Monsoon Season Won't Ruin Your Tagaytay Highlands Experience

When it's summer, people flock to cold regions in the Philippines and the closest one from the metro is Tagaytay. During monsoon months, people think it might be a different story but no, lucky are those who live in Tagaytay Highlands because they're still enjoying the cold weather without compromising food, entertainment, activities in the area.

Theirs is a whole refuge perfect for rest and recreation, the complex itself has several walkways and unbelievable vistas overlooking the world renowned volcano and lush vegetation plus a golf course that could rival the best in the world. From Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club and Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club, you can hit a tee or two to further your skills, or just have it be your time to relax after a whole week of working in the city. After all, it'll take you a while to conquer a 27-hole exclusive golf course, and perhaps months to get used to as it is very challenging.

For adrenaline junkies, there's several mountain trekking activities that you and your family could do plus several gustatory destinations as Tagaytay Highlands have restaurants serving the best Filipino dishes, dry aged steak, dimsum, that come from heirloom recipes and served for you. If you work in different time zones, there's several 24/7 establishments that can serve comfort food, coffee, that you and your loved ones could feast on if needed be. All can be found at Midlands Golfers Lounge or the stores at Gourmet Avenue.

Members, residents and guests are assured that you are secure and safe in this place and has been proven so by the safety seal that Tagaytay City Government awarded last year. With a heavily awarded real estate developer SM Prime Holdings, they continue to serve and uphold safety standards so everyone remains safe inside the property. Who wouldn't want to go here right? World class facilities, dreamy place, a place you can also call home soon. That's Tagaytay Highlands for you!

Best Spots for a Weekend Getaway in Ontario

Ontario, often referred to as "Canada's most populated province" is a beautiful and picturesque destination. Ontario has a lot to offer and it would be an injustice not to plan a trip there.

The best time for visiting the province of Ontario is during the winter months. The weather is pleasant and you can enjoy outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or ice-skating. But if the winter season isn’t for you, no worries! There is just as much to enjoy in the warmer months.

Check out these top 4 destinations in Ontario for your next weekend excursion!

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is one of the most peaceful, quiet, and clean cities in North America.

It is a city that is full of culture and heritage. Ottawa is also home to many different museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and more. There are plenty of things to do in Ottawa for both visitors and locals alike.

You can also enjoy some great food while visiting this destination, with many restaurants offering cuisine from around the world. The ByWard Market area is home to numerous pubs and restaurants and live music venues that offer a more traditional pub experience for those looking for something different than just fine-dining restaurants.

Toronto

Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, so it’s no surprise that there are tons of things to do. If you are looking to get out and explore this amazing city, here are some suggestions for how to spend your weekend.

There are so many things you can do in Toronto on the weekend. You can explore the city’s neighborhoods, which each have their own unique vibe and charm. You can go shopping in Yorkville Village or Queen West Village for high-end fashion brands like Gucci or Chanel.

You can stop by the Eaton Centre during the day for great deals on clothes you never knew you wanted but need now! Or eat at one of Toronto's many restaurants that excel in cuisine.

Halton

Halton is a great destination for a weekend getaway. The town has its own charm and you can find many natural beauty spots to explore off the beaten path. The best way to do that is by bike or by car. There are also many restaurants in Halton, including some great spots for brunch on Sundays, like The King’s Head Pub & Restaurant.

Halton also offers interesting activities for all interests including golfing, water sports, fishing, hiking and more. If you are looking for culture there are some great museums in Oakville or live theater in Burlington that will keep you entertained during your stay here.

It may not come to a surprise to you that after visiting here you find yourself searching the current Halton real estate market because chances are, you’ll want to stay for longer than a weekend.

Lake Huron Shorelines

The Lake Huron shoreline stretches over 200 miles and is a popular destination for those looking to spend the weekend outdoors. There are plenty of things to do in this region when you have a free weekend.
 
Some activities include visiting Niagara on the Lake which is a charming town with excellent wineries to go tasting at, taking a walk along the sand dunes or Georgian Bay beach, or perhaps heading out on the water for a day of fishing or watersports.

Fun Things to do in Siargao

Siargao is like a hidden gem that is located in the southeast of the Philippines. It is at a distance of about 800 kilometers from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Well, famous as the Surfing Capital of the Philippines, the island boasts of enchanting lagoons, bizarre rock formations, and mangrove forest reserves. Take one of those cheap flights to Siargao and explore the paradise with exotic white beaches, coral reefs, and fantastic wildlife.

There is a lot more to do in the surfing destination of the Philippines. Well, if you are not the really the surfing type, you could go for caving or island-hopping or simply explore the beauty of Siargao. The surfing capital of the Philippines is filled with natural gems, a cool nightlife and some great food options that everyone can enjoy. Book cheap flights right away for Siargao and embark on an experience of a lifetime.

