Hotel Review: Taj Guesthouse Boracay

In March 2012, I found myself with a booked flight to Boracay and no place to stay at. So I crossed my fingers and sent an email to Taj Guesthouse, hoping they'd have some vacant rooms. I immediately got a reply with the available rooms and rates. I reserved a room for two for a fair price of two thousand pesos per night.

Taj Guesthouse is located minutes from the D'Mall, in a small alley. The main building is just a few steps from the beach (it's almost beachfront). But since it's a guesthouse, don't expect a pool or a huge lobby. The staff, however, are very friendly, courteous and helpful.

I got a room in the annex building. It's a bit farther than the main building but I didn't mind the short walk. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the rooms Taj Guesthouse has to offer. They can be compared to a 3-4 star hotel with a flat screen cable TV, refrigerator and A/C. My room has a double bed that can comfortably accommodate 2 people. They also provide towels and bath soaps. The only thing I missed was a safety vault.

I have enjoyed my stay so much. Everything was clean and working. Even though it's not a hotel with security guards on duty, it still felt very safe.

Make sure to book in advance if you plan to stay here. It could be very busy especially during peak season. But if you're already in Boracay, there's no harm in checking if they still have available rooms. 

Taj Guesthouse Boracay

Boracay Island, 5608 Balabag, Philippines

tajboracay@gmail.com

T (36) 2884628  / (36) 2885695

M 09209196509

Restaurant Review: People's Palace (Greenbelt 3)

It was only my second time dining at People's Palace although I wish I had discovered this place a long time ago. It offers modern Thai cuisine and is located in Greenbelt 3 right beside Via Mare Oyster Bar. I used to just pass by and ignore it, and now it is one my greatest food-related regret. :P

So here are the "tested" menu items. I wanted to take some pictures but food pornography is too obscene when you're in front of great stuff. :P Photos are borrowed from other sites. Please refer to the links for the sources of these pictures.

The very first thing you should order is their superb Prawn Spring Rolls with chili sauce. One taste of this yummy shrimpy treat and you'll definitely know why People's Palace is usually fully-booked during dinner time. It's an appetizer item but it doubles as a main, so it's a great choice. ;)

For the mains, you'll have to try one of the curries. We had the Panaeng Curry of Beef. The curry sauce is rich, creamy and delicious while the beef is very tender. It captures the taste and smell of Thailand. During the previous visit, we also tried the Crispy Lapu-lapu fillets with red curry and basil. The Lapu-lapu was cooked very nicely - skin is crispy and the meat is soft and juicy.

There are several drinks and desserts to choose from. Of course we tried the Sticky Rice with mangoes. One of the mango halves served was a bit too sour but it's still a pretty good choice. :)

It seems like you can never go wrong with any dish in this place. Kudos to the Chef Colin Mackay!

Prices may be a bit steep but it well worth it! Be prepared to pay about 500pesos or more per person. :)

Budget guide: Cheap hotels and guesthouses in Boracay

For the 2015 updated list, go to http://www.traveldazzler.com/index.php/2015/07/05/boracay-hotels/

It's summer time again and I'm sure a lot of people will visit the most popular party beach in the country - Boracay! So while the budget airlines take care of the cheap flights, allow me to list down some of the cheap Boracay hotels and guesthouses I found:

Taj Guesthouse Boracay

Taj Guesthouse Boracay is located in Boat Station 2 near D'mall. It's just a very short walk to the white beach. Rooms are very nice, well-decorated and super clean. The standard room for 2 costs 2000php during peak season (1500php off-peak). They also have a room for up to 6 people for only 3500php during peak season (3000 off-peak). For availability and reservations, send an email to tajboracay@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taj-Guesthouse-Boracay/121290147933020?sk=info

Eriko's House

Eriko's House can be found in an alley near D'mall, in Station 2. Rooms are clean and the guesthouse is near the party places. Standard room cost range from 1500-2500php depending on the tourist season. For servations, contact Susan Aoki, mobile# 09284854100 / 09232720421. http://www.erikoshouseboracay.com/

Villa Romero Boracay

Situated in Boat Station 3, Villa Romero Boracay hotel is just a few steps away from the white beach. If you take a tricycle and ask the driver to take you to Station 3, you will yourself in front of the hotel. The rooms are clean and well-maintained. Standard rooms range from 1500-1800php during peak season. Contact villaromerodeboracay@yahoo.com for availability and reservation. You can also visit the website http://www.villaromeroboracay.com/ to reserve and get instant confirmation with a credit card.

