STARBUCKS CARD

Hello coffee faneys!

Just a few weeks ago, Starbucks released it's Starbucks Card here in the Philippines. Here is the official banner from their website: https://starbuckscard.ph/SBCard.aspx

The first time I saw this was when we stopped over at Starbucks in Rockwell in one of our biking sessions. I didn't bother to get the card because I thought it was just normal loyalty card and I wasn't visiting Starbucks that much because of my love for milk tea.

Until last week, when my grandma was confined in The Medical City and we had to stay there for 5 days. Starbucks in the said hospital has got to be one of my favorites. Not too crowded and very friendly crew always. I had the time to ask more about the Starbucks Card and I finally got one. There are two designs:

 I got the first one which is the "tea" design, and the other one is the "coffee" design. So how things work? It's simple:

You can get the card for Php300 only and that also means you have Php300 stored in it which you can use to buy your drink that same time. I loaded mine with Php500 since there were 3 of us buying drinks. The card comes with a black mini folder-like that has few instructions and things you need to know about the card. As soon as you get the card, all you have to do is register online and you automatically get a grande beverage of your choice. You also get a free treat on your birthday! The card works like a regular prepaid card slash loyalty card. You can buy any handcrafted beverage and you get 1 star for each drink. If you get 12 stars, you automatically get 1 grande beverage. You have the option to keep your rewards and claim it all at the same time.

Three Stars Programs:

• BEVERAGE STARS Get a grande handcrafted drink on us for every 12 beverage stars.
• WHOLE BEAN STARS Get a 250g of whole bean coffee on us for every 10 whole bean stars.
• STARBUCKS VIA STARS  Get a 12 packs Starbucks Via ready brew on us for every 10 Starbucks Via stars.

TIP: I only use my Starbucks prepaid when buying handcrafted drinks. I pay other stuff like pastries, bottled juice, lollipop in a separate bill. These things are not counted in the rewards program. 

TIP: Register your card online to keep track of your points and rewards.



Aside from the Starbucks Card, I also discovered their limited edition featured drink:

I tried the hot Salted Caramel Mocha and I loved it since then. I have tried the hot and iced versions and I must say the iced one is too good. I can forget my all time favorite White Chocolate Mocha. The Salted Caramel Mocha has the perfect blend of sweet bitter salty. The Ristretto Bianco I have to try soon (before it's gone).

Starbucks has been the favorite coffee place in the Philippines for more than a decade now. You can put in in the middle of expressway and expect people still sitting down for a good talk over coffee. They continue to recreate their coffee and show people that they also care about the environment. What is not to love about Starbucks? Visit the nearest branch and their website Starbucks Philippines.

Fabulously,

DanieMae

ECHO-o-o-organic!

Halooo!

I want to share with you a very great product I discovered about 2 months ago. I had my hair treated with a Keratin Blowout at the Baby Enriquez salon in Makati. My hair was suffering from severe dryness and this treatment rejuvenated my almost dead hair.

Moving on, I was advised by Chen Enriquez to us sulfur-free shampoo and conditioner to make the effect of the treatment last. I knew that there is an eco-friendly shop in Serendra because I bought some Carmen's Best ice cream there before. So I visited the shop ECHO Store.

This is the ultimate heaven for the eco-friendly savvies. Aside from their own line of organic products, the ECHO Basics, they also sell organic products from other brands. I remember buying a Anti-Cellulite oil that smelled really really nice. I never tried organic shampoos/conditioners before so I went for the ECHO Body Basics shampoo and conditioner.

You can choose between peppermint and grapefruit. I tried the peppermint first and it is exactly what you think it is, super cooool! I feel like someone poured ice on my head. Recently, I bought a grapefruit set and this one smells really really good. The greatest part of these products is that you don't need too much to use for everyday. You know how you need more than one sachet of conditioner if your hair is really long or thick (I always use two sachets more or less because of my thick hair), with the ECHO Body Basics, I only need about a 5 peso coin amount on my palm. These are my current fave products and I keep on sharing the word to friends and family!

