Raddisson Blu - Cebu City Philippines



Radisson Blu Hotel

Looking for a place to stay in Cebu?  Try Radisson Blu Hotel, located at North Reclamation Area, Juan Luna Avenue, Cebu City, just beside SM City mall.  It’s a new hotel which opened only September of 2010.

Radisson Blu Hotel is just 11 kilometers away from Mactan International Airport and you can reach it by hiring a metered airport taxi which is parked just outside the arrival area of the airport.  Expect that these taxis cost more because the flag down for these taxis are a little higher than the regular taxi.  Depending on the traffic, the travel can take from 30 minutes to 45 minutes with a taxi fare of 200 pesos to 300 pesos (around 4 to 7 U.S. dollars).

Being located just beside SM City, going around the city is easy by taking a taxi or a public utility jeepney which has a terminal just outside the mall.

Radisson Blu Hotel offers a lot of amenities where you can just stay around the hotel premises and still enjoy yourself.  You can choose to take a dip in the pool, enjoy the food and drinks at the restaurant and bar, burn calories at the gym and sauna or just relax, read or surf the web at the executive lounge.  They also offer spa services and treatment.



Fountain located in front of the hotel's entrance.  Just perfect for some picture taking.

 

View of the outdoor swimming pool from our room.

 

The rooms are spacious, clean and smell good.  The beddings are crisp and clean.  The room given to us has a good view of the swimming pool below, the nearby international sea port and Mactan island and channel.    Free internet connection, a refrigerator, safety deposit box, iron and ironing board are provided in each room.  This is the first hotel I stayed where they are providing an iron and an ironing board which is so convenient.

The hotel lobby is grand with its unusually high ceilings and beautiful interior decorations … you just can’t stop clicking that camera.

Upon check-in, they require a 5,000 peso (around 117 U.S. dollars) cash or credit card bond.  I don’t know if this is their standard rate for all types of rooms but don’t worry this will be returned upon check-out. 

Also, a proximity card is issued to guests to give access at the elevator going to their assigned room.  The guests can’t just roam around other guest’s floor because the elevator is designed to service only guests on their designated floors.  The elevator is equipped with a card reader where you have to have your card read first before you can push the number of floor where your room is located.  At first we were not aware of this, good thing there's another guest who already know of the system and he taught us. 

It was really a great experience having stayed at Radisson Blu Hotel.  Next time I'll be in Cebu and if my budget permits, I'll choose to stay in this hotel.  It's so convenient and relaxing. 

If you are interested, click here to know more about Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu.

Cebu’s CnT Lechon

1/4 kilo CnT lechon

Cebu is known for their tasty and crispy roasted pig popularly known as lechon.  With my recent trip in Cebu City together with a friend, the first thing that we looked for is their lechon.  As soon as we have checked-in at our hotel, we asked the staff where we can find a place to eat lechon.  We don’t know any specific brand then so when the staff directed us to the nearest place where lechon is served (luckily it was just a walking distance away from our hotel), we immediately went there.

At first glance, the place is not so inviting.  You won’t know that there’s a restaurant at the second floor, thanks to the big letters written on the wall of the building which says “CnT Lechon”.

The ground floor of the building is used as parking space with a narrow ramp going to the second floor at the side.  We didn’t notice that it was the access going to the restaurant at the second floor, good thing there was a group of people who walked down that ramp.     

As soon as we reached the second floor, the delicious aroma of roasted pig greeted us and at the counter we see a long line of people waiting to get their order of lechon.  It’s a self-service restaurant where the main menu is lechon.  Half of the counter is a space dedicated for chopping lechon.  Two full length lechon are laid on the long table with a big wooden chopping board on the side and a weighing scale hanging from the roof.  Two women are doing the chopping and I was amazed at how energetic these women are despite their small physique.

Customers are waiting to get a portion of this yummy lechon

After standing in line for a while, we were able to get our order.  I ordered one-fourth kilo of lechon, 1 cup of rice and bottled water.  All in all, my bill was 124 pesos.

Our wait was worth it, CnT lechon really tastes delicious, the skin is so crispy and the meat is so tasty, tender and juicy.  I don’t need any sauce to make it taste better however there are portions which are salty but I don’t mind, I just took off those portions easily.

