This is Part 2 of 2 of our Clark and Subic Adventure last February!
It was me and the kids's first time to Subic. I didn't know it will take two hours from Clark to Subic! But I didn't mind the drive because of the scenic drive plus I don't really sleep on long drives and BOS needs companion while driving.
It was me and the kids's first time to Subic. I didn't know it will take two hours from Clark to Subic! But I didn't mind the drive because of the scenic drive plus I don't really sleep on long drives and BOS needs companion while driving.
My original plan was for us to stay overnight in Clark then head out to Subic for Ocean Adventure the next morning then BOS suggested to stay overnight in Subic na lang so we (and that means him lang talaga) don't have to wake up early the next day. I didn't mind because I also couldn't find a cheap room in Clark! A friend suggested we stay at the newly opened Best Western Plus Hotel Subic and that's where we stayed.
Best Western Plus Hotel Subic was still in its early opening stage when we stayed. There were still a little construction when we stayed but I didn't really mind. It's located along Dewey Avenue where a lot of hotels are also located.
This is the lobby and reception area. The front desk ladies were all friendly and accommodating. Hotel staffs were also very courteous and would always greet us.
I booked their cheapest room which is the Value Plus Room which was valued at Php3,300 with breakfast for two. The room has a queen bed which our family of four can still fit! Haha!
This is the Value Plus Room. It's big and comfy enough for our little family.
This is the room from the window. The bathroom is along the entry way to the room. It also has a big cabinet for your clothes, safety deposit and a small fridge inside the cabinet.
There's an office table, chair, TV and the tiny bar.
Coffee, tea, snacks and complimentary water.
Nice bathroom but no bath tub.
This was the view from our room. No view haha!
After resting for a bit, the kids wanted to go for a swim. It's their agenda in every hotel we stay haha! You can't blame them, it's fun to be in the water plus it was so hot! The swimming pool is located at the roof top of the hotel.
This is the view from the top!
Their Sky Oasis Pool has an infinity pool, a jacuzzi and a kiddie pool.
They have a life guard on duty which was great because not all small hotels have a life guard on duty.
They stayed here all afternoon until almost dinner time. I swam with them but it was so hot I hid under that shaded part right there. Haha!
We brought our Cathy's Bags with us! I love twinning with Y!
After our swimming session, we went back to our room to take a shower and prepare for dinner. Whenever we plan an out of town trip, the next thing I research for next to our hotel is what are the best places to dine at. I read a lot but still ended up at Meat Plus Cafe where I wanted to eat that last time we went to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 4 years ago. Meat Plus Cafe was only a few minutes drive away from our hotel.
Meat Plus Cafe is located along Sampson Road. It's a self-service, fast food-like restaurant, best known for their steaks and that's why I chose this restaurant. The sign above says "Don't leave Subic without eating at Meat Plus!"
The place was packed when we arrived. But we only waited for a few minutes for a table.
Then we queued up to order our food.
You can choose your own steak and they'll cook it for you! After ordering, we sat down and our food was served in 10 minutes.
French Fries to keep the kids busy!
Clam Chowder to start for BOS
And Mushroom Soup for me. Both soups were just okay. Price was around Php120-140.
Also ordered a glass of Iced Tea for me.
Spaghetti Carbonara for the kids. Creamy pasta with bacon and cheese is always a winner with my kids.
BOS and I each had a Angus Ribeye Steak cooked medium with buttered veggies and rice.I enjoyed mine but BOS didn't (I am not surprised haha!). The steak he got was not a good meat.
Our total bill for our dinner was Php2000 plus. Would you say it's worth it? I have mixed feelings. For the amount we paid, I wished the service was better and the ambiance is nicer but I guess it's all part of Meat Plus Cafe's charm. Will there be a next time? Maybe we can try their other dishes!
We went back to the hotel after dinner, watched a little TV and slept early! We had an early start that day, we were all tired and sleepy plus we will have another full day the next day! We had breakfast at Spencer Fusion Bar & Resto, Best Western Subic very own restaurant which serves local and international cuisines and a bar that has a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
For our food, we were given a menu where we can choose our breakfast. At the buffet area, there's a cereal, bread, fruits and an egg station.
The choice of breakfast was very limited. I am glad there's an egg station and unlimited brewed coffee! BOS had the American Breakfast while I had their "bestselling" Beef Tapa. The kids had each a bowl of cornflakes plus a sunny side up egg.
Omelette with everything in it!
