The Foodinista: Resorts

Buri Resort & Spa, Puerto Galera Review

Monday, November 13, 2017

Welcome Drinks at Buri Sesort & Spa

Boat Ride to Buri Resort

Buri Resort & Spa wouldn’t be considered as one of the best resorts in Puerto Galera if not for its impressive array of 4-star offerings and conveniences.

Swim lazily under the sun, post photos of your vacation online while lounging by the pool,
sample every dish on the menu, and get all the spa treatments you can squeeze in your schedule
during your stay. Settle in any of the resort’s alcoves with a book or a drink and live in a moment
of perfect relaxation. For a more active itinerary, our resort is more than ready to take you to
exhilarating tours and activities in Puerto Galera, Philippines.

Buri Resort & Spa Pool Area

Activities in Puerto Galera
In 2004, Puerto Galera Bay was listed by Club des Plus Belles Baies du Monde as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Aside from the captivating views and calm environment that entice travelers from all over the world, Puerto Galera also features various activities for all ages.

Buri Resort & Spa can arrange tour packages to see the island’s top attractions:

Tour Mangyan Village
Enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful Mindoro countryside and stunning coastal views. It only takes a 20-minute drive to Mangyan Village in Talipanan, the home of around 2,000 Iraya Mangyans.

Buy Mangyan Products
The gentle locals belong to an indigenous tribe — the original inhabitants of Mindoro Island. Here, you can admire their handicrafts and pick up souvenirs which you can share with your loved ones back home.

Discover Tukuran Falls
Hike and weave your way around coconut trees and lush thickets, or ride a buffalo-driven cart before reaching the hanging bridge over Tukuran River. Cross the river, take a refreshing dip under the cool, clear falls, and bask in the spectacular natural pool amidst the forest.

Golfing at the Ponderosa Golf Course
Take the day off and practice your swing at this 18-hole course.

Pool Side and Lounge Area

Buri Resort & Spa - Buri Spa

Experience a state of calm and tranquility throughout your holiday at the Buri Spa. Under the gentle care of our trained therapists, take pleasure in soothing treatments and all-natural, therapeutic-grade essential oils during your stay.

Surrender to the calm surroundings and savor the much-needed relief from stress:

Swedish Massage (60 minutes) – PHP 871.20
Aromatherapy Massage (60 minutes) – PHP 871.20
Hilot Massage (60 minutes) – PHP 871.20
Hilot Therapy with Ventosa (75 minutes) – PHP 1,056.00
Hot Ginger Compress Massage (75 minutes) – PHP 1,056.00

Enjoy pampering treatments that make all other activities seem trivial:

Natural Facial (60 minutes) – PHP 871.20
Revitalizing Coffee Body Polish (45 minutes) – PHP 1,056.00
Forever Young Organic Green Wrap (60 minutes) – PHP 1,320.00

*All rates inclusive of VAT and Service Charge

All these prove that Buri Resort & Spa is not only a place dedicated to the senses, but among the best of Sabang beach resorts in Puerto Galera.

Sunset

Villas

Buri Resort & Spa - Rooms

Experience the laid-back tropical holiday you’ve always wanted in Puerto Galera, Philippines.
They offer stylish comforts and carefree conveniences in they're luxury villas.
These nipa hut-inspired cottages also sustain a serene air that is made more captivating by
countryside charms and spectacular garden views.

The villas come in 3 types, each designed specifically to suit the needs of couples, families, and
roups of friends. In addition to providing simple but deeply rewarding pleasures, our accommodation
gives other hotels and resorts in Puerto Galera a run for their money when it comes to value and quality
of service.

Standard villa amenities and inclusions:

Balcony
Fully stocked mini-bar and complimentary bottled water
LCD TV with satellite channels
In-room safety deposit box
Air-conditioning and hair dryer
Welcome drinks and cold towels upon arrival
Use of infinity pool and non-motorized water sports equipment

Bedroom

Family Villa (We've Tried)

The Family Villa is a modern take on a traditional design with its generous spaces, high ceilings, use of natural light, plus streamlined architecture and decor. Designed to accommodate families and groups of friends, the villa features more beds and amenities that will please even the most discerning of travelers.

