Charlize Jaeden: Our Birth Story

It has been exactly three weeks since our little angel has arrived and yet I remember the events as it happened as if it was yesterday. Our saga started on the 16th of November. I knew honey would arrive home at around 3pm so I decided to wait for him to have lunch so we ended lunching at around 3:30 pm so that night I decided not to have dinner coz I was still full from the very late lunch. I was happily re-reading new moon in anticipation of watching the movie in a couple of days when I remembered to bug honey to buy our tickets online for the coming Thursday (19th of November) which was the first day of showing of New Moon here in the Netherlands. He ended up buying the tickets at around 10 pm while telling me to stop reading and to go to bed.

I was still reading at around 11pm when all of a sudden, a gush of liquid came out of me. My water broke! I immediately called honey and told him “honey, I don’t think we’ll be able to use those tickets after all, my water just broke.” My general practitioner instructed us that in case my water broke late at night or very early morning, I should sleep and call them in the morning, so I tried to sleep. However, the contractions started, at first mild but were gaining strength by the hour then at around 4 am, when I went to the toilet, there were traces of blood in my undies and so I told honey to call the midwife. When the midwife and the assistant arrived, they told us that they we’re not sure if it was really water or pee that came out of me so they said I should rest coz I might not even give birth any time soon.

So I tried to rest but no avail, the contractions started to get stronger. At around 9 am I told honey to contact the GP again and when they arrived, they checked me and told me that I was 2 cm dilated, they told me that I should just wait a while and they will come back to check on my status after a couple of hours.

At around 3pm, the GPs arrived and checked on me again. At this time I was really exhausted and I haven't eaten except for 2 pieces of bread that honey insisted I eat. After checking on me, the GPs told me that I was only 3 cm dilated so it was going really slowly. They suggested that we go to the hospital already so that I could be given morphine for the pain so that I could rest coz the labour process could be long.

Honey and I arrived at the hospital at around 4pm and when we arrived, the doctor explained to me the options for medication but that time, the pain subsided so I decided not to have any medications. However, around 8pm, the pain was already too much and I was too tired from the long labour, not to mention lack of food coz I was not able to eat anything at all (I tell you labor messes with your appetite), so I asked for medication. However, since I’m already 7cm dilated, epidural was out of the question, I was given morphine, but the medication didn’t have any effect on me so it was a long and painful labour. Honey was starting to worry about me as I writhe in bed with agony. Now I know why they call it such.

After what seemed to be an eternity of torturous pain and squishing honey’s hand that would definitely require him to undergo therapy, the doctor finally said that I was fully dilated and should push when I felt the pushing contractions come. Within half an hour of pushing, the doctor told me that I was pushing well but the heartbeat of the baby rises each time I push so they would need to make the delivery quicker by using a clamp. With a few more pushes and through the help of the clamp, our little angel was out, finally. The moment they placed her on my chest, all the pain seemed to have vanished. Honey cut her umbilical cord and he told me it was a really strange feeling, good kind of strange.

Giving birth to our little Charlie is something that I would remember for the rest of my life. I have experienced pain that I have never experienced in my whole life. But in spite of the exquisite pain, I would go through it all again just to have Charlie in our lives.

7 going for 8

I know this weblog has been neglected for so long. Ever since we got back from our vacation from Rome, things have been crazy busy at home and at work. It doesn’t help that I have to slow down my work pace so that I can teach the person whom we hired to temporarily replace me while I’m on maternity leave, which by the way is in two weeks!!! Yey!

I noticed that after I completed my 7th month of pregnancy, my tummy grew bigger and is now much heavier. It’s becoming more difficult to turn around in bed. I am grateful that I still get my much needed sleep at night.

Highlights of the 7th month:

@ Birthing classes kicked off and I’m really learning a lot. Our classes are every Thursday night and we discuss breathing, relaxation and exercise techniques that are supposed to be very helpful during D day. Our classes also touch on maternity care here in the Netherlands, common practices, stages of labor and how to cope once the baby is out. I have learned gazillion of things that I know would be very helpful when Bee is finally ready to come out. Oh and it’s a plus that our adorable birthing class instructor informed me that with the kind of health insurance that I have, I can actually claim the maternity class fees. Sweet!

@ Furniture for the nursery has finally arrived although all of them are still in boxes stashed away in the other room as we are still in the middle of repainting the nursery.

@ The wall papers in Bee’s room have already been stripped off, the walls have been cleaned and the part where the mural will be painted has been painted white for the base. Our dear friend, who agreed to do the mural, started sketching on the wall and from the first strokes that she has left on the wall I know it’s going to be perfect!

@ Honey has already had the car checked, as hubby wants to make sure that we are all safe when we’re in the car. And as Bee is coming on the dead of winter, Honey also scheduled an appointment for our heater to be checked and all sorts of preparations to make sure that when Bee comes home, it’s going to be comfy and cozy.

@ We received the maternity box from our insurance company. This is one of the benefits we get from our insurance where they will send us a box filled with baby goodies one could ever think of. Actually, I don’t even know that some of the items in the box are but I will definitely ask some of my friends here about what they are.

@ The hospital bag is taking shape. Honey and I have placed all the things that we already have (which are the basic stuff) in a bag ready to be picked up when Bee finally arrives. There are a couple of things still missing (I call these missing things as nice to haves) but Honey and I are shopping for the rest of them when my maternity leave starts. (Anyway, in theory that is still 5 weeks away from my due date).

Looking forward to:

@ completing the nursery
@ completing the birthing classes
@ Shopping! (I’ve been avoiding baby clothes shop for so long coz I might not have enough strength to not buy so much clothes for Bee)


Whew, it has been a whirlwind month for Honey, me and Bee but I’m really looking forward to the next stage. As I told Bee a couple of times, I’m so happy to be carrying her in my tummy but I also can’t wait to finally hold her in my arms.

Final Trimester Begins

I can’t believe that we’re on the final lap of our pregnancy. The last two trimesters have been pure bliss. The past six months that baby Bee has been in my tummy is a journey honey and I will cherish forever.

During these first two trimesters, honey and I have kept ourselves busy with trying to prepare as much as we can for our little angel. We have already been shopping for some of Bee’s need when she comes out. We also started researching for child care assistance so that there will be a smooth transition when I come back to work and of course we started preparing for the documents that we’ll need if and when we decide to bring someone over from Manila (and OMG, it is a tedious process). With the help of plurk and online friends, I’ve also read (and still is reading) some of the books for pregnancy and childcare that they have recommended. I’ve also contacted my health insurance and they have arranged for a child care specialist to visit me for two weeks after I’ve given birth (kraamzorg in Dutch). Honey and I also managed to secure a spot in a birthing class, finally. We also chose the colour palette for the nursery and we’ve made a list of the things that we need to buy for our baby and also for the mommy and daddy bag.

