Puerto Princesa Accommodation & Tour Package: Casitas De Az Pension

Casitas De Az Pension

Cayapas Bldg., Valencia corner Bonifacio St.,

Bagong Silang, Puerto Princesa City | Palawan

Landline Number: (048) 434-1945

Mobile: 0916-908-6920 (Globe) / 0918-550-9366 (Smart)

E-mail: casitasdeaz@yahoo.com | casitasdeazpension@yahoo.com

Website: http://casitasdeazpension.com/

Casitas De Az Pension became our nest for a weekend stay in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. As always, we just searched the internet for a decent place to stay in; with a good value for money and  of course numerous recommendation and reviews from those who've been there.

A Canvas in their pantry
Photo Credit: Kashogi

We were able to get in touch with them 01/03 and have been in constant contact via e-mail for inquiries re: tour packages, itineraries and payment. We initially inquired about their dorm type room that turned out to be unavailable already, so we decided to take 1 Family De Luxe room that’s good for 4 pax, and just paid for the additional 3 heads. (We’re 7 in the group).

Below is the quote they provided for our accommodation:

Quotation

Guest Name:                          Maria Rosario Consesa A. Andrada

Arrival Date:                          Feb. 22, 2014

Departure Date:                    Feb. 24, 2014

Duration:                               3Days/2Nights

No. of Persons:                      7 pax

Amount Per Head:                 PHP3,500 per head

Type of Room:                       1 Family Room     w/ 3 extra person                 

Room Inclusions:

☛ Daily Breakfast

☛ Round Trip Airport Transfer

☛ Fully Air Conditioned Rooms

☛ Private Bathroom with Hot and Cold Shower

☛ Internet Connectivity (WiFi)

☛ Television

Here are the actual pictures of our homey 

room in Casitas.

We stayed at Room 12 - Family DeLuxe

Excuse the mess and the sleepy heads

2 Queen Size Beds, 1 Single Size bed, and 1 extra Single Mattress. 
Their bedding's and linens are fresh and clean, their queen size beds are
spacious enough that the whole group can actually fit in.

Bathroom is spacious. Hot and Cold shower is fully functioning. Toilet bowl is clean, flush is working properly. The clean and white sink is also A okay!

The TV with cable is mounted on the wall facing the middle bed. Beside it is our A/C providing the right temperature

Other room amenities are the small shoe rack, whole body mirror, and a small table.

✔The room has a small wooden cabinet with hangers where you can hang your towels/ clothes.

✔ We have our own balcony with a two-seater coffee table.

✔ The room is powered by an energy saving key card switch that’s put together in a key chain with your room door key.

✔ Wifi’s a bit slow. You just need patience :)

We also signed up for their Tour packages:

Honda Bay: PHP1200.00

-Inclusions: Food (buffet lunch), service van (drop & pickup), boat transfer, licensed tour guide & entrance fees.

☛ Visit: Cowrie Island, Luli Island and Pambato Island.

    (EXCLUSIVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FEE AT PHP40/HEAD)

Underground River: PHP1300.00

-Inclusions: Service van (drop & pickup), food (buffet lunch), boat transfer, licensed tour guide & permit. (EXCLUSIVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FEE AT PHP40/HEAD)

-Note: Early booking, limited slots only.

-A reminder from Casitas: If you will be taking advantage of the said offer, we need your confirmation the soonest time possible so we can arrange the permit for Underground River according to your day's schedule. 

We highly recommend that you get a tour package from where you’re staying (if they offer tour packages) because this decision made our lives easier. The tour was silky smooth!

One of the many good things we noticed about Puerto Prinsesa is that they already have an established tourism process. Due to that, you need not to worry about over pricing and scams. They have a standard rate per tour. You may haggle for a discount depending on head count, but agencies cannot impose a price higher than the standard rate.

The Pantry is upstairs

Pantry Area

Condiments and Coffee Area. The glass window separates the dining
from their kitchen area.

In conclusion with our stay in Casitas, we had a fairly fun weekend in their pension house. Free breakfast is served daily; you just have to surrender the coupon provided during check in. Coffee is unlimited and the eating area is clean and well ventilated. Front desk pips are accommodating; they respond quickly to requests and adjustments. Thank you Casitas and til’ next time! :)

Love Always,
Wandering Venus

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Puerto Princesa, Palawan Itinerary!

