Microtel South Forbes (near Nuvali): Hotel Review

My sister planned a weekend get-away for both our families and our parents. It has been a while since we visited Enchanted Kingdom and thought it would be nice to rekindle lost memories together.  The last time we were there was about 11 years ago.  We were there with our brother, who now lives abroad; and my sister still single.   It was indeed a long time ago, but I can still remember the fun time aboard  Space Shuttle; And my My mom's first and last ride time ride Anchor's Away  (she almost disowned us, after that hellish ride).

We arrived at EK at 11am, and was overwhelmed with the volume of guests.   Too much for catching up with lost memories :P

We only got to ride the Bump Car (twice) and the paid 7D Theater.  The 7D was cool and my boys liked featured attraction on "Zombies".  We had lunch at the Amazon Grill (which was a bad choice, since we smelled like grilled chicken after, strolled a bit, again paid extra to play the Carnival games, bought souvenir shirts and jackets, before finally surrendering to the long lines and the full packed park.   Did we get our money's worth?  Nah!  It was way too crowded. We should have chosen a weekday to visit! 
We left the park at 3pm and headed to our humble accommodation for the night ~  MICROTEL South Forbes (near Nuvali).

Microtel South Forbes is about 25 kilometers away from Enchanted Kingdom. And took us 45 minutes to get there.

I love Microtel Rooms, they have spacious rooms and offer basic convenience to travelers at an affordable price.  

My sister handled the room booking and charged me P2600 for the room inclusive of breakfast.

Now about Microtel  South Forbes ~  check in was fast and easy. Having paid just a fraction, of a hotel cost, we already expected less than a 4-5 star hotel accommodation.

We got three deluxe rooms at ground floor.  All the rooms are spic and span.  We requested two queen beds for us.  The beds were comfortable and fits our family of 2 adults and 2 kids snuggly.

My boy testing his side of the bed :P

However, toiletries was lacking. And there are no slippers or bath robe to speak off. 

They do have a safety deposit box for your valuables and hair dryer.

There is also no in room refrigerator, instead the hotel services a mini-pantry with hot water, with coffee and tea, a vendo machine (also located at the ground floor).  They also have ice available at the 2nd floor. 

There is also no pool, which was a downer.  The kids would have loved that.  

Although very near Nuvali, where the action is, it is still about 10-15 minute drive (with traffic).  It would be an inconvenient commute if you are travelling by public transport.

Breakfast was served buffet style at the Umenoya.  Choices was limited, but surprisingly delicious.  We had our fill before our final check-out.    

Overall, we had a fine stay at the Microtel South Forbes.  It is a good halfway house, if you are heading to Tagaytay, which is just an hour away from the hotel.  

Microtel by Wyndham South Forbes
(near Nuvali Sta. Rosa) is located at
South Boulevard, South Forbes Golf City, Brgy. Inchican, Silang, Cavite

      (I got the following photos from the Microtel website).

For reservations and inquiries, you may contact them through the following:
Phone Number:+63(49) 543-4888
Fax Number: +63(49) 543-4800
Email: southforbes@microtel.ph   

Manila Sales Office
Phone Numbers: +63(2) 899-7171 | +63(917) 888-1800
Fax Number: +63(2) 870 0319
Email: sales@microtel.ph, reservations@microtel.ph

View Park Hotel's Red Lemon Grill and Adam's Cafe

Are you in search of tummy filling alternatives to your usual Tagaytay staple native restaurants? 

We came to know of View Park Hotel's Red Lemon Grill by accident as we were traversing Tagaytay-Calamba Road from 8 Suites, which was our Tagaytay home for the weekend.  


Red Lemon Grill is a modest restaurant operated by View Park Hotel.   The restaurant serves fusion Italian and Asian meals. 

Indoor sitting capacity is limited with added few outdoor benches for guests who would rather enjoy the Tagaytay's weather out in the open.


We were there on a Saturday night dinner.  And we were delighted to learn that they have an acoustic band that starts playing around 7pm.


We had chopsuey, calamares, lechon kawali (sorry, I forgot the name of the food my eldest ordered).  Everything was delicious.  Servings was hefty, yet well within budget. 

Their special chopsuey and melt in your mouth lechon kawali are highly recommended.

 We ended dinner  with brewed coffee, from Red Lemon Grill's adjoining coffee shop ~ Adam's Café.

Adam's brewed coffee was perfect against the chilling Tagaytay weather. 

VERDICT 

• Thumbs up for Red Lemon Grill and Adam's Café.
• Everything we ordered tasted great and price was about half the costs compared to other nearby restaurants.
• Coffee was also excellent.  I recommend Adam's Café as an easy alternative to the always full packed Bag of Beans.
• Unfortunately, the restaurant has no view of the famous Taal Volcano. But that was okay, since our accommodation at 8 Suites already has a majestic view of Taal. 

