Old Vine Grille, Eastwood Mall

A colleague who now resides in Singapore dropped by Manila  to meet me and my other colleagues in my previous work. I suggested that we try having dinner at the Old Vine Grille at the Eastwood Mall. None of us has eaten here before, but as I have have read in reviews, Old Vine serves good food.

I called in the restaurant the day before to reserve six seats for us. I have learned that you really need to make a reservation if you are dining in the restaurant on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday since a lot of people come to eat there during such days and you may not have a seat and wait for a table to be available.

Old Vine Grille

For appetizer, we ordered the Tessie Tomas Salad. I do not eat vegetables so I was not able to taste it. My friends said that the combination of the vegetables was good.

Tessie Tomas Salad
Small P295.00 / Large P595.00

I ordered fresh pineapple fruit shake for my drink which was kind of expensive for a fruit shake in a small glass. It just looks cute and decorative on the table.

Fresh pineapple fruit shake
P110.00

Then we ordered the heavy part of the dinner. Meat, meat, more meat, and some pasta. It was a good thing that the restaurant had a promo that when you order two main entrees, you get a free entree. There was already a list of entree combinations to choose from.

Our first set of 2+1 meal was a combination of Steak Tagalog, Pork Barbecue Ribs, and Steak and Cheese. The Steak Tagalog was the one I liked the most. You can taste the Filipino traditional way that the beef was cooked but is much tastier and it seemed like it was cooked for a long time to get the flavors all in and made the meat so tender. The Pork Barbecue Ribs tastes like the one served at Uncle Cheffy but not as flavorful (by the way Uncle Cheffy and Old Vine are sister restaurants together with Chef's Quarter). Meanwhile, the Steak and Pasta was round chunks of steak with cheese sauce on top with pasta on the side. It was cooked just right so I still got the steak flavor that I was looking for.

Steak Tagalog
P485.00

Pork Barbecue Ribs
P485.00

Steak and Pasta
Free

We also ordered Baked Cream Dory, which was a famous dish at Old Vine. I did not really much like it because the flavor was so strong.

Baked Cream Dory
P350.00

We ordered another set of 2+1. This time we reordered the Steak Tagalog and the Pork Barbecue Ribs and added for free the Steak and Cheese with Asparagus. I really liked the grilled asparagus with all its flavor and crispness preserved.

Steak and Cheese with Asparagus
Free

Overall, I would recommend dining at the Old Vine Grille, a definite value for your money. We left the restaurants with our stomachs and taste buds contented. It is a restaurant that I would want to go back to.

Day 3, DIY Camiguin-CDO tour (Cagayan de Oro)

Third day : White water rafting

Great White Water Tours, Cagayan de Oro

We arrived at around 7:00 p.m. at Cagayan de Oro Agora Bus Terminal coming from the Port of Balingoan, Misamis Oriental. We headed straight to Victoria Suites where we booked two rooms good for three persons each to stay for the night.

After checking in we immediately hailed cabs to get us to Limketkai Mall to have dinner. We were surprised that the mall wass already closing when it was just 8:00 p.m. Luckily, the mall is surrounded by restaurants. The area is like Eastwood/Metrowalk where people hangout.

A friend of a friend suggested that we try eating at Candy's, an steak restaurant. Food was expensive but we had the chance to see Ryan Cayabyab, a famous Filipino composer and some lead vocalists of some famous bands in the country.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to sleep and rest since our rafting guide would pick us up at 7:00 a.m. We had breakfast at the hotel which was included in the package, two sets of meal per room. Since there are three of us in each room, there was an additional cost for the breakfast of the extra person.

We booked our rafting adventure with the Great White Water Tours. Our guide was right on time in the morning. We rode on a jeep with the rubber boat on top. We were also joined by two middle-aged couple.

I was a bit scared during the drive to the river anticipating the adventure ahead of us. The river was calm, which meant that it was deep and brown. The color of the water probably was because of the rain the previous night.

We were first dropped at the Great White Water Tours office to register and sign waivers. We also left our things there. We had the option to let them take pictures of us for a charge of P1,500 but since we have a DSLR camera of our own, we just let the guides use it to take pictures of us for free.

It was a bit of a long drive down the river. Cagayan River separates Cagayan de Oro from Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro on the left and Bukidnon on the right.

