Hotel and Inn Review: Ximen Relite Hotel (Taiwan)

Date of Stay: September 27-29, 2019

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: ********

Rooms: *******

Condition and Cleanliness: *******

Staff Performance: *******

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: *****

Other Amenities: *****

Value for Money: ******

Taipei Relite Hotel

The 3-star, Minimalist-style, 12-storey hotel, built in 1998, was formerly known as Relite Hotel Taipei and Lilai Hotel.  

It has 100 elegantly decorated airconditioned, non-smoking rooms with flat screen cable TV with 40 cable channels (5 English – CNN, HBO, AXN, Discovery and TLC), NDD/IDD telephone, small refrigerator, magnetic door locks, doorbell, coffee/tea making facility, complimentary bottled water, work desk and complimentary wi-fi access.  

The private ensuite bathroom had a bathtub, shampoo and liquid soap dispensers, complimentary toiletries (2 sets of toothbrushes, shower cap and small bar of soap) and hair dryers.

Front Desk

The 19.8 sq. m. (216 sq. ft.) Standard Double Room (PhP2,261) has one double bed; the  19.8 sq. m. (216 sq. ft.) Standard Twin Room (PhP2,789-3,045) has two single beds; the 23.1 sq. m. (252 sq. ft.) Deluxe Double Room (PhP3,301-3,045) has one double bed; the 23.1 sq. m. (252 sq. ft.) Deluxe Twin Room (PhP3,301-3,557) has two single beds; the 23.1 sq. m. (252 sq. ft.) Standard Triple Room (PhP3,684-3,940) has one single bed and one double bed; the 23.1 sq. m. (252 sq. ft.) Standard Quad Room (PhP4,708-4,964) has two double beds; and the 23.1 sq. m. (252 sq. ft.) Deluxe Quad Room (PhP4,836-5,092) has two double beds.

Room 1612

It also has a 24-hour Front Desk, on-site coffee shop (Sunny Café, serving American and Chinese cuisine), tour desk, business center, shared lounge/TV area, meeting/banquet facilities and fitness center and offers luggage storage, daily housekeeping, shuttle service (surcharge), airport shuttle (surcharge) and 24-hour room service. Complimentary wi fi was also available in public areas, with two routers per floor.

Breakfast is served at the small, clean but no frills al fresco restaurant at the roof deck which has a great view of the city. You should take the lift to 12nd floor and then walk upstairs. Breakfast, which comes free with the room, doesn’t have much variety - mostly Asian fare (with a day or two without rice), eggs (mostly hard boiled or scrambled), coffee, tea, hot soya milk, iced tea, orange juice, ham, bread, jam and porridge. Times of eating are segregated based on your color voucher. They promptly close the breakfast table at 10 AM.

Elevators

The pillows and mattresses in the room were soft. There's no bidet in the bathroom but the electric mirror demister was a nice addition.  Air conditioning in the room has no temperature control so we were shivering all night, even under our heavy blankets. 

The staff was kind and courteous but had a hard time speaking in English but it was enough to get by.  The hotel lobby has an unlimited water dispenser and coffee/tea machine for waiting guests but the two elevators were very tiny. 

The roofdeck coffee shop

One great plus for this hotel is its location.  The centrally located Relite Hotel Taipei, alongside the biggest road and the sole sightseeing bridge flyover of Taiwan, is minutes away (200 m.) from Taipei City Prefecture North Gate and 400 m. from Zhongshan Hall and is within close proximity of Tianhou Temple and Red House Theater.

Sunny Cafe

6/F Elevator Lobby

Reception Area

It is also 300 m. from Beimen MRT Station, the Market and a 7-11 Supermarket; 500 m. from Front Metro Mall and Taipei International District of Commerce; 650 m. from National Taiwan Museum; 700 m. (a 10-15-min. walk) from Taipei Main Station and Presidential Office Building; about 800 m. from the popular Ximending Night Market; 1 km. from Dihua Street; 1.3 kms. from Qingshan Temple and Bopilao Old Street; 1.7 kms. from Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall; 4.8 kms. from Taipei Songshan Airport and 27.9 kms. from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. 