Indeed, the first two trimesters have been very busy, nonetheless fun, for honey and me. And as much as we cherish these past six months, we’re so looking forward to the last trimester of our pregnancy.

The last three months, we’ll be busy with attending the birthing classes (which starts on the 17th of September), painting the nursery, processing the papers for our nanny, shopping for all the things in our list that we haven’t bought yet, and preparing mentally and physically for the coming of our little one.

It’s undeniable that the first six months have been a blast for honey and me but I so look forward to this last trimester and ultimately the time when honey and I will be able to hold our little Bee in our arms.

Domina Roma Capanelle Hotel & Conference

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While planning for our trip to Rome, a lot of our friends and colleagues told us that this time of the year could be very hot and humid in the eternal city. This is the reason why one of the requirements that we looked for in a hotel to stay at was a swimming pool so that in case it gets really hot to go outside we can just spend the day lounging by the poolside and dipping in the cold water.

After thorough research, we were resigned to the fact that it will be very difficult for us to find a hotel with a pool at the very heart of the city so we went for this hotel and we were not disappointed. Domina Roma Capanelle Hotel and Conference is located around 30 minutes away from the Termini station in Rome via the metro. Going to the hotel from Fiumicino Airport can be a bit tricky but once you have done you’re research, reaching the hotel via public transport is quite easy. The hotel also has shuttle busses which, if you can work your schedule around it, could be quite convenient.

Upon entering the hotel lobby, we knew that we made the right choice. The hotel is very clean, the staffs were very attentive and the rooms were very spacious and cosy. We did have a problem with our room on our first night, water was leaking from the ceiling from the air conditioning unit but upon our request, the staff changed our room immediately.

A dip on the cold pool was a perfect ending to a tiring day of exploring the city with the warm and humid weather. Although, the hotel might want to change the closing time of the pool area as guests can no longer access it after 7pm. The breakfast was hearty and composed of normal feast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, yogurts, variety of fruits, breads, hot and cold drinks. My only complain is the variety, after having the same thing for breakfast for an entire week can be tiring. Another thing, when guests have breakfast later in the morning, some of the items in the buffet run out and are not refilled, good thing, except for the one day that we had breakfast at 10am, the rest of our stay, we started our day early.

We had a wonderful stay at this hotel and we would consider staying there again when we come back to Rome.

3rd Wedding (8th) Anniversary, and we’re off to Rome!

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Three years of marital bliss and 8 wonderful years of being together, now this occasion needs to be celebrated with a bang. This thought kept running through Honey’s and my mind when we were trying to plan for our anniversary get away. We wanted to celebrate in a place that is also special, if not as special as the occasion is for us. After considering a lot of factors and our circumstances, honey and I finally decided that the perfect place would be in Rome, Italy. We also settled for a date that is less than a month earlier than our anniversary thinking that on our anniversary, I’ll be 30 weeks pregnant and we’re not sure if I’m still up to the task of walking around to explore a beautiful city.

Looking back, I can’t find the words enough to express my gratitude on all the blessings that God has showered upon us. And as tiring as the last weeks have been, the downpour of blessings have been undeniable. More so, I can’t thank God enough for the love, happiness, peace and all the other wonderful gifts he bestowed upon our marriage (and our relationship) over the years.

Honey and I are excited to explore a famed city that we’ve never been to before to celebrate our special day knowing that next year, we’ll have a little angel tagging along with us.

Finally!!! After weeks of waiting, we’re heading off to our trip. After weeks that have been crazy busy, a week of lounging in the pool, lazily strolling to witness the famed sites and feasting on authentic Italian feast is a much welcome relief.

How old is old?!?

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The past couple of weeks have been crazy! (or I’m just making excuses for completely neglecting this space for a while now. Thing is I have posts lined up I just couldn’t find the time (and energy) to edit photos that go along with the post.

So to ease my way back and to get my blogging mojo up and running again, I have decided to take up Niko on her tag. There is only one question actually, how old is old?

Isn’t it thought provoking and I must say, with my pregnancy and all the stuff we’ve been doing to prepare for the coming of our little angel, I’ve been thinking about this question for some time now. However, I’m really not worried about the age, per se, what I’m thinking about is how wise or mature have I become over the years. You see, I’ve always believed that one can grow old without being any wiser or one can be young but be full of wisdom beyond his years. Age for me is relative, just this year when I turned 28, I told honey that I don’t feel anything different from when I was 21, seriously. But now, I think I would have a different feeling next year when I turn 29, coz then I’m expecting to have matured more and to have gained more knowledge and experience after going through a pregnancy and giving birth to a new life that we love and care for more than life itself.

Thinking about it, this is a tough question “how old is old?” and to be honest I don’t know the answer. Is it the wrinkles, the bifocal glasses or the persistent rheumatic attacks on one’s knees that signify you’re old? I really don’t think so. I told honey once that even when we aged, I still want to travel with him, do our weekly dates and explore things that we have never tried before. I know that with age comes a certain degree of limitation on a body’s capabilities but it’s really in one’s heart and mind. So I say, I think one is old when his heart looses the desire to live life to the fullest and one is old the moment he allowed his heart to tell him so which causes him to loose vigor and enthusiasm. In my opinion, being old is not the number of years you’ve lived but the moment you’re hunger for life ceased to exist and you’re content to stare at a blank wall waiting for something inevitable. And I do hope and pray that I will never see that day.

How about you, what do you think, how old is old?

***this is my entry to Cathara's birthday contest.

***I'm passing on this interesting question to Emarene, Ayie, Cess, Beth & EmDy

Better half tag

I've received this tag from Niko and I was intrigued if I'm able to answer all the questions. I've realized that I know most of the answers to them but some of them I was uncertain and had to ask honey while we were having breakfast. Turns out my guesses were correct. This was a fun tag to do.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
~ Eurosport or CNN

2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
~ mango chili dressing

3. What's one food he doesn’t like?
~ New York cheesecake or any fish dish he doesn't recognize

4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does he order?
~ orange juice or iced tea

5. What shirt size does he have?
~ medium to large, depends on the brand

6. What shoe size does he have?
~ 11

7. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
~ bacon and eggs

8. What would he eat everyday if he could?
~ mangoes and atis

9. What is his favorite cereal?
~ choco pops (does it count even if he really doesn't eat cereals he just buys them for the free toy hehe)

10. What would he never wear?
~ he’s very adventurous with what he wears, so he wears pretty much everything.

11. What is his favorite sports team?
~ real madrid, manchester united (football) & cavaliers (NBA), we both really liked Ginebra (PBA) before.

