• St. Andrew Residences

  • Nissan Navara and Nissan Livina Up Close

    Calagaus Island Escapade

  • Travel Guide to Calaguas Islands

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Monday, December 18, 2017

Converse Naga at Robinsons Place Naga

Chucks! Perhaps this is what usually comes to mind when we hear the brand Converse. Back in my highschool or college days, Chuck Taylors has been part of the wishlist, until now would you believe that it's still in my wishlist? Yep!


A few days ago I learned so much about Chuck Taylor himself and itself. I did know that it is not just a brand but a basketball icon back in the days. Little did I know that Converse has evolved its way from serving the military to sports and now to different lifestyles across different age brackets. Learned so much about the brand during the intimate media event. Did you know that there are three types of Converse? We all know the Chuck Taylor All Star, there’s the Jack Purcell the one with a Smile and the Cons with One Star. There’s always one for your style for sure because you can #WearItWithAnything. They also have other apparels like shirts, caps, bags etc.

Converse Naga is located at the Ground Level of Robinsons Place Naga (Almeda  Highway Side)

Did you also know that Converse has also added comfort to the soles of their sneaks because of the Lunarlon Tech of Nike? So guys, check out the new stand alone store of Converse at the Robinsons Place Naga now and find your pair now!





The more that I was able to appreciate my Cons (One Star) when I learned so much about the brand.
I’m torn between the nude colored sneaks or the white leather All Star. Which is which? The white will never go wrong in any outfit. Converse has basically led the trend when it comes to pairing it with anything.


Apparels 

For the KIDS


BAGS

For HIM
CONS with one star. Basically a trend now for skateboarders.


#ForeverChuck #nagacitydeck #BicolBloggers
Ground Level Robinsons Place Naga (Almeda Highway side)

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

RJ's Buffet, It's Fiesta All Day in Naga City




RJ's Buffet is now open starting Dec 7, 2017. The Obiedos has really dreamed bigger for us Nagueños! Starting December 7 it will be like “Fiesta All Day” and wonderland-like! From Italian, Chinese, Japanese, to Filipino cuisine, from drinks to dessert, it’s all here!!! 

Have a pact with at least of 2 of your friends, you dine for free during your birthday, your two friends will pay and when it's their time for their birthday, it's your turn to pay. Just jeep the promise that you three will always be together every time one of you is celebrating his/her natal day. 

Villa Caceres Hotel has really set a standard now when it comes to an all-day buffet. Just before the big ones come to Naga City like The Vikings, Cabalen or Buffet 101, at least Naga City is not left behind. Apart from RJ's Buffet, the Obiedos has also opend another hotel with the name Roberson Hotel along J. Miranda Avenue which is very near Villa Caceres Hotel. 

Well guys, I could not take a photo of each of the dishes because they were just so many! But my favorite would be the Japanese station and the dessert bar and oh the Italian too. Read on the rates, discounts, promos below and get ready to fill your tummies with RJ's Buffet!

RJ's Buffet Hours of Operation

Breakfast: 6am - 9:30 am
Lunch: 11am - 2:30 pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10:00 pm

RATES:

Adult:

Breakfast - P499
Mondays to Thursdays Lunch - P699
Mondays to Thursdays Dinner - P749
Fridays to Sundays and Holidays Lunch - P749
Fridays to Sundays and Holidays Dinner - P849

Kids:

Kids below 3 feet - FREE OF CHARGE
Kids below 4 feet - 50%
LEFT OVER CHARGE - P1,000.00

DISCOUNTS & PRIVILEGES

Bistro 360 cardholder - 20%
VIP Gold cardholder - 20%
HRC cardholder - 20%
MVP cardholder - 20%
Bingo Boutique VIP cardholder - 20%

Senior Citize - 20%
Person with Disability - 20%
Villa Caceres Hotel in-house guest - 20%
Robertson Hotel in-house guest - 20%