Our 3 Family Villas all have:
1 queen bed and 3 single beds in the upper floor's sitting area
1 bath with complete bath amenities
Flat-screen LCD TV
Maximum Capacity: 6 Persons including Children
Bed set-up - 1 queen size bed
3 Single and 1 extra matress

Traveller's Kit

View from the Room

Bathroom

Dining Area

Restaurant

Breakfast Food - Egg, Sausages and Bread

Island Recreation at Its Finest

Animasi Restaurant – A convenient and romantic gourmet hub where guests indulge in breakfasts for champions, lazy lunches, intimate dinners, and everything else in between. The restaurant also offers special meals for children.
Blue Bar – Enjoy refreshing drinks and fresh fruit shakes while chilling in the pool. In the evenings, the candlelit views of the resort grounds serve as a lovely backdrop to guests sampling a variety of our potent creations.
Buri Spa – Free the senses of daily stresses with our holistic massages and treatments courtesy of trained professional therapists.
Boutique
Infinity pool
Exclusive beachfront area
Water sports
Venues for parties, weddings, and other social gatherings

Paradise Has Its Perks

Private pier and boat transfers
Room service
Sightseeing tours
Babysitting
Baby cots
Full-service housekeeping
Laundry service
Baggage hold
Fire-safety compliance

Beach

Buri Resort at Night

Batangas Resorts

Tali Beachfront Vacation House, Nasugbu Batangas

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Tali Beach

Tali Beach is an exclusive gated community situated along the scenic coves of Nasugbu, Batangas, around a 2½ hour drive from Manila.

Literally just a few steps from the water, our vacation home is set on a tranquil and very private 2,000sqm beachfront property -- one of seven beaches inside Tali. It is a pleasant retreat from usual beach crowds and the hustle and bustle of city life. A 5-minute walk gets you to another beautiful beach (the Tali Main Beach) and a short 3-minute drive brings you to the famous Tali Cliff.

Tali Beach Vacation House

Their simple no-frills house can normally accommodate groups of 10-22 guests; more if our guests will be willing to bring sleeping bags/tents. The house has 4 air-conditioned bedrooms with a sleeping capacity of about 10-12 guests (or 10-14 with kids). Larger groups customarily use the air-conditioned living room as a sleeping area which can sleep another 5-8 guests. Extra foam mattresses, pillows, and linens are provided for. There is a toilet with shower on the 1st floor of the house, a small toilet with shower on the 2nd floor of the house, and a toilet and shower (with no water heater) on a separate building a few steps from the pool.

Amenities include a new infinity swimming pool with kiddie pool, an equipped kitchen (with a two-burner stove, rice cooker, microwave, cookware, utensils), refrigerator, water dispenser, lcd television with digital satellite, drivers' quarter, gazebo, charcoal bbq grill, and a genset.

2nd Floor Villa

Rates
JUNE TO FEBRUARY (excluding premium dates*):
◦ Saturday
P18,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Friday
P14,000 per night for 1-12 persons
◦ Sunday-Thursday
P11,000 per night for 1-10 persons

MARCH TO MAY (excluding premium dates*):
◦ Saturday
P21,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Friday
P18,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Sunday-Thursday
P16,000 per night for 1-14 persons

Additional guests over 14 people are ₱1,000 each per night..

*Premium Dates
2017: Apr 13, 14; Jun 10, 11; Aug 19, 20, 26, 27; Oct 31; Nov 1, 4; Dec 2, 8, 9, 16, 22-25, 29, 30, 31.

Important Notes (From the Website)

Check-in time is no earlier than 2:30pm. Check-out time is no later than 12:00pm. This is strictly enforced to allow for proper cleaning and preparation for incoming guests.
Tentative reservations are held only for 2 days and are then subject to cancellation if not confirmed.
Reservations will only be confirmed upon down payment of 50% of total rental (70% for 2-night reservations). Balance should be settled at least 7 days prior to check-in date. Payments can be made at our Balintawak, Quezon City office or through bank deposit (BDO or BPI).
There are no refunds for cancelled reservations due to reasons including undesirable weather, for no-shows, and for early departures. Rescheduling a confirmed reservation may be possible in the event of a storm signal number 2 or above officially declared in the Nasugbu, Batangas area during the booked date/s.
Rates are for accommodation only; food and drinks are not served nor sold. Items to bring are (i) bath & beach towels, (ii) personal toiletries such as toothbrush, soap, & shampoo, (iii) beach wear & gears, and (iv) food & drinks for your stay.
Effective April 11, 2017, Tali management/security will start collecting a Tourism Ecology Fee of P20 for each visitor entering Tali Beach subdivision. Proceeds will be remitted to the Office of Nasugbu Municipal Treasurer. Exempted from this levy are Persons with Disability, Senior Citizens, and Filipino children 6-years-old and below.
We only have one house for rent. It was originally designed to accommodate our family plus a few friends. The 4 air-conditioned bedrooms can sleep around 10-12 guests (or 10-14 with kids). Larger groups usually use the air-conditioned living room as a sleeping area which can sleep another 5-8 guests. Extra foam mattresses, pillows, and linens are provided for. There is also a non-air-conditioned drivers' quarter which can sleep 2. We do recommend guests over 22 people to bring sleeping bags/tents as not everyone may fit inside the house.
There is a toilet with shower on the 1st floor of the house, a small toilet with shower on the 2nd floor of the house, a toilet and shower with no water heater on a separate building a few steps from the pool & house, plus another small toilet in the drivers' quarter.
Please be aware that from mid-July to November 2017, there will be construction of new rooms & bathrooms in the covered jetski garage area, drivers' quarter, and the rear of the main house. This will not affect the main house, swimming pool, gazebo, and beach area but there will be construction activity inside the property during this time. Major renovation of the main house is planned for 2018. We are not accepting reservations from October 20, 2017 onward at this time.
Our house rules and important reminders can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/talirules.
A sketch map to Tali Beach via Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/talimap.

