Tali Beach House. - Feb14-15,2015

My friends and I planned a trip to Tali Beach over the Valentine weekend. We've only finalized the location of our short trip two weeks prior to Valentine's, so a lot of the beach houses were rented out for the weekend already.

I started my search on Google and OLX, found some brokers who were renting out beach houses. Our group originally wanted a beachfront house with pool, but since we're cutting it so close to our arrival date, our choices were quite limited. 

I first came across Talibeach Houses on Facebook which offered quite a number of rental houses which fits our budget (mind you we are a group of eight). The broker and I originally agreed on House B for Php15,000, however, a week before our arrival, and a day before I settled the full payment, I received a message from the broker saying that we won't be able to rent out House B since something came up and they actually won't be able to rent out the house til March, I asked what other alternative houses they have and she suggested Pebble House, it is beach front but no pool. The problem is, the house looks too old and "haunted" looking for my liking, so I declined her offer and looked for other houses.

By this time, I was panicking ever so slightly since I only have a week to pull this off. Luckily, I found another broker, and he offered me THIS HOUSE for Php20,000. Its quite expensive and large for a group of eight but I agreed to it (with the consent of my friends) since we were thinking that if we pass this house up, we might not find a good one anymore. 

Then lo and behold, a day before I settle the full payment for the 20k house, another broker, Jolly Ang messaged me ( I messaged her before but all her houses were booked ).  She offered me "House 2". We negotiated for a while and she gave the house to me for Php20,000. It wasn't beach front but it has a pool and everything we needed for cooking. She also told me that the nearest beach was about 3-5minutes walk. The house is so damn amazing. 

All these were taken on the ground floor of the house. Upon entering the double wooden doors, you see the kitchen and dining, then bam, you look to the right there's an aquarium inside the wall. Walk a bit more, look to the left, there's a Koi pond under the stairs. And when you reach the center you realize that the doors are open and it leads to the sprawling backyard and pool. The house is so amazing, I unfortunately don't have photos of the rooms since they all got very messy, very quickly cos of our things. 

The kitchen is complete too, you have two types of stoves, the regular gas stove (?) and an induction stove, there's an oven as well, a large fridge, a breakfast bar and a formal dining table that seats eight. You can also use the house's cookware and utensils, and they have everything, from gravy boats to soup ladles, plates, knives, chopping boards, wine glasses, water glasses and even shot glasses. You only need to bring all the ingredients for cooking, and your own 5gallon water refill for the dispenser, but be sure that you bring everything cos there won't be a supermarket for around 30mins. There's a small store inside the subdivision but I doubt that it'll have everything you need. So be sure you bring everything. Have I said that be sure you bring everything? :)

Aside from the fact that the house is ahhhmazing, it also comes with the kindest caretaker ever, Kuya Allan and his wife, Ate Mavic, they were very kind to us and even accompanied us to the beach, which, unfortunately wasn't 3-5mins walk, it took us around 10mins and it was a roller-coaster hike! We went uphill and downhill and got stitches at the sides of our bodies, but it was worth it, the main beach is so serene and private, 

Above the serene beach, the one thing I loved most about Tali is the privacy. Its just perfect for a short vacay away from the busy city. 

TIPS:

• BRING EVERYTHING, since you're renting out houses, don't expect hotel amenities, bring your own toiletries and towels. Bring all the ingredients you need as well. Bring water, softdrinks...everything.
• Don't be surprised if the broker asks for the full payment before your arrival, this is their policy. House caretakers are not allowed to accept money.
• Give tips :)
• Some houses might require a security deposit, ours was Php5,000 but they'll return it before you leave, provided nothing was broken or missing.
• Clarifty the check-in/check-out time properly.
• Transact only with legitimate brokers. Your transaction will mainly be through texts, calls and e-mails so be careful. I highly suggest Jolly Ang since she's very accomodating.
• Remind your broker about the gate pass, no gate pass, no entry.
• No PUVs are allowed inside the propety, not even buses. I think coasters are allowed though.

COST BREAKDOWN:

House -              Php20,000

Food/Drinks -     Php4,000 (Dinner, snacks, breakfast, booze and lunch)

Gas -                  Php600

Tip -                   Php800
TOTAL:             PHP25,400
TOTAL/PERSON: PHP3,175

CONTACT INFO
MS. JOLLY ANG
(02)622-7545
09288157562
09178288119
http://talibeachhouse.weebly.com/
talibeachhouse@gmail.com

Will we be coming back? HALLELUJAH YES!

