Saturday, 23 March 2002

Resort Review: Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel (Lian, Batangas)

Date of Stay: March 23-24, 2002

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: *******
Condition and Cleanliness: *******
Staff Performance: ******
Room Comfort: ******
Food and Beverage: *******
Other Amenities: ******
Value for Money: *******

Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel


This upscale DOT-accredited “Class AA” resort had its beginnings in the 1980s.  A brainchild of the Levistes of Batangas, it is the largest beach resort and hotel in the Lian/Matabungakay vicinity.  The resort was recently named as the “Most Outstanding Beach Resort of 2002” during the 17th Annual Parangal ng Bayan Awards and the 2002 National Consumer Excellence Awards.  Proofs of excellence are seen in its 57 combinations of fully-airconditioned superior and executive guest rooms with private bath and spacious veranda plus 12 suites (junior, senior) and villas (Parkview and Seaview).  Some rooms have 24-hour satellite TV and in-house movies and minibars.

A fleet of balsas
For gourmands, there are four food and beverage outlets.  The CafĂ© Caballero, open from 6 AM till midnight, offers sumptuous, a la carte, local and international cuisine with live weekend entertainment.  The beachside Ihaw-Ihaw Bar & Grill, open 7 PM till midnight, offers char-grilled dishes (including seafood).  The Cogon Bar, open, 10 AM till midnight, offers a wide variety of beverages and concocted cocktails.  The 50-pax Poolside Bar offers light refreshments and cool drinks.   
For private dining, parties, social gatherings and company outings, the resort offers the 500-pax Fiesta Area, the 170-pax Pavilion I & II, the 30-pax Wishing Well and the 35-pax Inakaya Private Room.  For conferences, seminars, meetings and team building,  there are 4 fully-equipped, airconditioned function rooms; the 100-pax Batangas Room, the 50-pax  Matabungkay Room, the 40-pax Balayan Room and the 40-pax Lian Room. 

For the active sports buffs and sun worshippers, the resort has a private 15-m. wide beige sand beachfront, a “Nestea” swimming pool, basketball court, badminton court, 14-hole minigolf, mini-soccer, two floodlit tennis courts, a volleyball area and a giant chessboard area.   The resort also offers scuba diving (there is a well-equipped dive shop) and fishing. Tired of the sun, stay indoors and visit the Gift Shop (handicrafts, beach wear, etc.) and the Gotcha Club which offers darts, billiards, table soccer, card games, table tennis plus a videoke which offers 7,000 songs, computerized in five languages (Filipino, English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean). 

The resort is also kid-friendly.  Aside from its outdoor playground area and kiddie pool, the hotel was also the first to introduce the “Children’s Paradise” indoor play area (open 8 AM-6 PM) where Playstation, V-tech games, playhouse activities, Barbie dolls, Mattel and Matchbox toys are offered to children guests under the supervision of a nanny (at no cost to in-house guests).  The resort also hosts a Hash House Harrier Run (special trekking, running and walking while enjoying nature’s scenic views) every last Saturday of the month and other fun-filled activities during peak seasons.  

Matabungkay Beach Resort and Hotel: Brgy. Matabungkay, Lian, Batangas.  Manila office: Unit H, Garden Floor, LPL Towers, 112 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.  Tel: (632) 819-3080, (632) 752-5252 and (632) 751-6685.  Fax: (632) 817-1176.  E-mail: mrb@matabungkay.net or inquiry@matabungkay.net.  Website: www.matabungkay.net. 

Friday, 14 April 2000

Resort Review: Sabin Resort Hotel (Ormoc City, Leyte)

Date of Stay: April 14-15, 2000

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: ********
Condition and Cleanliness: *******
Staff Performance: *******
Room Comfort: *******
Food and Beverage: ********
Other Amenities: *******
Value for Money: *******

Sabin Resort Hotel

Our de luxe room
Sabin Resort Hotel has 60 spacious airconditioned rooms with cable TV and private bath, some with verandas facing the pool and the sea (superior, de luxe, premiere,   executive suite and presidential suite).  

The resort has a unique, huge and ectomorphic swimming pool with its sunken poolside bar at the center accessed by a bridge. The pool is well lit at night.