Both shampoo and conditioner are at Php155.00 only :)

And if you have a little time, you can also try the ECHO cafe and look around at the ECHO market. They sell vegan calamari and other organic food finds. Plus plus, they sell Carmen's Best and Merry Moo ice cream too!




Fabulously,
DanieMae

Tuktuk Ride and Chaophraya River Cruise | Bangkickin' Bangkok Day 1

Hello Bangkok! I am more than excited to be in this place. And since our friends are still in Manila, we have to do something we can enjoy as a family. 

We headed first to Lucky Kabuhayan Pilipino Shop in Pratunam. Lucky Kabuhayan is a Filipino-owned travel and tour, money exchange and pasalubong shop in the heart of Pratunam. I even made some emails to Ate Julie (owner of the lucky Kabuhayan Shop) and told her that I was planning a tour for our group. I had my pesos exchanged here and rates are definitely better. They have this clear folder where you can see the different tours that they offer.

For our first day, we decided to check out the famous Pratunam Market and have a lovely dinner cruise at night. The Pratunam Market was really great especially for girls who fits to free size clothes. It is pretty like our Divisoria but cheaper and styles are more updated.  I didn't shop yet because I know we'll be going back there for sure. 

Our call time is at 5pm because the cruise leaves around 7pm. We tried the Tuktuk! Tuktuks are the "Auto Rickshaw" version of Thailand. I like that there were signage in English that warns passengers to be careful with their belongings. Unfortunately, I was not able to research more about Tuktuk routes and rates. I think we were charged a little more than what it should be. Nevertheles, it was worth the experience.

Happy family riding a Tuktuk!

Daddy and Sabby

The Tuktuk driver from the passenger's point of view. 

We arrived around 5:30 at the Lucky Kabuhayan Shop and the driver was in a hurry because it was traffic already. Traffic in Bangkok is as crazy as in Manila's rush hour, I swear! The only good thng was that I'm not the one driving. Haha. Surprisingly, we made it to the 7pm cruise though we were late about 15minutes. 

We got tickets for the Chao Phraya Princess Dinner Cruise. And I believe we took the Chao Phraya Princess 4. Here are some photos from their official website. 

Chao Phraya Princess 4

The buffet table is very enticing and the food tastes good as well. They have the authentic Thai dishes, salad bar, dessert bar. We really enjoyed every single food we took. Worth every bahT. 

There's also a bar where drinkers can get their cocktails or beers! Extra charge for the drinks though.

 These 3 pictures summarize the great dinner cruise.

And here are our photos! We were not prepared for night shooting! Geez. Thanks to my Samsung Note 2, at least we had some pictures. 

 Daddy and Sabby (still with her Minnie Mouse bib)

Mommy and Sabby after we ate!

Photo op while anther dinner cruise passed by. 

 The actual view of the buffet area.

Actual photos of the view. I love how temples are beautifully lit during night time!

I will definitely recommend this dinner cruise to anyone visiting Bangkok. It's relaxing and happy experience.

Fabulously,

DanieMae

HOTEL REVIEW: Grand Alpine Hotel and METZ Pratunam

Around November of 2012, some of my bestest college buddies booked a BKK trip because Tiger Airway was on sale. They asked us if we wanted to go with them. I patiently waited for Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare sale. The timing was perfect. Just in time for Sabby's birthday. We wanted to go before her birthday so that we only pay Php200 for her airfare. Hahaha.

So I got us a round trip ticket for almost Php9000 only. That is for 2 adults, 1 infant and a total of 40kg baggage. A really good deal for a BKK ticket since the original price is like Php14000 per person. Our departure date is 2 days earlier than my friends' and I thought it was okay so we can spend some alone time as a family.

We all decided to stay in Pratunam area so that it's more convenient for us who wants to go shopping and knows a Filipino tour person in the area. For our first 2 nights, we tried Grand Alpine Hotel. It's not really easy to find because it's almost at the end of the street. Mind you, we arrived around 12mn and we were all tired because we had a long flight, big luggage, a baby and got lost too because of Google map.

