TRAVELS: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Well Hello Readers! I am up for another blog post! Since summer is fast approaching here in the Philippines and you can feel the heat outside, I think Summer has officially began!

Living in a tropical country has its own perks. You will no longer need to travel abroad just to see beautiful beaches, fine sand, scenic surroundings, cozy hotel and more. A simple road trip and you can get to the beautiful beaches in the country. But somehow, you want MORE than the usual beach shore and so this travel post is intended for you! Presenting our beautiful LAS CASAS FILIPINAS DE ACUZAR!

You will feel like were transported by a time machine to go back to  the era of Old Manila..

Anyways a trivia to all you my beloved readers:

 "Did you know that most of the heritage houses in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar were the real or actual houses? What that they did was to disassemble the houses from its original location then reassemble again to Las Casas. While also some houses where actually built from scratch and just copied the structure of the house from history books and old pictures. How astonishing! "

You can also see really old/antique furnitures, painting, walls etc inside the house. So you have both the worlds  - history and time travel.

Be overwhelmed by the beauty of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar by the following photos: (Copyright)

The picture above is a church is a actually a replica of Lubao Church and is one of the most picturesque place in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

The heritage house as shown in the picture above is my most favorite among all the heritage houses in Las Casas. It kinda give a San Francisco vibe and the windows are so modern.

As you go along with the heritage tour (which is actually part of what you paid for), you will not surely miss this view. I love how this place is so huge that every  heritage house were intricately rebuilt and placed in right location.

This is also a hidden garden gem (actually the whole place is a GEM already) but this one in particularly is not so  located in the usual road in Las Casas. So we were so lucky that this garden is seated just right at the back of our hotel inside Las Casas. The fountain looked so dramatic at night of course with well-lit houses surrounding it.

     Las Casas at night :-) Oh how dramatic and the ambience of the place is so peaceful.(above)

   
    Las Casas during the day (above). Same picture!

    If you are tired hopping in to different ancestral house, you can go the the nearest shoreline inside      Las Casas. As you can see, the sand is fine and water is blue.

Another favorite heritage house. Super love the stairway at the left of the house which reminds me of Old-school Filipino movies location. I also imagined the "Harana" scene in here that we have in our Filipino Culture wherein male suitor will need to sing outside of the house in order to capture the heart of the woman he loves who is actually from the window looking to the man while singing :-)

 Another favorite. This is the Case Binondo if I am not mistaken. You can  see the resemblance of this house with the existing old houses along Binondo.

           This is what hotels looks like in Manila before.. I love the exteriors and the facade.

          With this beautiful view, who am I not to strike a blogger pose right? :-)

Look at the floor!! See how each rock were intricately placed one after another. How artistic!

   Strike a pose :-)

This one in particular we never really missed to try out - riding an old school train. This actually gives you a tour of the Las Casas. This train needs to rest for 30 mins and then it will start running again.

Overall, the experience is super worth it!! The food (we ate at one of the restaurants inside and super love the food!), the hotel we stayed in (sorry I forgot to take pictures but it is really huge and super clean and super "sosyal"/elegant)  and most of all, the heritage houses are super beautiful. They are super picturesque and the history each house has is incredible.

I can't actually vouch for the travel expense as this is a company outing ( we came all expense paid) but you can check details on their website: https://www.lascasasfilipinas.com/ .

Till our next trip!

Note: If you will come here and you need a carinderia that offers eat all you can buffet, please checkout:

Ima Flora's Pamangan 

CLICK HERE to see FULL POST...

TRAVELS: Isdaan Floating Restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac

Hi Readers! Well, apparently we went all the way up north to visit Our Lady of Manaoag, Pangasinan and as we travel going back to Manila, we take a short visit to this Isdaan Restaurant along Gerona, Tarlac. Actually I was the one literally persuade the group to at least go on a short visit to this place. I saw how appealing the restaurant is thru social media and I myself would like to see it in person! So let's go and get started :-)

Isdaan is actually a seafood restaurant (Isdaan is tagalog term for Fishery). Floating restaurant as they say because there is actually fish pond inside the restaurant. What really makes the place different from the other is the ambience and different statues (mostly Giant Buddhas) inside.

So lets take a peek on what this restaurant offers, shall we?

In the picture above, you can see this statuesque on the facade of the restaurant. My cousins in the picture are really ready to take some souvenir photos!

As you enter the restaurant, you are to take a bridge going to the dining area. Actually bridges is the main way to explore the restaurant since undeneath is water (that's why it is salled floating restaurant right? Makes sense makes sense!! haha!



Aside from indulging yourself in the festivity of food galore, you can also have some other activities. As shown below, they have "taksyapo wall" where you smash plates, old tv, mugs (but comes with price actually, TV is most expensive) and target the wall which has labels on it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read before that this way on releasing tension/stress/anger will really helps you ease out or relax. So why not??

So that is really what makes me fascinate about this place... The Buddhassss. When I say Buddhasss yes! Too many Buddhas in the place. I remember when I post a picture with Buddha on my facebook account, my friend thought we were in Thailand :-) An example of which is the picture below, with my small family :-)

For children, Isdaan restaurant has also lifesize cartoon/superhero characters which my cousin was fond of! Also there are also some of entertainment at the restaurant but failed to capture them on camera. There were like acrobatic performance, sing/dance performance and more :-)

Overall the experience was short but fun! We came there evening, but I think it's better to visit the place daytime.