Here are some of the best thing to do in Siargao.

• Go island hopping – It is a must to explore the three spectacular islands along the shores of Siargao, and these include Guyam Island, Daku Island and Naked Island. There are plenty of day tours to these islands, and one can look forward to a perfect trip under expert guides and enjoy some fantastic food.

• Enjoy the seafood – You will come across a different kind of fish and seafood at almost every other resort and restaurant here. The best part is that the seafood is very fresh and cheap as well. The cooks of most restaurants and resorts will prepare the fish for you or whatever you desire for a small cost. So, make the most of it.

• Rent a bike- The best way to enjoy and explore the natural landscapes and scenery of Siargao is on a bike. Just hop on your motorbike and let yourself loose within the island. Drive across to deserted beaches, amazing waterfalls, and those endless rice fields. You will discover local villages on the way and get the chance to meet the locals and interact with them.

• Swim in the Magkukob Cave- The locals and the tourists simply love Magkukob Cave because of the refreshing waters that are crystal clear. Get ready to experience the thrill of entering an enchanting cave which is surrounded by baby bats. Dive in those refreshing waters and swim to your heart’s content.

• Try out your rope swing skills - Swing at Maasin Secret River, and it is indeed one of the most picturesque places in Siargao. You can take the boat on the river or spend the morning swinging on the coconut tree that hangs over the water.

• Enjoy a relaxing day at Mamon Island – If you are looking for a spot away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded tourist spots, then head straight for the Mamon Island. The secluded island boasts of clear, blue waters and amazing coral formations. Enjoy swimming and snorkeling here or simply enjoy the peace and calm of the destination.

• Drive on the coconut roads – You must drive on the most scenic road on Siargao, and it lies along the coastline lined with white beaches and coconut trees. You can simply spend the day driving on the road, stop to talk to the locals and learn about their lives and culture.

• Visit Sugba Lagoon – One of the most popular places to visit in Siargao is the Sugba Lagoon. It is a playground for those who love kayaking, diving or stand-up paddle-boarding. The lagoon is surrounded by mountains and has a cliff-diving board from where one can jump into the clear waters.

I hope this starts your hunger to look for time to go to one of the nicest places to go to in the Philippines. I'm going there again this summer, see you there!

The Biggest Waterpark in Asia: Kamia Bay Resort Palawan

Nothing beats a watermark than a fat face that's already in a photo hahahaha!

A vacation in Palawan probably would mean El Nido, Coron, or that Underground River adventure that most tourists actually go to. A little known fact is, there are actually superb places you can go to just a little outside of Puerto Princesa City. A few only know about it but hopefully, that’s about to change. Really, there’s MORE things in Palawan that people should know about.

This is our second day here, woke up early to travel about 30-45 minutes away from Puerto Princesa City proper. The reason being, KAMIA Bay Resort in Palawan. It’s located at Baranagay Luzviminda along Binunsalian Bay. It’s a rarely new property being developed as an adventure sanctuary housing the BIGGEST Aquapark structure in Asia complete with a 30 and 40 foot slide in a stretch of 3,800 square meters of a floating island that sits a few kilometers away from Honda Bay.

One side of Kamia Bay Resort where the whole thing stretches.

Now imagine the possibilities, the various things you could do here with your friends and family. You could go on this vast course traversing through a multitude of floating islands, air filled trees, big and small tubes, jumping points, a trampoline, and slides like small mountains on sea. Tumble and leap off of platforms with ease and without worries as they’ve got expert lifeguards on stand by at every part of the floating ark.

Aside from the nice course, they’ve also got a moderately designed bike course which would take you in and around the property. They also have pavillions and small huts so whether you’re a company or just a small family, you can take refuge in it during lunch or dinner, or house your belongings during day trips in fact. They also have Eco tours which you can take for your land lovin friends if the floating island would be too much. But here's a glimpse on how fun this whole trip was courtesy of the Aloha Palawan Facebook page!

 

The thing is, it’s also quite affordable. You can do Aquaplay for Php 788 which includes an hour of the Aquapark, an Ecotour and buffet lunch or go for the Php 1,488 for Unlimited time in it. They also have options for roundtrip transfers if you want it to be more convenient. We highly suggest you do what we did and start the adventures very early. You will be briefed for your own safety and if you prefer a little grip, they have specialized water shoes for rent so it’ll be easier for you to run around in your bikinis.

Take a nice dip, or simply lounge at their lovely villa huts.

Heck I won’t be selfish to share with you how fun it was. I also got to taste the cuisine prepared for us by the Chef who manages all the food establishments in their other properties. Check out my adventures at Kamia Bay Resort!