TIP: Don't rely on Google map. Almost every place I searched in Thailand were inaccurately plotted in Google map. For hotels, better ask the customer service the exact address and landmarks.

GRAND ALPINE HOTEL

Here are the only photos we have. The reception and lobby lounge.

 I grabbed some photos from their website: http://www.grandalpinehotel.com/

The entrance. This is not the front view of the hotel. There's a driveway and this entrance is located at the side. Though there's an entrance in front, most guests use this entrance.

The reception and lobby. The same spots where I took my personal photos. I love how this area is well lit and it's always like that even around midnight. Also, there's  a Filipino receptionist, making it easy for us to communicate our requests. 

There's business area which we did not even bother to check out since there's wifi in our room and we brought an iPad with us. There's also a deck/lounge area but we were not able to go here. I didn't know that there's such nice chill spot.

 We booked for the cheapest room which is is the Superior. This is enough for a couple with a baby. I chose this hotel because it looks like very new and clean and I was not disappointed. Everything you see in the hotel's website is just like that in person. We got the usuals: coffee/tea sets, refrigerator, toiletries, LCD tv and most importantly free wifi! One more beautiful thing about this hotel is their bathroom. I know it looks ordinary but it's clean! And that matters to me the most. This is not a 5 star hotel but I was pleased with their rooms! Very spacious for a budget hotel.

GRAND ALPINE HOTEL 9.0 
I cannot give a perfect 10 because of the location and the same breakfast buffet every single day. It's like in the area where most Indians (if I'm not mistaken) were in and they own most of the hotels there plus it's almost the dead end of that street. Though it's just a pretty 5min walk from the Pratunam Market. And there's a lot going in this street. The breakfast that came with the hotel booking is not bad but we had to eat the same food for 2 days. Food taste good but very few choices.

For 2 nights, we paid Php3863.70 through Agoda.



After 2 days, we had to move to our second hotel with my friends. METZ Pratunam was the winner of the majority game. So we booked for 3 nights and we chose the Absolute Window Double Bed with Breakfast. We don't have any room or hotel picture in METZ so I checked out their website and Agoda's to show you how our room and the hotel looked like.

METZ PRATUNAM

METZ Pratunam facade. Cute and modern boutique hotel.

The cafe area which serves as the breakfast area too.  It's not really a buffet breakfast. We choose what plated breakfast we want and I can only remember two of the 3 I guess: sausage and bacon. The serving was small and not good for a person who eats a lot. But, you get to eat all you can with bread, salad, cerals, and noodles (or pancit- stir fried noodles, as familiar to us Filipinos).

This is a smaller space compared to the Grand Alpine room. The bathroom was not big as the first hotel too. The shower and toilet are separated. Shower gels and shampoo were in pump bottles (I remember having the same pump bottles in Hop Inn in Hong Kong). Towels were clean and that's nice.

The double bed was big enough for us. The headboard was more like of a wall with a mini shelf. There's a small lighting to it with very hot bulb and burnt my baby's finger. I was not able to inform the hotel about it so that they can put a warning or note. I am happy though that we got the Absolute Window room because it makes me feel like we have a bigger room even if we didn't. LCD tv check, small space for our stuff, good air conditioning. 

METZ PRATUNAM 9.0
The location is better than Grand Alpine, like the street was not too crowded. Very helpful receptionist. Smaller room with smaller space for taking a bath. Better breakfast definitely. I will still stay here next time I visit Bangkok. There are many spa/massage shops in this area but we never had the energy to try.

For 3 nights we paid, Php6,025.81 through Agoda as well.



We normally book boutique hotels because we only need the rooms for sleeping and cleaning/taking a bath. Most of the time, we have itineraries that eat up the whole day. What I noticed with these two hotels was that there were sinks outside the bathroom which was weird.