Red Lemon Grill and Adam's Café  are located at

3500 Calamba Road, Sungay East, Tagaytay City

phone number: 584-4090

email address: inquiry@viewparkhotel.com

For additional inquiries you may also check View Park Hotel's website at www.viewparkhotel.com.

Amoroma Ristorante Tagaytay ~ Authentic Italian!

 

The place is a bit unassuming from the outside and I would not have dared venture inside, if not for the beautiful reviews I have read from the other bloggers!
 
The inside of the restaurant, however, tells a different story.
There were obvious efforts from the owners to transform the place into a bona fide little Italian restaurant: 

... upon entering using the back door access from the restaurant's parking,  you would we delighted with the sight of numerous Italian Renaissance paintings that adorned the halls, a real working wood fired brick oven is also something you would not normally see elsewhere,  red checkered plaid pattern tablecloths and Italian music at the background would surely complete your dining experience.

 

 

 

 

There is a notice posted by the kitchen window: Orders are prepared fresh, simply put... "you shouldn't eat here if you are already hungry and famished, since it would be a while before they have your orders finished and served". 

 

When our food finally came, there were no frills and plating was almost nil,  honestly not very attractive.  Hohum...

 

 

Until we took a bite and unanimously agreed that this is by far one of the best pizza we have had... the waiting and the simple plating became forgivable... 

 

 

 

L-R/T-B: We ordered 5 Italian cheese pizza, carbonara, focaccia bread in pesto genovese dip, crab and shrimp stuffed pasta in tomato and cream sauce and creamy mushroom soup (not on photo)

 

 
VERDICT
 
We are happy we decided to stop over for lunch.  Amoroma Ristorante (literal translation "I Love Rome") succeeded in giving us a taste of Rome.
 
Pricing is a bit steep for most Juan, but I think the price was worth it.  We love everything that we ordered and would not hesitate to come back.

When in Tagaytay and if you are craving for authentic Italian cuisine, do not hesitate and seek out Amoroma Ristorante. Highly recommended.
 

Amoroma Ristorante Italiano is located in Tagaytay City.

Address: Calamba Road, Tolentino East, Tagaytay City

Contact Numbers: (046) 696-3582 / (0916) 3829883

Latest Dining Discovery in Tagaytay City ~ Morielli's Inn & Diner Restaurant

Tagaytay never runs out of hearty food stops and family friendly restaurants that continue to impress.

In our last Tagaytay escapade, my family experienced for our ourselves,

Morielli's Inn & Diner Restaurant.

 

It is a very charming restaurant, that offers exciting twists to your otherwise so-so traditional dishes.

 

 The menu selection is varied and all looks delectable. We had to settle with the chef's specialties.

 

My family ordered the pepper rice surprise, soft tacos, Pampanga pizza, carbonara and "turon with ice cream" for dessert.  

 

L-R/T-B: (a) Restaurant facade, (b) Interior, (c) While waiting for our order, one of the crew offered to take our family picture and (d) My youngest enjoying his turon.

 

L-R/T-B: (a) Pampanga Pizza, utterly delicious, (b) Carbonarra, egg base, (c) Pepper Rice Surprise, my husband can't have enough and keeps on saying, how delicious this meal is. He devoured on the entire plate, (d) Turon with generous slices of banana and langka inside.

 

VERDICT

The restaurant's tag line ~" Eat Much, Laugh Often and Love Much", speaks much of the owners passion for cooking and sharing this love affair with food to others to enjoy.

Morielli's is a special restaurant that offers lovingly prepared food served by truly warm and pleasant personnel.  


The fast service and personable crew (specially Rachel) tops the extraordinary experience.

NOTE:

• Come in hungry and order the house specialties.  We would definitely be back to try their breakfast.

• Our food order were on the spicy side, I would not recommend for small children.  Please ask the crew for food suggestions for your little ones.

 

• Morielli's also has rooms for rent.  Rachel was nice and gave us the grand tour.  They have four 4 bedrooms with a common living room area.  Each room has 2 queen beds, which I think would comfortably sleep a family of 4. Please check their website for the room rates or call them personally and ask for discounted rates.

 

Morielli's is located at Calamba Rd. cor. St. Francis Rd. Tagaytay.

 

 

Taaleña Tagaytay "Tarana"!

 

Taaleña Restaurant Tagaytay is tucked some few meters away the busy Tagaytay's Aguinaldo Highway.  It is quite easy to miss the place, if you are not looking hard enough.

 

We were just glad to have discovered it. 

