PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Rene Saigon Vietnamese Specialties

During our trip to Puerto Princesa, on our second city tour, we visited attractions that are outside the city proper. We went to Irawan Eco Park in the morning where we tried the zipline, then to see the crocodiles and endemic animals at PWRCC. Our next stop  was Mitra’s Ranch and Baker’s Hill where we had a view of Honda Bay atop the Sta Monica hills. After enjoying the cool breeze at Mitra’s Ranch and adoring the manicured gardens at Baker’s Hill we took off down south to check the Binuatan Handloom Weaving Creations and left at around 3:00 pm to head back to the city.

Since our last meal was during breakfast and just ate some of the hopia that we bought from Baker’s Hill, we already felt hungry by the time we arrived at Binuatan. We were supposed to go to Vietnamese Village after  Irawan Eco Park which is far up north of Puerto Princesa and further than the Sta Lourdes Wharf, because I’ve read from blog reviews that it’s in Viet Ville that you can taste authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Palawan. But our tour guide during our Honda bay Island Hopping Tour said that we need not go that far since we can also find authentic-tasting ones in the city and she recommended that we go to Rene Saigon Vietnamese Specialties.

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PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Kinabuchs Bar & Grill

Puerto Princesa Palawan (PPS) is definitely a food trip heaven! When you try searching for where to eat in PPS, there are a lot of restaurants Google and Tripadvisor will give you and most reviews are trustworthy. Since we were able to save up with our accommodations (at Legend Hotel Palawan because of the GCs from Club Astoria) and flights (PAL free flights because of our previous trip in Boracay where our flight was transferred from Caticlan to Kalibo due to sunset limit), we had more room to spend for food and tours, making our Puerto Princesa trip a memorable one.

Since we love to eat, we made sure to try what Puerto Princesa has to offer. We’ve tried Badjao Seafront, Bona’s Chaolong and KaLui on our first few days in the city and we were not disappointed. On our third night we were deciding whether to eat at Balinsasayaw or Kinabuch, two other popular restos in PPS. But since we always see a lot of people at Kinabuch's every time we pass by Rizal Avenue, we both agreed to go for the latter and see why it’s jampacked both during lunch and dinner.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Binuatan Creations Handloom Weaving

While I was researching for where to go when you visit Puerto Princesa (PPS) and coming up with an itinerary, I came across blogs and reviews about Binuatan Handloom Weaving Creations. I was deeply intrigued, and the idea of going there definitely stirred up the DIY fanaticism that runs through my veins. So I included this on our second PPS City Tour, although it is not literally in the city but in the outskirts of the city. (We had two city tours, you can read about them by checking the links at the end of this blog post).

After our visit to Baker’s Hill, we went straight to Binuatan which is also in Bgy. Sta. Monica. Binuatan Weaving Handloom Creations (Binuatan is pronounced as bi-nu-wa-tan) is one of the last surviving  and local industries found in Puerto Princesa specializing in handloom woven products using indigenous fibers such as buntal, coconut, buri, cogon grass, pandan, pineapple and sometimes the bark of cashew trees which is abundant in Palawan.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Mitra’s Ranch and Baker’s Hill

Mitra’s Ranch and Baker’s Hill are the two of the most popular destinations and are always included in the itinerary when you do the Puerto Princesa City Tour. I included them in our second city tour itinerary because they are just near Irawan Eco Park and Binuatan Weaving Creations. Plus I wanted to try the hopiang ube (purple yam filled bread, a favorite of mine) from Baker’s Hill.

Mitra’s Ranch
Mitra’s Ranch, also known as Sta. Monica Ranch  is located on top of a hill in which I think is a subdivision-type community in Puerto Princesa. The place is owned by a family of politicians, the Mitra family. There is no entrance fee here and you can visit it from 6:00am to 6:00pm. But the view deck and the house is off-limits to tourists.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Crocodile Farm and A Peacock I've Never Seen Before

If you have been reading about my Puerto Princesa Palawan Travel Diary blog series, you already know that we did 2 city tours, first was on our first day and second was on our fourth day (we flew back to Manila the morning of our fifth day, which doesn’t technically count anymore). Well if you don’t have an idea and you have the time to spare, you can read about it; I have enumerated all the previous posts that are related to this trip at the end of this blog entry.

After our visit to Irawan Eco Park where we tried the zipline, Bryan (our trike driver and tour guide)suggested that we drop by the Crocodile Farm, a more familiar name for Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. It wasn’t part of the itinerary that I have planned and related to him, but since it is still early and we only have 5 tourist sites left to visit, we thought “what the heck, let’s go and see the crocs.”