12. Who did he vote for?
~ I don't think he voted the last elections.

13. Who is his best friend?
~ Me, of course

14. What is something he does, but you wish he wouldn't do?
~ stay up really late. (he's a nocturnal creature hehe)

15. What is his heritage?
~ Filipino

16. You bake him a cake, what kind of cake?
~ he really likes the prunes-walnut cake and the mocha mammon cake that I make for him

17. Did he play sports in high school?
~ yes, basketball, table tennis

18. What could he spend hours doing?
~ surfing the internet, watching movies and organizing stuff!

19. What is the unique talent that he has?
~ organizing, and he’s very good with directions

20. What's his type of coffee?
~ he rarely drinks coffee but he would chose fraps if and when he would.

How about you, how well do you know your better half, give the tag a try and see how you do, oh and if you decided to do the tag, please link back here, i'd love to see your answers.

94th Mensiversary @ Ron Blaauw Restaurant

As I have mentioned time and time again, one of the things that I really love about honey is that he has this moments when he completely catches me off guard and surprises me with something that he knows I’ll really like. The way we celebrated this month’s mensiversary is a classic example.

We are one of those cheesy couples who always makes an excuse to celebrate our love for one another and mensiversaries are simply perfect for us, we always look forward to this day of the month. It can be as simple as a kiss and a hug or can be as elaborate and as fancy as the dinner we shared last week. The night before, honey already told me that he’s leaving work early, drop by the dentist and pick me up for our date. He was at the office at 5:30pm and we drove somewhere close to his office. The moment I saw this quaint shop in the middle of a charming neighbourhood, I asked him, “how on earth did you know of this place?” I even teased him and told him “maybe your taking on budget…” I cut myself midsentence when I saw the name of the restaurant. This well known place could never be a budget meal.

For this month’s mensiversary, he took me to Ron Blaauw restaurant. This renowned restaurant was awarded with two Michelin stars and serves French and International cuisine. It is located in the heart of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. It was really a surprise for me coz honey remembered that during restaurant week here in Amsterdam, I tried to book us a reservation but they were not able to accommodate us.

The interior of the restaurant was very homey, the tamed lights were very romantic and the seats were very comfortable. But with a restaurant of this calibre, the highlight is definitely the food. We were seated at the couch to enjoy our aperitif, of course in my case it was orange juice and we were served with a wide array of appetizers that are so exquisite, the most memorable of which is the crusty bread which looked like charcoal black burnt pieces of thin bread but when I took a portion and dipped it to the butter-like accompaniment, I found it very nice, the bread was crunchy and the butter complimented it well. Honey favoured the shrimps in cone. Before we were seated on our table, we browsed through their menu and decided to have the 8 course meal, I was a bit hesitant to order that at first because it sounds a lot but the maitre’d assured us that the servings are small enough for us to enjoy all the courses. Once the dinner started, plated works of art begun parading on our table. All the courses were prepared exquisitely with the freshest ingredients one could ever imagine. The creativity of the chef and his staff was evident with each plate that arrives. The entire meal was like a well orchestrated concert where each course builds up and prepares your tongue for the crescendo of taste that is yet to come. The dessert parade was like the perfect punctuation to a well thought of dinner.

The price that we paid for the menu was definitely worth the fair that was served. This dinner definitely goes down as one of the best mensiversary dinners we’ve ever had.

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excess: the photos we have taken during our meal is trapped in my mobile phone :-( i can't seem to transfer it on my laptop.

5 months and getting bigger

This week marks the end of my 5th month of pregnancy and my, oh my, what a journey it has been so far. Over these past five months, I have realized more than ever how blessed I am. As I have mentioned time and time again, this has been one smooth sailing pregnancy and our little baby Bee is not giving mommy any difficulties at all, added to the fact that honey is with me all the way making these entire pregnancy a breeze…

Honey and I have read in one of the many weekly updates that we receive from fabulous pregnancy sites that Bee’s hearing us loud and clear now and this is the perfect time to start reading to her, so every night before honey and I go to sleep we read 2-3 stories from the illustrated stories of Jesus, one of the children’s books that we bought while vacationing in Manila. I’m so thrilled to receive the illustrated fairytale book that I’ve ordered online so that will be the next book we’re reading.

My baby bump is becoming more obvious now and I’m finding dresses, skirts and leggings more comfy to wear. I sometimes feel some fluttering in my tummy but I’m really not sure if that really is baby Bee moving, but honey and I are sure looking forward to the time when we’ll know that the movement is really Bee. Although I'm really not worried coz our midwife told us that my placenta is placed in such a way that it serves as a cushion so it might take a while before I can really feel the baby's movements but she assured me that when the baby's kick is strong enough, i'll definitely know it. I also noticed that my shoes are getting tighter, looks like it’s time to shop for a new pair. We also ordered a maternity belt coz I’m starting to feel my tummy getting heavier and I think I’ll need all the support that I can get.

This week we’re choosing colour palettes for the nursery that we’re preparing for the coming of our little princess. I’m leaning towards a purple and pink palette, although, the freshness of apple green seems to be a nice idea to. We’ll see what honey and I will come up with.

We are also signing up for the birthing classes being offered in Amsterdam, honey and I are really looking forward to it coz it will not only discuss breathing techniques and the process of giving birth, it is also a class specially designed for expat couples because it will discuss the technical stuff that we need to undergo like how to register the baby, how the Dutch medical system works and all sorts of information which should settle most of the questions that have been bugging since we knew we were pregnant.

Wow, I can’t believe how time flies, we’re already on the halfway mark of this pregnancy and as much as I love being pregnant, I am also excited to finally reach the end of this pregnancy and hold our little angel in my arms. We’ll get there soon enough!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

After reading all the seven Harry Potter books, honey and I have been so looking forward to finally get to see them on the big screen. I was disappointed when the latest instalment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’s premier was moved from last year to this year. You can just imagine our excitement when we were finally buying our tickets online to finally see this much awaited film.

