"Travel is never a matter of money but of courage." - Paulo Coelho, Aleph

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November 17, 2012

Ayala Triangle Gardens Lights and Sounds Show 2012


Yes!  Ayala Triangle Gardens Lights and Sounds Show is happening now, I mean every 30 minutes from 6 to 9 pm daily.  It started yesterday, November 16 and will end on December 30 this year.

Before or after watching and listening at the said show, you may want to have dinner or try one or more of the following restaurants in Ayala Triangle Gardens:

Amici
Banapple
BreadTalk
Bon Chon Chicken
C.B.D.
Caramia Gelateria
Chef Laudico’s Bfast
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Golden Spoon
Momo Café
Omakase
Pho 24
Wee Nam Kee

Also, there’s a free Wi-fi in Ayala Triangle Gardens, powered by Globe.  Just select the “Globe Wifi Tattoo” SSID, click connect and enjoy free surfing.
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Photo at the right was taken last year which I have made a post (Christmas Lights Show at Ayala Triangle).

Hopefully I could bring family there especially my son this month or next month before the event ends.  So watch out for my next post.  

Till next time!  Winking smile  






Ayala Triangle Gardens
Makati Avenue Corner Paseo De Roxas
Makati City
(at the back of Philippine Stock Exchange Plaza
and Makati Stock Exchange Bldg., Ayala Avenue)

November 3, 2012

A Banchetto Experience


Banchetto is an Italian word, meaning a “feast.”  In the Philippines, it’s the first and original overnight food fiesta since February 2007.  I have heard about it for quite some time but never tried until we had an opportunity when we checked-in at Go Hotels.  Said hotel is located at Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, adjacent to Robinsons Forum Mall.  And, there’s a Banchetto every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night from 8:30 pm ‘til 6 am at the back of Robinsons Forum (delivery bay area) in Mandaluyong City.

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It’s like a night market but of food.  I mean lots of food choices here, from grilled foods, pastas, pizzas, shawarmas, various dishes, cakes, to various desserts, fruit shakes, juices and many more.

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I tried this Ilocos Empanada.  The last time I ate this was when we visited Ilocos last last year. Though there are already different establishments here in the metro that serve Ilocano dishes like this one, it was still in Banchetto that I am able to taste this again (yum yum).

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Hubby picked Double Bagnet Rice with Egg to eat.  I guess he just copied my idea of eating Ilocano dish that time hehe.

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Son is a picky eater.  Good thing there’s Sbarro in the Banchetto so I got his favorite pizza.

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Kids are rarely seen in Banchetto.  This food fiesta used to cater call center agents, graveyard office workers, those who live in nearby condominiums, hotel guests etc. since it operates at night or midnight.

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Btw, aside in Mandaluyong (Robinsons Forum), Banchetto can be found at Shopwise, Meralco Avenue, Araneta Center and Emerald Avenue.  Visit their website for exact location, schedule and schedule updates.

Till next time!  Smile



A Smart Way to Relax at Go Hotels Mandaluyong


Sometimes, we need a short vacation or just a 2D/1N rest to get free from stress and tiring weekdays work.  But don’t have the big bucks to go out of town and pay for liters of gas, nearest budget hotel in my humble opinion is the answer.

If you are a MRT (Metro Rail Transit) commuter like me, you might have seen Go Hotels Mandaluyong along Edsa.  It's between Boni and Guadalupe Station, but just a 10 minute walk from Boni Station and located to your left when heading South (Taft Station).  And that is the main reason why I chose Go Hotels Mandaluyong to relax; you don’t need to bring a car which I actually didn't have at that time for some reason.

Just quick facts about Go Hotels, it’s a Robinsons Land Development with 5 branches to date: Mandaluyong, Puerto Princesa, Dumaguete, Tacloban and Bacolod.  They are an essential service hotel providing quality accommodations at price ranges from P688 to P2,888, exclusive of VAT (source: gohotels.ph).

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They have this “book-early, pay less room rates.”  Well in my case, I booked thru online two weeks before the actual stay and the price I got was P1,088 (exclusive of VAT).

For a rate of P1,088++ (plus VAT), we had a decent accommodation with basic amenities which we actually need plus more.  Let me show you here..

The hotel uses keycard.

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There’s a choice between Queen and Twin bed.  We had a queen size bed.  They say it’s 100% cotton sheets with duvet covers complete with chiropractic and high quality non-allergenic pillows.  Btw, I didn't have an allergenic rhinitis attack during that stay Smile.

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Room has air-conditioned units which you can control to depending on your needs or wants.  It also has 22 inch LCD TV with cable.

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They have in-room safe.  My 15” laptop can fit in that.  I actually kept it there when we were out of the room to eat.

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Private bathroom with hot and cold rain shower and handheld shower
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Clean toilet
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Vanity mirror
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They have small working table with chair.  The table seems really small but laptop can fit on that.

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Wi-Fi is free in rooms and on the lobbies. I tried to access the internet using their Wi-Fi but the signal inside our room was not strong.

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Our accommodation includes 2 bath towels, 1 foot towel, tissue paper, sanitary bag and single use of soap and shampoo with conditioner.  Hair dryer is not included but available upon request for a fee of P100 per use; same thing with flat iron with board.

You might be asked for add-on purchases on online booking.  There are additional charges for taxi service (van/sedan), breakfast set and toiletry kit.  I didn’t avail the breakfast set.  Btw, there’s a Mini Stop, 24-hour convenience store at the UG near the hotel entrance if you want to buy food etc. early in the morning.  Also, adjacent to the building, Robinsons Cybergate Plaza where Go Hotels is situated is the Robinsons Forum Mall which is open from 10 am ‘til 9 pm daily.

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I availed the toiletry kit as an add-on purchase.  Why not?  It’s only P88++ (plus VAT) and you will get that box which contains the ff:

1 Shampoo (30 ml)

1 Conditioner (30 ml)

1 Body Lotion (30 ml)

1 Bath Gel (30 ml)

1 Bath Soap (20 grams)

1 Toothpaste (6 grams)

1 Toothbrush

1 Shaver


Another thing, there’s a Banchetto located near/between Robinsons Forum Mall and Robinsons Cybergate Plaza.  We had our dinner there during our stay at Go Hotels.  It was our first time to experience Banchetto so I did a separate post for that.

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Hotel entrance
In every pros, there are cons.  Here are some of the cons:
  1. Not all rooms are with windows, just like we had.
  2. Check-in and check-out time are 2 pm and 11 am respectively.  It is not similar to other hotels with 1 pm and 12 nn check-in/out time.
  3. If you will bring a car, pay parking is available within the hotel premises.  Good thing, I didn’t bring so I don’t know how much.  But yes, there’s a parking fee.
  4. You are not allowed to eat inside the room, there’s a corresponding penalty. 
  5. No personal ref and coffee/tea making facilities inside the room. 
  6. No closets or cabinets, just hooks on the walls.
Well, staycation at Go Hotels is still the smarter way.  We love the location and the bed; we like the room which is new and clean and of course we got the relaxation we’ve always wanted and needed without spending big.  Till next time!  Smile


Go Hotels Mandaluyong
Upper Ground Robinsons Cybergate Plaza
Edsa corner Pioneer Street
Mandaluyong City
0922-GOHOTEL (4646835)