Punta Isla Lake Resort, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

We had a nice day at Punta Isla Lake Resort last week. Unlike our previous visit in 2010 when we had an overnight stay, last week was just lunch and sightseeing. This lake front property with well-landscaped hilly garden still never fail to charm me with its serene environment perfect for relaxing. 

Lush garden fronting the lake.
The red roof is a floating restaurant.

Main dining area near the entrance.
There are more cottage-type dining areas near the lake.

Nilasing na Tilapia costs Php 190.00 good for 4 persons.
Their specialty is the different recipes of freshly harvested tilapia (a fresh-water fish).
This is my favorite recipe since I first tasted it last 2010.
I love the crunchy texture of these fish fillet dipped into the sukang pinakurat (spiced tuba vinegar).

Grilled Tilapia costs Php 95.00 only.
Their tilapia tastes a bit sweet.

Mango shake for only Php 50.00

Unique shell-formed washing area. 

This resort has an impressive landscaped hilly garden.

Front of Punta Isla Lake Resort

Punta Isla Lake Resort is around 44 kms away from Koronadal City, the capital of the province and about 600  meters away from the town of Lake Sebu.

source : freewebs.com/puntaislaresort/

For more info such as room rates, visit their website -  www.freewebs.com/puntaislaresort/ 






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Luz Kinilaw Place in Davao City

Luz Kinilaw Place is a well-known old barbecue eatery in Davao City. It's more of a ''carinderiaria"- type than a typical restaurant because of it's unassuming look and affordable price. It is favored by many diners who crave for grilled foods and yet want to skip the usual high-cholesterol grilled pork. It is known for it's freshly grilled tuna parts such as panga (jaw), belly, buntot (tail) and other seafood such as grilled squid. Its specialty is the freshly grilled tuna panga (jaw). Though known for it's grilled tuna and seafoods, it also serves grilled chicken and other dishes of tuna such as tuna kinilaw (cubed sashimi) and tuna soup.

Huge Tuna Tail for Php 280.00

Tuna Kinilaw for Php 100.00
Good for 2 persons

Luz Kinilaw Place is recommended to diners in a group like a family of four because of the large servings of grilled foods. The tuna belly we ordered is good for four persons already so since there were only the two of us, we ended having a take-out food for the leftover.

The low-key interior

Luz Kinilaw Place is located along the Quezon Boulevard, Davao City near the Magsaysay Park.

The facade of Luz Kinilaw Place

The chic backpacker eats

Lake Sebu 7 Falls, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

I had a great time last week trekking around the mountainous Lake Sebu 7 Falls. It is one of the main attractions in South Cotabato aside from the lake resorts. As the name implies it is comprised of 7 falls though we were able to visit only the two falls (time constraint did not allow us to visit the other falls) and is in the municipality of Lake Sebu, under the province of South Cotabato. 

One of the 7 falls and first falls you'll see from the main entrance
(top part of the mountain) of the falls. 

Lake Sebu 7 Falls is one of my reasons for including Lake Sebu as one of my top Philippine destinations. For travelers who love trekking the mountain and visiting the waterfalls, this destination is definitely the place to go. Though I am not really into mountains ( I prefer the beach ) I enjoyed hiking this hilly tourist attraction for some nice view of the waterfalls.

      

Picture above is the second falls we visited. It is the falls near the bottom part of the mountain. 

When going to Lake Sebu  7 Falls, it is advisable to rent a vehicle ( jeep or van) from Surallah (a nearby municipality) public terminal if you are in a group. The distance is about 25 kilometers with no traffic. Since it’s Marvin’s home province we just traveled via motorcycle from his parent's home in Surallah, South Cotabato.

Walking through the 774 steps, going down the mountain
from the entrance above

This is my second time in this place, the first one was on August 2010. For about a year and a half, I noticed the increase of visitors. 

  

View of the falls from afar

lush of plants and trees 

Zip line cost Php 250.00 per person.
I did not ride though because I'm a bit scared of heights.