Another good thing about CnT lechon is that they have more branches which are accessible.  They have branches at the mall (SM Cebu and SM Ayala Center) but we love to visit their branch just across SM Cebu and Radisson Blu Hotel. 

So if you happen to visit Cebu, don’t forget to try CnT lechon.

Punta Fuego Beach Resort

Punta Fuego Beach Resort

Punta Fuego Beach Resort is an exclusive resort for Club Punta Fuego members and their guests.  It is located at Nasugbu, Batangas and is a two to two and a half drive from Metro Manila.

Last summer, through a member relative of our department manager, we were able to hold our department summer outing at Punta Fuego Beach Resort.  It was only a one day outing so we left early in the morning so we can maximize our time at the resort.

Travelling from Alabang to Punta Fuego Beach Resort was really great since there were still no traffic early in the morning, the scenery is awesome and the road is in good condition.  We drove through South Luzon Express Way, took our exit at Sta. Rosa Exit then went straight to Tagaytay, then Nasugbu town proper.  From Nasugbu town proper, it is still a few kilometers drive before we reached the Terrazas De Punta Fuego gate.





Main Gate

Upon reaching the Terrazas De Punta Fuego gate, we still have to travel downhill for a few minutes to reach the parking area near the beach resort entrance.  If you are a new driver or your car finds it hard to go uphill, you may opt to park at the parking space just near the Terrazas De Punta Fuego gate and ride their service vehicle going to the beach resort entrance.  This way, you will save yourself from driving uphill later which is a little scary for new drivers.  By the way, using bus as means of transportation going to this resort is prohibited.

Punta Fuego Beach Resort is a beautiful and relaxing place with a lot of scenic views.  Just perfect for the nature lovers and photographers who love to capture the beauty of nature … and because it’s an exclusive resort, there are only few people around so the place is not crowded. 

The beach is clean although the water is not that clear.  The sand is white and fine and the beach front is long although there’s a part where it’s already owned by other resort.  Aside from swimming, there are still a lot of water fun activities which can be done.  Banana boat ride is one … of course additional fees applies.

An exciting banana boat ride

Aside from the beach, we also had fun swimming at the resort’s infinity pool.  Here, the water is cool and there are lots of trees around which gives a little protection from the direct heat of the sun.

Punta Fuego's Infinity Pool

If you are not in the mood for some water activities then you can just walk around and feast your eyes with the beautiful sceneries or just lie on one of the benches provided and relax.

For our food, it was already inclusive with the entrance fee we had paid and it included a welcome drink, a morning snack, buffet lunch and an afternoon snack.  Well, there’s nothing special about the food ... just plain and simple.

Overall, our day tour at Punta Fuego Beach Resort was worth it.  We had enjoyed the place and had fun with our colleagues and families.

For more information and inquiries about this resort, you can contact their sales office here.

Citiseconline - My Online Stock Broker

Citiseconline is an online stock broker listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange and as of this writing, they rank 9^th in PSE’s Brokers Ranking Report.

I learned about Citiseconline and stock market from Bro. Bo’s articles from Truly Rich Club so when I decided to start investing/trading in the stock market, I also tapped the services of Citiseconline as my online stock broker.

Now, after two years of being with Citiseconline, I am happy and contented with their service.  Their staff is accommodating … whether you call them, visit them at their office or e-mail them, you can always look forward for their quick response.

Citiseconline’s website is very user-friendly.  Before I opened an account with them, I tried their 7-day free trial and it didn’t take me long before I get used to their system.  Aside from the trading platform, their website also offers a lot of information which you can use for your trading/investing strategies. 

Citiseconline updates client’s record daily so you can always check your account and be assured that it is updated. 

Citiseconline offers free seminars which is very informative and helpful for new stock market investors/traders.

Since Citiseconline is an online stock broker, I can always check on my account anytime, anywhere as long as I have my internet connection.  I’m very grateful of their off-line transaction because even if the stock market is closed, I can still input my orders (buy or sell) and it will just be queued at the stock exchange the next day the market opens so even if I can’t be online when the market is open, I can still buy or sell my stocks as long as the prices reached the target I set.

So, if you are interested to invest in the stock market and you’re looking for a stock broker, I suggest you try Citiseconline.