Senior Citizen (75 years old and above) - FREE OF CHARGE
Provided, a senior citizen can show a valid ID (with their birthdate on it), and is accompanied by at least TWO (2) FULL PAYING ADULTS

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BIG GROUP DISCOUNTS

10 persons and above - 10%
25 persons and above - 20%
50 persons and above - 25%
75 persons and above - 27%
100 persons and above - 30%

To avail of the above discounts please take not of the following:
  • Must be reserved at least 2 days before the event date and full payment upon reservation is required.
  • Terms and conditions of cancellation and refund policies will apply upon reserving and signing the reservation confirmation.
  • This discount cannot be used in conjunction with other in-house promotions or discounts (including senior citizen, PWD and kids discounts).
  • Gift certificate will not be honored with this discount.
  • Any unused number of persons (seats) will not be refunded nor converted to a gift certificate.
  • Any excess number of persons (seats) during dining will be charged at full rate.
  • Promo Discount is valid until further notice.
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BIRTHDAY PROMO

  • Celebrate your birthday on the day itself and on your birth month.
  • Celebrant can eat for free ON THE DAY of their birthday as long as accompanied by TWO (2) FULL PAYING ADULTS.
  • Celebrants can eat for free for ONE MONTH every day, as long as it is within a month of his/her birthday, and accompanied by FIVE (5) FULL PAYING ADULTS.
  • Requirements for celebrants: celebrant must bring an ORIGINAL and VALID government I.D. with photo and birthdate imprinted on it such as SSS, NBI, Driver's License, Pag-Ibig, PRC, Barangay, Unified, Police Clearance I.D., and Passport (both local and foreign ID's are accepted). In the case that the celebrant doesn't have a government ID, he/she may bring his/her birth certificate supported by any ID fo the following: School ID, parent's ID, company ID.
  • This discount cannot be used in conjunction with other in-house promotions or discounts (including senior citizen PWD and kid's discounts).
  • Gift certificate will not be honored for this promo.
  • This promo is available only at RJ's Buffet.
  • Promo Discount is valid until further notice.
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ANNIVERSARY PROMO

  • Celebrate your ANNIVERSARY ON THE DAY itself and on your ANNIVERSARY MONTH.
  • Celebrants can eat for free ON THE DAY of their anniversary, as long as accompanied by FOUR (4) FULL PAYING ADULTS
  • Celebrants can eat for free  for ONE MONTH every day, as long as it is within a month of his/her anniversary and accompanied  by SIX (6) FULL PAYING ADULTS.
  • Requirements for celebrants: Celebrant/s must bring an ORIGINAL marraige certificate (both local and foreign certificates are accepted).
  • This discount canot be used in conjunction with other in-house promotions or discounts (including senior citizen, PWD and kid's discounts).
  • Gift certificate will not be honored for this promo.
  • This promo is available only at RJ's Buffet.
  • Promo Discount is valid until further notice.










Sunday, November 5, 2017

Places to Visit in Quezon, Laguna and Batangas for a day

From Bicol, a Southern Tagalog trip is feasible if you leave by night and arriving early to your first destination. Here's the catch though, take a bath at night because the moment you wake up, your off to your first tourist destination. 

Here are at least four destinations on the map (A to D) that you can reach in a day that I was able to do, shopping included, in Marikina's rival when it comes to affordable but quality fashion. Hope this itinerary works for you too.

We left Naga at 10PM and arrived in Lucena (Junction) going to Tayabas as early as 4am for breakfast. From there, we traveled to Lucban for Kamay ni Hesus as our first destination and dozed off a little and waited for 7AM for the gates to open (See photo below for grotto and mass schedule). I already wrote a blog about Tayabas, Quezon entitled 3 Things You Can Do in an Hour in Tayabas, Quezon. You can also visit Taal, Batangas for a day should you wish to continue this itinerary the following day. CLICK HERE for a possible itinerary for a day in Taal, Batangas.