I’ve read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince years ago so I’ve had forgotten a lot of the details in the story. However, one thing that I haven’t forgotten is how much I enjoyed leafing through the pages as I explore Harry’s adventures and misadventures with him in another year of his stay at Hogwart’s. I was so tempted to reread the book before going to the movies, after all I was home on sick leave the very same day that the movie premiered and had time to spare, but as the call of slumber was much stronger on my tired body than the urge to relive the book, I gave in to the call of the bed and slept the day away. After seeing the movie, I think not rereading the book was all for the best, I was thrilled to see each scene in the film and was excited as each part of the movie unfolds without me tying to mentally recall the next things that I have read in the book.

The movie was great! I daresay that this is the Harry Potter movie I enjoyed the most beating the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone out of my number one. We were even treated to about 15 minutes of 3D as we watched it on IMAX and the first few scenes were on 3D. The movie was funny, exciting, heart warming, it contained everything that I’m looking for in a good movie. I can’t believe how much the actors have grown over the years. It made me look back to the time when honey and I saw the very first movie together, we were still in college then.

Of course, I browsed through the book after watching the movie and although there were scenes that I would have loved to see on the movie, this film is definitely a gem and worth watching.

Kneading like there is no tomorrow

The very first time I used my new chef http://intricate-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-very-own-personal-chef.html, I made some muffins and Japanese cheesecakes and it was a breeze but I thought, batter mixing is not really the true test of a good mixer. So over the weekend, I decided to see how my chef would do when faced with the laborious task of kneading dough. I opted to make Siopao (since I have been craving it for quite a while now) and pandesal.

Last Sunday, my eyelids were barely opened and the rain clouds were making me want to crawl back in bed, good thing honey was picking up a friend from the airport so I got up the same time that he did. I readied the ingredients and threw on my apron and started baking. I was truly amazed at how easy making bread is now. I was able to make two batches of pandesal in less than an hour sans the backache that normally lingers right after I have done all the kneading. I kneaded bought batches ten minutes each and there were no complains from Kenny (that is what I fondly call my chef now). After stashing the dough inside the oven to proof, I started to ready the ingredients for the siopao ( I only made pork asado though as I’m not really fond of bola bola). Thinking that this is the perfect moment to test Kenny to its limits, I kneaded the siopao dough for ten minutes and my Kenny just kept on mixing, it’s like a walk in the park for him, fantastic.

I was all smiles when I pulled out my Pandesal from the oven and after I have steamed by siopao. As I took a bite of the chewy pandesal, I just had to smile and think of the next kneading journey that Kenny and I are soon to venture on. Cinnamon rolls and ensaymada, your next!

Pinks & purples!

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Honey and I have so been looking forward to our scheduled ultrasound last Monday which will finally tell us if it will be dresses or pants and trousers. Surprise, surprise…. Bee is a girl!!!

To be honest I was really surprised to know that our little angel is a girl. See, since I got pregnant, I’ve dreamt like five times (or even more!) that Bee is a boy. So when the technician asked us what we think the baby will be, I immediately said boy but it was such a pleasant revelation. I knew honey preferred to have a girl, as for me I really had no preference (on the contrary, I actually wanted both!). The experience is overwhelming really!

This ultrasound also told us that everything is in order that our little daughter is perfectly healthy. The technician measured everything, her head, her heart, her spine, her tummy and everything that can be measured. I had to laugh when she measured our little girl’s feet and told us “hey, your baby has big feet.” haha, takes after her mom, I guess. Good thing we live in a place where my shoe size is readily available, unlike in Manila.

It’s so surreal to know that in a couple of months from now, we will be caring for our very own little girl. See you soon Bee, our little princess.

My very own Personal Chef

From the moment I discovered the magic that is baking, I have started drooling over the Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I would imagine how much fluffier my cakes would be, how much faster I can whip up frostings and how easier it would be for me to knead my bread (special my pandesal which our friends here always request for). I have my mind set on having one and I even listed it on my Christmas wish list . However, after checking the prices on line, I was surprised. A kitchen aid model which costs around $250 in the US would be had here in Europe at around €450… what kind of conversion is that?!?

During Christmas season, honey kept on insisting that he’ll just buy me the Kitchen Aid but being the wise shopper that I’d like to think myself of, I told him to hold it off and I’ll do some more researching. After combing the internet far and wide and browsing through reviews upon reviews of stand mixers available in the European market, I have concluded that the better alternative for me is to get a Kenwood mixer. There are reviews that even go as far as saying that KAs available in Europe are not as good as those in the US, this I’m not sure of. I was so surprised when I learned that the specifications of a Kenwood mixer are much better than that of a KA and it’s cheaper. Apart from that, all the reviews for Kenwood have nothing but good things to say about the product, how durable and versatile it is. The only edge KA has over Kenwood is the variety of funky colours. I am more than convinced so I told honey I found the mixer that I really want.



Without much prodding, honey and I ordered the product online and last thursday, honey came home with a huge box in tow. We’ve finally got our very own Kenwood Chef Classic. I immediately popped in the DVD included on the package on the player and honey was amazed by the range of things this chef can do. We can buy additional attachments to even increase the range of what our chef can do in the kitchen, it’s simply amazing.

Of course I donned my apron and baking mittens during the weekend and had a little baking frenzy at my kitchen after all my chef and had some getting-to-know to do… For our first adventure together, we made some blueberry muffins and japanese cheesecake. I must say, I couldn't be any happier with its performance.

Bigby's

I have fond memories of Bigby’s. The first time I dined at this quaint but charming resto was way back my auditing days when a colleague and I flew all the way to Cagayan de Oro for an assignment. After our very long inventory taking was over, we asked around of a restaurant they could recommend and Bigby’s was the unanimous recommendation so off we went and had our very late lunch there. I remember the food being really good and the attendants were very warm. Upon knowing that we were from Manila, they even gave us a complimentary slice of cake with sparklers and all to welcome us. How great is that?

After hearing that Bigby’s has finally hit Manila, I needed no more prodding, I told honey we should dine there once we go on holidays to Manila. True to my word, I hauled honey to the resto and we were both impressed by the ambiance, it was very homey and the couches were very inviting. I completely forgot that they offer very big servings and so when honey and I an appetizer and main course for each of us. I ordered the Tijuana Quesadillas and honey wanted to give their Squiggly Rings a try. For our main course, we both ordered the belly buster. The food is as good as I remembered it to be, the servings were huge and the attendants were as friendly as ever. The ribs in particular were excellent, it was tender and juicy and falls off the bone. The food we ordered was just too much for us he took most of it home with us. I even told him that we have to save room for the midnight dream cake but as it turns out, there was no more room in our tummy. Oh well, we will definitely be back and next time we’ll know better. We’ll bring the entire family along so we can all sample the goodness of this place.