Cafe by the Ruins - Baguio City

No visit to the Philippines' summer capital is not complete without a visit to the legendary Cafe by the Ruins, which is named aptly, because it looks like a ruin. Its near Rizal Park and its an institution in Baguio so you really won't have a hard time looking for it. 

Actually its my first time to try Cafe by the Ruins so I was really excited to see what the hype was all about. First thought I had was, "wow this parking lot is really small". Literally there were tons of cars parked out on the side of the street. So if you're planning to eat here on a busy day, either go early or risk parking your car outside. 

Right after the entrance is a display of the Cafe's baked goodies, and the smell is so darn heavenly. The place looks so homey despite the "ruined" bricks and walls. The interior is mainly wood and the lights are soft and orange-y so the overall feel is home-like, only the place is a bit crowded, Tables and chairs are arranged so close to each other to accommodate more customers. 

The place is popular for its breakfast selections, I greatly suggest a cup of their hot chocolate with carabao's milk. Its so thick and rich and such a perk-me-up. I ordered the longganisa meal which looks like this:

Sorry it won't upload landscape :(

If you like your longganisa kind of sour, you'd love this, unfortunately I like mine sweet. But I liked the dish nonetheless, I was also intrigued by the purple rice but I forgot to ask why it is purple. They also give you a fruit cup with mangoes and strawberries and I dont' know what else, since I didn't eat mine

We also ordered a basket of focaccia bread with butter and jam but was shunted on the side because we were so engrossed with the main dishes. 

My mum and brother both ordered tinapang bangus. Which looked perfectly golden brown, I unfortunately did not get to taste their selection. They also ordered coffee and strawberry shake.

The price is mid-range, the longganisa costs Php340 and the tinapang bangus also costs the same. I think the price is worth it because the food is delicious, plus you're also paying for the ambiance. My family and I loved our first breakfast in Baguio courtesy of Cafe by the Ruins. 

How I went to Baguio

My latest Baguio trip happened last January 15-18, 2015. It was a four-day weekend due to the Pope's visit to Manila. The trip was planned in two weeks and I went with my Mum and brother. My Dad graciously booked our hotel room when he learned about the long weekend, I planned our itinerary after that.

We all decided that we didn't want to bring the car because:

1) Traffic will surely be hellish in Baguio

2) I'd rather be comfortably sleeping in a bus rather than driving for 7 hours

3) Commuting is so easy in Baguio anyway

Last time I went to Baguio (Oct2013), I took a regular air-conditioned Victory Liner bus from their Pasay terminal, so I suggested we do the same this time but this time, we wanted to take the "first class" bus.

I went to Victory Liner's website and found out that the one-way fare to Baguio via the first class bus is Php750. You can book and order your tickets online but it isn't as simple as it sounds. You book the tickets and pay via a third-party merchant, then you e-mail the bus company to tell them you've already paid for your tickets, after which, they will send you the bus tickets via courier. So we figured its easier if we go the the Pasay terminal and purchase the tickets instead. 

The regular bus fare to Baguio is Php455. So what made us pay the extra Php300 for the first class bus?

1) The seats are like smaller recliners. 

2) You have your own power outlet. 

3) Fare includes bottled water and a snack (brownies and pastillas)

4) THE BUS HAS ITS OWN COMFORT ROOM

5) Trip will only take about 5-5.5hrs via NLEx, SCTEx and TPLEx

6) Bus isn't crowded at all since each row only has three seats. (two seats-aisle-one seat)

7) Air-conditioning is good.

8) A "stewardess" is present in the bus who distributes the bottled water and snacks and sprays the comfort room with air freshener every now and then.

Photo not mine. Grabbed from Google search.

Our trip was scheduled at 1.15am but we left the house super early cos we were scared to be stuck in traffic. Since we booked the first class bus, we also had a first class lounge. It was air-conditioned with cable tv and comfort room, which was such a blessing since there were so many people in the terminal about to leave Manila for the long weekend. 

The bus was full and it left around 1.20am, Traffic was smooth and I told myself I'll sleep na once we're in NLEx. The Journey to Baguio was uneventful, except the minor road accident in NLEx near San Fernando Exit. I slept all the way from NLEx to the zigzag part going to Baguio. Bring your own blanket and pillow for a better nap. The extra money we spent on the first class tickets were worth it because our bus ride was so comfortable. So if you have the extra money to shell out, I totally recommend booking the first class bus. It might be expensive but you can't really put a price on comfort anyway.

I also recommend taking the 1.15am trip since you get to sleep soundly during the trip (they turn off the lights) and you'll arrive in Baguio feeling refreshed and ready to start ticking places off of your itinerary.