Aqua Felmida Resort: The White House Zambales Cottage Village Annex ( Cabangan, Zambales)

One of the advantages of the Philippines being an archipelago is that people from Metro Manila can enjoy the long stretch of beaches along the West Philippine Sea within just a few hours drive.  With the vast beach area comes numerous resort options.  Aqua Fel Mida in Cabangan Zambales is one of the latest resorts to be developed.  It is owned and managed by the same people behind the popular The White House Zambales which was developed a bit earlier - August 2018 located just beside it.  Hence, we consider it as one of the several annexes of The White House Zambales.

Aqual Fel Mida

Earlier this year, one of our office mates was retiring so we wanted to have an office outing before his retirement date which was his birthday.  Now, we feel fortunate to have had such a decision since the COVID pandemic soon hit the Philippines.  Although this resort is open and offering discounted rates, we still feel that traveling before was more convenient as there are no check points and requirements.

AQUA

The other The White House Zambales annexes are AQUA and...

RGV

RGV.  During our summer weekend visit, all annexes were occupied.  All of them are maintained by the same set of staffs who we believe are just nearby locals.


But, each resort annex offers its own unique ambiance. 

Aqua Felmida Resort looks like a mini native hut village.  

Day Tour Beachfront Cottages (DOLPHIN)

DOLPHIN

There are different types of cottage huts.  Some comes with a mini pool which didn't look appealing so we did not avail.

Modern Cottage B (MILK FISH)

MILKFISH Dining Area

All huts have a dining area, a rest room and

MILKFISH Twin Bed Room

 

and an air-conditioned bed room.  There are electrical sockets for charging in all areas.

Aqua Felmida Resort Beach Front

As with other beaches within the Zambales shoreline, the sand is a bit grayish.  The water is not clear blue but it is clean enough for swimming.

 

As a bonding activity, we avail of the videoke (1,000 php) and bonfire (500 php).   We enjoyed cooking our smores by the bonfire.  It was a first time for us so it was an awesome experience.

Overall, the service was good.  We also availed of its cooking serving.  The staffs prepared a boodle feast for us for lunch and then grilled variety for dinner. 

 

Aqua Felmida Resort
Hotel Address	Brgy. Felmida-Diaz, Cabangan, Zambales
Contact	(63923) 0819898 | (63906) 0917387 | (63923) 0862898	Reservation Required	Yes
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Bus, Tricycle
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Modern Cottage A - (YELLOW FIN)	•1 Queen-size bed •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Modern Cottage B -(MILK FISH)	•2 Twin size bed •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle (Additional Charge for the use of Gas Stove 150 - Grillings 100 charcoal not included,)		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Modern Cottage C -  (STARFISH & JELLY FISH)	•2 Queen-size beds •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle (Additional Charge for the use of Gas Stove 150 - Grillings 100 charcoal not included,)		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Non Aircon Cottages	•Use of Electric Fan •Comfort Room and Kitchen		6,000 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Day Tour (6AM-6PM) Beachfront Cottages (BLUE MARLIN & DOLPHIN)	•Comfort Room and Kitchen		2,500 php (10 Pax) 250 php (per pax excess up to 15 persons)
General Amenities	•Gas Stove (150/350 php) •Grilling Charcoal (100 php) •Kayak (200 php/hour) •Bonfire (500 php) •Boat ride (750 php/hour) •Karaoke up to 10pm only (1,000 for whole stay) •Cooking service 450 php (3 meals good for 3-4 pax) and 100 php (per additional dish)	Parking	Yes
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Aqua Felmida Resort Map
Location	★★★★
Room Comfort	★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★★
Price	★★★

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Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue: Top 10 Reasons Why We Love Our Stay

Hop Inn Hotel originated from Thailand and now has two branches here in the Philippines: Makati Avenue and Ermita Manila.

Ever since we heard about Hop Inn Hotel, we've always been wanting to try it.  Honestly, it has exceeded our expectations that we've loved our stay.