The resort's private beach, along Ormoc Bay, has waters were so clear you could see your toes underneath.  An added spectacle was the magnificent sunset also best seen from a view deck beside the resort.  From here you could also see the city's port (a 5-min. drive from the resort) with Hotel Don Felipe prominent in the background.
The resort's unique pool

Its Mario's Restaurant serves Spanish and Filipino cuisine and also has a nightly live band.  The third floor Club Andone, on the other hand, serves fine wines.  For conferences, conventions or small group gatherings, the resort has the 400-500-pax grand ballroom (Rose), the 100-150-pax Garvie Hall and two 30-50-pax conference rooms.  

Arch. Roy Perez help conceptualize the design of the hotel while Cebuano Doro Barandino did the interiors.   

Sabin Resort Hotel: Brgy. Bantigue, Ormoc City, Leyte.  Tel: (053) 255-3801 to 03.  E-mail: info@sabinresorthotel.com. Website: www.sabinresort.com. 

Thursday, 28 October 1999

Hotel and Inn Review: Casa Punzalan (Taal, Batangas)

Date of Stay: October 28-29, 1999

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: ********
Rooms: ******
Condition and Cleanliness: ********
Staff Performance: ******
Room Comfort: ******
Food and Beverage:
Other Amenities:
Value for Money: *****

Casa Punzalan (photo: Mr. Marcos Caratao)

Jandy at Casa Punzalan
Casa Punzalan, Taal's first pensionnne, is the ancestral home of the prominent Punzalan family. It was leased by Mr. Jesus Samala Punzalan, Jr. and Capt. Nieto Punzalan, at no cost, to the Taal Heritage Foundation. 

The inn has 7 rooms, all named after owners (Graciano and Juliana) and their children; 5 of them fan-cooled (PhP600) and 2 airconditioned (PhP1,00-1,200), all accessed by a grand staircase.  It also has common baths (mens and ladies), a living room (sala), a coffee shop and a gift shop.  We opted to stay at the corner and well ventilated Graciano Room with its excellent view of the basilica and park from its capiz windows.   

Graciano Room

Casa Punzalan: cor. C. Ilagan and P. Gomez St., Brgy. Poblacion 7, Taal, Batangas.  Tel: (043) 408-0084.

Saturday, 11 April 1998

Hotel and Inn Feature: People's Lodge & Restaurant (Banaue, Ifugao)

Date of Stay: November 4-6, 1998
RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: *****
Condition and Cleanliness: *****
Staff Performance: ******
Room Comfort: *****
Food and Beverage: *****
Other Amenities: ****
Value for Money: ******

People's Lodge and Restaurant

View of the Ibulao River from our inn.
People's Lodge & Restaurant, a pension house, has 15 spartan double rooms with common bath for PhP100 per head.  

The inn also had 6 equally spartan double rooms  with bath, a bakery, restaurant (food was basic) and an all-important telephone.  

From its restaurant, one has a beautiful view of the town, the banks of the scenic Ibulao River (traversed by a hanging steel footbridge) and a backdrop of  rice terraces.  



People's Lodge & Restaurant: Banaue-Mayoyao-Potia-Isabela Rd., Banaue, Ifugao.  Tel: (074) 386-4014 to 15.

Friday, 26 December 1997

Resort Review: Coral Cay Resort (Carles, Iloilo)

Date of Stay: December 26 - 30, 1997

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: ******
Condition and Cleanliness: ********
Staff Performance: *******
Room Comfort: *******
Food and Beverage: *******
Other Amenities: ******
Value for Money: *******

Coral Cay Resort in Balbagon Island


Coral Cay Resort, on the 42-hectare, 1.5-km. long Balbagon Island, is located near Gigante Sur Island and is a 20-min. boat ride from the island’s Brgy. Lantangan. 

Its 10 airconditioned cottages, with its bamboo-cladded interior walls and exterior walls cladded with split coconut logs, has its own tiled bathroom and verandah.  

This  Class “A” resort also has 25 fan-cooled cottages with bath and a coffee shop/restaurant.
A Balbagon sunset

The resort offers torch-lit dinners, served al fresco under the stars, along its dazzling white sand beach lined with prickly aroma trees. The island's 3 km. long shoreline can be circumnavigated in about 30 mins., passing by a rocky shore where sea birds roost as well as the nearby barangay.

NOTE:This resort is currently nonoperational due to a fire that burned down all the cottages. 

Coral Cay Resort: Balbagon Island, Brgy. Lantangan, Carles, Iloilo.  