When we got to the spot where the rafting starts, we were made to wear life vests and sunscreen. We were also briefed on basic rafting: how to paddle, the dos and the don'ts.

I could not describe how I was feeling when I hopped on the rubber boat. I was nervous and excited at the same time.

Then the adventure began.

We only took the beginners course since none of really know anything about rafting. According to the guide, we would embark on 14 rapids within two hours.

The first rapid was only a few meters away from where we started. I was anticipating how the boat would rock and trip off the boat on that scary rush of waters. I had my feet locked up on the boat so I won't fall off the boat. Then it came. We were all shouting as we rowed ourselves to the rush and got wet with the water splashing everywhere. And then the first rapid was over. We all cheered. I realized that it was not scary as I have anticipated. It was fun!

We had snacks some time during the two-hour rafting and the guides entertained us with their corny jokes. There was a time when one guide was telling a joke and we were all laughing that we did not realized that we were to plunged on a rapid. It almost tripped the boat! We learned that it was the style of the guides to divert our attention with their jokes and intentionally bring us to the water, adding more to the fun. But the guides were not successful to get us off the boat. We just laughed so hard afterwards. That moment when we were actually tripped was captured. I always laugh whenever I see this picture.

After two hours of rafting, we thanked our guides and headed back to the tour office to have lunch. We were served with chicken inasal and pork barbecue, rice and softdrinks. Then we were dropped back to the hotel. It was already past 12:00 noon and check out time.

We extended our stay for an hour to pack our things. The hotel charges P100.00 per extended hour. After packing, we headed to the airport to take the plane back to Manila.

Day 3 - Summary of Expenses

Cab to Victoria Suites - P120.00 per cab (three pax per cab)

Victoria Suites Deluxe Room - P1,000.00 (three pax per room)

Cab to Limketkai Mall - P70.00 (three pax per cab)

Dinner - prefer not to mention

Rafting Tour - P900.00 each (includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, tour, snacks and lunch)

Cab to Airport - P120.00 per cab (three pax shared)

Airfare to Manila - P400.00 each (Piso fare promo plus taxes and charges)

Day 3 total estimated - P1,735.00 per pax excluding food

Day 2, DIY Camiguin-CDO tour (White Island / Katibawasan Falls / Mantigue Island)

Second day : Island hopping
White Island, Katibawasan Falls, Mantigue Island

We were picked up early by Kuya Chris on the second day of our tour of the Camiguin Island. We made sure we had a very heavy breakfast before going. Villa Paraiso Resort provided us with toast, eggs, and coffee for breakfast. I was already informed of this when I reserved a room at the resort a few weeks back. We cooked the canned goods we bought in Manila and some of the left overs from dinner and had a sumptuous breakfast of fried rice, spam, and corned beef in addition to what the resort has served us.

Our first stop was the famous White Island. It is not really an island but a sand bar which shows up when the tide is not high. The sky was a bit dark and cloudy when we went there. It rained and there were thunderstorms on the night that passed. I thought that we are not going to have great pictures because of the dark clouds and the rain seemed that it would pour.

We hopped on a boat which can seat six people. I noticed that the waves were a bit strong. I was scared. I do not know how to swim and I am always afraid of the dark seas. As the boat started, I held on tight to the pole and securely wore my life vest. Thank God the island was just 10 minutes away from the shore but still I could not avoid to scream when the boat slows down whenever there is a big wave.

When we reached the sand bar, the boatman parked the boat on the shore. You can see the different colors of the sea. There were blue green parts and there were dark blue parts. Only a small area around the sand bar are blue green which means that they are not the deep parts. A few meters away are the dark blue spots which means that there is a sudden drop of depth in the area. They are very deep. We were careful to stay only near the sands.

White Island, Camiguin

Even if it was not sunshiny that morning, we managed to take great pictures. You can never go wrong to take a shot at any part of White Island. Eventually, the dark clouds went away and the sun finally showed. The sand bar was clean and the water was very clear too. There was just one vendor on the island and he offered us to buy sea urchins. None of us dared. We stayed on the island for one hour and we left just as the water started to rise and covered the sands.

