with the students so he let some of his student pets join him. It was loft type and really spacious and Balinese through and through.

HOTEL AMENITIES

For the rooms they have a multi-storey building (that's were our room was) and loft cottages near the beach. They have an infinity pool open for swimming a beach at the back, a man-made river that goes through under the cottage. They have outdoor and indoor dining area. A bar, which I didn't even notice and a reception desk for 24/7.

FOOD

Breakfast and dinner buffets are included. They have an indoor area with japanese-inspired tables where in you have to sit in a tatami mat. Very perfect for Instragram. Food is okay, but not that wow. Choices are limited but at least it is buffet type unlike in other hotels.

However at midnight about when we were in shortage of food for our movie night, we couldn't get a hold of any food there: in and out of the hotel. Inside their bar is already closed. It wasn't 24/7. And it is impossible to get food from outside because it was too far.

STAFF

The staff were amazing. They always have smiles on their faces and even though some of them don't really understand Tagalog much, they will still accommodate you. They even had a morning call for us in the morning to wake us up and not be late in our next day activities.

HYGIENE AND MAINTENANCE

The sheets and overall cleanliness of the room as well as the resort amenities are okay. We only stayed for one night so the hotel staff do not need to change sheets when we were there.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

So maybe you have seen my 3-star rating down below. Why did I give just 3 stars? This is a funny story. I would have given 4 out of 5. The 1 is for the food which for me is very important. (Please understand that we starved out there. Haha.) And the second minus 1 is for the creepy thing that happened when we were there. 

So we were watching a movie, right? I can't exactly remember what happened but my other classmates in the other rooms had a commotion and fight of some sorts about a paranormal activity in their room. One classmate of mine actually cried herself out. The others stayed in other rooms. The others (the crazy ones) took it as a dare and actually slept there. It as insane and when the staff were asked the next day, they did confirm in in a subtle way. At least we had a story to share when we got back, right? Haha. So there, that's 3 stars from me.



Check out my other photo diaries to know other destinations. Click the link below.
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