After a few hiccups in life the past two months, my body was crying out to destress. So finally last July we pushed in redeeming the Ensogo Voucher I bought for an overnight stay for two in La Traviesa Hotel Resort in Gen. Trias Cavite.

Booking: I originally sched this on June, however, since Jarvis The Car was not available I had to moved it to the next month. I have to be honest though that contacting La Traviesa is not easy as 1-2-3 compared to other resorts -- they don't respond to emails and the mobile number is out of reach at times. So make sure to do your booking in advance. 

But once you get a hold of them, the staff are polite and accommodating. For me though, after my phone calls with them I would usually text to summarize our conversation and request for confirmation just to make sure. This I learned from past travels to have details in black and white.

It was also the weekend after Typhoon Glenda so I double-checked if they were affected and got a confirmation that the resort is operational so off we went.

Getting There: Although we are familiar with the area since my then-boyfriend-now-hubby used to drive there with our motorcycle back in the days, hubby still keyed in the destination in Google Map in his smartphone and turned on the navigation feature. So from Alabang we took Daang Hari turned left to Aguinaldo Highway. Turned right to Governor's Drive, passing by Lyceum and upon reaching Manggahan Junction where Baliwag, Municipal Hall and  Mcdo are, we turned right again... The navigation was actually spot on! La Traviesa Resort is on the left alongside the residential houses.

Check-in: We got there early, around 11 AM. I was hoping we could check in early but the staff-in-charge said that the room will be available at 2 PM. It was fine with us since we are still planning to have lunch anyway but I requested the staff if I could see the room first. She escorted me to the room facing the backyard, she was explaining that all rooms with garden view is already booked for the night's evening party. She also mentioned that they still have to dust out the room that is why we have to wait awhile. When she opened the door of Room 106, I was pretty happy with what I saw -- the room was spacious with 2 double beds with nice bedsheet. Yeah, I have a fetish for nice comforters hehehe!!!

I returned to the waiting area and reported to hubby na sulit ang voucher namin dahil pasado sa standards yung place. We then agreed to have lunch at their in-house dining area. Passed 1PM, we were notified that the room was already ready.

Accommodation: Beside the nice bedsheets, the ambiance has a feel of a Spanish-inspired villa with furnishing made out of capiz and hard wood. I am a frequent window-shopper at the mall in home decor section so I do appreciate that the tables and chairs inside are not the so-so type. Hindi naman high-end pero indi naman din sya mumurahin kaya I appreciate the effort.

You can cozy up comfortably inside the room because it has a split-type air condition unit, personal ref, 2 bottled water, electric kettle, Cignal cable TV and good functioning bathroom with free liquid body wash and shampoo. You can keep your belongings inside the big cabinet and some wooden hangers are available.

The room is as big as our apartment unit, so it was actually more than enough for the two of us. It can accommodate 5-8 pax at the most. But if you have that many people occupying the room, you might have some problem finding a spot to hang your wet clothes.

Food: You may bring in food inside as long as it does not require electricity to cook it. You may check with them if grilling is allowed. But for us, we just brought in chips and drinks to much on and just availed what they have in their menu -- lunch, snack, and dinner. While breakfast is free since it was part of the room rates already, we only paid a little over 1K for the food during check-out.

Recommendation: The place is really for private parties and small gatherings of family and friends. An option if you are looking to have a quick deep in the water and just have a breather. Aside from the pool area, there is a videoke and a spa area. We actually shared the poolside with Korean and Spanish family. I think they did not even checked in at all, just rented the cottage and took a swim. Perhaps they are living nearby since it is near Economic Zone where many companies owned by foreign investors.

La Traviesa Resort

Gov. Ferrer's Drive Gen. Trias Cavite

I was hubby's plus one last May 24, 2014 for the Chevrolet Club Philippines EB (Eye Ball). The destination was our hometown -- Kawit, Cavite. It was set at Antel Grand Village Clubhouse, 2 kms away from our parents house.
 

Antel Village is one of the high end subdivision located between the boundaries of Kawit - Gen. Trias Cavite. To be able to use the clubhouse facility, you need an invitation coming from a lot owner within the village to serve as your contact. You also need to pay to use it and below are the rates:

Lot Owners: Php 75 and 70 for kids below 3ft.

Guests: Php 250 and 150 for kids below 3ft

Gazebo Rentals: around Php 1500 depending on the size

Some rules you need to abide with aside:

- No Alcoholic drinks

- No glass container

- No casserole/rice cooker

- No grilling so bring cooked food

- Put your baon on plastic containers otherwise you will leave it at the entrance guard

Despite the proximity to our parent's home, it was also our first time to see the Water Park area. The group entered at around 4pm. A staff member assisted us, put our belongings to a cart and ushered us to our rented cottage -- Bohol 1 and 2. Unfortunately, the clubhouses closes at 6pm for clean up and maintenance so we had to hurry up so we could still use the pool.