This place is definitely a must try.

Memories Preserved

The moment we’ve learned that we’re having a baby, the ecstasy, excitement and that amazing feeling that borders between nervousness and anticipation are just too much and I wanted to preserve them somehow. So once those wonderful emotions have subsided a bit, I started jotting down ways of how I can create a memorabilia that our growing family can cherish for years to come. It was like a light bulb flashed on top of my head…. What better way of preserving memories than to make a scrap book!

I’ve never really been into arts and crafts and all those cuteness so I cannot tell whether or not I have an apt for it but it’s never too late to try right? With this project in mind, while vacationing in Manila, I scoured bookstores, novelty stores and paper shops for the base scrap book that will hold all my little treasures. After combing the biggest malls, I still couldn’t find the right one. Then while we were in Megamall, I remembered this shop that I adored some years back, Papemelrotti, I checked their store out and found several charming scrapbook, but none of them really grabbed my attention, so I decided to look in some other places and if there is really nothing else out there, I’ll get one from this shop.

Our last few days in Manila came and I’ve decided to just by the scrap book we found in Papemelrotti coz that was the only thing missing, I’ve already bought the all the other paraphernalia I think I’ll be needing (like stickers, buttons and other accessories) to be able to create my very first scrap book. The very same day, I met my sister for dinner and she handed me a gift, guess what it was? It was a scrapbook, none that I’ve ever seen in my previous search for this elusive book. It was cute and brightly coloured and was everything that I was looking for. Apparently, she bought it that afternoon in a small stall while strolling in Robinson’s place. Oh how wonderful, now I have two.

The moment we got back here in Amsterdam, I started creating the scrapbook. Since this is the first time I’m doing this, I decided to just put in anything that I feel I would want to see again that would trigger happy moments. I just try to document, through bits and pieces, the stages of our pregnancy and the important dates and events.

So far there are still a few pages that I’ve filled up but I’m still collecting the rest of the stuff I want to squeeze into this tiny treasure. I’m hoping that I would be able to tap into my creative juices and create a jewel that we could keep.

If you have any tips or suggestions on how I can make this keepsake even prettier, by all means, I’m (wide) open for suggestions.

Heavenly Scents

While cooking dinner last week, I heard honey opening the door coming home from work so I dropped the ladle and went out of the kitchen. The moment I stepped out of the kitchen door, there he was standing in the dining area with a red box in his hand. He told me, “I have something for you.” It was a perfume, so I asked him why he got me this. He said, “Oh, nothing, I just remembered this perfume from Tita Z and she loved it and I thought you’d like the scent. And besides your other perfume is half empty now so might as well get a new one.”

Sheesh, I didn’t even noticed that the other perfume I was using is already half empty. How blessed am I to have a husband who looks after me like this. He does a lot of tiny gestures that make my heart flutter and of course he is also Mr. Grand Gesture who makes my tummy somersault.

I couldn’t believe how heavenly the scent of the perfume is the moment I opened it. I’m not sure though if my giddy heart had any influence on that.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I remember honey and I saw the first Transformers movie while we were on vacation in the Philippines and the brilliant effects and fast-paced story kept us at the edges of our seats. No wonder, honey was very keen on taking me to the movies for our last week’s date. Personally, I didn’t like Transformers (the animated series) I preferred Voltes V, but as it turns out, honey was a fan. He even gave me a gist of his favourite episodes.

We decided to see the 6pm showing of the movie (being the 2nd IMAX screening of the day) rather than the normal screening at 5pm. We were stunned by the very long queue that greeted us. It was free sitting so everyone was trying to get ahead of everyone to get a good seat. As I didn’t want to get squished we just decided to let the bulk of the crowd to go ahead of us before we went inside. Luckily, we still managed to get great seats.

As expected the special effects were spectacular. The movie didn’t have any dull moment in it, it was action packed, comic reliefs were right on target and all the action scenes would make you hold your breath. Oh and my favorite autobot would have to be Bumble Bee, I feel giddy each time Sam calls him "Bee"... so cute!

Honey and I enjoyed the movie immensely and if you’re looking for an enjoyable film for the family, this definitely should be one of your options.

A very delayed Father's Day Post

I really wanted to make honey's very first Father's Day as special as it can be because it's his very first. I ordered a gift for him online a couple of days before and I also bought a cute card where I'll write him a letter. I thought everything was going according to plan. However, when Friday come and went without me receiving the package, I knew it wouldn't arrive in time for the special day (and up to the time of posting this, we haven't received it yet!). I was so frustrated but thinking that there’s no point of making a big fuss over something that I can’t control, I just focused on beautifying my card.

It’s been a while since I’ve last written to honey so I knew he’d like this card a lot. And the moment I saw this adorable looking card, I knew this was what I was looking for. This post is late coz I didn’t want to take chances of honey peeking here and seeing the letter I wrote for him.

I am sharing with you now what I wrote on the card and as expected honey liked it a lot!

"To my Honey,

Another chapter of our love is about to unfold and we are about to face a daunting experience, but every fibre of my being is full of excitement and optimism that with you by my side, this will be a part of our journey that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

I’m filled with joy as I think of how lucky our little angel is going to be having you as a father. If s/he will receive even just a morsel of the love you have shown me throughout these years, then s/he is gonna be loved like no other child has been or will ever be loved.

You have been my rock all these years and having you by my side have made me stronger and made me want to become better in everything that I do. I have no qualms that you will be the fortress that protects our child, a light to our precious gift and an inspiration for him/her to become the best person that s/he can be.

I wanted to make this day, your very first father’s day, special for you coz I know, without a doubt, that you are the best Daddy in the whole world.

Bee and I love you so much!"

What’s in a name

My name has always invoked curiosity especially with newly met acquaintances or friends. See my name is not at all unique, but when my name is given to a girl, that’s what triggers the questions. I’m the sixth daughter (we’re seven siblings in all… no boys) and my parents decided to give me a boy’s come what may. I actually like the idea, and if ever our little angel is a girl, I’m contemplating on giving her a girl’s name with a boyish nickname (like Alexandra with a nickname of Alex… cute right!).

Now, I’ve received another tag from Niko and it gives a link to a site that translates your current name into its 1950s version. What? I got curios obviously and so off I went and followed the link. I wasn’t expecting a very girly 1950s name, it sounds so cute. Its sounds so Wizard of Oz that I imagine myself wearing a ruby red shoe. Haha

Your 1950s Name is: Dorothy Wanda

What's Your 1950s Name?

