New Year Lunch at Marriott Cafe

We weren't able to book a table at Carousel on New Year's day as it was already full when I tried to make a reservation. Gladly, there were still available tables at Marriott Cafe. 

The mood is less festive than that of Royal Plaza's and it also felt less busy.  

It was all our first time at the Marriott. The choices weren't as plentiful as that of Carousel's but what they lack in quantity, they make up for quality. 

The glistening red lobsters are what would greet you when you first enter the cafe. The expensive crustaceans were pretty popular and were snatched up fast. The good thing with the restaurant is that everything is replenished quickly. You also don't need to hoard as they have enough for everyone. Taking our sweet time, there were still lobsters available at 2:30PM. 

I also particularly loved their cheese, salad and bread stations, they were very unique and looks very homey.

Hot dishes were placed in cast iron cookware and were quite plentiful. They also have a pasta station and a carving station with all kinds of sauces imaginable. 

The desserts were also spectacular. I went back multiple times for the messy, creamy, desserts on those three big tumblers. The toffee pudding which I wasn't able to take a photo of was also very good. I normally stay away from puddings as they can fill you up fast but their version is too good to pass up. 

Speaking of quality over quantity, the selection of fruits strayed from the usual apples, oranges, bananas and papayas. They have delicious cherries and beautiful raspberries.

Overall, the Marriott buffet didn't disappoint. Em-J and I both say, it's even better than Carousel's.

Marriott Cafe

+65 6831 4605

320 Orchard Road, Singapore

Lunch Buffet - 55++

Marriott Vacation Club

After church two Sundays ago, I saw the Marriott Vacation Club setup at Vivo City. They were offering good hotel rates for Marriott hotels so I approached them to inquire if they have an existing offer for the Marriott in Manila. I spoke to their representative, Brian, a fellow pinoy. He told me that they don't have packages in Manila but they have a few properties with very affordable rates but the catch is I have to attend a timeshare presentation at their office. I agreed and he booked an appointment for me to go to their office the following Sunday.

Come Sunday, Clarice and I went all the way to Suntec at City Hall where their offices are located. It was quite a long trip only to be terribly disappointed. The guard at the Suntec Offices lobby told us that the Marriott office was closed but I showed him my appointment slip so he decided to accompany us up. True enough, it was indeed closed. I am confused as to why this happened. If Marriott Vacation Club can't even keep track of their office hours, I wonder what kind of service they provide if you already signed up and is already a paying member.

So as not to make our trek completely pointless, we decided to have a buffet lunch over at Kuishin Bo. Since I have a sweet tooth, I headed straight to the dessert bar. There were a lot of choices but what made me happy were the chocolate pieces and the mochi balls. I also loved their green tea soft-serve ice cream.

This is my first plate and I have to say everything there is fresh. The tempura was wonderful, so wonderful that Clarice and I had four plates. 

I forgot to take pictures of my succeeding plates but I love Kushin Bo. It just simply doesn't compare to Sakura. Selections were plentiful and of acceptable quality. If there is one thing I regret it's the fact that the crabs were not available. When we asked about it, we were told that they only serve them for dinner.

Phuket: Days 3 & 4

Our third day was spent touring Phi Phi and the neighboring islands. We were picked up at exactly 7:30am and we headed to the port. We waited for a few more minutes for the other guests to arrive.

We then settled comfortably in the speed boat. We fought the excitement to sit upfront thinking that it will be too hot by mid-afternoon which turned out to be a perfect decision.

It was quite a lengthy boat ride taking about 2 hours to reach the first island.

I was already dozing off by the time we reached our first stop, Phi Phi islands, the tour guide mentioned that parts of the movie "The Beach" were shot here. The sights were truly breathtaking. This first stop alone is worth the entire trip.

We were given just about 40 minutes to enjoy the waters and the island. The place was a bit too crowded since there were simultaneous trips all over. It's important not to bring any valuables since there's no place to stash your stuff. 

We then went to a couple more islands, I forgot which ones. We were not allowed to step out of the boat but we took all the scenery in. 