 

 

Even though we had to squeeze in everything in a just couple of hours, we still managed to enjoy but was not able to try out all the interconnecting pool -- white sand Beach Pool with two (2) water slides, Lap Pool with submerged sun loungers and relaxing water jets, Activity Game Pool with water jets, Spa Pool with four (4) Massage Beds, Party Pool with sunken Pool Bar and bubble jets, Fountain Pool, and Children’s Pool with bubble.
 

Obviously, I was impressed with the white sand beach pool and took pixies on it wearing the pink kimono I bought from Boracay last Feb.
 

Anyhow, thanks to Pres. Cookie, Ma'am Goi, Sir Ding, Ivan and the rest of the CCPI members for the warm welcome in my first Chevy EB.
 



It was the last day of 2013 and my side of the family finally met up for some Year Ender "lamierda". Come to think of it, this is the first and last gathering we had for the year. Thank God it finally pushed through.

We arrived at the gates of Island Cove Resort in Kawit, Cavite a few minutes after 12 noon. Tatay and Tito were already there when we arrived and they chose the balsa or kubo that has minimum 3K consumable. Funny thing is that it was actually our first time to dine at the balsa in Fisherman's Village even if we have been at Island Cove many times already.  

 "Balsa" is what you call the native house build over the body of water standing on stilts. It is not uncommon here in our side of town, there are actually 2-3 restaurants here that is setup just like that.

Anyway, we first checked the set menus but with our waiter's suggestion that it would be best to just choose ala carte dishes instead. Especially if we do not eat all of the items included in the set menu.

The kids and their Lolos are already hungry... sorry! But as expected, it takes a while for the food be served so for the meantime they went around to check out the pond area.

Finally when the food started coming in, we were all hungry that we forgot to take pictures. Serving is good for 2-3 people which cost Php 250-350 each. But we agreed that all 7 dishes taste good and worth the wait. Even the kids cleaned out their plate, so that was a good sign. So yes, it was a feast!

After the sumptuous meal, we walked towards the giant chess and took some pictures despite the high noon sun. Hahaha...

Island Cove Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/IslandCoveHotelandLeisurePark

Daang Hari is the long winding road connecting the posh Alabang Muntinlupa City and the homey Bacoor/Imus Cavite. Since we moved to this side of the metro, the long stretch has become part of our monthly escapade when visiting back home. It used to be full blown damuhan but now each time we drive by its becoming more and more exciting to pass through. Take for instance, this...

Beautiful isn't it?

Starbucks is now brewing at Evia Daang Hari! It is also a drive thru branch and is located beside McDonalds and in front of Rustan's Supermarket.

If you drive further up to the end of the road to reach Emilio Aguinaldo Highway and turn just left you will find the latest mall in town -- The District Cavite by Ayala Malls with Metro Department Store.

To my surprise, the Cavitenos are already lining up for J.Co donuts! Indi nagpapahuli with their counterparts in Metro Manila. My one concern is the possible bottleneck of traffic in the future. Oh well, but they do put convenience within our reach.

Enjoy Southeners!

So I have featured quite a number of local shops already mostly online however this time, let me introduce to you to a quaint neighborhood shop much closer to home... my Tatay's tailoring in Kawit!

My dad manages a tailoring shop for more or less two decades now. On early years it is known in town for denims but the business shifted gears to sports apparel catering to basketball leagues in school, companies and barangays. From my last visit, the latest trend are sports or varsity jackets. 

So we ordered for our nephews and nieces. Pretty cute right?

Lakers Jackets for the Yap side

Monsters University Jackets for Ramos Side

Unfortunately, I no longer allow my dad to accept rush orders due to health reasons. But if you are willing to place an order within a reasonable timeline why not drop by his tiny "Cotton Jeans Tailoring Shop" in Binakayan Kawit Cavite near the public market. You may also send me email so I could give you his number, you can text him then viber message him your design. Here is a really old blog I put up waaaay back when I was still helping him out. 

Price ranges from Php 600-1,000

After going around the Paradizoo Theme Park, we headed to Residence Inn to have our lunch since our voucher includes 4 set meals already. We just added a couple of more viands to our table and we were all set to dine as it was overlooking Taal Volcano.

Zoomanity group invites visitors to "Feel the cold breeze of Tagaytay while enjoying a rush of excitement and a breath-taking view here in Residence Inn. It is famous for its Mini Zoo and it’s excellent location overlooking Taal Lake." It is located at the boundary of Tagaytay and Batangas at the left side of the road and here are some of the animals you can find in the mini zoo.

For the rest of the afternoon, we went around to every nook of the place -- rediscovering it since it was not my first time there. Actually, while growing up dito kami lagi lumalaboy whenever we go up in Tagaytay but now it is under Zoomanity Group management who updated the services of the place.

Regular entrance and package rates, zoovenir shops and picnic tables right outside.

Photo-op with the less harmful animals in the zoo.

