I Crave NY

Manhattan. It is immeasurable to point out what I miss from living in New York.

Read this post on the NEW ToT: 

http://www.triportreats.com/2011/10/16/the-cheese-steak-shop-arrives-in-mnl/

The Ark Royal Maldives Dive Yacht & (Spa)

The Ark Royal Dive Yacht & Spa

Read this post on the NEW ToT: 

http://www.triportreats.com/2011/11/14/the-ark-royal-maldives-dive-yacht-spa/

The Velassaru Maldives, Part Deux

And the Velassaru tour continues...

For those who want to get wet without being in the ocean, the Pool is quite a spot to be at. An infinity pool with a teak deck and lounge chairs. At first glance, the pool seems to be connected to the ocean.

The Velassaru Maldives

Trust me... It's paradise.

And it's found in Velassaru, Maldives.

Read this post on the NEW ToT:

http://www.triportreats.com/2011/11/09/the-velassaru-maldives-part-uno/

My Water Villa at Velassaru Maldives

There is something about being near or by the water that just brings in the calmness. And when you're in Maldives, a country known for its crystal clear waters, there is no excuse. You have to live by the waters.

 Must stay when at the Velassaru Maldives is at one of the water villas. If not only for this terrace view, for the actual room accommodations and amenities inside the villa.

AirPhil Express Response to My Complaint

* HERE'S AN UPDATE AND A HAPPY ENDING TO THE AIRPHIL EXPRESS INCIDENT* 

Last week, I had a very harrowing experience with AirPhil Express and voiced out the details alongside my formal complaint in an email to them, as well as a post on ToT.

So far, after one week... this is the response I get.  Guys, this is verbatim ha, so the typos and grammatical question marks are not done by me. Don't shoot the messenger.


"Dear Ms. ---,
 
We refer to the complaint received by our Social Media group for our attention. At the outset, please accept our sincerest regrets for any disappoitnment you may have felt as a result on your experience.

We have since initiated feedback with the concerned offices to provide us with the full circumstances of your reported incident. Once we complete our reports, we will communicate again with you.

Please be assured of our preferential attention.

Sincerely,
--
CUSTOMER CARE
Airphil Express"

I would expect that given one entire week I could have at least an organized thought process and spell checked response.


ToT-ers: What do you think? Is this the best I'm gonna get?

Mommy & Me Munching Around Copenhagen

Whenever the family travels, we normally take separate flights to just to stay on the safe side, in the event of a catastrophe. Interestingly enough, I usually arrive a day or two before everyone else, and stay longer for a couple of days. You would think that with three older brothers one of them would take the role of the sacrificial lamb, but clearly the family figured out that you can throw ToT anywhere and I would survive... plus some travel memories.

This time, I had the chance to spend some R&R with my mom, otherwise known as ESF. We see each other on a daily basis because we work together, plus I'm still a boarder at their abode. We're not the 'how's your day' type of mother/daughter because of proximity and pressures at work, so it's always a privilege whenever I get to spend some Mommy & Me time, preferably away from Manila and at a place with a ton of shopping.

We stayed at the Copenhagen Plaza Hotel, which is right across the Central Train Station and a stone's throw from all the major sights in the city.

My New Travel Blog Reads for 2011

I just met a couple of travel bloggers like yours truly, and I'm excited to read their archives and share the sites with you!

Just Wandering by Nina Fuentes

Great information on how to apply for visas, the cost of a certain trip, and pertinent advice from someone who's been there and done that. 

The 4am Chronicles of Karlo De Leon

Beautiful photography. And I'm so excited to see his new "look" soon! Good luck!

'Travel Expert' ToT on QTV's Full Time Moms

Here's my stint as a 'travel expert' for QTV's Full Time Moms with Christine Jacobs and Mark Bautista!

My ToT Resolutions for 2011

Happy 2011 Everyone! For this new year, I want nothing more than to be the best ME/ToT that I can be! With that... my resolutions for 2011 are:

More Yoga and yoga retreats... hopefully with Mr. S (hint)

 Less Sloth... or laziness. But more hotel visits!

More Veggies... and fruits and organic products

EuroCruise 2010: Carpets &The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

Gooood Morning Istanbul!

After a long day of trekking Istanbul's delectable sights and spices, I woke up to a breakfast of fresh cherries from Turkey. Super sweet, and readily accessible at our ship's Buffet line.

Day 2 in Istanbul isn't as long as the entire day... but it did involve a lot of walking... and shopping. Clearly, ToT is NOT a morning person.