1. Kamay ni Hesus Shrine. Lucban being known for Pahiyas Festival, is also now a sought-after pilgrimage destination known for its miraculous healing masses. The hill that leads to the Risen Christ statue on top paves the way for Catholics to go through the Stations of the Cross from the base. Thousands of Catholics flock here during the Holy Week and yes I have seen how big the crowd can be during those days. Been here twice, photos below was on lean months but flow of tourists / pilgrims is indeed steady.




The gate of the shrine.

A replica of Noa's Ark. There's a nice clean pond nearby the ark.

The view when you reach the top of the grotto.

Buy Lucban Longanisa, priced per dozen, plus many other local delicacies and souvenir items you can find outside the gates of the shrine. 
After Lucban Quezon, it's now a scenic, mountain side trip going to Laguna. You can actually add a quick stopover in another church in Majayjay which is equally beautiful with that of the next destination.

2. Red-Bricked Liliw Church in Laguna or St. John the Baptist Church is definitely one of my favorites. The redness of the bricks make it look elegant and rustic at the same time. It's a bit dark inside the church but the light coming from the stained glass windows will actually make it feel more peaceful. Because the church is made of bricks it actually feels a little cold inside. 





Noticed two other prayer rooms on both sides of the church. 



There's a nice museum depicting the history of the church and these volunteers will be there to assist and guide you. There's a very minimal fee. Taking pictures inside the museum is prohibited. 
Entrance to the museum

Buy shoes, sandals, bags in Liliw. Just right outside the street of Liliw Church is a long stretch of shoe stores for men, women and children. I could not even count all of them left and right. Sandals starts as low as P100. Sometimes you'll even see items which you can see in malls but unbranded just yet and way too far from the mall price. So it's a must to hoard este buy shoes when visiting Liliw. For those considering to venture into the business of reselling, you can consider Liliw and just choose among the stores here who can be your supplier. 



3. Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery - We then traveled to Nagcarlan, Laguna to visit this aesthetically beautiful final resting place. The burial site is actually located beneath a church. In history, it was built for funeral masses in 1845 by Franciscans where it paved way for the underground graveyard which is said to be 15 feet below the church. 





There was no "no photography" sign in the crypt, that's why I was able to take photos. But then my colleague told me that it's not allowed according to the caretaker. But if you will, always remember that always practice the NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY when taking pictures of old structures.

First thing that came to my mind is the movie series "Tales from the Crypt-keeper" hahaha
It's also cold inside the crypt, just don't forget to give due respect to the place. 

There's also a museum at the left side of the gate with an audio visual presentation about the history of the underground cemetery. The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

4. National Shrine of Padre Pio, Sto. Tomas Batangas - The shrine under the Archdiocese of Lipa is around 84 kilometers or an hour and half drive from Metro Manila. From Bicol, upon reaching Sto. Tomas, turn left near the over pass where there's also a signage to guide  you and you can always use Waze or Google Maps. From the main highway it's about only about a kilometer or two. Same as Kamay ni Jesus in Lucban, the Padre Pio Shrine is also flocked by Pilgrims especially during the Holy Week season.

 There are two main domes where masses are held, this one is near Mary, of Mother of Mercy Belfry and the other one on the side near the parking lot. 
 The other chapel, Divine Mercy Sanctuary for Pilgrims



 Many pilgrims get holy water from this sanctuary. 

So there, we were able to visit these places all in one day. We headed to Lipa City at stayed at Zillion Builders Pavilion and stayed for the night after the long day. Zillion Builders offers a practical alternative to staying in a hotel with basic accommodations including a clean, comfortable place to rest with it's ideal location just right beside SM City Lipa. A single room can accommodate 4 people with two double decks. There are other types of rooms available, you may just visit their website for more details. 

There are many other places in Quezon, Laguna and Batangas that you can surely visit but I can say that this itinerary is very feasible. 

Related links:

3 Things You Can Do in an Hour in Tayabas, Quezon
Places Visit in the Heritage Town of Taal, Batangas