[Ilocos: Vigan Day 0] Vigan Plaza Hotel
Hi there! Did anyone even miss my travel posts? Hihi. Anyways, I will be sharing my Vigan - Laoag - Pagudpud tour. This time, my friends and I went up North and conquered Ilocos. This trip happened last August 2012 so I'm not sure if I can give a detailed information about the spots we've visited. But in case you have any questions, feel free to visit my friend's website or shoot her an email, for sure she will respond. :p
I booked this flight early last year via Air Philippines. We only got the departing tickets on sale while the returning ones weren’t but we only paid around Php 2000 per head. It was already a good deal for us. We landed at Laoag International Airport before 6 in the evening and the weather was still a bit gloomy.
Our contact was Kuya Lenzer (you'll see how great this guy was!) and he took care of us during our entire trip. He was extremely super nice and sweet. I can still remember that he called me up to ask if we are OK since there was a typhoon in the province as well as here in Manila days before our trip. He even gave me details of the situation in Ilocos where the center of the typhoon was. Super textmates din kami! All deals and information were exchange through text. He sent me the itinerary, rates and inclusions promptly. While waiting for our baggage, I called to tell him that we arrived.
We went outside the airport and just after a few minutes, he arrived. Kuya Lenzer (0906-8185735) was really nice (paulit - ulit? super nice kasi talaga siya) and friendly. He is not just a driver who will bring us to places, he also knows the information about the tourist spots and shared it with us. Sometimes, we have asked too much questions (minsan corny na) but surprisingly, he has answers.
outside the airport
From Laoag, we traveled two more hours going to Vigan since I wanted to see Calle Crisologo at night. Glad I have an intelligent friend (jerellt) who suggested to start our adventure in Vigan then Laoag and end it in Pagudpud.
We checked-in at Vigan Plaza Hotel past 8 in the evening and the receptionist already knew our names because we were the last guests expected to arrive.  Haha.. ang late na kasi talaga namin.
Vigan Plaza Hotel is one of the best – rated and expensive hotels in Vigan. Wait ha, di ako nagyayabang.  The rate was too expensive for and overnight stay (Php 4200) but I can say it was worth it. The place was so cool. It feels like we traveled back to the ancient time. :p The wooden furniture may look simple but it makes the setting so perfect - "old-fashioned style pero sosyal".
Our air-conditioned bedroom has 
2 queen-sized beds, 
a dresser and huge cabinet
bathroom with hot and cold shower, 
toiletries
and a cable television
I love the bed. It really gave me a good night sleep. Ako pa unang natulog sa kanila. Hahaha.. The pillows were soft and the sheets were clean and nicely scented.
The bathroom was just okay. It wasn't as big as I'm expecting but at least it was clean. It has towels and basic toiletries available for use. It also has a pail and dipper! Oha, yan ang hanap ng lahat :p
We had our breakfast at Cafe Bigaa. There were still no guests when we arrived so almost all the servers were just staring at us and very prompt whenever we have requests.
Our reservation includes a set breakfast for 4. Since I’m in Vigan, I tried their Vigan Longganisa (Longsilog) while Boyps opted to try Tocino (Tosilog). Both meals have 2 eggs, a cup of rice, a side dish (achara ata) and a drink.
Tocino for Boyps
Vigan Longganisa for me
I ordered coffee while Boyps preferred a glass of juice.
We were also given a plate of fruit slices to share. Our meal was good to jump start our day.
Before we check-out, I took some pictures of the reception area.
We are one hour late from our call time but Kuya Lenzer wasn’t mad at us. :p hahahaha. We had to check out the next day since we will be travelling to Laoag and Pagudpod. It was a quick stay but I could say that I really enjoyed it. Nice staff, lovely ambiance, good food,  what else can I ask for? So if you want to experience all this and you want to be near Calle Crisologo, then you must stay at Vigan Plaza Hotel.

Vigan Plaza Hotel
Mena Crisologo St. Brgy 2
Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
http://www.viganplazahotel.com/


iLoveToBake #6: Project #3: Hello Kitty - themed cupcakes

Hi friends! It’s been almost a month since I last created a post on this blog. I have lots of pending travel and food posts but as always, I'm too lazy to blog about it. :p
I’ve been so blessed this April to close two birthday deals to two of my friends. Both were really challenging and time consuming. But who cares? I love what I'm doing and I'm happy stressing myself when baking. Every time I have orders, I always have sleepless nights since I have a regular office work. But after seeing my work, all the hardships are worth it – definitely priceless!
Without further ado, I’m presenting to you my latest creation - Hello Kitty - themed cupcakes.
My dear friend Cherrie asked me to create 80 cupcakes for her daughter’s 1st birthday party. It was a long notice that’s why I had all the time to research and think of how my cupcake will look like. Je even tag a picture in FB to give me an idea of what I should do. Unfortunately, I was just able to do these:
Chocolate cupcake with pink cream cheese frosting 
topped with hello kitty made of fondant
Cherrie likes it. She said it’s cute and asked me how was I able to do it. Thanks to the hello kitty cutters that made my work easier. The cutter created holes for the eyes, nose and whiskers. I just put some black and yellow fondant on those holes. 
By the way, Boyps volunteered to help me in this project. Hihi basta fondant, maasahan siya. :p 


If you want to see / know more about my products, please visit my facebook fan page and multiply site. Please don't forget to like may page too. :)