 

Compared to the roadside restaurants  ~ Josephine's, Leslie's and RSM, Taaleña is more laid back and rustic. 

 

Food and service were comparable to other frequented restos in Tagaytay, but somehow, I enjoyed my food here at Taaleña way better.

 

 

 

 

We over ordered, not knowing how huge their servings were.  We got pansit, calamares rice, tawilis and  lumpiang sariwa (so takaw)!

 

Servings was quite hefty - perfect for huge travelling families. 

 

Our order was enough to feed 6 hungry men (and we were just 2 adults and 2 kids).

I normally don't like dried fish, but with Tagaytay's tawilis I can always make an exception.



My boy was all smiles, when his watermelon shake arrived!



 

We were meaning to try their desserts - but I guess you know we weren't getting any, after finishing our initial order :(  Maybe next time!

 

Taaleña is located at Casa Taal, Silang Crossing, Km. 54, West Tagaytay City.

Taal Vista Hotel Tagaytay

 

We are frequent Tagaytay travelers, but this is the first time we have actually stayed at Taal Vista. 

 

We got a Premier room at the Lake Wing with a grand view of the Taal Lake. 

 

Reviews weren't exaggerating, when they said it is a long walk to the Lake Wing of the hotel, but it was well worth the extra walk. It was a cozy room with a balcony with Taal Volcano as the backdrop! 

 

A sip of a regular 3-in-1 coffee, almost tasted brewed (hahaha!) and expensive, while seated at the balcony! 

 

Who cares about the room, when you have this as your view?

 

 

Bed was comfortable, but not heavenly...



They could have done a lot better in terms of toiletries... Ace Suites were way better than this!
Also their towels are quite worn out and needed replacement.

Bathroom is 3 way - I am not a fan though! It has no door (I honestly thought it must have broken and instead of repairing management decided to just take it out :P)!

The shower, sink and toilet were separated only by smoked-glass doors.

RATING:

• LOCATION - Perfect
• SERVICE - AAA+++ Check-in  and check-out were a breeze, Staff were all very attentive and efficient!
• PRICE - On the expensive side
• ROOM - Average
• GROUNDS - The hotel grounds is expansive.  Garden is well manicured, picture perfect and overlooks Taal Volcano.
• AMENITIES - There is an outdoor pool, gym, kids' play room and activity/game room, however, these were all located on the old wing (it was quite a walk from where we were staying - it was really far!) of the hotel.  Never got to try any of them.
• FOOD - Just good.  I was expecting better :P

The location makes up for the little peeves. I don't mind staying again and paying a little extra just for the view, which was really breathtaking especially on a clear sunny morning.

 

Taal Vista Hotel is located at  Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
Contact Number: +63 (2)917-8225 and +63 (46) 413-1000

Tootsie's Tagaytay - our latest favorite hang out!

 

I read about this home-styled cooking restaurant from the internet. For our last trip down South (or is it up?) of the Metro, a visit to the well reviewed Tootsie's Restaurant was an obvious must!

 

Indeed Tootsie's exudes a homey appeal.  It is just a small restaurant (with an extension wing) with very limited sitting. 

 

Since we came in at such an odd time for a lunch at 4pm (traffic was disastrous and it took us 3 hours, plus some mustered driving skills to navigate our way up to Tagaytay), there were very few people dining, however, I can just imagine how crowded this place must be during peak lunch and dinner time. 

 

Our driving ordeal left me and my boys rather famished. I wanted to order Tootsie's best seller lengua, but I am not sure if my kids would like it.  We ended ordering instead, another Tootsie's specialty adobo flakes (which my husband loved to the last bite), fresh lumpiang hubad and fish with potato fries. 

For dessert we ordered their special halo-halo turon and ube palitaw.



Tootsie's Fresh Lumpiang Hubad was delicious, but serving portion quite small...  

Adobo flakes is highly recommended!



My boys love the fish and fries... 

Their halo-halo turon (with ube and leche flan filling) were quite special!  Not your ordinary turon...

The ube palitaw was very filling! 

Service was quite slow, considering there were very few customers.  Given food is quite pricey, free appetizers (peanuts or bread sticks) would have been nice and most welcomed especially by hungry boys!

VERDICT:  Order their house specialties and you will never go wrong!  A trip to Tootsie's is well worth it, however, do make sure that you are not so hungry because you could be waiting for quite a while! 


Tootsie's Tagaytay is located at J. Abad Santos cor Aguinaldo Highway Tagaytay to the side of the Tagaytay ridges.
(046) - 4834629 / 0917-TOOTSIE (866 87 43)

MEMORY LANE chuvaness

 

 

Memory Lane is a country diner, mini boutique and beauty salon rolled into one! 