They also have a scheduled 15-minute show featuring the talents of the different animals and allowing the visitors to touch the animals with supervision. Check out my bro and sis-in-law (SIL) holding scorpions in their hands and my niece up close and personal as the little piggy does some tricks.

Waaah!!! Sssssnakey around hubby's neck. It is an Albino Burmese Python weighing around 5 lbs and leathery feel according to him.

Also, included in our voucher is an option to ride either the zipline or the cable car. Wala lang sa kids pero medyo ninerbyos ako sa sobrang liit nung isa feeling ko lulusot sya sa butas. Haiss!!!

Hope you will have as much fun as we did.

Paradizoo Farm Theme Park

Cash Cash Pinoy Voucher

Happy 115th Independence Day my fellow countrymen!

As we commemorate the day of the Philippine Independence, I thought it will only be appropriate for me to post this historical landmark in my very own hometown - the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine Kawit Cavite. I have practically lived my whole life around this house -- attending Emilio Aguinaldo Elementary School, participating in a number of parades leading to this place, being batchmates with Aguinaldo's descendants, taking our pre-nup photos at Freedom Park and the countless days when I pass by it.

Obviously, from Google

Ironically, Hubby and I haven't been inside the house together. Yeap, despite our 15.5 years relationship (12 yrs BF/GF + 3.5 yrs married) there are things still to be done. Kaya no room for sawaan!  So when we got Jarvis, we decided to do its pictorial smack right at Freedom Park. Making a quick side tour inside the mansion... TOGETHER!

There are no entrance fees in Aguinaldo Shrine, all you need to do is to sign up in their log book upon entering the gate. Good thing, we visited during the summertime so there were student doing their internship as tour guides. We were ushered to the garden where the vintage car, manual stone washing machine, some canyons are displayed then to the museum where the bowling alley, memorabilia and pictures are shown then to the main house and lastly to the tomb of Gen. Emilio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just need to highlight this miniature display depicting a scene from the past. You see in highschool, Hubby was cast as one of the Katipuneros in the reenactment of Battle in Binakayan during the Philippine Centennial Independence Day Celebration. I still remember him wearing the kamiso-chino and red pants, running in barefoot in his performance level as an actor. I've often teased him about it and we were still just friends during that time. Hehehe. And this was exactly that scene!

After that quick tour we agreed to visit more landmarks within Cavite. It was kinda cool to look into the past and connect everything that happened before. With such courage, the conviction our forefathers fought for is truly an honor to every Filipinos.

Intramuros and Fort Santiago

Corregidor Historical Tour

The last weekend before the school started, my Ramos side of the family headed to the highlands to give the kiddos some farm experience. I mentioned earlier, I was able to score a voucher good for 4 pax. So off we go and enjoy the "Simple Life".

From Zoomanity website: The place is  full of rich gardens and animals. Some of those animals are roaming free to your delight, others are behind their fences. Visits to Paradizoo, the theme park cum farm zoo will always sooth your senses.

It was quite easy to get there, from Mendez Crossing where the public market is located and a Jollibee branch turn right then go straight ahead some meters away. Turn left at the corner before you reach the 7-11 Convenience Store. You will see a triangle island so take left until you see the Paradizoo sign.

So the kids were already excited, so am I. Excited for them at least... Hahaha! Seeing how ecstatic they were wanting to go further and further into the vast land area and interact with more animals up close and personal with their natural "smell" and all.

But the farm is 10,000 hectare if I heard it right so I took time to stop and listen to the zoo guide right at the entrance and take mental picture of the vicinity map. We were free to explore at our own pace at our own direction so I was a bit afraid to get lost and end up in the jungle. Bwahahaha!!! *Just recently saw the Blue Lagoon Movie so forgive my imagination*

Visitors are actually encouraged to interact with the farm animals to feed, pet and milk them. You can buy a handful of carrot or cabbage leaves at the mini store inside for Php 30.00. But if you want to feed most of them why not buy food from the market before going there. Look how my nieces are enjoying but at the same time afraid to touch the hungry animals.

I also enjoy the look of the garden and vegetation area, it could be a nice venue for a simple wedding but you will need to put in quite an effort to setup though.

Ecclectic Garden, The Pavilion, Zen Pond, Vegetation, Wedding Venue

Pawis-pawis na after going around so good thing they sell a cute shirt in their souvenir shop. Best to bring extra clothes especially for the kids if you will be there on a summer. Sinuot ko na kagad when we transferred to Residence Inn.

My brother was in nostalgia mode the whole time kept saying ... "Meron din nyan sa Batong-Dalig" 

True enough most of the garden plants and some farm animals, we do have at the house we grew up in Batong-Dalig, Kawit, Cavite because we were one of the early residence of that small barangay when it was still being developed. That made us thankful to Tatay and Nanay for allowing us to grew up in a simple home where we get to be kids... Ngayon, may bayad na yun para maexperience lang. Hahaha...hope you enjoyed this post!