Baby Meow is now about 7 months old inside K's baby bulge and as much as we want to celebrate our first year wedding anniversary on a secluded far away place, our options are limited to short travels on the outskirts of Manila. A few hours of browsing the internet led Misis K to one of several B&B's that dotted Tagaytay like how stubbles dot my chin just several minutes after shaving.

BBB

Hello, The Boutique Bed and Breakfast!

Quick Facts:
* Location: Aguinaldo Highway, Silang Crossing East, Tagaytay City
* Type: Boutique Hotel
* Rates: P6000 to P10000 for two, with a LOT of complementary inclusions
* Website: http://www.theboutiquebnb.com/

 
Place

It's fairly easy to locate being on the main road heading to the busier places of Tagaytay. Turn right on the Tagaytay "rotonda", head straight past Day's Hotel, and it should be on the left before the Lourdes Church with a huge construction work happening across it.

The facade looks modern in design and well kept. The red potted plants looked in theme for Christmas. The lobby is very welcoming with a fusion of "country/contemporary/shabby chic" look. It's not that spacious but most of the area is used well for function.

lobby

Just a few steps from the lobby counter is an entrance to the adjoining al fresco Hawaiian Bar-B-Que restaurant that opens up to a romantic vista overlooking Taal Lake. This way also leads to the upper floors where four of their seven bed and breakfast rooms are located. We asked to be booked on the first room of the hall - the iDream room.

iDream

Each rooms have different designs and iDream looks modern with mostly white and cream furniture. It has a private terrace with a good view similar to their restaurant's which is just a few meters away and below our room. We specifically picked iDream because it's farthest from the dining area compared to the other upper floor rooms. Not that the restaurant can get noisy on a weekday (there's not much customers when we visited) but for a weekend stay, it could be wise to do so.

view outside

Air conditioning works perfect. There's a good-sized TV with a DVD player (DVD's are available on the counter, we are even given a list of movies!) and an ample sound system. WiFi is available for free. Bed is king-sized with an overwhelming number of fluffy pillows (we're not complaining). That magic 8-ball (not sure if it's provided in all rooms) is a nice touch and kept us asking silly questions for a good part of the afternoon. We loved lounging on this huge Victorian chair.

The shower part of the toilet has a life-sized glass window that opens to the Taal Lake view (so literally I took a bath ogling at the breathtaking scene outside). Yung lower half ng salamin ay frosted so don't worry, no genitalia has been exposed during this activity. LOL.

illusion, the first of all pleasures

Food

There's a complimentary iced tea upon arrival. Coffee and/or hot choco are served before bedtime with biscuits.

Breakfast is served in bed for two with a huge selection of food! In fact, after the sumptuous meal, it certainly doesn't feel like breakfast at all. Pwede na kaming hindi mag-tanghalian afterwards! As with most B&B's, this is included with the package as well.

breakfast in bed

For dinner, we tried their very own Hawaiian Bar-B-Que.

On our Plate:

• Original Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs
• Sizzling Bulalo Steak
• Mango Shake

The back ribs is roasted perfectly and falls off the bones easily. Napaka smokey ng lasa. The barbecue sauce's tangy taste is not outright strong. The portion is huge and enough to make a couple lay down in food coma. The price is reasonable compared to some of the popular ribs in the metro.

baby back ribs

The bulalo steak is a huge slab of roasted bulalo portion drenched in gravy sauce. It feels redundant with the back ribs but we can't get enough meat and the pregnant missus needs the extra iron boost anyway. The meat is equally tender and this actually tasted more beefy than the back ribs. The gravy compliments it very well.

bulalo steak

busog lusog!

Rating (The Original Hawaiian Bar-B-Que): 6/7

Inclusions

Room rates include a 10-minute facial cold stone or foot massage for two. Guests may have it extended at their own expense. I picked the facial massage while K opted for the foot massage. It was heavenly and the masseuses were very accommodating.

Also included on the package is a choice of home made shampoo, conditioner, and room aroma from their extensive line of scents.

options

There are board games available to be borrowed from the counter for free but we are prepared to be locked on a room for one day and so brought our own. LOL. I also already mentioned about the DVD's. They can also be borrowed free of charge. The audio speakers on each room is mobile phone ready.

There's also a "pillow menu" that I doubt anyone would  need since as I mentioned their bed has more than enough pillows to require more.

midnight snacks

Others
We had a good time. We watched one of our favorite chick flicks of all time, "Love Actually", and played a newly acquired board game, "The Tortoise and the Hare". In between, we just relaxed, ate, and slept (in no particular order LOL).