Saturday, 26 April 1997

Hotel and Inn Review: BP International Hotel (Hong Kong)

Date of Stay: April 26 - 29, 1997

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: *******
Condition and Cleanliness: ********
Staff Performance: *******
Room Comfort: *******
Food and Beverage: *******
Other Amenities: *******
Value for Money: *******


B P International Hotel

The BP International Hotel has 529 guest rooms.  Its twin City Vista room has, aside from an ensuite bathroom, the usual modern amenities such as satellite TV, fridge and IDD phone. Its well-lit rooms also has great views, aside from the city’s spectacular skyline, of the lush greenery of Kowloon Park. Other rooms have views of Hong Kong’s iconic and beautiful Victoria Harbor.

Twin Room
Twin Room
Cafe By The Park, the hotel coffee shop offers, aside from an international buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, an all-day a la carte menu of Asian and Western specialties.  The hotel’s Flamingo Lounge serves drinks, snacks, business lunches and nightly live entertainment while the Gordon Wu Hall, a Chinese restaurant at the basement,serves authentic Cantonese cuisine and regional specialties.
View of Kowloon Park from our room
The hotel, a 3-min. walk from the Jordan MTR Station, is also near the Jade Market and Temple Street.  It also offers tours, baby sitting, currency exchange, car rental, airport transfers, safety deposit boxes, laundry, dry cleaning and 24-hr. room service.

B P International Hotel: No. 8 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.  Tel: (852) 2376 1111. Fax: (852) 2376 1333. E-mail: enquiry@bpih.com.hk. Website: www@bpih.com.hk.

Thursday, 26 December 1996

Resort Review: EGI Resort and Hotel (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu)

Date of Stay: December 26-27, 1996

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: *******
Condition and Cleanliness: ********
Staff Performance: ********
Room Comfort: *******
Food and Beverage: ******
Other Amenities: ******
Value for Money: *********

EGI Resort and Hotel

Our suite
The 8-storey, beachfront, E. Ganzon, Inc.-owned EGI Resort and Hotel is located amidst a strand of world-class resorts and hotels in Mactan Island. 

The resort has airconditioned suites with cable TV, a fridge with minibar, NDD/IDD phone, bath (with bathtub and shower with hot and cold water) and a private balcony with a beautiful view of the sea and the nearby Club Kon-Tiki Resort (with its man-made white sandbar) and Cebu Mactan Island Member’s Club.  

This resort, the only condominium resort hotel on Mactan Island, also has a restaurant at the Zodiac Pavilion, function rooms, a free-form swimming pool and a small stretch of white sand beach.


The resort's swimming pool


EGI Resort and Hotel: Pajac-Maribago Rd., Brgy. Looc, Maribago District, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu.  Tel: (032) 232-3111 to 15. Fax: (032) 232-3117.  E-mail: egiresort2003@yahoo.com. Website: www.egiresortandhotel.com. 

Manila sales office: 29/F, EGI Taft Tower, 2339 Taft Ave., Manila.  Tel: (632) 302-6418.  Fax: (632) 302-6420.

Tuesday, 28 May 1996

Resort Review: Club Panoly Resort (Boracay, Malay, Aklan)

Date of Stay: May 28 - June 1, 1996

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: ********
Rooms: **********
Condition and Cleanliness: *********
Staff Performance: *********
Room Comfort: *********
Food and Beverage: *******
Other Amenities: ********
Value for Money: *******

Club Panoly Resort


The resort entrance
The 4-hectare, Singaporean-owned (CTW Group) and operated Club Panoly Resort, the first triple AAA resort in Boracay, was opened November 1989. A year later, the resort was the site of the 1991 RPN-9 mini-series Boracay which starred Dina Bonnevie, Fe Delos Reyes (singer/comedienne), Joel Torre, Rollie Quizon and Noel Trinidad (the fictional resort owner). 

Sprawled throughout this luxurious resort are 8 native-style octagonal clusters with 5 cottages, all fully air conditioned, with hot and cold shower, cable TV, minibar, complimentary coffee and tea and 24-hour IDD telephone facilities, all standard features in all rooms. The custom-designed furniture were made with indigenous creativity and materials. 
Cafe Punta Bunga

Aside from Cafe Punta Punta, the resort also has a restaurant, a bar (El Capitan) and a beach bar. There's also has a swimming pool (with poolside bar), a plexi-paved tennis court, two jacuzzis, spa, sauna, multi-purpose conference room, billiards, children's playground, souvenir shop, seaport and offers waterskiing, windsurfing, jetskiing, diving, paddle boating and speed boats.