Jollychic.com Haul + Review

This post is long overdue but I’m still doing it anyway. Since I am very persevering and zealous about joining blog contests (any contest for that matter) I was blessed to have won $100 store credits at Jollychic.com from a giveaway hosted by Ms. Bernadeth of Miss Beatrix (Please do check her blog here: www.missbeatrix.com)

I received an email from her saying I won her blog giveaway and that I should wait for Jollychic's email. A few days later I was contacted by Jollychic and told me that the $100 was already credited to my account. I was pretty happy about it because my wardrobe is in dire need of some major overhauling, especially when it comes to dresses and I also need a pair shoes for the wedding that I'll attend this Summer that will go well with the theme, motiff and the entire outfit.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Irawan Eco Park and Zipline

Since our stay in Puerto Princesa is for 4 ½ days, we did the city tour on our first and last day. Most city tours if availed through a travel agency, would only be a half day tour and you will only get to go to what is part of their itinerary. This is the freedom you can have if you choose to do your city tour in Puerto Princesa, DIY. Since most of the other destinations are optional tours, just like the Irawan Eco Park.

We visited the Irawan Eco Park solely because of their zipline. There are a lot of ziplines in Puerto Princesa like in Mitra’s Ranch and Ugong Rock; but Irawan Eco Park has a 1.3 kilometers long zipline, claimed to be the longest zipline ride in Asia. But there are a lot of things you can do here like, jungle survival training, camping, carabao-drawn cart ride, fishing, fish feeding, trekking, check out the rest house of former Mayor Hagedorn, the Skywalk Adventure and the butterfly farm.

Be the Queen of Summer with Romwe's Sunny Spiker Swimwear

Summer is almost over here in the Philippines, but in some parts of the world Summer is just about to start. But that doesn't leave me sad because our country is a tropical country, we have 7,107 islands and there are beautiful beaches all over, so yeah we Filipinos can have 365 days of Summer!

Any beach trip for me sends me to la-la-la-land and I make it a point to most of the time, if not always, to have new outfits for that particular beach trip and most specially the swimsuit that I'll wear. Don't want to be caught in photos wearing the same swimwear over and over again.

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Third Time's A Charm... a Clothing-Dropship.com Review

Wholesale-dress.net now known as Clothing-Dropship.com is one of the online clothing and accessories that I’ve been visiting, checking and ordering from since 2011. They are one of the pioneers when it comes to affordable online clothing businesses. I have come to love browsing through their items for almost 4 years now, my account’s wishlist has already a lot in it. They used to sell just clothes, accessories and shoes but now they have ventured out even into children's clothing home and bath merchandise.

I’ve seen a lot of unfavorable reviews about Clothing-Dropship.com and I found myself dumb-founded with what I read in forums and reviews. I’ve ordered from them for only 3-4 times and have contacted their customer service every so often, and I haven’t experienced any problems while I was dealing with them. Any inquiry or request that I have made was handled properly. So I was kinda confused, for lack of better terms, after reading a lot of negative feedback.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour Part 2

Weeks before our flight to Puerto Princesa, I have been deciding what to include in our itinerary for our third day; we were choosing between going to the Underground River or doing the Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour; days before our trip, we decided to forgo visiting  the Underground River. I don’t know why, I was not so enthusiastic about going to the Underground River; probably because of the steep price of the tour and the 2-3 hours travel time to get to the site.

We woke up very early that morning to prepare for our Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour. Unfortunately, our van service was late. We were supposed to be picked up by 7:00 am but the service arrived at around 8:00 am and the driver told us that the rest of the group that we will go with is already at the port.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour Part 1

Weeks before our flight to Puerto Princesa, I have been deciding what to include in our itinerary for our third day; we were choosing between going to the Underground River or doing the Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour; days before our trip, we decided to forgo visiting  the Underground River. I don’t know why, I was not so enthusiastic about going to the Underground River; probably because of the steep price of the tour and the 2-3 hours travel time to get to the site.

We woke up very early that morning to prepare for our Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour. Unfortunately, our van service was late. We were supposed to be picked up by 7:00 am but the service arrived at around 8:00am and the driver told us that the rest of the group that we will go with is already at the port.

Romwe's Mother's day Flash Sale

If you guys can remember, I posted about Romwe’s Mother’s Day Sale a few days ago where you can get pretty items up to 70% off. Wait there’s more from Romwe.com! They will having another FLASH SALE with more than 150 styles for you to choose and every item will sold for only $14.99!

I love to shop, especially online, where I have the comfort of staying at home and not tiring myself walking around the mall. Now Romwe is giving us a chance the chance to shop for SALE items without the extra cost of driving to mall and paying for parking fees. And not only that purchased items also comes with FREE SHIPPING as well! Fabulous, right? Can’t wait to shop now?

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Where to Buy Souvenirs

Whenever I go on a vacation, I cannot leave that place without bringing something home with me that will always remind me of that place. That’s why I always make it a point to buy souvenirs. I’m not really fond of key chains and t-shirts as souvenirs, what I collect are refrigerator magnets (and they must be as unique as possible and would really represent that certain place) and I usually get a handful of sand from the beaches I’ve visited (ok don’t alert me to the airport securities or DENR, they’re just a handful, ok? hehehehe!) Our ref is already half-covered with ref magnets some are from our trips and some are gifts from friends.