It is owned by actress-singer Jolina Magdangal ~ I can just imagine, how busy this place must have been during Jolina's heyday. 

 

The place is located along Magallanes Drive, Tagaytay City and could be a little difficult to find since it is tucked a few miles away from the busy main road.

 

 

 

The diner is cute and cozy, however, since it is also parlor and a gift shop, I found it quite overwhelming.  Not to mention the various knick-knacks from the 50s to 70s era that adorned the place. 

the entrance

 

the diner

wooden bird houses

 

 

 

the gift shop

movie posters from the yester years

 

 

We ordered salpicao, seafood hotpot and fried banana split ice cream for dessert.

 

 

 

 

Food was on the pricey side, but it was okay since my boys  finished their meal!

 

My boy gamely poses by the garden.

 

Cute!  Unfortunately not for sale :(

 

My hubby was a bit disappointed, Jolina was not around when we came that day. He would just have to be contented with this Jolina look alike mannequin (hindi talaga pinatawad - hahaha!).

Very relaxing!

 

 

Beach Bumming at Canyon Cove Nasugbu Batangas

 Three hours away from Manila and just about an hour away from Tagaytay is Nasugbu Batangas. 

I got a weekend deal from a group buying site and ended up 110kms South of Manila in Canyon Cove Residential Beach Resort,

The drive to Nasugbu was a breeze... all thanks to the C6 shortcut via Taytay out Bicutan (also saved us a couple of bucks on toll fees).   

  

The resort lobby was flooded with guests. It was understandable that it would take the receptionist another hour to get everyone settled in.

We were led to a 2nd floor superior room with 2 twin size bed and a bay bed (spacious enough for 5 adults). 

It took my kids just seconds to warm up to the beds.  The room is quite comfortable ~ I could just stay here for the rest of the day and sleep inside this well-airconditioned room.

The room opens to a balcony with a view of the beach below.  We just love, how, the rooms are situated and with direct access to the water excitement below.

Our view of the beach (unfortunately blocked the trees outside).  I think a 3rd floor room would have a better view. 

The resort has play ground. 
My youngest played a while, but I had to cut short the fun, as it was scorching hot outside.

The pool comes as a good alternative to those who hate the feel of sand on their face. There were a lot swimming, but the pool was so huge, the volume of people dwarfed in size.

Water is clean and warm, just perfect for the kiddos. 





Nothing beats the beach for these boys though.

Sand-water-sun-view (FUN)!!!

We so love sunsets in the Philippines!  Very romantic...



 Canyon Cove Residential Resort is just perfect for family get-aways.

If not for the poor food options, would have easily given this place a 5 out of 5.  Food was real bad ~ our office cafeteria food tastes better at 1/4 the cost we paid for. 

For better meal options, I suggest a 5-10 minutes drive out the resort to Nasugbu town proper and head to Kainan sa Dalampasigan.

Canyon Cove Resort  Far East Road, Piloto Wawa, Nasugbu, Batangas.

Kainan sa Dalampasigan - Nasugbu Batangas' Best Kept Secret!

Our Nasugbu Batangas road trip led us to Kainan sa Dalampasigan Restaurant.

The great reviews I have read online enticed us to drop by for lunch before heading back to Manila from our overnight escape at Canyon Cove Resort.

The restaurant is about 15 to 20 minutes from Canyon Cove and is quite easy to locate (If you get lost you can ask any locals.  They seem to be quite familiar with the place.)

First thing that struck us is that despite it's name Kainan sa Dalampasigan, we can't seem to find of view of the beach (or maybe we weren't just looking hard enough!).  What they do have, plenty of, are gardens (Maybe they should consider changing their name to Kainan sa Halamanan :P - makes more sense really!) 

The place is laid back and the atmosphere very relaxing.  The high ceiling allows the air to move freely - creating a tranquil ambiance.

Welcome to Kainan sa Dalampasigan.

This garden with water falls is located inside the restaurant. 

Ingenious center pieces that obviously came from their garden :)

Kainan serves traditional Filipino food.

We ordered sea food sampler, gulaman and halo-halo. We literally devoured the entire bilao - and I thought I over ordered (hahaha!).

Price is also reasonable.





Very delicious!



I was so busy touring the place, I cannot recall how fast service was. 

I remembered though, the restaurant's attendants to be very polite and welcoming when we came in. 

Kainan sa Dalampasigan is a complete dining experience.  

Kainan sa Dalampasigan is located at

Ruiz Martinez St. Brgy. Bucana, Nasugbu, Batangas


Please check out also links to our lovely stay at Canyon Cove here:
CANYON COVE NASUGBU ~ lovely resort!