Trying out the jacuzzi


 NOTE:
In 2012, Zest-O founder/owner  Ambassador Alfredo Yao bought the former Club Panoly and operated it as Sol Marina Resort. He increased its capacity to 333 rooms, including family rooms, and added a kids club, games area, Italian, Japanese, and Korean restaurants, and beach club, among others.  In December 2015,  it was rebranded as part of the Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts group.

Thursday, 23 February 1995

Resort Review: Club Paradise (Coron, Palawan)


Date of Stay: February 23 - 27, 1995

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: *******
Condition and Cleanliness: ********
Staff Performance: ********
Room Comfort: *******
Food and Beverage: *********
Other Amenities: ********
Value for Money: *******

Club Paradise Resort


Our cottage
The DOT-accredited Club Paradise Resort, on the idyllic Dimakya Island, is a beautiful 19-hectare rock island paradise on the northwest coast of Busuanga Island in Palawan. 

The exclusive, Class “AAA” Club Paradise Resort, opened in 1986, was expanded in 1990 and now has 26 non-airconditioned  cottages with bath (9 de luxe, 17 standard), 14 airconditioned family cottages and 20 airconditioned apartment-type rooms.  

It has a shimmering 700-m. long, powdery white sand beach, a magnificent and colorful coral reef (including large colorful giant clams) and crystal-clear, turquoise water.  It also has a saltwater swimming pool and a spacious clubhouse with a 120-pax, al fresco restaurant (Kanog), 2 bars (Dugong and Jungle Bar), lounge with indoor sport area (pingpong, billiards, darts and board games), video/videoke room, cable TV room, boutique shop, beauty parlor, 24-hour clinic and mini-library.  
Tellie relaxing at our hammock
There is also a jacuzzi, children's playground, tennis court and a well-equipped dive center.  

The resort also offers dive and dive courses,  waterskis, sit-in kayaks, wakeboards, ringo tubes, windsurfing, Hobie Cat sailing, banana boats and snorkeling as well as island hopping, bottom and troll fishing trips, Coron town and island trips and Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary “Safari” tours.  It can accommodate about 150 guests at one time. 

The resort’s rustic non-airconditioned, beachfront cottages, made of rattan, bamboo and nipa, had double beds (plus an extra one for me), a marble bath and a veranda with a bamboo sala set and an enticing  hammock for relaxing. 

Lounging along the island's white sand beach






Club Paradise: Dimakya Island, Coron, Palawan. Mobile number: (0917) 827-9852. 

Metro Manila booking office: 41/F Discovery Suites, 25 ADB Ave. Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600. Tel: (+632) 719-6971, (+632) 719-6972, (+632) 719-6973 and (+632) 719-6988. Mobile number: (0917) 568-4863. Email: reservations@cp.discovery.com.ph. Website: www.clubparadisepalawan.com.

Thursday, 9 April 1992

Hotel and Inn Review: Regent Marina Hotel (Pattaya, Thailand)

Date of Stay: April 9 -10, 1992

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)
Location: *******
Rooms: ******
Condition and Cleanliness: *******
Staff Performance: ******
Room Comfort: ******
Food and Beverage: *******
Other Amenities: *****
Value for Money: ******
Regent Marina Hotel
The 5-storey Regent Marina Hotel. located right along the quieter end of North Pattaya Beach, has 220 beautifully appointed airconditioned rooms and suites with bath, cable TV, ref and minibar (207 double and twin; 6 de luxe; 4 honey suites, 2 princess suites and 1 presidential suite).
Regent Marina Hotel - Room
Regent Marina Hotel - Coffee Shop
The hotel also has a 24-hour coffee shop, swimming pool, disco, conference and banquet facilities, game room, barber shop, beauty salon, snooker club and shopping arcade.
Regent Marina Hotel - Swimming Pool
The hotel also offers laundry, dry cleaning, valet, currency exchange, babysitting, tours, massage and 24-hr. room service.
Regent Marina Hotel - Lobby
Regent Marina Hotel: 463/61 Pattaya Beach Rd., Pattaya, 20260 Thailand.  Tel: (038) 428-015. Bangkok booking office tel: (02) 390-2511 to 12.