Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Suvarnabhumi Airport: The Airport of Smiles

Suvarnabhumi Airport Quick Facts:

  • Accommodates 45 million passengers a year.
  • Serves both international and domestic flights averaging to 76 flights per hour.
  • Airport is comprised of 7 floors and 2 basements.

Three hours after we left Manila, our Cebu Pacific flight landed safely in Suvarnabhumi Airport, located 25kms away from Bangkok City.







The immigration line, though long, was fast and very systematic. After checking my documents, I was instructed by the friendly immigration officer to pose for the camera and in a matter of seconds, I was allowed to go to the baggage claim area.



We opted to take a public taxi going to our hotel in Pratunam for Thb200 (Php300). The ride was about 40 minutes long with no traffic.




The airport was nice and tidy, very spacious so prepare for long walks, signage are clear and have English translation, decent amenities with clean restrooms and plenty of seats for passengers waiting for their flights.


I only had high praises for this airport until I got hungry and found the limited and very expensive food choices. Thank goodness for free tastes and promos at the Duty Free shops! *freeloader alert*

Date Night at Maru Korean Restaurant

It's good to be back!

It's been a while since DB and I went to any Korean restaurant and so our dinner at Maru felt like an overdue homecoming to our first love. The waiter handed us the menu as soon as we were seated while he went back to the kitchen counter to get a tray of their complimentary Banchan.

Korean Fish Cake

Radish Kimchi

Spicy Eggplant

Fried Tofu

Kimchi

Spicy Dilis

Sweet Banana

Korean Pancake

The complimentary and refillable Banchan happily filled our hungry tummies but it didn't stop us from ordering more Korean treats I sorely missed.

Yukhoi - Php500.00

Yukhoi (or Yukhoe) is cold raw beef with fresh egg yolk on top mixed with sliced pear and ginger. The thought of eating raw beef may initially turn people off (including myself) but trust me, once you get a taste of how special this dish is, you'll crave for it from time to time.

Samgyubsal - Php250.00

The Samgyubsal (Pork Liempo) was too fatty but I like the bit on the tongue on every bite. Another meaty dish we had was the tender and flavorful Galbisal (Boneless Shortribs) that went well with my extra order of rice.

Galbisal - Php350.00

Cravings satisfied. Hope to be back again soon!

~o~o~o~

Maru Korean Restaurant 
HK Sun Plaza, Macapagal Avenue
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 391-3034

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Palawan Revisited: Kalui Restaurant

Our professor insisted that the group dine at Kalui Restaurant before we head back to Manila the following day. Since I know from experience that its one of the best restaurants in the city, I volunteered myself to call and reserve a table for all 15 of us. For large groups, Kalui requires a deposit of at least Php2, 000 to confirm your reservation.

On our side of the table (we had three sets of the following)

Shrimps Halabos - Php170.00

Seafood Kangkong - Php150.00

Sizzling Seafood Sisig - Php170.00

Sinigang ni Kaka - Php200.00

Blue Marlin - Php300.00

I love seafood nights! You'd really never go wrong whatever you order in Kalui as everything they serve were fresh and exceptionally delicious (turning simple menus into extraordinary dishes). It definitely made everyone happy and our tummies filled to the brim.

The Luli Boys especially.

Kalui's Signature Naughty Dessert

~o~o~o~

Kalui Restaurant
369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City
Palawan, Philippines
Tel.: (6348) 433-2580

Monday, July 29, 2013

Bangkok, TH: A Shopping Haven

Main Entry: Bangkok
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: buying
Synonym: shopping, hunt for, purchase, buy, acquiring, look for

Bangkok being the go-to place of its Asian neighboring countries for affordable and limitless shopping experience is now becoming synonymous to the word shopping. When friends learned that I went to the city capital of Thailand, first thing they asked was how many bags I brought back to Manila. But for the sake of my relationship, let's just keep that as a secret. *wink*

After our Chatuchak craze (read about it here), our next shopping destination was the Premium Outlet complex near Ayutthaya, Thailand.



Open daily from 10am to 3pm, Premium Outlet Udon Thani is a huge open-air mall known for its European architectural style with over 100 premium shops of apparel brands like Nike, Lacoste, Adidas, Arrow, Geox and a lot more.