Top 10 Reasons Why We Love Our Stay at Hop Inn Makati Ave
10. Adequate Parking Spaces

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue dedicates it front space for car park.  If you have a car and want to stay for a night to spare yourself from the city traffic, this is a great choice.

9. Easy to Find

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue is easy to find.  It is not surrounded by any tall buildings.  And, it is found in the corner of Makati Avenue and J.P. Rizal.

8. Free Fast and Reliable WiFi

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue has free fast and reliable WiFi which covers every part of the hotel.

7. Strategic Location

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue is found at the heart of Makati's Night Life.  Diners and pubs are accessible by walking.  There are many passerby all day and all night long so you can feel safe and secured going out and about.

6. Courteous Staff

• The staffs are very courteous and accommodating to requests.  Although no phones are located at the rooms, you can find them at the hall near the elevators.  And sure enough, someone will go up and knock to address your needs.

5. Adequate Elevators

• There are adequate elevators so we did not experience any waiting time. 

4. Bright, Clean and Spacious

• Whether it's the hallway, rooms and even the bathrooms, everything is bright, clean and spacious. 

3. Safe

• All the rooms have a glow in the dark fire escape plan by the door.  (Yes! The glow in the dark idea is so cool.)  Each floor is equipped with fire extinguishers and fire exit.  The walls of the rooms are sturdy and cemented.  Each room is also equipped with safes.  And, the entire area is a non-smoking area.  There is a smoke-detector in every room to assure that.

2. Comfortable Rooms

• The beds, pillows and comforters are very soft.  There's a luggage port under the bed.  The air-conditioning is cool and very silent.  There is a desk area with a view of the urban structures.  There is a clothes rack with hangers to hang and dry your clothes.  There are many electrical sockets for charging your gadgets.  Their cable TV has a lot of channel options.  The rooms are divided by cemented walls and not just wooden planks.  There bathroom is equipped with a shower with heater.  There is even a hairdryer.

1. Very Affordable

• Considering the location, comfort, service and lots of inclusions like 2 bottle waters, fresh towels and soap/shampoo (but no toothbrush and toothpaste), the price is very affordable!  This is considered a budget hotel.  And, yes we dare say a very good one!

So there you have it, our top 10 reasons why we love our stay at Hop Inn Makati Avenue.  We are definitely considering staying here again.
 

Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue
Hotel Address	7806 Makati Ave, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact	(632) 816-7866	Reservation Required	No (Encouraged)
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Jeep, Taxi
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Standard - Twin	• Good For 2 Persons • 2 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,400 php
Standard - Double Room	• Good For 2 Persons • 1 Queen-size bed • 1 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,400 php
Standard - Sea View	• Good For 2 Persons • 1 Queen-size bed • 1 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,800 php
General Amenities		Parking	Yes
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue Map
Location	★★★★
Room Comfort	★★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★
Price	★★★★

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Garcellano Tourist Inn: Budget Backpacker's Accomodation (Rizal Avenue Puerto Princesa Palawan Philippines)

After not being able to board our Airasia flight back to Manila due to overbooking, we had to look for a place to stay for the night.  The airport guards and employees pitied us for not being able to be home for New Year's eve and suggested and pointed Garcellano Tourist Inn as a cheap accommodation.

It was easy to find because (1) everyone knows where it is and (2) it is found along Rizal Avenue at the center of the city.

Inside the seemingly small two-door entrance and past the lobby is a huge compound.

Even though we got the cheapest room available at 450 php per night,  we were amazed that the rooms are not as small as studio-type or pigeon-hole-condo-types.  Instead, they were big apartment-like rooms.

By the way, this is what their key chain looks like.  We presumed they don't want  us to loose our keys.  There's also two towels laid on our queen-sized bed.

Yes, it's a big queen-size bed with a bed table on the side.  There is also a closet with hangers in them.   There's a bench and a desk with lots of sockets too.