Affordable Buffet in Davao City - Tita D'z

We just paid a visit to my hometown's downtown proper in celebration of Araw ng Davao. The parade was not as grand as I expected it to be nevertheless I enjoyed strolling around with my hubby. After walking and standing for hours for the parade, we had a sumptuous eat-all-you-can buffet lunch at Tita D'z.

For me- Rice, Fried boneless bangus, vegetable lumpia, sweet and sour  fish, pancit, fish kinilaw and  chicken adobo

For Marvin- Rice, Pork humba, chicken adobo and pancit

For dessert- Watermelon, buko pandan and leche flan

this leche flan taste so good

I have mentioned Tita D'z in my previous blog post as one of the cheap things to do in Davao City. For today's lunch, they served Filipino cuisine which I absolutely love. There were many different tasty viands to choose from.You can choose fish, pork or/and chicken cooked in various recipes not to mention their delicious Filipino desserts. As usual I'd say that for Php 129.00, you get more than your money's worth.

Tita D'z is located along  Iñigo  St.(formerly Anda St.), Davao City.

  

Eat-all-you-can Filipino dishes 

inside Tita D'z

  

waiter refilling the food

exterior of Tita D'z

Affordable Native Cottages in Sabang, Puerto Princesa

When we were in Sabang, Puerto Princesa last month we stayed at Penao Native Cottages near the Sabang wharf, for 2 nights at Php 750.00 per night. It is a two-bed, fan room with CR and shower room. This beachfront native cottage is by no means a luxury inn hence the affordable price.

I was not so comfortable during our stay because of mosquitoes roaming around even inside the room. Though it has window screens, I wish the floor is cemented and not wood since mosquitoes can easily enter the room through the small openings in the floor. I also wish that they had painted the interior room with any light color to deter the mosquitoes from entering.

our room at Penao Native Cottages

Our room was located just beside the Penao Restaurant, which offers affordable set meals ranging from Php 80.00-100.00. We had our breakfast in the balcony of our room which has a nice view of the Sabang beach.

Penao Restaurant just beside our room

Sabang beach

 There is no electricity in Sabang. They only use generator and operates only on certain hours ( 4 pm – 6 am). It is very advisable to bring mosquito repellent since you can’t always use the electric fan. We were not able to bring mosquito repellent hence the discomfort especially when we slept. 

Foggy morning in Sabang

There are many rooms for rent near the Sabang wharf fronting the Sabang beach. From affordable native cottages like Penao and Roberts to name the few to high-end resort like Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa.

at the upscale Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa

Sabang is the drop-off point when going to the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR). It is about 4-5 hours from Puerto Princesa City (we traveled via motorcycle btw).Since it is far from PPC some visitors going to the Underground River go there at least a day in advance to avoid being late for the scheduled visit in the PPUR. There are also other things you can do in Sabang aside from the PPUR. One can do trekking to the mountain trails and waterfalls, snorkeling and swimming.

tourists coming from the Underground River tour

Information map displayed at the wharf office

Balinsasayaw Restaurant in Puerto Princesa City

We dined twice at Balinsasayaw Chicken Grill and Restaurant (along Rizal Avenue)  during our stay in Puerto Princesa City last month. To sum it all up, it is a hit and miss restaurant when it comes to food tastes , I think . We love the generous servings of the garlic crab and garlic shrimp (Php 280.00) but we don't like the taste of the sweet and sour Lapu-lapu fish (Php 220.00 medium size). The pork sisig and fish lumpia taste nothing extraordinary. The price is relatively affordable though and a bit cheaper than Kinabuch Restaurant. The whole restaurant is large with different dining areas and have a nice ambiance but the service in general is not that good especially if your table is far from the main dining area where the waiters stand by. 

Two large crabs for Php 350.00 only.