The author and his son Jandy

Ximen Relite Hotel: No 21, Section 1, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100, Taiwan.  Tel: (855) 214-4563 (Guest Reservations) and +886 2 2311 1440. Website: www.ximen-relite.taiwanhotelstaipei.com.

Restaurant Review: Chien-Yen Shabu-Shabu (Taipei, Taiwan)

Chien-Yen Shabu Shabu

There are many hot pot (shabu-shabu) buffet (where you can select uncooked items from the counter, and then cook at your table) restaurants all over Taiwan and the first experience of our 35-man group of Filipino travel agents, after arrival in Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, was to have lunch in one such restaurant.   

Our amiable Eagle Tours local guide Vincent Chen brought us to one popular hot pot restaurant – Chien-Yen Shabu Shabu.

 

Reception Area

It had a first-class cafeteria ambiance, was clean and bright, with plenty of lighting, which is conventional for this type of restaurant.  

Then there’s the food, with every station packed full with literally hundreds of items to choose from, including many specialty vegetarian items.

 

Selecting the fresh ingredients for the hotpot

For those of us who wanted Shabu-Shabu (around NT$350-400 get all-you-can-eat hot pot, including tax and tip), they were presented with their individual hotpot with several choices for flavors. They could choose from 2 types of vegetarian broth, a variety of meats and fresh vegetables,  tofu, mushroom, taro, pumpkin, etc.

 

One of the food stations

Soup Station

Desserts

Chien-Yen also has many items to choose from, including various cooked dishes; and a wide selection of fish balls of various sorts, dumplings, shrimp, crab, Saba, squid salads, sashimi, sushi, appetizers, etc.. This huge buffet has it all. 

Appetizer Station

There are also meat carving stations for better quality meats, many side dishes, sushi, a variety of desserts (some vegetarian as well), fresh fruits,  plus a drink station where they make milk tea and various other drinks.

Overall Chien-Yen was great, the food was flavorful and the variety of dishes we chose from was excellent.  The price was reasonable. 

Chien-Yen Shabu Shabu: 2/F, No.41 Sec. 1, Zhonghua Road, Wanhua District,Taipei, Taiwan.  Tel: +886-33786000.  Open daily, 11 AM – 11 PM.

Hotel and Inn Review: Crown Hotel (Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte)

Date of Stay: July 20-22, 2019

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: ******

Rooms: ******

Condition and Cleanliness: *******

Staff Performance: *****

Room Comfort: ******

Food and Beverage:

Other Amenities: **

Value for Money: *****

Crown Hotel

This 2-storey, seemingly still brand new hotel has airconditioned rooms with 32” LED cable TV and private ensuite bathroom.  

The Single Room (PhP1,000++) has 2 single beds, the Matrimonial Room (PhP1,000++) has 1 double bed, the Family Room (PhP1,500++) has one double bed and 2 single beds,  the Superior Room (PhP1,800++) has 2 double beds and 1 single bed) and the Executive Room (PhP2,000++) has 2 queen-size beds.

Room 4 (Matrimonial Room)

Charges apply for extra beds (PhP150), pillows (PhP30), blankets (PhP30) and towels (PhP30).  

They offer airport and port transfers (PhP3,000).  The hotel has a secured parking area for guests and a roof deck at the second floor for outdoor functions. 

Reception Area

 

The hotel also has no food and beverage outlet but you can buy snacks and cold drinks at the Front Desk.   

Rooms have no complimentary bottled water but there's a water dispenser at the lobby for free hot or cold water. For meals, here is a nearby (around 500 m. away) Jollibee outlet as well as other eateries at the town proper.

Though quite new, some of the tiles at the reception were poorly installed and were now detached and creaking.  You have to watch your step lest you trip. 

Hotel entrance

Crown Hotel: Dipolog - Sindangan Regional Highway, Disud, Sindangan 7112, Zamboanga del Norte.  Tel: (065) 918-0794.  Mobile numbers:  Cel: (0916) 164-6684, (0935) 278-0034. (0912) 679-4717 and (0915) 096-5696.