* All taken from their website

THE EXPERIENCE
I went here for a spontaneous trip with my friends on a weekend. All of us are already working and we haven't seen each other for quite a time already so we decided to go on a quick beach getaway. Batangas is the perfect place to go to because it's just 2 hours away from Manila. We rented Tali Beach for 1 night and we were around 17 pax. The villa is really huge and there's enough space for all of us and I think it can even fit around 20 to 30 pax more. We brought 3 cars with us cause commuting is quite hassle and the community is gated i'm sure they don't allow public transportation inside. The garage is pretty big and can fit 4 to 5 cars.
Check-in time is at 2pm and first thing we did upon arrival is to hit the beach right away!

BEACH
We went for a swim around 3-4pm and the weather was fine. It was low tide so there were a LOT of rocks in the shore that it became hard for us to swim. MAKE SURE TO BRING FLOATERS cause their beach front is not swimmable at all. Even though we are already in the shallow part of the beach there were still a lot of rocks that we kept on walking onto, some of us had tiny scratches and wounds afterwards :(
If it weren't for the floaters we won't be able to enjoy the beach. Good thing we were all fun and crazy so regardless of the situation we were still able to enjoy it, we did some catching up and did random crazy things on the beach. Haha!

VILLA & BEDROOMS
What I really love about this place is the HUGE SPACE. There were 2 bedrooms on the first floor and 2 more on the 2nd floor. The sheets and pillows were just basic nothing fancy, all the rooms were air-conditioned and pretty neat so we didn't have any problems at all.

KITCHEN
We were able to cook and prep our meal neatly, even did some grilling without feeling suffocated cause the dirty kitchen is well ventillated and spacious.
Spending our time preppin' the food altogether was probably one of my favorites.
We really helped each other preppin meals and even used that time to catch up and do chit-chats.
We dined in front of the living room by setting up our own dining area. We did set up mono-block tables and chairs where we ate and grilled our bbqs.

It was a fun vacation overall! I really had a fun time with my barkada. We all felt like we were kids again, free from all the stressors of Manila. If you need a quick weekend getaway, Tali Beach might the perfect vacation house for you!

Antipolo

Louisse Private Resort, Antipolo

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Louisse Private Resort

Nestled on a 1,000 sqm lot overlooking the east side of Metro Manila, Louisse Private Resort boasts of breathtaking view, peaceful and relaxing ambience, and a modern take on how rest and recreation should be.

I was invited by my boyfriend to attend their school organization's quick retreat in Antipolo and how would I say no to this beautiful location :) It's just an hour trip from Manila and the place is really huge and luxurious!

The villa is priced at P8,000 to P15,000 a night which is pretty affordable if you are going in 20 pax.