My sister demonstrating the clear waters

We headed back to the main island and bought some souvenirs there. Kuya Chris advised us that we buy the lanzones from there since they were cheaper than at the market. There was just one manang selling lanzones and we all bought all her lanzones! I don't really eat lanzones but my friends told me that they were really sweet. The lanzones season has begun and by next month there would be more lanzones in the island which is just in time for the famous Camiguin Island Lanzones Festival. I also bought ref magnets and key chains to give away to my friends in Manila.

Our next destination was the Katibawasan Falls located high up the main island of Camiguin. We planned to swim there to relieve off the heat but upon seeing the waterfalls, we decided not to. The water was clear, very cold and inviting but was brown at the time and we could not see the bottom of the basin. It was a bit scary so we just dipped our feet and took pictures.

Katibawasan Falls

After dropping by the Katibawasan Falls, Kuya Chris sent us back to the resort to pack and get our things since it was already check out time. We did not want to be charged extra if we extend beyond the check out time. We decided not to have lunch since we still felt full at the time.

Before going to our last destination for the day, Kuya Chris dropped us off the Vjandep Bakery where the famous and delicious delicacy of Camiguin Island is being made. We bought boxes of the sweet pastry to bring back to Manila.

We were supposed to go to the Ostrich Farm, the Giant Clams Sanctuary and Mantigue Island. We only had a few time left to be able to catch an earlier ferry back to Cagayan de Oro at 3:00 p.m. so we only to chose to visit Mantigue Island. Afterall, my friends and I all love beaches and they wanted to try snorekeling also as Mantigue is famous for that.

We rented snorkeling gears at the terminal and hopped on a boat to Mantigue Island. It took us 25 minutes to get there. The sea was calm at that time and there were no waves at all so I was not frightened. The waters going to Mantigue Island was spectacular and you could see the bottom with its clarity. You could also see the white sands of the island shining even from afar.

Mantigue Island Marine Sanctuary from afar

Approaching Mantigue Island

We rented a glass boat when we got there and a boat man took us around the marine sanctuary area. The marine life was vast and you can see various species of fish and corals. We asked the boatman to take us to a shallower part of the marine forest so we could go down and snorkel and take pictures underwater. I hopped out the boat for just a few minutes because the thought of not knowing how to swim scared me even if I was wearing a life vest. It just felt weird not stepping on to something. The spot the boatman actually took us was not shallow, it seemed like it was at least 10 feet deep. I was able to take pictures though by dipping my camera underwater.

Aboard the glass boat

We left Mantigue Island after an hour to catch the ferry. We showered and changed clothes at J&A Fishpen, a quite expensive seafood restaurant near the Benoni Port.


When we arrived at Benoni Port, the ferry has already left. Luckily, a smaller shuttle has arrived. We boarded and went back to the Port of Balingoan and rode a bus back to Cagayan de Oro.

Day 2 - Summary of Expenses

Breakfast (canned goods) - P350.00 (6 of us shared)

Boat to White Island - P400.00 (6 of us shared)

White Island Fee - P20.00 each

Katibawasan Falls entrance fee - P30.00 each

Boat to Mantigue Island - P550.00 (6 of us shared)

Mantigue Island Fee - P20.00 each

Mantigue Island glass boat rental - P300.00 (6 of us shared)

Snorkel and mask rental - P150.00 each

Mantigue Marine Sanctuary Fee - P50.00 each

J&A Fishpen shower fee - P20.00 each

Shuttle back to Balingoan Port - P175.00 each

Balingoan Port Terminal Fee - P2.50 each

Motorela ride back to Balingoan Bus Terminal - P7.00 each

Bus back to Cagayan de Oro - P140.00 each

Day 2 total estimated - P885.00/pax

Day 1, DIY Camiguin-CDO tour (Around Camiguin)

First stop : Camiguin Island

Getting to Camiguin and going around the island

Me and my sister had been planning this trip since the date when we were able to book Piso Fare flights via Cebu Pacific Air earlier this year. I have read a lot of blogs and guides on do-it-yourself tours at Camiguin and Cagayan de Oro.

We had an early flight scheduled to leave Manila at 4:00 a.m. and we had to be in NAIA Terminal 3 at 2:00 a.m. Because of the itinerary, I really had no time to have a good sleep.