All of this within the majestic view of the Taal Lake. Sarap ulitin!

we'll be back

* * * * *

Acknowledgement:

• Tata Lino at Daddy Ben, sa pag-sundo sa amin pauwi from Tagaytay.
• Jam and the rest of The Boutique B&B staff, for the awesome service all throughout our stay. Astig kayo!
• Starbucks - Robinsons Tagaytay, sa pag tolerate ng aming mahabang tambay.
• Our Man Upstairs, for blessing us with a wonderful time together that we will cherish forever.  

Open Sesame:

I'm a gaming geek and it follows that Misis K is starting to appreciate some of the games I play, especially board games!

Segue.

Board games, especially the non-mainstream ones, are quickly becoming introduced to the "common citizenry" of the metro (that means the non-geek majority) by a number of food slash gaming havens that opened during the last few years. Some of these, which we have the pleasure to be friends with some of the men behind them, are Ludo: Boardgame Bar & Cafe in Tomas Morato, The Appraisery in Cubao X, and the Gaming Library-powered Makati B&B in Pasay Road.

Segue.

along Aguirre Ave (BF Homes)

The last thing we expect is for another gaming tambayan to pop up just a few cartwheels away from our place in BF Homes. Enter, Puzzles: Board Game Lounge along Aguirre Street and they just opened last October! As of this writing, we've already visited the place a couple of times and still planning to frequent it some more in the future.

preparing for a game of train routes

Chomp:

• Vanilla Milkshake
• Fries with Dip
• Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini
• Oreo Milkshake
• Beer (for Gelo)

The vanilla milkshake is vanilla ice cream incarnate. It's so creamy that it's more ice cream than a milkshake already. We're not complaining though, because it's just yummy! The Oreo variant tasted similarly. It only has cookie bits.

vanilla milkshake

There's nothing special about the french fries. It serves three they said, but we're pretty sure one person can make short work of it in no time. It comes with a special sauce that looks like flavored mix of ketchup and mayo.

french fries

The chicken on the panini looks pre-made and just reheated. Doesn't help na medyo bitin for the price yung size. Pasta is cooked al dente and the pesto complements it well. Sana lang mas madami ang serving.

chicken panini

Pay Day:

Pay P100 and you can play any board games from their collection. Their selection is quite intensive and even growing through the months since they opened. That price is a steal for gamers like us. For a hundred bucks, we can try our prospective games and buy copies of our own if we enjoyed.

Mahal ang food and drinks but still consider buying some if just to support the place for having a cheap and accessible gaming experience.

counter area

Say What:

The place can get really jam packed on Friday nights and weekends so doing a reservation ahead of time is wise. Not that the tables are few (the place is actually spacious and there are enough tables for about 7-8 groups) but surprisingly there's a good showing of gaming crowds in BF.

The place looks awesome with rows and rows of board games surrounding the main area. The vibrant interiors feels enjoyable and appears to invite patrons to have fun. One corner in particular looks very homey with multicolored bean bags and a low table. It looks like they need to get a bigger space soon though.

gamers united

As I mentioned earlier, there's a good mix of games both for the uber geeky play group and for those who are just getting into the gaming scene. Kahit mga casual family games like Jenga at Scrabble meron sila. A staff is more than willing to walk us through any of the games. Pero for both our visits, there's no need since me and a friend with us are familiar with most games na nilaro namin ni Misis K.

Natawa ako sa isang comment na nabasa ko about them. Maingay daw yung lugar. You can't expect any less noise on a gaming place unless chess or solitaire lang ang available na laruin doon. LOL.

hope he's still sober

Etcetera:

We can barely keep track of time while in there. Four to five hours just zipped by. Sobrang enjoy!

I recommend this for families and friends to have fun bonding moments and for geeky gaming groups who are looking to explore more games.

Gelo and Kat, playing Sushi Go!

Ratings: 
5.5 out of 7


Games Played During our Visits:

• Hanabi
• Ticket to Ride (recommended for beginners)
• King of Tokyo
• Munchkin
• Pagoda
• For Sale
• Sushi Go (cute!)
• Tales & Games: The Hare and the Tortoise (we bought our own copy after playing this in Puzzles)

the Queen of Tokyo enjoyed, aprub!

[obi.Oct.25]