Pool Area

HOUSE RULES WHOLE AREA:
1. Guests must park their cars in designated parking space and must not cause inconvenience to homeowners’ property line.
2. Secure your valuables. Resort owners are not liable for any loss of personal belongings/ properties and/or damages thereof.
3. Pets are not allowed inside the premises.
4. Pasting or sticking of paper and other materials on the wall is strictly not allowed.
5. REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE. The resort observes the segregation of wastes. Gather all recyclables in one plastic bag. Leftovers must be collected in a separate plastic bag.
6. Throw your garbage in the right bin including cigarette butts/ashes.
7. SMOKING is NOT allowed inside the house and in the swimming pool. Use of prohibited drugs is definitely NOT allowed inside the resort.
8. Observe proper decorum inside the premises. Excessive drinking which may result to causing harm to people and/or damage and mess to property will be meted with appropriate penalty.
9. Floors may be slippery when wet. Be careful and wipe wet floors immediately.
10. Use the shower rooms & bathrooms provided in the pool area and in the ground floor after swimming. For those with room accommodation, going up the stairs and in the rooms in wet clothes is prohibited.
11. Children below 7 years old should not be left unattended in the stairs, deck and bathroom.
12. The organizer is responsible for ensuring that only their invited guests are inside the premises. Ensure also that the house is locked before sleeping.
13. For security, gates will be locked by 12 midnight. Late guests will have to coordinate with the organizer to open the gate.
14. In compliance with subdivision rules, sounds and noise must be reduced or kept to a minimum by 11:30pm.
15. Basketball playing time is until 7pm only. Ball may be requested from the caretaker.
16. Billiard balls and cue sticks may be requested from caretaker. Loss or damage will be charged to the guest.
17. Return to the caretaker the items in the resort before check-out (e.g. remote controls, basketball ball). The caretaker will make an inventory of resort’s property. Any missing or damaged property (e.g. pillows, stained sheets, tables, chairs, cue sticks, billiard balls) will be charged against the contingency fund. Payment will be collected if contingency amount is insufficient to cover cost of damaged/lost property.
18. Moving of furniture, speakers, videoke, tents should have prior approval of caretaker. Damage to the assets or to property caused by the relocation of assets will be charged to the guest.
19. Observe prompt check-out. Housekeepers and maintenance personnel will be around 10 minutes before check-out time.
20. Items being brought in and out of the resort may be subjected to inspection.

Villa

Ground Floor Amenities

Infinity Pool
Half-court Basketball
Billiards
Gazebo
Outdoor Tent (can fit 80-100pax)
Charcoal Griller
Kitchen with Refrigerator and Stove
2 Indoor Toilet and Bathrooms, 2 Outdoor Shower Rooms
Television and Videoke
Free WiFi
Airconditioned Rooms (Second Floor)
Master Bedroom with own toilet and bathroom (Good for 10)
Guest Bedroom (Good for 15)
Conference Room (Can be converted to sleeping area)

Kitchen

Kitchen utensils are not provided. However, they may be rented at P150 for the set which includes: 2 pans, 2 pots, 2 kitchen spoons , 2 chopping boards, 2 knives, can opener, grater, strainer, 3 serving dishes, potholder.

Except for rice cooker and water dispenser, all other electric appliances brought in like microwave oven, oven toaster, turbo broiler, electric griller etc. will be charged Php 200 each for electric consumption.

You may bring in cooked food or have it delivered. Quick cooking or heating is also allowed. They only charge corkage of P50 per head for catered events if the service of non-accredited caterer is used. Alcohol drinks and sodas can be brought in. However, they discourage excessive drinking of alcohol which may result to physical harm to self or others and damage to property.

Dining Area

Billiards

Basketball Court

SWIMMING POOL AREA RULES:
1. Pool users must take a shower first before swimming in the pool.
2. Pool users must wear swimming suits or swimming trunks upon entry into the pool. White tshirts and shorts without zipper or metal buttons are also allowed.
3. Food, refreshments, glass containers, alcoholic beverages, drugs are not permitted in the pool area. Smoking is not allowed in the pool area.
4. Infants/children who are not toilet trained and adults who are incontinent who wish to use the pool must wear a clean diaper or disposable swim diaper covered by separate rubber/ vinyl pants, all of which must fit snugly around the legs and waist.
5. Children under 10 years old entering the pool must be accompanied and cared for (at poolside) by a responsible adult in proper swimming attire. Children under 6 years old need to have a responsible person in the pool with them and within arm’s reach at all times.
6. Running and playful pushing around the pool is not allowed. The organizer is responsible for the safety of the children all the time.
7. Any injury occurring in the pool must be reported to the resort management/caretaker immediately. Guests are responsible in bringing their own medication.
8. Any person with skin disease, sore or inflamed eyes, cold, nasal or ear discharge, communicable disease, or who is wearing any kind of bandage or Band-Aid will not be permitted in the pool.
9. Toys, balls, inner tubes, inflated boats, and rafts are permitted in the pools
10. Wearing eyeglasses in the pool is discouraged unless absolutely necessary. Nonbreakable lenses and frames are necessary for safety.
11. Specialized equipment such as kickboards, fins, or paddles, is permitted in the pool.
12. NO DIVING IN THE POOL.