Before boarding, we ate an early breakfast at Let's Chow!, a Chinese food stop near the gates. My sister and a friend insisted that I try the chicken there. I actually ordered only pork siomai since I did not want to feel anything heavy in my stomach before traveling. I was afraid I would barf while on the plane especially that I still had no sleep and tensed and my stomach seemed to have all the gases on earth. For precaution, I took bonamine and I had a small plastic bag in my pouch.

Let's Chow! food stop at NAIA Terminal 3

Unfortunately, we got on seat on the wing part of the plane. I could not get much of the view. But I loved the color of the skies and the clouds we were on top off during sunrise. I tried to take a picture. There goes the wing on the lower left corner.

View over Cebu City

After more than an hour, the plane finally touched down on the grounds of Lumbia Airport, Cagayan de Oro City. We were greeted with "Cagayan de Oro Airport Mabuhay" and "Welcome to the City of Golden Friendship" signs at the airport.

We hopped on a cab instead of the vans for P500.00 being offered there to see how much it really would cost us to go to the Agora Bus Terminal. Originally, our plan was to go to Macabalan Port and ride the Paras Seacat. However, the tour guide we contracted in Camiguin told us in advance that we could not take Paras Seacat anymore since it has already stopped its operations. With this, we took an alternative route going to Camiguin Island by first riding a bus heading to Butuan at the Agora Terminal to get to the Port of Balingoan. I did not know at first as to where in the Philippines is the Port of Balingoan until I searched the web. The port is already part of Misamis Oriental. I didn't know that I would be able to get that far!

It was a two-hour travel to the Port of Balingoan and all that I was able to see during the ride was the sea on the right side and mountains on the left side. I was able to fall asleep on the bus. When I woke up, I was able to read signs of "Balingoan" so I asked my friend to ask to conductor if we are still far from the port and he said that we are still minutes away.

This was the problem that we encountered during our tour: dialects barrier. We realized that most of the people there do not understand Tagalog. None of us know the dialect they speak also, which is Visayan. If we asked a question in Tagalog, we were ignored most of the time. We spoke in the most simple form of English to them so we could understand each other. We even had to speak "barok-ishly".

When we arrived at the Balingoan Bus Terminal, we were immediately surrounded by men who drive "motorelas" and helped us carry our baggages. A "motorela" looks is a tricycle with a sidecar which accommodates passengers on its front and back.

It was a less than five-minute drive to the Port of Balingoan. When we got there, there was already a ferry waiting but was scheduled to leave only after almost two ours. So we found ourselves seats to rest and outlets to charge our phones. They have a small store there and I was amazed that they have Gatorades in small glass bottles. They charge P9.00 for unlimited time charging of your phone.

View from the Port of Balingoan

I think it was Bohol Sea that we crossed. The sea was calm and the weather was great. It was a one-hour travel getting to Benoni Port at Camiguin Island. It was almost the middle of the day when we arrived at Benoni Port. We were immediately welcomed with a name sign "France T." written on a bond paper by our tour guide, Kuya Chris. He helped us carry our baggages to his red and well-maintained multicab waiting outside the gates of the port.

Multicabs are the normal transport vehicles used in Camiguin. A multicab can seat ten people comfortably. We contracted a one and a half day tour with Kuya Chris. He first dropped us off to the place we booked for our stay. Our first choice for our accommodation when we were planning the trip was the Paras Beach Resort. However, their rates got updated a month before a trip which was ridiculously expensive so I tried searching for another place to stay. We opted for the Villa Paraiso Resort and Apartelle.

Villa Paraiso Resort and Apartelle

The resort was minutes fast drive away from the port. We booked for a Family Room which was already good for six persons, with one queen size bed and two single beds with one pull-out bed under each. The room also was fully airconditioned, with electric fan, shower, and cable tv. The room also has a dining area and kitchen which was equipped with everything you need for cooking and a refrigerator. I liked this place since we were allowed to cook our own food. The resort also provided us with breakfast of toasted bread, eggs and coffee, since we only stayed there overnight.

We just left our things in the resort and changed to our swimwears. Kuya Chris told us to change since our destinations include swimming spots. But before we started our tour, Kuya Chris brought us to a Pedro's Restaurant to have lunch. He said that they serve fast compared with other restaurants in the area. We ordered fried chicken, sinigang na baboy, pork chops, and sizzling spicy sisig. They have reasonable prices with large servings and we left the restaurant with our stomachs full.