I think we made a good deal for getting rooms at average of Php2000 per night considering that these hotels look new and very clean.

I normally book with AGODA because most of the time rates are cheaper even with taxes. But before I book, I also check with the hotel's direct booking just to make sure I'm getting the better deal. If rates are the same, I still choose Agoda because I earn points for booking with them and these points can be used on your next booking/s. 

TIP: If you don't have itineraries/tour schedules/plans for your Bangkok trips, inquire at your hotel's lobby. Most of the hotels offer good deals with tours in and nearby cities. They even offer fixed taxi rate if you don't have airport transfers.



Fabulously,
DanieMae

Almost LaBoracay 2013

I was really jealous weeks before the LaBoracay because most of my friends are going to the said event. I thought there's no way I'm going with our budget all tight because of our BKK trip in early June. But but but, the beach goddesses were so kind, mommy asked me if I wanted a house mini party like what I always do or a Boracay trip... of course let's go for the beach babyyy! So better late than never. Flying May 4th which is practically the last day of all the LaBoracay happenings. And since this is the last day of really hard party, you can imagine what happened in the next 24 hours after I landed.

I love sunrise/sunset flights. This one is around 6am. Beautiful sunrise view from our plane window!

First stop: Met up with Arvin and Cherry who were about to leave the island in a few hours. Instax time with this lovely couple. Of course, with Sabby too!!!

Hot red lips for the scorching afternoon walk. Sino nagsabing hindi bagay ang red sa summer, doesn't know how to werk it girl!

With Nico (Giselle's gay bestfriend) as we walk to get a tryke.

We love to parteeey!

This is how blurry things were around 7ish. I have never seen these much people in White House ever! Definitely a cray party and definitely something these people are looking forward to next year!

Celebrities spotted! Please don't mind our haggardo faces.

Coleen Garcia

Marco Gumabao (very bagets lang) and Mauro Lumba (very macho those lips)

Champ Lui Pio of Hale

Vince and Laureen Uy. Vince was definitely one of the nicest I've met that time.

Saw some old friends too! Tamy and Patee. It was nice seeing you girls!

Things went a little crazier after the White House party. Like I welcomed my birthday in the police station because of some douche a-hole who was freaking drunk and can't even get his undies on! And yes, we made a big scene in front of White House with all the guests watching. The party ended exactly 10pm and people were given Monster energy drink (it taste so good) to sober up. I was just sitting by the beach with a guy friend. Then some random guy came up and asked if we can help him cause he doesn't know where the hell his clothes were. I was very f*ckin nice that I don't even know him and I even volunteered my friend's shirt to lend him so he can cover his thing while this guy look for his friends. About 20 minutes later, we decided to head home and wash up because we have to meet some friends by 12am. We saw him inside White House's speedboat and I politely asked if we can get the shirt back. Then out of nowhere, this guy just called me B*TCH and asking if I wanted to fight with him... WHAT THE HELL??? My friend was really pissed but I told him we can just call the patrol to do their thing on this naked a-hole. I was sober and unlucky for him, I knew how to take care of drunkards like him. Patrol came and we saw this guy walking out of the water and with shorts on. Some locales where already looking and this stupid guy just let out a "ano gusto niyo ng away?" (what? you want some fight?) to the locales. He got what he asked for. Haha. Patrol grabbed him and as we were walking, now in the pool area of White House, he shouted to me telling me that I can't get him arrested because I'm a b*tch. Seriously? I was not able to hold my anger anymore and shouted back "P*tang ina ka, kita ng buong Boracay yung t*ti mo tinulungan kita tapos ang kapal ng mukha mo!" (Son of a b*tch, the whole Boracay can see your d*ck and I helped you and this is what you do to me?) After that, I shut up and let the patrol do their thing. Unlucky for this guy that it was a Saturday and no bail out until Monday. He got out Monday afternoon with his mom apologizing to me (Yes, the mom flew in Sunday morning after knowing her son was in jail while on vacay). I could have made him pay for the damages but knowing that he slept there for 2 nights and was not able to get his Sunday flight was more than enough to let him know how to do things the next time.