EuroCruise 2010: Istanbul's Spice Bazaar is Spicyyy

 

Next stop in the Istanbul tour is every Filipino's wet dream: Shopping! For spices, that is.

Located at Cami Meydani Sok, it's close to the exterior walls of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Museum. It's one of the must-visit places in Istanbul. Why?

It's the hub for exotic spices and other ethnic culinary delights.

EuroCruise 2010: Food Finding in Istanbul

Back in Istanbul after visiting all the important mosques and palaces in the Old City, which is both an Asian and European city. After all the sight-seeing, everyone was a bit hungry, but didn't have the luxury of time to sit down for a proper lunch. I was on the hunt for the next best thing that Istanbul is known for:

Kebab!

EuroCruise 2010: Istanbul is an Eyeful

After our sunny stop in Mykonos, Greece, our cruise on the Celebrity Equinox ventured to a different country to visit what is consistently rated as one of the most beautiful and enchanting cities in the world... Rich in history and a unique atmosphere, it will definitely take your breath, and attention span, away.

Catch an eyeful of Istanbul, the original Constantinople.

 From the view on our cruise ship, it felt as exotic as stepping into a spice market, literally because Turkey is a single country situated in two continents. Istanbul is the only city in the world  located on 2 continents. It's the nearest Asian city to Europe, and the nearest European city to Asia.

EuroCruise 2010: Mad for Mykonos

Back to the beautiful Greek Island of Mykonos, home to blue & white homes, hot sunny beaches, and major midnight beachparties.

If there's another thing Mykonos is most remembered for... it's not wide open spaces like the Chola Town Center.

 

But for the tight and tiny alleys and streetways that zigzag like a labyrinth all around town, albeit stunning with its white and blue exteriors. As the mythical town of Troy, Mykonos is one puzzling map of roads.

EuroCruise 2010: Munching on Octopus at Antonini's, Mykonos

Next stop on the EuroCruise lineup is the tourist-favorite Greek island of Mykonos, infamous for its bright Mediterranean sun, endless beach parties, and enigmatic blue & white buildings.

A tiny 33 square miles, Mykonos is one of the smallest islands in the Cyclades group and is inhabited by only 5000 locals, yet gets flocked by over 900,000 visitors a year. Bars, nightclubs, and beaches...  Think Santorini, but not on a mountain. Ahh... ToT Heaven!

As I was walking towards Chora, or center of Mykonos, I spotted a man by the shallow water, literally, spanking a live octopus on the rocks, paralyzing the tentacles and readying it for consumption. Bro and I looked at each other; we knew what we were having for lunch!

EuroCruise 2010: Sweet Sunset in Santorini Part 2

After walking around the towns of Oia and Fira, tasting some sulfur-enriched Santorini wines from Santo Winery, and dining with an awesome view at Sphinx Restaurant, it was time to say goodbye to Arthur, our very animated tourguide who spends half the year in Santorini, and the other half in Australia. 

My family loved him so much, we wanted to come back just so we could bunk in his pink palace of a house! Apparently he landed on some Greek wealth from his father, so he enjoys life showing people around Santorini and also being a videographer on the side. That's where the good pics come from.

With some time on our hands til our boat, the Celebrity Equinox, set sail for Mykonos at 10pm, Bro & I decided to take on Santorini JDOM style. JDOM, short for Junior DOM (ya get it), is my brother's friends take on living the opulent life. To the fullest, all day, everyday. They say I'm JMAT, but let's not go there!

EuroCruise 2010: Wine Tasting at Santo Winery, Santorini

After our walking trip to the town of Oia, our tour guide Arthur took us to Santo Winery for some Greek Wine tasting.

Located at the village of Pyrgos in Santorini, SantoWines sits at the edge of the Caldera. Hence, the awesome view!

I'm all for liquor consumption, and tasting the unique flavors of Santorini wine is more exciting because of the sulfur content in the soil due to the volcanic presence and the eruptions, giving their grape juice extra oomph.

EuroCruise 2010: Sweet Sunset in Santorini Part 1

As promised from EuroCruise Day 2, ToT is sharing one of the most beautiful sceneries and sunsets in the world...

Where even cobblestone shopping feels like a relaxing experience.

Say 'Hello' to Santorini.

Sphinx in Santorini: Resto with a View that Tastes Like Heaven

Let me take you out of Manila and into the gates of heaven, visually.

 

Upon stepping inside the salmon colored doors in the middle of the town of Fira, you enter the restaurant with the best view of Santorini, Greece and the Aegean Sea.

Welcome to Sphinx Restaurant. Welcome to Santorini