Kuya Chris' Multicab

Then we started our half-day tour. We climbed the old volcano. It has no name and they just call it the "Old Volcano". We stopped beside a cliff to take pictures. The sky was clear and you can see the clear waters below. According to Kuya Chris, this old volcano sank an old cemetery and destroyed an ancient church.

The Old Volcano

Our next stop was the Sto. Nino Cold Spring. We rented a table to place our bags and towels then tried testing the waters with our feet. The water was really cold like it came from a fridge! Aside from this, the water is very clean and clear. Luckily for us, there were only quite a few people swimming there and it was not crowded. We dipped for an hour and refreshed ourselves.

Sto. Nino Cold Spring

Then we went to the Bura Soda Swimming Pool. According to what I have read, the water tastes like soda. Two of my friends were addicted to softdrinks so they thought visiting the place would be a a dream come true. But to our disappointment, the water has no taste at all. LOL. It was called soda pool because the water is bubbly, not because it really tastes like soda. Gotcha! o give credit to the place, just like the Sto. Nino Cold Spring, the water is very clear but not as cold as the Cold Spring. When we got there there were three old foreigners swimming and just relaxing on the sides of the pool. We stayed there for about 30 minutes. It was getting late and we need to hurry to the other destinations.

Bura Soda Swimming Pool

Kuya Chris next drove us to Catarman Old Church Ruins. This was the church sunken by the Old Volcano when in exploded. There was nothing much to see here but you will be amazed when you closely look at the ruins. It was like you were living during the time when the Spaniards were in the Philippines. I could not imagine how they were bale to build the church with so many large stones piled on top of each other at that time. The little chapel at the entrance also gave me the creeps. The place was so quiet except for the sound of the birds chirping.

A spot at the Catarman Church Ruins

Then we went to the Old Cemetery which was sunk by the Old Volcano. There were steep steps to go down if you want to ride a boat to the cemetery itself, wherein according to the boatman, you will see skulls and other creepy stuff. The boat to the cross costs P300.00. We decided to look at the scene by the shore only since we need to hurry to our other destinations. It was great to watch the sunset here.

The Sunken Cemetery

We also passed by the Walkway to the Old Volcano and the Stations of the Cross. We did not dare climb up though I really wanted to see the giant stations of the cross. Kuya Chris told us that it is a more than a kilometer hike up and we were already tired to to do that and besides it has started to get dark and we need to go to the wet market to buy food that we will cook for dinner.

The sign says it all

Our last stop for the day was at the Ardent Hot Spring. We really love to get wet. Haha. I told my friends to take a dip at the warm waters to relax or muscles a bit. When we got there, we actually did not want to leave the place and wanted to sleep while dipped in the pool. It felt good to the body. After this, we hurried off to the market and bought bread, rice, ice cream, ice, and some chicken from Chooks To Go.

Ardent Hot Spring

Camiguin Sunset

Day 1 - Summary of expenses:

Airfare to CDO - P400.00 (Piso fare promo plus taxes and charges)

NAIA Terminal 3 Fee - P200.00 each

Snacks at the Airport - P100.00 each

Cab to Agora Bus Terminal - P220.00 (for 3 pax)

Bus to Port of Balingoan - P140.00

Motorela Fare - P7.00 each

Ferry to Benoni Port - P135.00 each

Port of Balingoan Terminal Fee - P2.50 each

Kuya Chris's Multicab Rental/Tour for one and a half day - P2,500.00 (6 of us shared)

Villa Paraiso Resort and Apartelle Family Room overnight accommodation - P3,000.00 (6 of us shared)

Lunch at Pedro's - P1,050.00 (6 of us shared)

Sto. Nino Cold Spring entrance fee - P20.00 each

Sto. Nino Cold Spring table rental - P50.00 (6 of us shared)

Bura Soda Swimming Pool entrance fee - P20.00 each

Ardent Hot Spring entrance fee - P30.00 each

Dinner (we bought from the market, prawns and Chooks to go, bread, ice cream, rice) - P800.00 (6 of us shared)

Day 1 total estimated - P2,400.00/pax