It must have been my fourth bottle of the night. I bummed a smoke off an American and invited myself to a circle of conversation about Caucasus and how blatantly Middle Eastern the other American guy’s nose is. The guy himself revealed his Armenian heritage later on which led us to the touchy discussion of…
hotel reviews
The Bayleaf, Intramuros, Manila: So We Sort Of Celebrated Valentine’s Day
The newish kid on the block humbly stands within Intramuros’ old walls. It ain’t much of a looker from afar, but we effortlessly spotted it from the bedlam that is Taft Avenue on Valentine’s Day 2013 — much thanks to the discernible sign posted on its facade just below the roof deck. Our car cautiously…
Sunhouse Guesthouse, Sanur, Bali
I glanced at my watch. Past two in the morn, Sydney time. No wonder I was feeling a bit lethargic. Just a couple of hours ago, we landed in Bali. Our Jetstar bird poured tons of flip-flopping Aussies into Denpasar International Airport. They dashed towards the visa on arrival cashier, obviously aware of the drill….
Azalea Residences Baguio: Highland Holiday Haven
The aroma of bacon sizzling in its own fat wafted through the hallway. I sipped my fave instant coffee as I watched my folks tickle our daughter ’til she ran out of breath. Hubby was sprawled on the carpet, his eyes transfixed on the telly screen but couldn’t understand the Tagalog morning news show… Sweet…
Marriott Santa Clara Means Business
Our hired car finally parked to rest after hours of driving from Los Angeles to Santa Clara (with an unexpected sightseeing detour that involved spying on lazing seals on the beach). I hopped off the car to stretch my weary bones. Luna had been whinging most of the ride, and I was totally drained from…
El Zaguan B&B, Lima, Peru
We scanned the white boards hovering above a mosh pit of cab drivers and hotel representatives just outside the arrivals of Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez. Ours was held by a man named Javier. A hundred percent Peruvian, Jacki Chan lookalike, Mr. Congeniality. He ushered us to his taxi after paying for the parking ticket. As…