Pork sisig for Php 180.00 

   

Lush garden at the center of the restaurant

front view of Balinsasayaw Restaurant at night

Movie Marathon- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Dream House Movie Review

Watching movies is one of my hobby. It maybe to a movie house or from the internet download. Marvin and I had a movie marathon in the past few days. Yesterday we watched Dream House at Gaisano Mall of Davao. We paid Php 130.00 each for the VIP lounge movie house. And in the past few days, we downloaded and watched the Swedish movie entitled The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (we watched the original Swedish version and not the hollywood version) is a brutal mystery and suspense drama movie that keeps me captivated from start to end. Although the original language used was that of Sweden, it was dubbed in English in a way that I almost forgot that the characters in the film actually speak Swedish. The dubbing was indeed well-done.

I recommend this movie to all moviegoers out there. It has a hollywood version which also received positive reviews from movie critics. The story is based on the book written by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. The well-woven tale, the casts superb performance especially the character of Lisbeth Salander  and the convincing cinematography made it a must-see movie.

Dream House on the other hand is a wonky mystery and suspense psychological thriller that left me confused. It doesn't hold up to close rational scrutiny. There is an intriguing idea in the story but it flattens as it tries to explain the main character's psychological state.This suburban suspense/horror/mystery movie is difficult to comprehend with its badly muddled plot. Well, the only positive review about this movie is the fairly good performance of the main characters.  Better let this movie pass up.

good casts in a not-so-good movie

photo credits to collider.com

Why I Love El Nido

I've mentioned so many times how much I love El Nido, Palawan that I think of relocating there one day. I love El Nido not only for its beautiful beaches or lagoons but for the peace and simplicity of the whole society in general. The municipality of El Nido is my ideal place to live. It’s generally peaceful and clean despite the many tourists taking their vacation there.

snorkeling at Hidden Beach

Beach front in the town proper of El Nido

me at the Secret Beach

PEOPLE

The people in Palawan were the nicest people I’ve met. I don’t know if it’s just circumstantial but throughout my 7 days in Palawan, I’ve never met a single person who has taken advantage of me as a first time tourist or of any vacationing foreigners I knew for that matter. Tricycle drivers, street vendors, tour operators and even random people I spoke with in the streets were so nice, honest and welcoming. This is very opposite in other areas in the Philippines wherein it is not uncommon for a taxi driver to take advantage of any tourist by asking more than the supposed metered rate. It happens to me in Manila several times. In Palawan, nobody asked me for more than the published minimum tricycle rate of Php 20.00. Except of course when the destination is too far or during the night and dawn wherein they charged more than the minimum fare which I understand.

locals running errands in El Nido

at the town proper of El Nido, pretty much like any rural town proper in the country

PLACES

El Nido is undoubtedly for me, the most beautiful place I’ve been to. The unbelievably clear water on white pristine beaches were so inviting that I went swimming and sunbathing until I got sunburn. I only stopped swimming when my skin hurts too much. I was too excited that I forgot to put on the sun block by the way. The sunburn took a toll on my skin that it turned flaky in the next few days. Nevertheless, I’m happy.

The experience of getting into the Secret Beach through the small hole of the gigantic limestone cliffs amid the huge waves is just exhilarating. I will never forget that awesome experience.

The marvelous corals, fishes and different marine animals in El Nido add charm to the already beautiful place. I will never forget when we went fish-feeding. The different varieties of fish in El Nido confidently eat the food waste we threw at them as if they are used to having these people around them. Maybe they already are used.

going back to El Nido's town proper after our island hopping tour

fishes in El Nido

LIFESTYLE

The lifestyle in El Nido is distinctly simple. Nowadays tourism is the most promising industry. Hotels, inns, tour operators, shops are sprouting around the town proper. Most of the establishments are either family- owned or sole proprietorship. I haven’t seen any big companies such as Jollibee, hotel chains or SM serving the area which makes it unique and distinct from other commercial beaches such as Boracay.

morning in El Nido

some of the growing businesses in El Nido- massage spa center

relatively clean street of El Nido

Business related to tourism is ever-growing in El Nido

I have been to different places in the Philippines like Manila, Iloilo, Cebu and of course Davao but El Nido really differs from it all because of its beauty, environment and of course the people.