We also made a quick stop at Monkey Beach where we fed the monkeys. 

After that, we stopped for about half an hour for some snorkeling. There was really nothing much to see though so we quickly headed back to the boat to pass the time.

We were then taken to another island for lunch. It has quite a few establishments but we didn't explore. The heat was already getting to us and the three of us were feeling quite sluggish. Heck, we couldn't even get up to go to the boat to get our money so we can buy ourselves some ice cream. 

After a few hours of waiting, we then headed to the last island where we're supposed to stay for a couple of hours. It was a stretch of powdery white sand with rows and rows of beach chairs which you have to rent at around 150 baht so you can relax. The tour operators provided us with abundant supply of water, soda and fresh fruit to make our stay a bit more enjoyable. 

Em-J and I excitedly headed out to swim only to find out that it's really not conducive since the are dead corals which can hurt your bare feet. We didn't get ourselves some flippers at the port, the water was likewise not clear so you really can't see what you're stepping on. We decided to just sit back and enjoy the view.

At around 4:30pm, we started our trip back. Good thing that it took only about 15 minutes to get back to the port where our transpo was waiting for us.

When we got to the hotel, we continued enjoying the sun by swimming. 

We then called it a day by ordering in. There was really no place to go to and we were all too tired to still head to town plus I was also feeling a bit feverish. 

Our last day was pretty simple and quiet. For the first time, we stayed in bed and woke up a bit late. I then headed out to the pool after a quick breakfast. By lunch time, Em-J and I started packing to head to town. 

We checked out soon after. The front desk staff, Tatar, knew that our flight is not until later that night so she graciously offered to allow us to shower after spending the day out but we told her that we'll head straight to the airport instead of returning. The gesture was very much appreciated though.  

When we got to town, we looked for a cheap room to leave our luggage and our other things. We ended up checking in at a cheap room, quite literally.

Em-J didn't want to head to the beach anymore since he was already burnt so we spent the day relaxing by having a facial and a massage. We then met up with our cabbie at 7:45pm, he took us to the airport for the same price as that of our room, still a bargain though. As with any vacation, we were both reluctant to leave but we had to. 

Phuket: Day 2

The following day, Eli and I woke up early to get our discounted breakfast coupons at the concierge. We were told that there were only a limited number available. It turns out that we really had no reason to rush as the resort was pretty quiet that day.

Breakfast was about 18sgd / 550php. It was pretty reasonable for a hotel but selections were pretty limited. They had an assortment of pastries, cereals, an open kitchen for pancakes and eggs and finally for something heavy, Thai noodles and fried rice. 

Here we are ready for the day. 

After breakfast, we all headed out to tour the grounds. The Marriott properties were pretty big so they had to  provide us with a buggy. 

We then decided to head to the beach via bicycles. It took us about an hour and a half to circle the area. 

The beach was very quiet with only one visitor bathing in the sun. 

After enjoying the sun, we headed back to the hotel. We asked their super friendly staff as to what else we can do for the day and they recommended for us to go to Phuket town and then Patong later at night. 

A local taxi stand is stationed right outside our hotel and they all have fixed rates. A trip to Phuket town cost 800 baht (36sgd / 1200php). The driver didn't understand much English so he couldn't tell us where to go best. He dropped us off near a Robinson's supermarket and left. 

We had lunch at a local fast food place then we checked out the grocery for things that we still need and since there wasn't really much to do, we decided to go to Patong. We hired a cab and we were able to negotiate a 300baht (13sgd / 400php) cab fare. 

We checked out the area and then we headed to the beach. 

We then went back to the busy area of Patong where we had a massage and dinner. There were a lot of places for massage and we had to circle more than a couple of blocks searching for a suitable place till we reached the mall Jungceylon. Good thing we explored since we didn't know that it was there. 

Their KFC has sundae and chocolate roll while Dairy Queen's ice creams were pretty cheap. I so wanted to have one but I was too full. We then went to the mall till closing. 

We were still planning to go to a few bars but by this time we were all weary so there was really no choice but to head back and rest.