Head on over to the link to discover your 1950's name. Oh and please link back here so i could know what your names are. Have fun

Angels and Demons

(via)

I’ve been wanting to watch Angels and Demons for weeks now, but somehow, going to the movies gets bumped off by other more pressing (or other not so pressing) matters in my weekend to do list. Finally last Saturday, for our week date, honey took me to the movies.

It’s not surprising that there is so few of us inside the cinema, after all, the movie is on its third week of showing. It made the ambiance of watching the film more conducive for me though, I never liked a cinema that is packed. I must say that I liked Angels and Demons (the novel) better than The Da Vinci code which fuelled my excitement to see the movie. I was curious as to how the makers are going to fit all the exciting portions of the book into a two-and-a-half-hour movie. The movie was enjoyable although, if feel that there were certain important areas in the novel that weren’t fully developed in the movie. Of all the cast of characters, I liked Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of the carmelengo the most, I think he really gave a convincing performance. As expected, there were deviations from the novel and I think that a person who watched the movie without reading the book first will be more entertained, and completely clueless as to the ending. .

Although I’ve enjoyed the novel immensely, I was a half expecting to be disappointed with the movie as I was when I watched The Da Vinci code (the first Dan Brown novel translated into film) but to my surprise, I did enjoy the film and can say that it’s definitely worth watching.

Meat Haven and Holy Cow Chop House

Honey and I, we both love our meat, and given the opportunity, we are willing to sample a good steak. Honey, more than me, is in a quest to find the steak the best steak for him. See, honey’s criteria does not only grade the steak itself but also the condiments and side dishes that goes with it. So far, if my memory serves me right, the top two steaks on his list are the one that we had at Planet Hollywood in Dubai and the steak from Wilma & Albert here in the Netherlands.

During our holidays in the Philippines, I told honey we should try the steaks here in Manila as well, only thing is, there are just so many restaurants that we want to try that is why trying out steaks take the back seat. However, after visiting my very friendly OB-Gyn, my sister A, honey and I had our lunch at Robinson’s Place Ermita and while looking at possible options where to dine, I saw Holy Cow Chop House. The restaurant looked so inviting and I remember having read great reviews about this restaurant so off we went and grabbed a seat. For starters, we ordered calamari and nachos, both were really good. For our main course, my sister and I had the Tiger Prawn and Steak Platter while honey ordered the Rib Eye Steak. I really liked the mushroom sauce that was served with the steak, although the tiger prawns were a bit bland and dry for my taste. I think the steak that honey ordered was a real winner, it was tender, the juice oozing with beefy goodness and cooked just right (you see honey and I prefer our steaks to be well done but still juicy) and the matching side dishes and mushroom sauce perfectly blends to the creaminess of the meat. Paired with a tall glass of lemonade, this is one satisfying lunch. Too bad, all of us were too stuffed to order dessert, next time.

(calamari)

(honey's steak)

(tiger prawns & steak)
Although Holy Cow’s steak didn’t make it to honey’s list of favorite steaks, their steaks are definitely worth a try. I know we will once we’re back in Manila.

Spring, Summer and Breakfast

Good weather is not at all common in this part of the world that is why a lot of people have been ecstatic about the wonderful spring/summer we’ve been experiencing ever since we got back from our holidays in Manila. Our temperature ranges from 16-28 degrees Celsius and that may not be very warm for a lot of people but I must say we’re really quite happy with it.

To make sure that we get the most out of this rare blessing, honey and I have been having our breakfast at the roof terrace during weekends. I must say, it improved our mornings immensely. See, I have planted some strawberries, blueberries, and some other potted plants in the roof terrace and it’s great to look at them and enjoy the sight of these growing plants while enjoying a mug of hot chocolate.




Honey also organized a potluck barbecue, two weeks back, at the park with some friends. We’ve put up a tent, brought some barbecue stuff, plenty of drinks and buckets and buckets of rice and started feasting. Everyone had a grand time.



As I’ve said time and time again, spring is my favourite season of the year and as it turns out, my favourite season has been extended this year and I am a happy gal.

The Spoiled Preggy Lady

I just wanna say, I love being pregnant. For starters, at fourteen weeks now, everything has been a walk in the park, no morning sickness, no aversion/cravings for food of any sort. I was expecting for the worst really but it turns out that our little baby Bee is not giving mommy any difficulties at all. Then, there is my ever doting honey, who has always spoiled me through the years, is finding more ways to spoil me even more! He took over my chores at home and even when I’m cooking he would tell me to just tell him what to do and he’ll do it so that I can rest. And although he knows I’m not experiencing any cravings, the moment I ask for something, he goes out of his way to get. Oh, I just can’t ask for anything more from my honey, I simply love him!


(via)

After browsing through my favourite baby sites, I have learned that at fourteen weeks our little Bee is now the size of a clenched fist. My, oh my, he’s getting bigger, no wonder my pants are starting to feel snugger. Sooner or later, I would have to bring out all the maternity clothes honey and I bought while in Manila.

Although I know that we’re far off from the finish line, if my first trimester is any indication of how this pregnancy is going to be, I am really looking forward to the rest of our pregnancy terms. I am one lady welling with happiness and contentment at the moment. That should be good for Bee as well I think. After all, one happy mommy equals one happy baby!

My Package of Joy

While vacationing in Manila, I was having second thoughts if I should buy the Twilight DVD from there. After having read witsandnuts’ post about how the Philippine-released DVD is wanting for a lot of features, I told myself that I’ll just wait for it to be released in Amsterdam. As difficult as it was to resist purchasing the DVD (which was seriously calling out to me while we were in the record shop), I managed to hold my ground and look the other way.

When we returned here, the first thing I did was check out the local record shops and to my dismay, the Twilight DVD is not yet available and I was told that it will be released sometime in June. I was about to kick myself when my colleague told me about the sale at Amazon. When I checked out the site, well what do you know? The Twilight DVD is already on sale. I was ecstatic. I immediately placed my order plus some books that I’ve been wanting to buy for a while now, which luckily enough were all on sale.



After three days of waiting, I was so thrilled to go home hoping that my anticipated parcel has arrived (or was left to our neighbours). The moment I stepped into the door, my eyes immediately spotted the white and orange slip, I knew the postman has come. I picked it up to see where the package is and immediately asked honey to go and get my parcel from our neighbour as indicated in the slip.