Lesson learned: never help drunk strangers.

Moving on, we continued partying until 4am! Hail to lovely friends for celebrating with me!

The only photo I have from our after shower continuation.

Sunday was almost all quiet now in Boracay. Many were heading back to Manila. Started our day with a snack in Jonah's, never fails.

Victoria and Sabrina in their matching bikinis I got for them.

We spent the afternoon in Sea Wind in Station 1. We discovered this new place to chill where our kids can play as well. We got ourselves a relaxing massage and some drinks. We love how the place was not too crowded and was fenced so that you don't get too exposed to people walking along the shore.

Photo with the gang! I feel like Divine Lee with all these beauties around me!

As we were in the middle of our conversation, our order came and the waiter was handing me an iPad mini. I was really confused. I thought I won a contest or something because my sister was telling us she won an authentic pair of sports eyewear the other day. What I didn't know was that Julius' was hiding this iPad from me since yesterday! Sweet. (I didn't cry because Giselle took my moment and cried first. Haha)

A selfie before sunset! Don't mind my fats, I love them. Wearing ilovekoi's high waisted bottom with twisted bandeau. I got this bikini set from their Buy 1 Take 1 sale before this trip. The other bikini I gave to Giselle.

Sabby and V-Kat and their love for sand!

Again we have to split up to wash up and change outfits! We met up again around 8pm to have a simple birthday dinner. We tried out Titos Restro Grill near D'Mall. They serve modernized Filipino dishes. I can't really remember the dishes we ordered but I can remember giving it a 9/10 rating. Great ambiance and view (if you're here during daytime)!

Happy birthday to me and I am thankful for the gift of wonderful life and friends!

The next day, Nico and Angel left already. We decided to dine out for lunch and spend the afternoon again in Sea Wind since we were very much satisfied with this chill spot.

For lunch we ate at Hungry Monkey which is in D'Mall and owned by a very good friend of Giselle. They serve the best burger in the island.  Try it out when you visit Boracay! Definitely worth it!

Me with the kids and yaya Rizza (and Giselle in the background, in black bikini, still eating)

Sea Wind Wackiness. The sisterly bonding.

Sabby and V-Kat playing again. I love this bikini pair which I got from SM Department Store. A good buy for Php250 only. I knew it was love at first sight. So cute on my little girl!

The mandatory couple shot. Wearing ilovekoi's one piece swimsuit and a vintage maxi skirt I got from one of our garage sale. I love that this maxi skirt's material repels sands. 

 

Another beach selfie! Sorry guys, I just love the sunny vibe and the excuse to wear a venus cut!

Julius left early the next day because he had to go to work already. So it's just us girls. Took a few photos of the kids because they were busy playing and swimming. This time, we just stayed in Charlh's Bar in Station 2 and ordered some drinks. It's kind of boring during daytime but Charlh's bar is one good hang out spot at night. There's a live band playing and many foreign tourists go here! Also in the area is Zucchero. They have one of the best oreo cheesecake I've ever tried.

SELFIE OVERLOAD (Swimsuit from and skater skirt both from Cotton On)

After some afternoon dip, we went to D'Mall to buy last minute souvenirs and things we need before the flight. Sabby and I wore our matching dresses. (Yes she wants to play in the sand again.)

 

Goodbye beautiful Boracay sunset. See you soon!

It was just me and Sabby in Kalibo. Giselle, yaya Rizza and V-Kat were in Caticlan. Mommy duties!

LaBoracay was a title made popular because of the social networking hashtags.
LABOR + BORACAY = LABORACAY
Pretty much explains the Labor Day weekend spent in Boracay.

LaBoracay is definitely something I'm looking forward to in 2014. I am happy that my birthday is on the same week! Now, my goal is to be fitter next year. Hoping to see more familiar faces too!



Fabuously,
DanieMae