Underground River Port
Photo shot by our Guide

Sharing with you our weekend itinerary in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Puerto Princesa Itinerary: 7 Pax
Date	Time	Activity	Expenses
Day 1: Feb 22 2014	7:30 AM	Airport check-in
	10:30 AM	Departure from MNL	P1150.00 via Tigerair
	11:45 AM	Arrival in Puerto Princesa
	12:00 PM	Check in @ Casitas	P1030/ pax (7 pax in a family deluxe room for 3D 2N)
	1:00 PM	Prep for Honda Bay Tour
	1:30 PM	Buffet Lunch @ Cowrie Island	free (included in package)
	2:00 PM	Honda Bay Tour: Cowrie, Luli, Pambato Island	P1200 per pax + P40.00 env fee
	6:00 PM	Back to Casitas
		Prep for Dinner @ Baywalk
	7:00 PM	Baywalk	P10.00 tricycle ride per person
	7:30 PM	Dinner @ Kap Lars: Grilled Tulingan, Liempo, Talakitok, Pusit, Chicken Inasal, BBQ, Kinilaw na Tuna, (2) 1.5 Soda	P180.00/head
	8:30 PM	Biking @ Baywalk (girls) and Inuman Session for Guys	P25/ hour (single) P75/ hour (sidecar) P40/bottle of redhorse
	10:30 PM onwards	Back to hotel/Rest	P10.00 tricycle ride per person
2: Feb 23 2014	6:30 AM	Wake up
	7:00 AM	Breakfast	free (Fried rice, Corned beef with potatoes, 1 sunny side up egg, coffee, iced tea)
	8:00 AM	Prep for UG Tour
	9:30 AM	Kim's arrival @ PP Airport
	9:45 AM	Personal Appearance @ Under ground river office
	10:45 AM	Photo ops @ stop over
	11:30 AM	Lunch @ Sabang wharf	free (included in package)
	12:15 PM- 2:00 PM	Waiting time
	2:30 PM	Undeground River Tour	P1300/ pax + P40.00 Environmental fee
	4:00 PM	Travel back to Hotel
	6:00 PM	Stop over @ Souvenir Shop
	7:00 PM	Back to Hotel and prep for dinner
	8:00 PM	Baywalk for Dinner	P10.00 tricycle ride per person
	8:00 PM	Dinner at Boyet's in Baywalk: Adobong Pusit, Grilled Blue marlin Belly, Liempo, Crocodile Sisig, Kinilaw na Kambing, (2) 1.5 Soda	P160/ head
	8:45 PM	Inuman Session
	10:00 PM	Back to hotel/Rest	P10.00 tricycle ride per person
Day 3: Feb 24 2014	6:30 AM	Wake up
	7:00 AM	Breakfast	free (rice, 1 jumbo TJ hotdog, 1 sunny side up egg, coffee)
	8:00 AM	Pack up
	10:45AM	Check out
	11:00 AM	Airport check-in	P100.00 Terminal fee
	11:15 AM- 11:50AM	Lunch @ Airport Canteen	P80.00/ pax
	12:10 PM	Departure from PP
	1:40 PM	Arrival in MNL
			Estimated Total Amount of Expenses/Pax: 5,350 php - 6,000 php

Budget per head ranges from P5350-P6000. For a decent trip highlighting Honda Bay and Underground River Tour, P5300 is enough. City tour is also available, but we didn't get the chance to experience it. Rate is P600 per head or you can take advantage of the group package for P1500.

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Zarzuela Filipino Cuisine

Zarzuela Filipino Cuisine

6^th Flr. East Wing,

Shangri-La Mall, EDSA

The day before yesterday was our 1^st year anniversary as BF/GF (Ram and Con---not Con and Mie) LoL! And because February 12th fell on a weekday and we had to go to work, we decided to celebrate it in a simple way by eating out.

We started searching for a good place to dine in last week and based our target restaurant/food establishment with the following criteria:

•          New to us.
•         Just around the Metro (preferably in Mandaluyong area)----tamad ang peg!
•     Filipino Cuisine
•         Good reviews from credible food bloggers.

It turned out we have a lot of options. Our top 2 picks are Café Juanita (Kapitolyo, Pasig) and Zarzuela (EDSA Shangri-La Mall). What made us decide to eat at Zarzuela?

•           New to us.
•           Nearest from office and to home. :)
•           Good reviews from food bloggers:

- Hefty Foodie : Shoot First Eat Later 

-     
     Here are the foods we ordered:

Fountain of Youth (appetizer)

•           P249.00
•           Thin slices of crispy, breaded pork meat with vinegar, green mangoes, and sautéed shrimp paste.
•           Good for 3-4 people.
•           The breaded pork tastes good, though it has an 'umay' factor when eaten alone. Make sure to eat the pork with the sidings to balance the taste.

Krispy Binagoongan

•           P399.00
•           Crispy pork cubes in bagoong.
•           Good for 2-3 people.
•           This is one of the recommended dishes from food bloggers’ reviews. What I like about this is it’s not as salty as other binagoongan. Downside for me is the pork’s fatty taste. I’m not sure if it’s from the oil used for frying or from the pork’s fat itself. This also has an 'umay' factor for me, but overall its taste is good.

Shrimp and Pork Tortang Talong

•          P229.00
•          Good for 2-4 people.
•           Purple eggplants stuffed with small slices of shrimps, pork, tomatoes, and onions, dipped in egg batter, then fried.
•           It has the authentic taste of tortang talong (which I love). Nothing too special but we still enjoyed the dish. :)

The Place

It took us a while to find the place. It’s in the 6^th floor of EDSA Shangri-La Mall, East Wing. We've not explored the whole east wing of EDSA Shang yet so that made the place quite unfamiliar to us both. The place is small with simple interiors; a fusion of modern Filipino-Spanish. We’re guided and sat on the couch area of the restaurant, which was just beside the clear, glass window, with an overlooking, good view of the Metro. I have to commend the lighting inside the establishment. We were able to take Instagram worthy moments. #coupleselfie hahaha

Staff/Service

They have a very accommodating and friendly crew plus their service is fast.

Value for Money

If it's price vs taste of food, then it’s a bit pricey, but I can say it's all worth our money considering the location, the place and great customer service.

In a nutshell, we had a great time celebrating our anniversary here. To Ram, thank you for a wonderful, smooth, memorable, and amazing 1^st year. I’m looking forward to spend more lovely years with you. Just like what Pooh said “I knew when I met you; an ADVENTURE was going to happen.”

Love Always,

Wandering Venus (Con)

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