Butterfly on Morrison
During our recent trip to Hongkong, we stayed at Butterfly on Morrison for 4D3N. We chose the place because it is relatively affordable, with okay reviews on Hotels.com and Tripadvisor. Overall, it was okay. It was not a bad experience at all. However, if and when I do go back to Hongkong, I will stay at another place.
LOCATION – I wasn’t too fond of the location. It was around 2 blocks from Times Square or the Causeway Bay MTR, but you have to pass through a wet market to get there. And if you have to go back to the hotel to bring stuff, for 4 days, then those ’2 blocks’ will add. I don’t like it that the mini-bus from the airport had to drop us off almost a block away, because the hotel’s entrance is a bus stop. The hotel didn’t have a driveway. The lobby is at the 3rd floor.
FACILITIES – We got the superior room. Generally, it was okay. The bed, sheets and pillows were fluffy and comfortable. There was a flat screen tv on the wall. The room had wired internet. There was a standard safe and ref, but, no mini-bar. My biggest complaint is that the bathroom is too small, and it had a glass door. One side of the bathroom had blinds, but you can see through a small area of the door. Definitely not for not-so-close-friends. It didn’t have a bathtub (which I think is necessary for Hongkong, after all the walking and shopping), and the shower area is too small. There was no counter beside the sink, just a small area in front for the glasses. For me, this was the biggest let down of all.
SERVICE – The receptionists and bellboys were okay. Nothing to complain about, but nothing great either. Housekeeping can improve a bit though. The room was generally clean when we got back from the city, but I felt they could have done more. Another complaint is that there was no room service – I always look forward to this when we go to hotels!
PRICE – I have no complaints, I think I got what I paid for. We paid Php4,151.67 per night.
Other links:
Official Butterfly on Morrison Website
Foot spa!
Wrote about Amezcua and Feet for Us at Happy Tripper. 
Next stop: Foot Loose and City Lifestyle.
Ikea in the Philippines – QC
Good news to Ikea lovers in the Philippines, we found another seller of Ikea items! Check out their showroom at 120 Kamias Road, Quezon City. They only have small items, but you can still order the bigger items and just wait for them to be shipped. You can check out their Multiply site to see which items are for sale.
Banapple: Happy First Year Anniversary!
Wow! One of our favorite restaurants, Banapple, has just celebrated their first year anniversary! It seems just like yesterday when I posted an entry about Banapple’s opening. I even included their menu! Well, one year after, they are doing very well, and with new pies and meals too! My absolute favorite is the COFFEE TOFFEE ROCA PIE! (P75/slice, P560/whole)
Click here for their pies and cakes price list.
Congratulations GJ, and here’s to another great year ahead!
Manila Oceanpark
I spent the afternoon at Manila Oceanpark to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It was a very interesting experience, except for the fact that there were a million people there. We got stuck in traffic at Quiapo because of a rally we didn’t know about so we arrived there past 2PM. Which was a blessing for us – we didn’t have to line up because our friends were waiting in line. The line outside was long, the ticket line was long, and the line going inside was long. It was worth it though because what we saw inside was amazing.
It was a huge place! It showcased so many species of marine life, from stingrays to clownfish to sharks… It was awesome! They had an amazing underwater tunnel, albeit short. The kids were all going nuts when the stingrays swam majestically from one side of the tunnel to the other. When we were in the tunnel, 2 divers went into the water to feed the stingray, and my diver friends got all excited. The stingrays were all over the men! Right then and there they wanted to leave and go somewhere to dive. It was an awesome sight! Never mind even if the kids around us were all either shrieking in excitement or in fear.
The fee for adults is P400, and it’s worth it. I just wish they had aircon inside – it was so damn hot! (Or was it on purpose that there was no aircon?) I also wish they could fix the system of the lines outside. It was horrible! Also, I wish they could be tougher on the visitors who don’t follow the rules. There were so many warning signs that flash photography wasn’t allowed, and the guides kept on repeating this, but there were still a LOT of people using flash. Their cameras should be confiscated!!!
When you go there in the afternoon, expect long lines. I’m not sure if the lines are shorter in the morning. But it’s worth it especially if you have kids. Remember, flash photography is not allowed!
Click here for the complete set of photos: Manila Oceanpark
Sebastian’s Ice Cream
I got curious when 3 friends told me that there’s a new place with really good ice cream \. Off to Podium I went to search for Sebastian’s. Since they have Macadamia, that’s what I ordered. You see, my favorite ice cream flavor EVER is Haagen Dazs‘ Macadamia Nut ice cream. I didn’t like Sebastian’s version, because it was TOO RICH. It was just too much. I couldn’t finish a scoop!
First impressions are always important. Because of my first experience with their ice cream, I wasn’t interested anymore. But, we had to attend a party at Podium once and I decided to try out another flavor, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It was YUMMY!!! The cookie dough chunks were really big and they tasted really good! Now, I’m a fan, and I’m planning to try the other flavors. However their waffle cone tastes bland. I wish they can use sugar waffle cones instead.
The Rule of Four
Since I really enjoyed Da Vinci Code, right after I finished reading I looked for similar books. I came across “The Rule of Four”, which was written by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. Though I bought it 2 years ago, I only got to read it last week, and I might as well not have read it.
It’s a confused book, with some paragraphs awesomely written, and then some paragraphs written as if it were chick lit (okay, since the story had 4 boys, ‘boy lit’, if there’s such a thing). It is centered on the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a very old book which has no full english translation. The problem is that no one cares about this book, because it doesn’t have an effect on our present lives. It’s very different from the center of Da Vinci Code, which is a secret that’s so scandalous it will rock the modern Church. More…
Pepsi Max
Just realized today that I like Pepsi Max more than Coke Light. And I really don’t like Coke Zero – weird, but for me it doesn’t taste like Coke Regular at all.
The Undomestic Goddess
I wanted to read a light book last week. I searched my shelf for something I haven’t read yet and came across “The Undomestic Goddess”, written by Sophie Kinsella, author of the famous “Confessions of a Shopaholic” series.
It’s a brainless book, one that you should read when your objective is not at all to learn or be enlightened. The plot is somewhat impossible – a fantastic lawyer ending up being a housekeeper after she supposedly makes a mistake. But still I found myself turning the pages, wanting to know what will happen to Samantha’s lovelife. I guess that’s what I’m really after with chick lit books – sometimes I just want to forget about what’s happening around us (yes, the government sucks). Isn’t it great that we have these silly books and movies to help us escape even just for a few hours? C’mon, just give me these couple of hours, before I go back to reality and find out about the latest government fuck-ups.