HISTORIA, CULINARIA, Y CULTURA: A Celebration of Philippine Independence Day Through Food, Fashion & Culture (Taal, Batangas)

 

Historia, Culinaria y Cultura

Last June 8, 2019, the 2-day HISTORIA, CULINARIA, Y CULTURA: A Celebration of Philippine Independence Day Through Food, Fashion & Culture, celebrated 121 years of Philippine Independence via a showcase of heritage food, fashion and culture in the historic heritage town of Taal in Batangas.

Sining sa Taal

The “Sining ng Taal” Art Exhibit, at Tampuhan Café, Galleria Taal and Casa Gahol, featured the artworks of Mr. Oliver Y. Roxas (artist and designer), Mr. Randy Roa (visual artist), Mr. Jose Alain Austria (history professor and self-taught artist), Ms. Robelyn C. Canto (babaylan of the Manobo tribe noted for her hand embroidery), decoupage and collage queen Ms. Arlene F. Barbaza (of Artefact & Ressurection Furniture), Mr. Binggoy De Ocampo (Ressurection and Found Objects gallery owner), Mr. Lawton Ladao (a Bulakeno artist called the "Illustrator of Memories") and Mr. Herminio Tan (a sculptor who transforms bones into wearable art).

Taal Mayor Fulgencio "Pong" Mercado and Theo Arnold cutting the ceremonial
ribbon opening the "Sining sa Taal" art exhibit

The opening and ribbon cutting was graced by Taal Mayor Fulgencio “Pong” I. Mercado, former Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Philippines Theo Arnold,  acclaimed fashion designer Mr. Lito Perez, Mr. Oliver Roxas, Mr. Jay Bato-on, Mr. Rogie Reyes, Mr. Nathan De Leon, Ms. Mildred V. Vitangcol (Chairman of the Board of St. Peter Life Plan, Inc.), Ms. Beth Victoria (Publisher of Bravo Filipino Magazine) and Mr. Zardo Austria (cultural arts and fashion impresario).

Guests at the opening

Guests posing in period attire

The Historia aspect, aiming to educate visitors on interesting and little known facts about Philippine significant segments in Philippine history, particularly on the aspects of art and architecture, featured the following activities:

• Talks by experts on Philippine History Art and Architecture
• “Camino de Taal” are guided tours to historical places and heritage houses in Taal —especially the houses of illustrious Filipino families that have helped achieve Filipino nationhood.
• Film showings featuring momentous period films that showcase the skill and soul of noted Filipino filmmakers.
• “Kasaysayan sa Kanto,” a 2-day Photo Contest (by Kanto Salted Caramel Vodka) where amateur and professional photographers will display their snapshots of Taal’s historical places.

 

Kasaysayan sa Kanto

The Culinaria aspect will featured the following activities:

• Pop Up Lunch highlighting Culinaria Filipina.  Here the Malolos Congress menu (Package Cost: PhP3,500) will be recreated and served in Villa Tortuga, one of Taal’s ancestral houses.  Dining in 19th century splendor, attendees will be required to put on full period costume.
• 2-day Calle Tienda Crafts and Food Fair, held at Taal’s Social Plaza (Calle Mariño-Agoncillo), will feature food stalls serving local and fusion Filipino delicacies and artisanal crafts.
• Food demos, along Calle Jose Diokno, where topnotch Filipino culinary artists will conduct demos on popular Filipino delicacies, traditional cuisine, and long-lost heritage menus.

 

1899 Malolos Congress Menu

Kundiman ng Lahi

Cultura, the distinctive Filipino culture which marries Western and Eastern influences into one fluid and vibrant way of life, became the inspiration of 3 centerpiece events namely:

• The “Mutya at Ginoo ng Kultura,” the first ever search for the male and female ambassadors who embody Filipino cultural ideals and promote heritage tourism by advocating the preservation and conservation of local culture.
• The “Kundiman ng Lahi” is a concert, in cooperation with the Lyric Opera of the Philippines (LyrOpera), of well-loved Filipino music (featuring performers Ana Feleo, Randy Gilongco, Mary Patrice Pacis, Tonton Pascual, Mheco Manlangit, Carlo Miguel Bunyi and pianist Peter Porticos) that highlights the different aspects of the Filipino psyche.
• The grand “Historia en La Moda,” a fitting finale, is a fashion exposition gala that traces the evolution of traditional Filipino attire from Pre-Hispanic times to the genteel days of the Pre-World War II era.  It will feature the masterful creations of Manila’s top fashion designers (Lito Perez, Ditta Sandico, Edgar Madamba, Allesandro Sy, etc.) as they capture the transformations of the Philippine traditional wear.

