Urban Stay-cations: A Manila Ocean Park Weekend

I promised myself I’d save the week-long beach trips with my loved one for the actual “honeymoon” to make it more ‘special’. That’s not to say I wouldn’t say no to a long weekend spent at a nice accommodation away from our hometown for a little vacation.

So how do you combine the “getting away from it all” vibe of out-of-town vacations, without actually going out of town? It takes a bit of creativity to get around this one, plus a general knowledge of the local hot-spots, useful promos and what-not. With a bit of research and a couple months worth of savings, my boyfriend and I were able to plan for our first Urban Stay-cation - our version of a out-of-town trip without having to go beyond the borders of Metro Manila.

The objective? Have a fun weekend away from our usual comfort zones, without the hassle of going to remote areas, maybe take part in some fun, new activities and get that vacation vibe going.

The limits: Metro Manila only, and never beyond

The time-limit? Three days - enough to get that much-needed R&R without getting a massive vacation hang-over.

Our first stay-cation was planned for our 4th Anniversary celebration. We chose Hotel H2O, right at the heart of the famous Manila Ocean Park in Manila. We have always wanted to check out the ocean-themed attractions at Manila Ocean Park, and figured a weekend stay at an on-site accommodation was the best way to go since it will allow us to try out the activities at our own leisurely pace.

Left: entrance to the Manila Ocean Park; Right: it's iconic logo, where dozens of families and visitors have their photo taken. Is that a whale shark in the logo? Because there definitely wasn't one inside...

The CWC Challenge

Most resorts offer the same basic features and services - a pool, a beach, some pretty cabanas and restaurants, and the promise of days in the sun, sand and sea. A few have some specialties, like dive sites and surf spots and,  most recently, a shot at wakeboarding.

My friends and I decided to try out Camsur Watersports Complex, a large resort devoted mostly to wakeboarding, in Naga City, Camarines Sur. 

Get ready to ramp it up (or faceplant, whichever..)

Homemade Gulaman

No other drink is best of summer than a tall glass of ice-cold gulaman, a traditional Filipino drink made of sweet syrup mixed with water, lots of ice and chunks of of the gelatin-like gulaman.

Tired of going out in the searing, summer heat to search for this drink, only to bring home a few in flimsy plastic cups, my mom and I learned to make this drink at home where we can whip it out of the refrigerator anytime for a fuss-free cooler.

my best friend for summer

Chowking Halo-Halo

This is less of a blog entry and more of a mindless rave about one of my favorite comfort foods for summer - Halo Halo!

Halo-halo is a cold Filipino dessert made of a wide assortment of sweet beans, saging saba, nata, sago, gulaman, and pieces of jack fruit on a bed of shaved ice, topped with milk, toasted pinipig, eche flan and a scoop (or two) of ice cream). We usually find a lot of that stuff in stores and stalls around the metro during summer, but when you're at home on a stifling summer night and can't bring yourself to go outside, best dial the Chowking delivery hotline (98888) and order their famous Halo-Halo. 

pictured = HEAVEN

They have it in regular sizes, but if you're famished, I suggest going for the Halo-Halo Fiesta at Php94. Add another scoop of ice cream if you will. It's not inexpensive, but totally worth it since the toppings are generous, and it's a cold piece of heaven delivered right at your doorstep.

Ka Domeng's Pares

Nothing spells a good, old-school meal like some beef pares and mami, served and eaten on a bench at a random pares house along the road in the wee hours of the morning.

We discovered and frequent such a place called Pares ni Ka Domeng, a small canteen-like spot beside the Petron gas station at Fairview. It serves the usual, simple stuff like tapsilog (and all varieties of it), siopao and siomai, a wide variety of mami, and of course, its house specialty, beef pares served with some garlic rice. 

the menu board

Open 24 hours, it's the best place to sate you hunger (and drown your angst) after a bad case of overtime late into the night, or before heading off the work early in the morning.

A shot of Blueberry Cheescake...or rather, Tart

I love cheesecakes. No other dessert could be better for me, especially in my cheesecake-craving moods, which happen an awful lot.

A colleague recently made my day by bringing a box of Rowena's Blueberry Cheese Tarts to the office this morning, and offered one to me. 

sneaking a bite during office hours

Rowena's is a popular cafe-slash-pasalubong shop in Tagaytay, and is often one of the must stop-overs for city folks on their way back to Manila for take-home surprises for family and friends. The shop features mostly miniature sweets like bags of nuts and tarts of all flavors and sizes. 

I never tried most of their products so these Blueberry Cheese Tarts were new to me. It was a delightfully different kind of 'cheesecake' than what I'm used to - the base was a soft pastry instead of the crumbly Graham cracker crust, followed by a dollop of creamy cheese frosting and topped with some blueberry filling (with whole blueberries).

What I liked about this was that it wasn't too tasty like most cheesecakes. Don't get me wrong, I love a full-bodied, in-your-face cheesecake flavor like anyone else, but too much of the taste can be exhausting to the palate from time to time. I appreciated the tart's modestly flavored crust and barely-there cheese frosting, letting me enjoy the blueberry goodness on its own. The miniature portions didn't hurt either, letting me have my dose of much-desired cheesecake without over-indulging. 

Note to self: drop by Rowena's the next time I'm in Tagaytay. I'm dying to to try out their Cherry Cheese Tarts!