Dave's Straw Hat Inn

Dave's Straw Hat Inn is located in an alley in Boat Station 3. It's just a few minutes walk to the white beach. This guesthouse has so many rave reviews it is ranked number 1 in the Tripadvisor Popularity Index. Standard cottages are from 1700php to 3100php depending on the season. They also have some fan rooms for a much lower rate. Contact info@davesstrawhatinn.com for reservations. http://www.davesstrawhatinn.com/

Ocean Breeze Inn Guesthouse and Cottages

Ocean Breeze Inn can be found in Boat Station 3, in the same alley as Dave's Straw Hat. They offer some standard rooms in the main building, and also some cottages. Standard room prices range from 1600-2500php. Contact contact@oceanbreezeinn.biz for reservations or visit 

http://www.oceanbreezeinn.info/pageID_5051572.html

Enjoy your Boracay trip on budget!

PS. If you're looking for good rates on the activities (helmet diving, ATV, parasailaing, etc), try to contact Biboy 0907-3987845. His rates are much lower than most and he's very friendly. :)

Restaurant Review: Felix (Greenbelt 5)

On this day we weren't feeling particularly adventurous, but on our way to Kai we passed by Felix and decided to look at the menu. The waitress immediately attended to us and "sold" us the best-selling items of the restaurant. We were easily swayed, got a seat for two and were given the menu.

Upon looking at the menu, I immediately thought that it was a bit pricey. We picked some items and waited a bit for someone to notice that we were ready to order. Not attentive, tsk tsk. But after taking our orders, they gave us some bread with butter and a nice dip which I liked.

Here the items we ordered and some comments:

Appetizer: Hanoi - Shrimp and vermicelli wrapped in rice paper with peanut sauce dip
Uhm, it was plain. I can't say it was bad, but I didn't like it too much. Maybe I was expecting something more special than rice paper, sotanghon noodles, lettuce and some little shrimps.

Soup: Clare - Five mushroom with oyster chip; Tomy - Puree of tomatoes with ricotta cheese and baby arugula
The mushroom soup is bland and muddy. Tomato soup was nothing special. You can get it from another restaurant for a better price.

Entrée:
Tango - Duo of seabass with foie gras
This was supposed to be their best-selling entrée but it's hard to imagine why. The seabass is good, but not too good for the price. And duck liver is just not my thing.


Folger - US Angus Rib-eye
Normal US angus steak. It was grilled medium well as we like it. No complaints here.

The mashed potato that came with both entrées is very nice. :)
But unfortunately, they never served the Mango Shake we ordered. :(

The overall experience was disappointing. The food did not compensate for the price and the (lack of) service. We're probably never coming back to this place.

Quiz Night: Murphy's Makati

Tuesday night is quiz night!

If you and your friends are looking for a brain-racking challenge while enjoying nice food and cold beer, this might just be the place you are looking for. It's a perfect team building activity and a refreshing change from the normal karaoke nights. Murphy's Makati is an Irish pub located in VA Rufino St (formerly Herrara). They have a wide selection of menu items from breakfast plates, bar snacks, mains, sandwiches and a lot more. :)

Quiz match begins at 2030H! Categories normally include music, movies, history, sports, literature, geography, science and current events, with 10 questions each. We came here on a good night - there were 6 teams competing for the top 3 positions. Each will have the chance to win 3000, 2000 and 1000 pesos respectively worth of Murphy's consumables. After sucking at history and sports, we managed to get a perfect score in music and literature. In the end, we finished 3rd - hooray!

We need to brush up on sports, geography and history - but we'll definitely go back next week and get that top spot. :P