It was pretty hard to leave that place after the fun I had with new friends. I got to know more of them and how a family built this resort. It looks promising that they can host guests during day time and perhaps soon, they’ll have some villas for people to stay in. They also currently have a haven for artists which they house in a secluded part of their resort which they deem would be a way to “pay back” the community and the country with “culture”.

For dinner, we freshened up at the hotel first then dressed up a bit. We went to Princesa Garden Resort and Spa which was near the Puerto Princesa International Airport. We walked a bit inside and off to the shore for their Asian themed restaurant called GOLDEN ELEPHANT which was on stilts. It was very romantic, I felt bad that I was single and had to see all the couples who were there. The food was also exquisite as you may have seen on the video, you just want to stay there the whole night. Albeit friendly to families, I would recommend this mostly for pairs who would want some quiet time. It felt right, I want to go back there and bring someone to propose haha!

Anyway, it was all part of a super happy day for me to just experience what Puerto Princesa City and it’s nearby towns had in store for travelers - and those who just want to have a nice relaxing vacation. I loved every bit of it.

If you want to go to Kamia Bay Resort, simply search for them at Facebook and message them. They can make arrangements for large groups and family. Same goes for Princesa Garden Resort and Spa which has rooms and spa services too. It’s easy because everything should be hassle free, make sure you make your own vacation stress free!

Superstar Virgo Takes You to Japan and Taiwan with NO VISA Required!

It was a fine day to set sail, but we do it in style so instead of just riding a run of the mill boat we're so used to in the Philippines, it was my first time to ride in a cruise ship. Yes, there actually exists one which docked at the South Harbor of Manila. Meet Star Cruise's Superstar VIRGO. This almost 76,000 ton ship will now be making Manila as it's home port in March so it could cater to Filipinos, other nationalities who would want to travel to Japan and Taiwan even without a Visa, and we're not even joking!

The promise is to take you on a cruise ship for 6 days and 5 nights so you could go to summer destinations from Manila to Naha and Ishigaki in Okinawa Japan, then Keelung Taiwan starting on March 5, 2018.

Ms. Andre Solis Manzano says “The ship will be back here in March 5, and we are very happy to announce that Star Cruises called Manila home last year together with Hong Kong and Kaoshung with the help of the Department of Tourism. The itinerary will include Manila, Naha Japan, Keelung Taiwan, then back to Manila. We will have 18 sailings, you’ll have 6 meals a day, luxurious accommodations, our swimming pool, gym, entertainment for kids and adults. You’ve seen that a while ago. This would be a perfect way to celebrate your summer with your family, barkadas, office mates, on these unique sailing days. We have theme dates The Greatest Hits from March 5-10, The PBA Legends from March 30-April 4, Labor Day Party Cruise from April 29-May 4 with Patty Tiu and Tom Taus. On May 9-14, we have Mothers Day Cruise with Daryl Ong. We also have PORORO The Little Penguin, which will also be experienced by Filipinos if they choose to go to Star Cruises Superstar Virgo!”

Chef Chong Hooi Chua their Executive Chef says “Normally we serve what we forecast but we know how unpredictable people coming on board. We replenish our supplies in Shanghai and Japan, fresh products included and we chill them according to shelf life, we have facilities here. We don’t run out of them because we stock more than what we need. Every location, we change the menu and I’ve been in the country for a while so in the Philippines it’s mostly western and something to pair with rice. It’s a hard task for doing it for 2000 people, we have 130 chef’s to also work with us and more than 20 kitchens that can produce dishes at the perfect temperature, we also carry small kitchens in some stores. I oversee all food standards, 6 meals a day but we do it right. We have all of them stored in decks, not easy but we do it. We have Filipino Chefs too and they work quite hard. Around 55%”, they are hard working and work hard for their families.”

This is the ship up close. Isn't it huge?

I also saw the one and only minister of defense Jerry Codnieñera who with his PBA compatriots will hold basketball clinics for Dads and their kids as a bonding activity during the Superstar Virgo's themed weeks (probably to celebrate Father's Day!).

The ship was huge, you could tell by this restaurant which has a huge seating capacity. It's got very detailed walls, murals, paintings, all for a fine dining experience while you are on deck. I knew we were going to enjoy the food too!

For starters we had frisee, salmon with caviar and proschiutto wrapped asparagus with shaved cheese and a little truffle oil.

This one is Mushroom Soup done the right way. They also had it on a bowl with baked filo dough, all hand made.

One of the highlights of the cruise for me was the Lobster Thermidore. You see, I'm allergic to shellfish and certain crustaceans, but if it's lobster I'm taking medicine before and after having it LOL. It was darn good and totally worth every morsel. It was warm and creamy.

This was sea bass I think enveloped in rich soy glaze. I chose the steak for the main course (which was super good by the way!) but this was also good according to the people beside me.

