I remember Blue Coral in Batangas because when our family reunion plans in 2006 were ruined by typhoon Milenyo, we looked for a resort nearer to Lucena. We eventually settled for La Luz, but we saw so many signs for Blue Coral while looking for La Luz, my tita joked that we should just stay at Blue Coral!
We hadn't gone to a beach since Siquijor in 2013 so we looked for a relatively nearby beach resort that was affordable without giving up some creature comforts like aircon and TV.
Caylabne in cavite was out because I heard it had deteriorated and the beach wasn't nice.
La Luz was also out because my family needed a TV and I wanted a resort with a pool in case the sea had jellyfish.
I would've loved to stay at Virgin Beach where the movie "Here comes the bride" was shot but it was too expensive.
Blue coral reception area
So I was left with Blue Coral though I was apprehensive because I read some bad reviews on TripAdvisor. They said the rooms were old and the food was bad. I also didn't like this racket that you had to avail of their buffet for 3 meals. I just told my family to expect the worst.
The beach area
But surprise, surprise, Blue Coral turned out to be quite satisfying! The staff was friendly, the food was mostly great, and the rooms showed signs of age but were quite acceptable.
They had a kiddie pool, infinity pool and a pool with a man-made waterfalls. The beach was clean and so was the sea. My only complaints would be that the swimming area of the beach was limited because of the aqua sports, and the sand wasn't fine. It was like grains of tiny rocks.
A waiting area. I liked how there's also a rest room on this floor in case your room's en suite toilet is occupied.
Old Samsung thin tv, not flat screen
2 double beds. No phone, though
Huge shower area bathroom, toilet with bidet.
Cute balcony
View from our 2nd floor deluxe room
I loved that a deluxe room could fit 6 people (2 double beds plus 2 mattresses) and that there was a hot and cold water dispenser on the first floor.
Tip: While bringing food was not allowed, they didn't really check so you could sneak in some snacks if you didn't feel like taking a ride to go to the eateries outside.
Toiletries were included but you might want to bring your own. We also brought snacks.
Tip: They offer a discount if you book on a weekday. The deluxe room was P5,500 but on weekdays it's P4,640. They also give senior citizen discounts and half-off discounts for kids (4-10 yrs old) for the buffet.
Dining area breakfast scene
I wish they could improve their reservation process, though. Their online booking doesn't work. One has to call their office a number (Manila 559 9747 or 559 9754 or 567 4376 or try cellphone 0917 6769146) to make inquiries and it's always busy. You have to pay 50% of the total bill via bank deposit to their BPI or BDO account to confirm your reservation.
Our breakfast: sardines, scrambled eggs, spicy sausage, beef tapa, hash browns, and watermelon for dessert. Coffee, tea, and juice also included
Lunch was shrimps, spaghetti and giant meatballs, korean beef ribs, chop suey chicken, and ramen soup. Dessert looked like leche flan but was just some dry cake.
After leaving Blue Coral, don't forget to eat at Cafeño, in San Juan. The place is so interesting with old sewing machines as table accents and the food is good and affordable, too.
Endorsed by Drew Arellano? That's good enough for my sister!
Heneral Luna-for making people interested in our history. There have even been debates on this movie as well as about our heroes. Imagine that. To think, it was written off as a flop when it first screed. But thanks to word-of-mouth and a strong clamor from internet fans, it went on to become one of the biggest films of the year!
Honorable mentions: Mad Max:Fury Road, Honor Thy Father, Inside Out (sob! hindi naman pambata 'to, e!)
Worst:
My Bebe Love-What a waste of the AlDub love team. Instead of focusing on the true reason audiences came to watch this movie, the story revolved around Vic Sotto and Ai Ai del as Alas. I f only the writers had made it novel and witty. But no, the plot was so thin, it flew out the window.
Also awful: My fb friend nominated the Maria Ozawa-Cesar Montano movie "Nilalang" and "Fifty shades of Grey"was just trash that wanted to be art.
TV
Best:
Fresh off the boat- It's about an Asian-American family set in the 1990's. It's even funnier when
I imagine them to be like my tita Chuchie's family growing up in America. Everyone in the cast is funny but Constance Wu as the tiger mom steals the show.
Sorry I don't watch a lot of dramas save for Game of Thrones, so my honorable mentions only include Galavant, (reminds me of Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in tights) Last man on earth, and Inside Amy Schumer. I was also mesmerized by Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell but the ending was meh
Worst:
Half Worlds--HBO Asia wanted to produce original content about Asian horror and went to Indonesia. The result is a stylish series with great visuals and animation but zero appeal. The story is so boring, illogical and frustrating. The lead actors are dull. They should have made Trese instead.
Also awful: Marimar (Megan Young cannot act. Plus they changed so much of the story, it's unrecognizable...they even made her real name "Bela" ! Hello, read the title of the show!)
Book
Best:
The Dwellers by Eliza Victoria--hypnotic and gripping, even the backstory had me wishing for more! The premise is really magical: 2 cousins have the power to live in other people's bodies. They escape from their hacienda to take over the life of two brothers when they find a dead body in the basement.
Notable: Manix Abrera's Hubkong Sandatahan ng kahaggardan. It's about life in the news media but I can't believe how even non-meida people can relate to it. I simply ascribe it to Manix magic!
Worst:
Well, not exactly the worst, but a real disappointment was "Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon-comic book"
I was so looking forward to reading this because I missed the text version. It was probably so good they released it as a comic book, too. But I found the story too contrived. There was just one twist too many and too many unresolved plot lines. I also found the artwork kinda awkward, especially when it came to proportions of the anatomy of the humans.
Song
Disclaimer: I didn't listen to a lot of new songs this year as I just kept playing the songs on my ipod.
So while everyone was raving about Justin Bieber's "Sorry" or Adele's "Hello", my favorite song has to be "Ellie Goulding's "Love me like you do" It's probably the best thing to come out of that movie "50 shades of grey"
Worst:
Wiki me by Julian Trono. This song had me cursing at my tv screen when I heard and read the lyrics. I mean, it doesn't help that the singer is nasal and annoying, but who wrote that damn song?!
"We go all night or we can go to dinner We go to movie or we can be a singer"