Although we're happy with the cleanliness and generous area-size of our room, we were very disappointed with the rest room.   The sink and its counter had evident stains and mildew. 

We used the toilet as if it was a public toilet and we couldn't take a bath given the way the shower area was presented.
 

Garcellano Tourist Inn
Hotel Address	257 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa  City, Philippines
Contact	(6338) 433-2314	Reservation Required	No (Encouraged)
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Jeep, Taxi
General Amenities		Parking	Yes (very limited)
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Eurotel Baguio Map
Location	★★★★★
Room Comfort	★★
Cleanliness	★★
Service	★★★
Price	★★★

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Venetian Condotel: My First Budget Stay in the Metro (Sta. Cruz Manila)

I always wanted to try to be a solo backpacker.  So one random day, I packed my bags and decided to have an overnight stay at Venetian Condotel (Manila Venetian Hotel if you're looking for it on Google Maps)

I took the LRT and stopped at Jose Abad Santos and walked around 15 minutes to Venetian Condotel.  There was a street-wide road construction for Aurora Boulevard so I wasn't able to spot it at once.  But, the Barangay officials were very helpful and directed me to the place.  As I went home, I walked to LRT Blumentritt which is also near.  It also has a 7-11 Convenient Store nearby.  It is also a ride away from Chinese General Hospital, Perpetual Help, SM San Lazaro, Saint Jude and Tutuban

Upon arrival, someone opened the door for me and led me to the front desk area.  The place felt very secured with CCTV's installed.

Conference Room

 The second floor had a Conference Room with basic pantry area.

I was ushered to the 3rd and 4th floor so I could see and select the room I desired. 

The hallway is very quiet and clean. 

At the end of the hallway of each floor is a Fire Exit.

Rooms
I was not able to view the suite because it was occupied during my visit.  It was leased on a long-term basis.   All rooms are studio-type nd fully-airconditioned.

Family

The Family Room is good for four.  It has a comfortable loft and a window view.

Deluxe Room for Two

The Deluxe Room for two has a 56" inch room, cabinet and spacious leg room.  The restroom also has generous shower area.

Standard

The Standard Room is only 18 square meters.  It has a single 36" bed with a side desk and working desk.  That's basically it.

This is the rest room with shower, faucet, toilet and a sink with mirror.

Standard Room for Two

I also noticed that the bed boards are different for each room.  There's also a phone. (You have to ask to have it activated)  The Standard Room for two has a double 48" bed, Cable tv, work desk, mirror (fronting the bed is not good for Feng Shiu) and a side desk.  It has a lot of leg room.

The rest room for this Standard Room for Two has spacious shower area.

My Standard Room for Two

I finally settled for the Standard Room for Two at Room 304. 

It had a beautiful bed board.  The mirror is also not facing the bed.  I also had a chair, working desk and side desk  I love that they provided 4 very fluffy pillows for a two-person room.  The blankets are hypoallergenic too.

The room was also brightly lit.  Even the lighting is lovely.

It had a Cable TV (but you have to let them activate it) so you can watch while on bed.  It has an electrical socket below the working desk and another between the mirror and the double bed.

This is my rest room.  It was sufficiently clean.  The toilet had a bidet too.  Call me OC (obsessive compulsive) but the presence of the used toilet-brush on the shower area made me very uncomfortable.

Rates

They offer different rates for daily, short and long term.

Just call to inquire.

Venetian Condotel
Hotel Address	2730 Aurora Boulevard corner Felix Huertas Abanao Street Sta. Cruz, Metro Manila,  Philippines
Contact	(63925) 554-0769 (63939) 934-7254 Facebook Fan Page	Reservation Required	No
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	LRT (bet. Jose Abad Santos and Blumentritt), Jeep, Taxi, Tricycle
General Amenities	•Conference Room	Parking	No
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Venetian Condotel Map
Location	★★★
Room Comfort	★★★
Cleanliness	★★★
Service	★★
Price	★★★

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