The desserts were heavenly. Tons of chocolate pralines, bonbons, ice cream, fruits, that log on top had marshmallows, you'll go to heaven and back to the sea. Now imagine, this is just one of the many restaurants they have on deck (they have 25 I think) so whatever tickles your fancy, you can have it on the ship!

We were then lead to the Zodiac Theater which was also HUGE, they went in and showed us what kind of entertainment we could enjoy while we were there.

Michael Co of Star Cruises says “This is not my first time in the Philippines, I have old friends here and it’s great to be back. The Genting Cruise Line and Star Cruises welcomes you to the Superstar Virgo. This return is like coming home, we are really excited about it. Today we look forward to our engagement here in March. It is our goal to make this our contribution to tourism in the country and we will continue to work closely with the DOT and other local agencies as we bring Superstar Virgo to your shores. This is a fleet of 6 vessels that will now include the country as a destination. From Okinawa Japan, Taiwan, you cam embark on new adventures with no Visa required. Thank you for joining us today and enjoy your day!”

There were European acrobats who showed us a thing or two about flying in the air and how strength plays into it. I mean look at the guys pecs, I don't want to work out anymore after seeing this LOL.

Oh and did I mention that one of the themed cruises will also have PORORO and his friends because it's just gonna be a good time with kids and the whole family in Superstar Virgo, that's crazy but I enjoyed when he came out to the stage hahah!

So in a nutshell, it's going to be a good themed cruise party everytime they set out sail. You just need to do the legwork in finding cool people, good food to be with. Oh wait let me show you the rooms!

The Rooms

They showed us around and got is to decks 7 and 9 so we could take a look at the rooms. On our way there, we saw a couple of restaurants and their central ballroom where most of their events and socials happen. Check this out!

This was the Chinese restaurant, if you want to be more fancy and less people you could dine here instead. There are restaurants that are not part of the package, but you get what you pay for.

Want to shop? Don't worry because their lobbies are filled with small kiosks so in a sense, you've got your own little mall in the ship too.

This is the center of the ship, it's super grand and there's a band who regularly plays here. During our visit they made sure to play Manila sound, of course, they also have very talented Filipino bands to do it too.

I forced them to participate in my Elevator selfie, if you want to get from one deck to the other, this is the way to go. They also have stairs like in Titanic, all wooden and posh. Then we headed on to some of their bars.

I was trying to look for the sign, but found this projected on the red carpet itself. Again, the bar had Filipino musicians in it and they comprise a majority of the workforce, so you'll feel right at home wherever you dock.

For those who didn't bring cash, they also accept Alipay on the ship, so Alibaba fans won't have any issues if they needed a drink or two.

Just right at the right corner of the bar is a Humidor lounge. So if you fancy a cigar or two, you can smoke here.

The seats are all fancy!

This one is a library. Yes it is a functioning one and they've got lots of books which you can borrow while on the ship. They've got lots of seating too so if you want to be a little alone time, this would be a great venue!

They've also got a jacuzzi which are indoors. But check out this deck at the center of the ship. It's like Greece in the middle of the ocean.

They also have a swimming pool, more outdoor jacuzzi's and day beds so you can bask in the heat of the sun and get your tan.

We went a couple floors down to see the suites and cabins where most of the people stay. All 4-5,000 of them!

The Cayman Suite (Executive) is intended for 3 people. It's got good beds, your own private jacuzzi, and a spectacular view on your own balcony.

The hallways are just super long, it's actually tiring to walk from end to end.

The Balcony Cabin on the other hand can fit 4 people, ample room for sleeping and leaving your things. This is the practical choice if you want to just eat and sleep while you have 6 meals everyday inside the ship.

And of course if you dock in Manila, you'll love the sunset which you could only see in Manila Bay. This is the port in the South Pier of Manila located just behind the Manila Hotel.

Thank you to the kind people who served us curry when we passed by this restaurant. They have mediterranean and south asian specialties also served here.

This man was just showing off. He had the teppanyaki table and decided to do a show for us, it's one of the more private restaurants inside the ship.

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For the rooms, you also have butler services so don't be too worried about not being pampered. Wether you are inside the ship or arranged to have tours in Japan or Taiwan, you will get the same kind of service and even MORE fun at the Superstar Virgo. They currently have sailings to Naha Japan and Keelung Taiwan, while the other is from Ishigaki Japan then Keelung Taiwan.

Their promo fares for cabin categories range from US Dollars 570 - 1365 on low season while mid season ranges from US Dollars 640 - 1607 depending on what cabin you are going to get. These rates are only valid until February 28, 2018. This would be the perfect gift for your whole family. You may call +6328366080 if for reservations and inquiries. You may also email them at salesmanila@gentinghk.com and there are nice people who would be able to answer your inquiries. Hurry because as I said it will only happen from March 5 up until May 29. Don't get left behind!

KUMAGCOW

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