In Puerto Princesa, I was not able to find ref magnets that are unique enough for me, so I settled for what’s available. There are a few souvenir shops that you can go to buy stuff that you can take back home to family and friends. The two well-known souvenir destinations in Puerto Princesa are LRC 908 Market Mall and almost just across the street is the Mercado De San Miguel.

Romwe.com's Mother Day Sale

Mother’s Day is just a few days away do you already have plans on how to make the most special woman in your life feel important? I bet they’re so used to receiving cards and flowers every year, so instead of that why not treat her with something special, a lunch or dinner maybe? Or you can surprise her with a gift that she can put to good use. If she is as stylish and hip as you, a piece of clothing that you specially choose for her that you think will look pretty on her and will flaunt or complement her best assets will definitely be one of the best gift she’ll receive of all the mother’s day celebrations she has experienced throughout the years…

Romwe is launching a best Mother's Day Sale to celebrate Mother's Day. Give yourself or your beloved mom a big treat by buying outfits for the both of you, you can go matchy-matchy too if you want.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Bona's Chaolong

While doing my research about Puerto Princesa, I also included places where we can eat local delicacies or do food tripping. I was surprised to learn that there are so many restaurants that we can try in PPS, but I only included several of them in our itinerary. I learned that there are a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in Palawan, yes you read it right, Vietnamese. A little history before I continue sharing our experience in trying Vietnamese cuisine: Puerto Princesa was once home to Vietnamese refugees during the Vietnam War before most of them migrated to the US or Canada. Some stayed and some left, but their influence on Puerto Princesa cuisine still lingers even after they’re all gone.

We were supposed to visit the Vietnamese Refugee Village which is somewhere north of the city, but locals told us that we can satisfy our Vietnamese food cravings without travelling that far. There are a handful of Viet restos in Palawan but several stand out: Bona’s Chaolong and Rene Saigon (which I will blog about too soon).

Mother's Day Sale at SheInside.com

Give lots of love this Mother's Day. Let her know she's one in a million by treating your mother to something special this Mother's Day. If you’re planning to treat her to lunch or dinner in a fancy restaurant, make your mom feel extra-special and looking fab and hip as you, by giving her a new piece of clothing that she will surely love. You can also buy one for yourself too so you two can  look elegant on that special day.

Don’t know what to buy for her (and for you too?) SheInside’s got you covered! There are a lot of wonderful new dresses that you can choose from. Again, I rounded up the items that you guys might like and might want to check out: (Click item description for details)

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Dos Palmas Island Resort & Spa

Being able to set foot in Dos Palmas is very surreal. I only see it  on TV or movies or on the internet, so experiencing the beauty of Dos Palmas was somehow a dream come true. Why? Because it used to be a place where working/middle class citizens, like me, wouldn’t be able to go to or stay, because it  is still is one of the luxurious, high-end and exclusive beach resorts in the Philippines.Though 2  unfortunate events happened here in the past that may have left going to Dos Palmas tainted with fear and skepticism, whenever I see it somewhere, I still have that feeling and thought that “I want to go there someday”.

So when I was researching of what we can do  and where we can go in Puerto Princesa and came across blog reviews regarding day tour to Dos Palmas, I suddenly got excited and looked for more information about it. One travel agency replied to my email telling me that I can do direct booking with Dos Palmas if I want to. So that’s what I did, I called Dos Palmas up, scheduled our visit and paid the required fee. I was surprised when I learned how affordable the day trip fee was, I was expecting it to be hefty because “it is” Dos Palmas after all.

Charming Summer...

As you all know, SheInside.com is one of my favorite online clothing store, I also visit their website regularly to check what’s new on  Pre-Sale and their daily arrivals. I often buy dresses from them because they offer unique and high quality pieces. A couple of months back, I noticed that I’m not wearing that much dresses anymore and always found myself wearing just and blouses, and then I checked my closet and found out that most of my dresses are out of style, worn out and doesn't fit anymore. So I vouched to refresh my collection of dresses and purchase or sew more dresses from here on now.

When the new year started I also started to purchase more and more dresses, and a lot of them I bought from SheInside. Now I’m so hooked with their products that almost every day I check what they have to offer.

ROMWE Flash Sale on May 2-4, 2014!

As you all know, I love to shop, especially online where I have the comfort of staying at home and not tiring myself walking around the mall. Now Romwe is giving us a chance the chance to shop for SALE items without the extra cost of driving to mall and paying for parking fees. That being said, dear readers and fashion-lovers, I’m pleased to share with you all, the announcement of the launching of  ROMWE.com’s Hottest & Biggest FLASH SALE that will happen on May 2-4, 2014!

There are hundreds of clothes (653 designs) that will be on SALE and the average original price for these items is about The original price of these clothes is about $30, but Romwe’s Flash Sale will only sell them starting at $9.99! And that’s not all, every purchase comes with free shipping! Beat that!