I have a big, wide grin as I welcomed honey back inside the house with the box in his arms. I was like a child opening a present on Christmas Eve. There it was my Twilight DVD, Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking, Complete Novels of Jane Austen and a children’s book entitled The very Hungry Caterpillar (for my little baby Bee). Oh, the simple joys of life. I have a lot of watching and reading to do.

The Second Trimester Begins…

(baby Bee @ 11 weeks and 4days)

It’s been a smooth sailing ride for the three of us for more than three months now. I can’t believe how much joy, excitement and anticipation your daddy and I have while waiting for you to come out. I vividly recall that morning the stick finally turned blue, we almost jumped for joy. I still remember the first time we saw you on that screen, you tiny little angel, it was pure magic. And how about the first time we heard your heartbeat… oh we were ecstatic, I had tears welling in my eyes and my heart filled with so much love and yearning to finally hold you in my arms. You are the gift that we’ve been praying for, for quite a while now and now that you’re finally here, it’s so surreal, I have to pinch myself sometimes.

Now that we are embarking on the second leg of our journey, the three of us, I’m so looking forward to feeling your first kick inside my tummy, to soothe your movements with my voice and to caress my belly knowing that you’re there appreciating the touch. I can’t wait to learn if I should buy you pretty tiny little dresses, or will I be shopping for cute little shirts and shorts. There are a lot of other things that we are about to experience together and your daddy and I are looking forward to all those marvellous things.

I cannot guarantee that your daddy and I will not have doubts or fears in the coming months, for like you this is also something new to us, but if there is something that I can guarantee, that is, you are loved and will forever be loved. Hang in there our little baby Bee, mommy and daddy are patiently waiting for you.


(baby Bee @ 11 weeks and 4days)

Bohol Sea Adventure

Our third day was spent basking in the glorious sun, sand and beach of Bohol. We were fetched by our bangkero, kuya George at around 5:30 to start our sea tour bright and early. As part of our itinerary, we were scheduled to watch dolphins at play, snorkel (well honey snorkelled, while I fed the fishes from the small boat) at fish sanctuary and island hop to Balicasag and Virgin (Pontod) Island.



I was surprised that as early as six in the morning when we reached the spot where the dolphins were supposed to show up, there were a lot of other boats, passengers of which were also tourists like us hoping to get a glimpse of the marvellous sea creature. We saw a couple of them dolphins jumping about but each time that we would go closer to the last spot where the dolphins were seen, all the rest of the boats followed suit and the dolphins just swam and went to a completely new spot. After an hour or so of aimlessly going about the wide area, although we did saw some flips and flaps from the ever elusive dolphins, I begun to feel tired of running after them and told Kuya George that we might as well go the next stop. Little did I know that where we were going next would be a much better location for us to spot the flirtatious swimming of these intelligent creatures. I couldn’t help but wonder why kuya George would want to spend all those time running after the elusive dolphins in the first spot. He explained to us that in the first spot that went to, the dolphins were much bigger and they are more playful. Oh, well, I was more than happy to just get closer to the dolphins, the flips and flaps of the bigger ones were a mere bonus.



Next, off we went to the fish sanctuary where honey snorkelled the entire day. I opted to join him and went into the small boat that we rented and thinking that I won’t be going in the water so I can take the camera with me. We took the bangkero’s advice and bought some crackers with us to the snorkelling site. At first, I thought I’d be bored to death while waiting for honey to finish exploring the fish sanctuary. However, while honey was busy floating and dipping and flapping away through the beautiful corals, I took some crackers and dipped my hand in the water. I was amazed by the number of fishes that came to my hand, the crystal clear water made it so easy to see all the fishes and I sure am glad I brought the camera, I took pictures of the fishes as they feasted on the crackers I gave them. I didn’t even have to ask if honey had a grand time, his smile said it all. We were nicely brown and toasted from the burning sun when we went back to the bank where a hearty lunch was waiting for us.






(virgin Island)

After lunch, honey did some more dipping and flapping in the beach but I managed to pull him off from the shore and we went to our last stop for the day, the Virgin Island. This is a half circle stretch of white sand beach that people can see during low tide but is completely out of sight during high tide. This was where we found the henna tattoo guys. Since I’m not allowed to swim and honey also wanted to get henna so badly, we spent half an hour or so waiting for the guy to finish the tattoos. I must say, I loved how my tattoo turned out, it’s so intricate and pretty.



When we finally returned to our hotel, I can’t believe how tired I was, I guess the heat of the sun really took a toll on me. However I must say that I haven’t seen a beach more pristine or sand finer than the ones I have seen in Bohol. It’s breath taking.

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 2 of 2

The incessant coughing and sneezing coupled with the flu and fever that bugged honey and me down for the past couple of days made our wonderful trip to Bohol seems so distant now. That is why I must follow up on my previous post to relax my mind and remind myself of the recent good times that honey and I had in that wonderful island.

The Loboc River lunch and cruise left me yearning for a bed to nap (oh well, in my present condition, my body seems to always long for a bed to doze off) however, that sleepiness lasted only for a couple of minutes for the moment we saw the countryside leading to the place where we would soon be visiting the tarsier, our eyes couldn’t help but feast on the wonderful scenery. We reached the tarsier sanctuary in no time and I almost leaped out of the van as I was so enthused to finally see the infamous tarsier of Bohol. The moment I saw them cute little primates, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh wow… they are so freakin’ cute!” Indeed they were so cute, I wanted to reach out for one of them and start pinching them. Oh, of course I didn’t! I contented myself with feeding them crickets (crickets on stick - which at first gave me goose bumps) and taking their pictures.





I was bummed to leave them cute tarsiers but we had to carry on with our tour. Next stop was the other infamous gem of Bohol… the Chocolate Hills. On our way to the hills, K regaled us with the cheesy legend of the Chocolate hills. She said that one of the more famous legends tells a story of a giant who fell in love with a beautiful lady. Now this beautiful lady was engaged to be married and a part of the wedding ceremony, she has to bathe in the lake naked. Now the giant saw her and couldn’t help but reach out to her. Once the giant picked her up the lady was overcome by fear and died. The giant mourned the death of her loved one and cried for so many days. The tears dried up and up to this day stand as the symbol of the Giants grief and are now what we know the Chocolate Hills. I told you it was cheesy!