American breakfast: sausages, hash brown, pork and beans and a tomato.
The beef tapa was sweet and sour and a bit tough. :(
After breakfast, we all took a bath, got ready and checked-out. We were going to Ocean Adventure and it's on the other side of Subic. I don't want to come back to the hotel anymore so we checked-out early. But before heading out to Ocean Adventure, we went to Royal Choices (because I thought we won't have time to shop after Ocean Adventure) to shop!
We bought a few chocolates, snacks and water for our trip home later that afternoon.
The drive was 40 minutes from Best Western Plus Hotel. I admire how everyone abides to their traffic rules. No traffic lights but everyone stops at intersections and gives way! Ang galing! How I wish it is also like this in every city in Manila.
It was a very hot hot hot day! I didn't expect it to be so hot and I didn't expect there will be a lot of people at Ocean Adventure. There were buses and the line at the ticket booth was so long. It doesn't matter if you have a GC or a coupon from a deal site, you still have to fall in line at the booth. The line going inside and line at the ticket booth was a big mess. There was one guy who won't let me fall in line because he said I had to go to the back but there was back of the line! Ugh. I had to find the manager to tell them to fix the lines but they didn't do anything! So even if the guy didn't want me to fall in line in "his" line, I still did because he's not the boss of me.
Obvious bang mainit? Haha! We were all sticky! We were there just in time for the first showing of Dolphin Tales. We were 30 minutes early but we went in anyway because I didn't want to wait for another hour. I bought the kids snacks to eat while waiting for the show to start.
It was scorching hot as you can see that umbrella on the bottom right. I'm glad I bought a big hat just before this trip!
It was a fun show! We got to see the dolphins do tricks after tricks!
Dolphins are amazing creatures. I've never seen them up close and that's why I availed their Dolphin Photo Encounter (Php1,150) for our family.
Weeeee! We got to touch and be this close with a Bottlenose Dolphin!
After the show, we shopped for a few souvenirs for the kids at the gift shop while waiting for the our photos to be burned on a CD then we had lunch at Ilanin Bay Cafe. It's a canteen/self-service restaurant that serves Filipino and International cuisine. Prices for their food is expensive and choices are very limited so if you can eat outside before or after going to Adventure, please do so.
I ordered the Lechon Kawali, BOS had the Pinakbet and the kids had Hungarian Sausage. Food was just okay.
We were on our way out when we saw the Ocean Discovery Aquarium and decided to check it out. I'm glad we did (aside the fact that it is air-conditioned inside)! It's a small aquarium but the kids were happy they got to see different kinds of fish! I wanted to stay longer but I couldn't take the heat anymore!
My little ones fascinated by the fishes!
Next time maybe I should plan a weekday trip on a off peak season to Ocean Adventure. So it can be less crowded and less stressful for me. I think it's a tita sign that I don't like crowded places anymore! Ha!
It was still "early" when we left and I didn't want to go home just yet so I asked BOS if we could still go around and go Duty Free shopping! The kids were sleepy already but this momma was very makulit! I had to get my retail therapy fix. Haha! We went to Puregold and Royal Duty Free which are just near each other. I really have to thank Waze because it has made our out of town trips really convenient!
We didn't stay long at Puregold. We didn't stay long here because R was sleeping, I breezed through the aisles and ended up getting more chocolates to add to our first haul from Royal Choices. Haha!
Next stop was Royal Duty Free and next to it was HMR. I thought we will be in there for just a while but there was so much to see in both stores that we stayed until it was already dark outside. Haha!
Ritter Sports Chocolates! Lots and lots of them and I'm so happy with the selection!
Booze! I bought the beer, ay lager pala, on the left because of the bottle. I'm such a sucker for nice packaging. And it's surprisingly good!
They also have home stuff. I wanted to buy these containers and glasses but I was afraid it will break on the travel way home so now I am just wishing I can find something similar to these in Manila.
When we left it was dark outside na, we really needed to head home na! Haha! Good thing there was still no school the next day, we can still have a day rest at home. We went to McDonald's for drive-thru and eat our dinner on the road. There was a bit of traffic on NLEX so it was late when we arrived home, we were all tired but I'm so happy we went on this trip even if it was just a quick one. I am amazed how my kids remember our little trips even if it was a year ago! I must really print photos out so we can look back not just on my phone but on actual album!
Can't wait for our next trip next month! Counting the days until our next adventure!
No comments :
Post a Comment