I was lucky to grab a Rip Curl watch at 70% off!

Since we wanted to visit the supermarket to check the available local treats we can take home, we asked our driver/tour guide Kasem to drop us to The Pride of Bangkok -- Siam Paragon.


To replenish our energy and prepare ourselves to more hours of walking, we went down to the Food Court first to stuff ourselves with delicious Thai food. After loading Thb100 to the prepaid card used in Siam Paragon's Food Court, I checked the stalls and decided to order here.




Tom Yum Noodles

Noodles with Curry Sauce

Sticky Rice Cakes in Various Flavors

Because a girl can never have too much dessert, I also ended up trying this superb and addicting Red Bean Green Tea from Dairy Queen. I wonder if DQ Philippines have this on their menu.

Anyone here tried this yet?

For experience sake, the five of us squeezed ourselves in and rode the tuk-tuk from the bar to Patpong Night Market. Much to our dismay, our driver kept on switching lanes with no signal whatsoever while the cars behind us honk their horns profusely! The entire ride was so stressful that it nearly gave us a heart attack so we vowed to always take a cab even if it was more expensive as safety is still the number one priority.

The calm before the unforgettable tuk-tuk ride

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday Treats No. 13

Beef Chelo Kabab - Php140.00

~o~o~o~

Mister Kabab
Blue Wave Macapagal, Macapagal Blvd.
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 822-7825

Friday, July 26, 2013

8 Suites by Fat Jimmy's, Tagaytay


The number eight has been associated with luck and wealth in most cultures so it's no wonder that owners David Gomez and the Hasikan Development Corporation (of Fat Jimmy's Boracay) chose the lucky number to be the name of this stunning boutique hotel in Tagaytay City.

Photo grabbed from 8 Suite's website

From Palace in the Sky, we passed by a familiar 8 logo (or infinity as my initial reaction) and thought of checking it out before going back to Lee Boutique Hotel. After driving by rows of residential houses and tall grass fields, we finally saw this beautifully-lit building on top of the hill.

It was quite late, around 11pm I think, but the staff were kind enough to accommodate our request for a quick tour of the hotel. Here's the reception area that seemed more like a gorgeous living room to me than a hotel lobby.


From the name itself, the boutique hotel has eight uniquely designed rooms inspired by chocolates. Chocolate lovers will go crazy with 8 Suites room names like:

  • Deluxe Rooms with Double Queen-sized Beds: Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate 

  • Premium Suites with King-sized Beds and Bathtub with Balcony: Mocha Chocolate, White Oreo Chocolate and Dark Chocolate

  • Sweetest Suite with King-sized Beds with Bathtub and Home Theater System: White Praline Chocolate and Dark Mint Chocolate

DB and I were able to have a sneak peek of the Dark Chocolate Room with Balcony for ourselves and we were convinced why 8 Suites is the perfect spot if you're in dire need of a serene little piece of heaven on earth (or in Tagaytay to be more specific).


Deluxe room amenities (taken from their website):

  • Fitted 203 thread count, 100% cotton sheets
  • NAP An Alternative to Goose-Down Pillows
  • Two 100% Cotton Robes, Plush terrycloth bath linens and hair dryer
  • Rain Shower Heads and Bathtubs/Shower
  • Thick terry bathrobes
  • Hair Dryer
  • Intercom
  • Cable Satellite
  • Bedside clock/radio in selected suites
  • Flat Screen HDTV, Free use of DVD from our DVD library
  • Free Wi-Fi in common areas (note: internet connections are at times intermittent from the internet providers end)
  • iPod ready speakers/ docks in selected suites
  • Mini bar
  • Balcony overlooking Taal Lake 





Good news!

8 Suites has an on-going Weekday Promo (Sunday - Thursday stay) valid until September 15, 2013. So if you're planning to have your next honeymoon anytime soon or looking for a venue for your family reunion or any other special occasion on your mind, 8 Suites might just be the perfect location you're dreaming about.


~o~o~o~

8 Suites by Fat Jimmy's
Lot 7, Ridgeview Subdivision, Brgy. Iruhin
Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 655-4708
Fax: (632) 655-0194
Website: http://www.8suites.com/
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