K told us that we had to climb hundreds of steps to fully appreciate the beauty of the chocolate hills from the viewing deck. I must say, as mushy as the legend is, there was nothing cheesy about the splendour that greeted us. The moment we were on top, we tried to catch our breath, not only from the steep climb but also because of the beauty that welcomed us. The viewing deck gave as a 180 degree-view of the hills and they were simply majestic. Such a shame this site didn’t make it as a finalist to the 7 wonders of nature for it’s truly breathtaking.

From the chocolate hills, we stopped by the man made forest going to the giant python, Prony. The man made forest has been an initiative of the local government to help the once deteriorating forest of the island and after 50 years, the trees have been kept safe from loggers and they are constantly being monitored. Such feat should be followed by other LGUs I think.

After the man made forest stop, we went on and visited Prony, she is the largest python in captivity ever known (via). In this python sanctuary, it was not the python that caught my fancy, it was Marimar, and he referred to himself as Prony’s twin. What initially caught my attention was when he greeted us in Dutch (heck he knew more Dutch than I do). He started telling us Prony’s history, his eating habits and finally asked us if we want to see him perform which of course we readily agreed. He was amazing, he hung himself upside down while lip synching a Regine Velasquez song. He was really pretty with his make up and the red dress that he was wearing, I even told honey that he really looks like Michael V. (when Michael V dresses up like a woman).





After being amused with Marimar, err Prony, we passed by a bolo making house (there was nothing special there) and a nipa weaving lady (also nothing special there) before we finally made it to Baclayon church. Baclayon church is the second oldest church in the Philippines (next to San Agustin church in Intramuros). The massive walls and the tainted glasses gave me a feeling that I’m somehow in the Spanish era. Honey and I took turns in taking pictures and K kindly asked us if we want our picture taken. She picked the spot where to take the picture and when we all looked at the picture she has taken, she pointed out to the wall which eerily seemed to have a face on it. She said that the face has started to appear a couple of months ago and a lot of people are saying that the face looks like Father Pio (I’m not sure who he is).




Our last stop for the day was the souvenir shop, of course no tour is complete without souvenir shopping. We hoarded several delicacies and some pasalubongs.

The entire day was tiring but it was so worth it. It really pays off to have knowledgeable and nice people to show you around their town. Thanks to K and Kuya Ferry for the unforgettable tour, honey and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 1

Honey and I stayed for 4 days in Bohol. The first day was our free day which was spent in the beach, me lounging under the coconut tree while watching (and getting envious) as honey swam his heart out in the beach and then in the pool, oh well I got to dip my feet in the pool and I got to walk in the beach as long as its only knee deep. Tough, tough, tough.

The following day was the day we explored the many wonders and great spots of Bohol. Our very nice driver, Ferry and our very well informed tour guide, K, took us to a lot of breath taking places in Bohol. Our first stop was the miraculous well of Mother Mary in Dauis Bohol, K explained that some time long ago there was a drought and all of a sudden, water sprung from the ground and the image of Mother Mary was seen floating above the spot were the water welled up and from then on the well never dried up. The other curious thing about this well is that the water is fresh while the entire island is surrounded by sea water. The people of the town built a church with the altar situated where the well sprung.


(the miraculous well)

Next stop was the popular blood compact monument. I’ve seen this site plenty of times in the past in pictures and in some movies as well, but I was not prepared by how beautiful the view is from the monument overlooking the sea and the landscapes of Bohol, it was amazing.




(beautiful Loboc River)

After taking in the beauty of the scenery of Bohol from the top of a cliff, we all decided that it was time to experience the Loboc river cruise where we will also be having our lunch. I believe this meal was one of the best we’ve had in Bohol, owing to the mouth watering mango and shrimp paste combo that I devoured all throughout the meal.

(our hearty lunch)

The painstaking view of the green river made the meal a lot more pleasant. There was also a singer who regaled us with old ballads. The cool breeze that touched my face was more than a welcome relief from the hot and humid weather. In the river bank abounds Nipa tree, all the while I thought they were small coconut trees.



Before we went back to the bank, we stopped by a settlement area for a tribe. We took photos of the native children while they were swinging from the trees with a rope. They even invited us to take a picture with a snake which we can hang over our shoulders, to which offer, honey and I both declined. Hehe.



No wonder a lot of people are enamoured by the charming town of Bohol. There are so many treasures waiting to be discovered. I can’t believe how much beauty we’ve witnessed just at the first part of our countryside tour.

A piece of Paradise in Bohol

One of the highlights of our recent Manila holidays was going to Bohol for a much needed R&R. Since this would be the last time that honey and I are travelling by ourselves, because soon enough we’ll have our little angel always with us, we wanted to make it extra special trip. We had to book everything at a very short period of time making it more difficult to have all our requirements met or otherwise making the trip very costly since it’s the peak season after all. Good thing one of my college friends, M, recently got married and had her honeymoon in Bohol just a few weeks earlier and she was able to recommend an agent who can take care of all our needs.

After browsing through websites and hotel and resort reviews, our first choice was to stay at the Amorita resort. However, after receiving the package options and price list from our very agent, we saw that our preferred resort costs twice as much as the resort that our agent recommends (which happens to be the same resort M and her husband stayed at and she had all nice things to say about it) with fewer inclusions. Our agent explained that this is because the resort is almost fully booked so the prices are much higher than their normal rates. So without thinking any further, we decided to go for Alona Tropical.



I must say, I couldn’t be any happier with our choice. The first indication that the resort really strives to give great service was when we arrived at the resort at around 9 am. Normally we would have to wait till 2pm before we could check in but they readied our room for us and checked us in immediately, without extra cost. At first we stayed at a beach front room that was quite further from the beach front but after soaking in the sun for a couple of hours, honey was able to request for a different room that was literally 10 steps away from the beachfront, perfect!

(in front of our beach front room)


(posing after taking a dip in the pool)

Since my OB in Manila told me that I was not allowed to swim, I had to content myself with lounging in front of the beach while dozing off or reading a book, that was when I noticed that the resort that we initially wanted to stay at was right next to Alona Tropical and that they don’t have a beach front of their own. Since they are located at the top of a cliff, their guests would have to go down the stairs (which would not have been very convenient at my present condition) and use the stretch of beach in front of Alona Tropical. That was when honey and I were convinced that we made the right choice. Anyway, we were able to savour the view from that resort the night we had dinner at their restaurant overlooking the beach stretch of Alona.


I would definitely recommend Alona Tropical to anyone who wants to go to Bohol. It offers great value for money, the service is impeccable, the amenities are great, I love the homey feel of the spacious and well kept rooms and it definitely made our stay in Bohol more special.