Ka-on at The Tides Hotel Boracay

The Tides Hotel Boracay's Ka-on, a Filipino-inspired restaurant on the hotel’s rooftop, is one of our stops for lunch during a brief stay at the island paradise of Boracay last year. Ka-on is a Hiligaynon word that means “eat”. "The concept of the restaurant is bringing together the modern with the rich Filipino culture and traditions of eating and eating well. "The food is prepared true to tradition, using locally sourced produce, cooked in the style of the olden ways, featuring dishes regional in origins, varied and always distinct and flavorful," as their website says.



The Tides Hotel Boracay is located at the D'Mall, Boat Station 2 in Boracay Island. Upon entering the hotel, you would be greeted by friendly lobby attendants and receptionists. The photo above and below show the view when you enter the Tides Hotel Boracay.



You would be pointed to climb a flight of stairs to the rooftop, where Ka-on is located. The photo you see is the view on the rooftop. The design is clean, and it exudes a very homey and relaxing feel, a perfect relaxation get-away in the island paradise of Boracay. You can also find the swimming pool of The Tides Hotel on the same floor.



As our food at Ka-on was ordered beforehand already, we were asked to choose whether we liked to eat the Beef Ribs Adobo, the Crispy Guava Chicken or the Bangus Steak ala Pobre. Since we were four in the group, we tried everything :)



Ka-on's Crispy Beef Ribs Adobo is a Filipino national dish of braised beef riblets in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and peppercorns on fried banana garnished with mango salsa. Though this was not what I ordered, I liked this dish the best among the three. It's flavorful and tender, just the way I like it.



On the other hand, Ka-on's Crispy Guava Chicken is made of deep fried chicken tossed in homemade soy-guava glaze on steamed rice and eggplant chips. Another interesting dish, as they infused a sweet taste of guava into the lemon-chicken inspired cooking. Though, the dish is neither zesty or tangy, but it balances a sweet and salty taste.



My order was Ka-on's Bangus Steak ala Pobre, a Boneless milk fish sauteed and served with garlic chips in olive oil, steamed rice and a side salad. The fish was good, but I like that it had mango salad with bagoong, shrimp paste. Yummy!



You can find The Tides Hotel Boracay through their website or their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Ka-on is the Filipino-inspired restaurant of The Tides Hotel Boracay.

Calamansi Muffin of Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay

Real Coffee & Tea Cafe Boracay is one of the places you SHOULD visit when you are visiting the beautiful island paradise of Boracay in Aklan. It's "where great minds meet," as their tag-line claims. But for me, Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay is where the world famous yummy calamansi muffins are found. Both foreign and local tourists visit them to try out their home-style American all-day breakfast menu and cooking and, of course, their freshly baked muffins, cookies, brownies, and coffee.

It's a cozy bahay kubo stlye cafe located in between Free Willy Dive Shop and Hawaiian BBQ in Boracay's Boat Station 1. Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay was there since 1996. It's owned and managed by an American, Lee Rosaia, who fell in love with the island paradise of Boracay Philippines, and now settled in where she calls her second home. Coming from Station 2, you would see these signs that would indicate you are really near Real Coffee & Tea Cafe.



I instantly fell in love with Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay's Famous Calamansi Muffins, which sell at Php 45 a piece. The texture, consistency and taste is just right for my taste buds.



A good partner of the calamansi muffins is their coffee, or the house special Real Coffee, which is basically the brewed coffee with extra shot/s of espresso.


It's best if you go there early because the place gets crowded during the day and in the afternoons. Well, since you're already there, you should also try out their Omelette. I am not sure what the name of this omelette dish is, but if you can describe it, it's definitely positively worth trying.



If you want to bring home their world famous calamansi muffin to your family and friends as pasalubong or gift, you should pre-order a day before to make sure that it is available. Freshly baked calamansi muffins are the bomb, I tell you! :)



I just can't get enough of Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay's Calamansi Muffin! Tell me if you're going to Boracay real soon, so that I can, maybe, probably, ask if you can bring me home a box or two of the calamansi muffins. :)


Bloggers Stephanie (Fran's Sister), Ryan, Frannywanny, myself, and Melo, enjoying Real Coffee and Tea Cafe Boracay.

Boracay Philippines - Alta Vista de Boracay

Lost Tsinelas spent Christmas in Boracay with his family, together with a few other famous people like him who wanted to get out of Metro Manila (and their own countries), and rest on the shores of one of the visited tourist spots in the Philippines. Mark Salling, also known as Puck in the hit series Glee, was one of the people who have visited and stayed there for quite some time. It was reported that he enjoyed his stay on the island. :)

Before 2010 ended, I followed, and went on a trip to Boracay Philippines, the island paradise, as a lot of people who have went and seen the beauty of the island would say. It was my first time to go to Boracay, and I was very much intrigued what the island has on both Filipino and foreign tourists, as it is one of the top destinations of the Philippines. The next few posts would feature food and sights one would see in Boracay Philippines, and would spell why it remains to be one of the best in the eyes of the tourists who visit the Philippines.



My Boracay Philippines adventure starts with where we were billeted during our short stay in the island. We were invited to cover an event, which I will write about later, and we were checked-in at Alta Vista de Boracay. We arrived a little past midnight, which was caused by several delays, (but that's just another story all together and I rather not talk about it) so I just had a decent meal delivered to my room, and slept, to get up early and explore the island paradise.



I woke up to this sight. These several photos below were taken by the hotel lobby. Alta Vista de Boracay has an infinity swimming pool one can swim in, relax and enjoy while he or she is in the hotel resort. Too bad though, Alta Vista's location is on the mountains, a few hundred meters or, actually, more than a kilometer away from the White Beach, where all the action and the people can be found.



These next photos are taken inside the room that I stayed in. Although you can sense the woody air and old-like smell of the place, maybe because of its location (near the forest) or poor maintenance, I don't know, the rooms are really spacious and can fit a group of 4 to 5 people.



The bathroom has a tub, a cold and hot water shower, toilet with vitae, sink, basic amenities, such as tissue, soap, shampoo and lotion, and a hairdryer. It's pretty decent and big, actually. The last photo shows the balcony of the room I had. Each room or unit has a separate balcony. Cool! :)



2010 has been a blessing for me. I have tried a variety of food, been to a lot of restaurants, traveled to places, gained friends and a lot of experiences, and I simply lived life. :) I feel that I am really blessed and lucky, and I would not trade what I have now for anything in this world. Now that it's 2011, it is another year to look forward to; I wish only for the best for everyone. :)

P.S. I would like to thank FOX International and Selecta for the Boracay Philippines trip :)