I can't vouch for food as we haven't tried  because we were really in a hurry that time to return to Manila. Nevertheless, we can always visit the 2nd time :-)



CLICK HERE to see FULL POST...

TRAVELS: Gingerbread House in Tagaytay

We are now nearing to the last stretch (a week) before Christmas. People are busy buying gifts, decorating home for Christmas, Misa de Gallo and of course buying food/doing groceries in preparation for the Noche Buena.

So while all were busy, my family are also busy doing some sort of mini travel :-). Having only seen this place on Instagram and saw how this is so of an Instagram-worthy place, might as well have a day tour of the place and do some of a needed photo shoot wouldn't hurt.

I really love how this place has been conceptualized as a bakery that grown into a must-see place in Tagaytay. Located at Alfonso, Cavite, this place is really pretty in person! More than what we see on Instagram.

This house literally looks like a cookie dough  with some sprinkles and icing on it! As if you want to take a bite and taste the house. haha! Just kidding! My baby is literally giggling as she saw how aesthetically appealing the place is! Actually, inside is like a coffee shop with some pastries being sold so you can just chill and drink your coffee!

So here are the pictures inside :-)

Outside there are also cute play area for the children. I love how this place is really child-friendly.

Entrance is 50 pesos and 40 pesos for Seniors. We tried ordering some breads and it tastes really good. I believe visiting the place also at night is really a must as the place is surrounded with beautiful Christmas lights.

So there you go guys! Go visit this cute and super worthy Instagrammable place. Kids at heart will definitely also enjoy!

How to get there?

You can take SLEX (south luzon expressway) and exit to Sta. Rosa or any exit going to Tagaytay.
Going to Alfonso, Cavite, this is on the right side (if you are coming from Tagaytay). The place is really on the hidden part and you need actually a private car to reach this place. But if you  are to commute, there is also tricycle at the intersection.




CLICK HERE to see FULL POST...

TRAVELS: BAGUIO'S Dinosaur Island

Hi Readers!

Sorry for keeping you all waiting for new posts! Been busy with work and other mommy duties :-) Anyways, me and my family spent 3 days in Baguio last Nov 29 to Dec 1 and that is because we are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary.

So expect more travel posts soon in Baguio.

So for the first post, since this is my 3rd time in Baguio, I am looking for not so usual place to visit in Baguio so this Dinosaur Island is new to me. I only get to see this for the first time.

Dinosaur Island located at Tuba, Benguet is a park featuring animal-sized dinosaurs with a nature themed park. Dinosaurs in this theme park were like real life-sized dinosaurs, move and groans like real ones. What makes it more thrilling is you have to climb a couple of steps before you go to the actual park accompanied with a  tour guide. Every dinosaurs has its own characteristics so one differs from one another. An avid fan of Jurassic Park Movie will really enjoy seeing the dinosaurs and relive the moments in the movie!

How to get there?

If you have a car, and this can be seen along Marcos Highway and you can also use Goole Map or Waze :-) just like what we did :-)


Entrance is 350 Pesos each. but since this park also offers other park like the Holy land, you should pay 800 pesos.

So there you go guys! Another must-visit place in Baguio aside from the usual tourist destinations. Kids and kids-at-heart will really enjoy this park plus the beautiful scenery of the place.

Till our next travels!




CLICK HERE to see FULL POST...

Beauty: Becca Backlight Priming Filter Review

Hi Readers!! OMG,, another holygrail product for me. You know me guys, I love dewy skin/makeup. Anything that has "Glow" in it either on the packaging or the makeup itself, makes me giggles. So here's my review on this primer.

Becca is a product known for the "lit from within" products which where those in shimmering skin perfector pressed/poured/liquid. So since this is a primer, I thought  why not? since I love makeup, and would like to prolong my makeup so I tested this one out.

Primarily, the purpose of this product is to blur out imperfections and add up glow on your skin. Once applied after your moisturizer, you can feel that it applies smoothly on the skin without feeling of tackiness. The texture is not "silicone-ish" which is what usual primers is.

So let's talk about the 'G-L-O-W". Yes, it has been emphasized, since this is what makes it different from other primers in the market. Sometimes, I love mixing this with my BB cream for a more glow, and I really love the effect!

Yes, it is glowy but not over the top, you know what I mean? Just check out my swatches below :-)

A pea size amount of the product

So I spread it once

So I spread it more evenly

 I have read reviews, that this primer doesn't really helps with the longevity of the makeup, and I should say, yes its true.  I tried using like 3 pea size on my whole face, and then put on top my BB cream,, I should say yeah, it really makes my makeup intact for like 3 hours. But that's alright given that I am living in a tropical country.

So on my pictures below, I use flash on my camera just to check how this reflects light, as this is a backlight filming primer :-) so it should look good on the camera, does it make sense? :-) just kidding. Anyways, I love how it turns out. Just used, this primer and a BB cream and voila, definitely glowing skin. Some makeup artists would suggest just put this where you want your highlight to be, but for me? Yeah i want it all over my face, but not too much, just to check if it will make my skin luminous (I have dry skin as preference).

Overall Verdict: 
All I am not happy is the price, for $38 dollars, this comes pricey. But if you are a makeup addict like me and you have a budget then go for it. I do have MAC Strobe Cream on my vanity kit, but this one is what I usually reach out for.

That would be all guys! Till next time :-)


CLICK HERE to see FULL POST...