Historia en la Moda

Restaurant Review: Don Juan Boodle House (Taal, Batangas)

 

Don Juan Boodle House

A break in the Historia, Culinaria, Y Cultura proceedings brought us to the Don Juan Boodle House for lunch. Located near the Taal Public Market, it is said to be the first and the original Taal restaurant serving boodle fight food with various selections – Davao Boodle (Php1499),  Ilocos Boodle (Php1399), Military Boodle (Php1299), Ilonggo Boodle (Php1399), Southern Tagalog Boodle (Php1399), Inihaw Boodle and Taal Specialty Boodle, all good for 4 to 6 persons.  The restaurant was already filled up when we arrived but, luckily, we had a table reserved for the 8 of us. 

Check out “Historia, Culinaria, Y Cultura: A Celebration of Philippine Independence Day Through Food, Fashion & Culture”

 

The DOT media group and the author (right)

However, the most popular boodle-type meals in the restaurant are the Taal Specialty Boodle and the Inihaw Boodle, both for Php1299. We tried the former. Served on the usual banana leaves, it consisted of town’s tapang Taal and longganisang Taal as well as, adobo sa dilaw (chicken cooked in turmeric), ginataang sitaw at kalabasa (string beans and squash with coconut milk), sinaing na tulingan (braised tuna wrapped in banana leaves), pritong tawilis (fried tawilis), inihaw na binakbakan (grilled pork ribs) and fruit in season (watermelon during our visit).  All this was served with sliced tomatoes, onion, salted egg, atsara (pickled grated papaya) and lots of steamed rice.

 

Taal Specialty Boodle

The food was very good and satisfying, the service very friendly and the prices were surprisingly affordable.   For those who don’t have a big appetite may find the boodle specials too much, so Don Juan also serves ala carte grilled dishes such as Tiyan ng Tuna (Php399), Pusit (Php329), Tambakol (Php299), Longganisa  (Php99), Tahong (Php149), Talong (Php89) Liempo (Php249), Tilapia (Php119) Tanigue (Php299), Chicken BBQ (Php119) and Pork BBQ (Php39).

They also serve appetizers such as Bangus Sisig (Php289), Pork Sisig (Php229) and Chili Dynamite (Php169); soups such as Sinigang na Baboy (Php299), Sinigang na Hipon (Php399), Bulalo (Php399) and Sinigang na Salmon Head with Prawns (Php399); desserts such as Leche Flan(Php69), Fried Taal Suman with Tsokolate (Php89),  Taal Suman with Mangga (Php99) and Minatamis na Saging (Php69) and merienda treats such as Batchoy (Php99), Canton Guisado (Php99), Bihon Guisado (Php89), Halo-Halo (Php89) and Mais Con Yelo (Php69). 

They even serve reasonably priced (from Php119 to P179) meals (Bistek Tagalog,  Chicken BBQ,  Liempo,  Chicken Pork Adobo,  Pork Binagoongan,  Pork BBQ,  Inihaw na Tilapia,  Tapang Taal,  Bangus Sisig  and Bagnet), all  with unlimited rice and free soup.

There’s also has a pasalubong corner where diners may buy food items to bring home or as gifts. Don Juan Boodle House has another branch in Lipa City, just minutes away from Case De Segunda.

 

The packed dining area

Don Juan Boodle House: C.W. Diokno St., Taal.  Tel: (043) 740-1828.  Mobile numbers: (0917) 113 0393, and (0917) 528 0551. Open Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM – 9 PM, and Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, 7 AM – 9 PM.

Don Juan Boodle House:  P. Torres cor. G.A. Solis Sts., 4217 Lipa City.  Tel: (043) 740-1828.  Mobile numbers: (0917) 1130-393 and ‎(0917) 5280-551.