Legazpi, Albay

Analyn, Mark and I flew to Legazpi one weekend with the intention of visiting their famed hot springs. Their airport has the majestic Mayon Volcano as a backdrop.  Analyn said we were lucky because there were no clouds covering the top of the natural wonder. 

There are several hotel shuttles waiting right by the airport exit and we quickly located ours.  This is great because tourists won't have to worry about transportation.  We would later find out that transportation is not a problem in Legazpi.  There are not a lot of cabs but the malls, restaurants, airport and the terminal are accessible by tricycle.

After settling in, we headed to the terminal which is a 5-minute ride away from the hotel.  We located the shuttle heading to Tiwi and paid P60 per person.  The driver was kind enough to drop us off at the resort which is about an hour out. 

Honestly, I wasn't expecting a resort.  I was thinking the hot springs would be in the middle of the forest or the woods that's why I brought my own towel. 

The bad news is we were told that the hot springs have been dried out and all that's left to enjoy in the resort would be their pool. 

Sadly, we headed back and went to Small Talk Cafe which is one of the recommended restaurants by netizens.  We then spent the rest of the day sleeping in as we were all tired coming from our shifts. 

We were informed that most places close by 8PM but we saw that Embarcadero is open till midnight so we headed there when we woke up.  Another sad news, there's nothing to see there except for two restaurants as every place is also already closed.  

We went back to the hotel and was glad to find out that there's a cool restaurant right outside our hotel.

The next day, before heading to the airport, we passed by the mall to try the town's famous cheese halo-halo.  It was also a let-down, the leche flan which was supposed to sweeten the treat was not sweet at all. 

Despite our misadventures, I still had fun.  I marveled at the sight of Mayon and it's sure a different way to spend one's weekend.

Crown Regency Hotel and Towers, Cebu

I chose Crown Regency Hotel and Towers in Cebu for only one reason and that is the Extreme Adventures that they have. I didn't even bother to read reviews of the hotel so I wasn't expecting much when we got there.

I didn't do a lot of research on the hotel but by the looks of it, it appears that the property acquired the building beside it and turned it into the hotel's extension. If this is true, this would explain why the elevators are confusing as you have to make certain transfers to get to the other parts of the hotel and why the floors are not level.

Lobby

The lobby is quite small for such a big hotel and it does get very crowded especially as they "park" all the luggages of guests there and also since wifi is only available there. 

Room

The room is a surprise as it is very spacious, even the toilet gives you plenty of space.

If you need an ironing board, you need to call housekeeping to see if there's any available, which we did. We were informed that they'll send one up but it never came. There are no bathrobes and sockets are quite few as well.

Their towels are also old and are in dire need of replacing. 

Breakfast

What I was most disappointed about with my stay here would be breakfast. You need to wake up a bit early as the restaurant can't handle the capacity of the guests staying at the hotel. There are queues snaking and there can be quite a bit of a wait to get seated unless you come in really early or quite late.

There's a row of dirty tables when we got there and not one of them got cleaned during the entire time that we were having breakfast.

Food is also just so so and I have to point out the bananas that they were serving the the fruit station. Really sad.

Pool and Gym

They have several pools, the 9th floor has 2 pools, a lap pool and one free form. They have an aqua fitness pool on the 17th floor similar to ACE Water Spa but the hydrojets were no longer working.

The gym is quite big and is well equipped.

Other Hotel Facilities

The hotel's main draw is, of course, the Extreme Adventures from the 37th to the 42nd floor - The Edge Coaster, Skywalk Extreme, Zipline, Wall Climbing and the Cliffhanger.

Apart from those mentioned above, the hotel also has other interesting attractions such as the Dimension, a disco cafe at the 43rd floor, a 4D theater and playzone for kids and a "theme" restaurant.

Location

The hotel is located right beside a Robinson's mall and is a few steps away Fuente Circle. Jeepneys outside take you directly to Ayala Center Cebu and the other tourist spots are less than 15 minutes away by cab.

Overall, the hotel feels a bit chaotic. I can recommend this hotel to families with kids or if you are traveling with a big group, otherwise, you'd be better off staying elsewhere.

Crown Regency Hotel and Towers

Tower 1, Fuente Towers, Osmena Blvd

Cebu City

+6332 418-8888

reservations@crownregency.com

Boracay (1 of 3)

It's easy to fall in love with Boracay.







If you're going to Boracay via Caticlan, which is the more convenient way, you'd have to take a smaller plane.



The airport is nice and cute. The toilets are also well maintained. I hope they stay that way and I also hope that someone fixes the Kalibo airport soon.



To get to the main island, we still had to take a 15-minute speed boat ride.



After settling in, we headed to the beach. What greets you is a long stretch of powdery sand, perfect for long walks, barefoot.







If you're not the type to just relax on the beach, they have a multitude of activities available such as island hopping, helmet diving, flying fish, zorbing, atv, parasailing and the list goes on.

The beach is divided into three stations which I feel is no longer important to know. The whole time I was there, I couldn't really tell where the divide is between said stations.

As it is highly commercialized, you can see all sorts of stuff right in front of the beach.



There are beachfront hotels,





there's a tourist center,



different stores,





and BPI ATM machines.



There's also cheap beachfront massages.



For any of your shopping needs, there's also D'Mall.



Entering D'Mall from the beach, you'll see different restaurants.







It is connected to rows of shop stalls by a rotunda.





At night, the beach comes alive with seafood buffets,





bars and lounge areas,







and fire dancers.





You don't need to travel far to have a great vacation. Everything you need for relaxation and fun is in Boracay.