Villa Caceres Hotel Executive Room; Cramped Victorian Splendor

Villa Caceres Hotel Executive Room 
Cramped Victorian Splendor 

Villa Caceres Hotel is the longest existing hotel in the Bicol

from g a small hotel called Casa Catalina in the 70’s, it had

grown to 186 rooms, presently the biggest hotel in the region.

It had just completed a new budget wing,

…and presently expanding at the rear for its underground parking

and would house additional more or less 80 premier rooms and this

would add up to more than 200 rooms in the next few months.

 

We booked a room few weeks before Christmas when we attended

a debut and found the hotel garishly over- decorated with Christmas

lights defacing the otherwise beautiful Mediterranean façade.

They also messed up the elegant chandeliers by

covering them with cascading Christmas lights,

 

…and randomly put up a wide assortment of

beautiful yet dissimilar Christmas decorations

…resulting to an eclectically perplexing,

…and disorganized theme.

The Rose Garden, a former open courtyard,

…had undergone an awesome transformation,

… as a new lobby extension near the check in counter.

The hotel staff was courteous, 

 

…check in was uncomplicated and

we were in our room fast and easy.

Stay

Our suite is an Executive Suite which had

an elegant and beautiful Victorian interiors.

 

It had one double bed, too small for a family of

four to fit in but that was okay as we didn’t intend

to sleep here. We booked the room so we could have

a place to get dressed and rest during the occasion.

 

The room was beautiful but cramped with too many bulky

furniture like the handsome table that holds the LCD TV.

 

…and other table that serves as a mini- bar

that  holds the kettle and the coffee kit .

A single table both for coffee tray and the

TV to maximize the space would be okay.

There was also a massive working and reading desk,

 

…and spacious closet.

…that holds a small refrigerator,

…and the electronic lock.

It had a beautiful toilet,

…a nice bathtub,

…provided with basic amenities, 

.and sufficient toiletries.

The room had and balcony,

 

…with a backyard view of a private house next door.

A room had only land line phone at the bedside,

…and  rather slow complimentary Wi Fi connection.

Stray

Villa Caceres Hotel is located in the glittering 
Magsaysay Avenue, a walking distance to hotels,
 lifestyle centers and numerous restaurants lining the strip.

It has a rear access to the Naga City Hall, 
and the Naga Science Centrum,

 

Source: LINK

…and located few blocks away

from the Penafrancia Basiliica,

…and the Penafrancia Shrine.

CamSur Viaje, an in- house travel agency could arrange special

tours within the suburbs and to the neighboring provinces as well.

Play

The Villa Caceres Hotel’s Health and Resort Spa

had undergone a massive and awesome renovation.

 

From an ordinary looking pool and Jacuzzi,

^^^Jacuzzi, pre- renovation


^^^Swimming pool, pre- renovation

…it was transformed to a

magnificent  five star facility,

…with four pools that include a Jacuzzi,

…a children’s pool,

…an adult pool,

…and a lap pool.

There was also a spa,

..and a three level gym.

Villa Caceres Hotel is also home

to the popular Evolution Salon.

 

This newly renovated Health and Resort Spa could

be considered as  the best leisure facility among the top

hotels in Naga City and in the Bicol Region as well.

Feast

Despite the more than a hundred restaurants lining 
the Magsaysay Strip where the hotel is located, there 
are several excellent dining facilities housed in the hotel.

Breakfast Buffet

We did not sleep at the hotel, but I returned to the hotel 
together with  my son as he wanted to go swimming. 
We decided to take the complimentary  buffet breakfast.  
which was used to be served at the Rose Garden,

 

^^^Rose Garden pre- renovation

…but it was transformed into an extension

of the lobby after it was recently renovated,

…and was moved to the main lobby where

the Bistro Roberto was once located.

Villa Caceres serves a decent spread

of dishes on it’s breakfast buffet,

…but one should always try the local

delicacies like latik and binotong.

Bistro Roberto

Bistro Roberto is a popular bar in Naga City

which used to be located near the main lobby,

now occupied by the breakfast buffet area.

It was  moved at the far end of the new building

accessible by the main  road, which was a good

move, as the bistro’s live band was creating a lot

of noise at the lobby when they perform at night.

Rolando’s Café

Rolando’s Café is the hotel’s in house restaurant

and a very popular dining destination in Naga City.

It also recently had undergone renovation and it

serves wide array of local and international dishes.

This restaurant is best known for its Chinese cuisine.

Anne Poolside Bar and Restaurant

Anne Poolside Bar and Restaurant is a new

addition to the hotel’s growing in- house restaurants.

 

It had a glass walled air- conditioned dining area

overlooking the beautiful resort pool on one end,

 

…and an outdoor bar at the poolside on the other end.

Rafabelle’s

Rafabelle’s is a popular mall based Bicolano coffee shop

which recently opened a branch at the hotel’s new wing.

This is a two level coffee shop, the second branch in the city,

…and they are apparently opening another branch in

Centro Square, a new hotel in Penafrancia Avenue.

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Villa Caceres Hotel has improved a lot after

it had undergone expansion and renovation,
and is now the biggest hotel in the Bicol Region.

 

The hotel has three wings and caters three different groups of tourists;
The old and original wing targets travelers wanting to save money as it 
offers dormitory type rooms for those traveling by group, and affordable 
solo rooms for those wanting  basic accommodation but with more privacy.

 

The new wing offers grand Victorian Style rooms,

 

…while the recently opened expansion

offers affordable budget accommodations.

 

They are again expanding at the back of the hotel meant to

house a multi- level basement parking and premiere rooms.

 

It was recently rated a 3 star hotel by the Department of Tourism,

 

…but they could have done better.
  
Read the links below for more:

 The Villa Caceres Hotel: Mediterranean Opulence in Naga City 
Villa Caceres Hotel Family Room: Quiet and Windowless Storm Shelter

Flavours Gastronomica’s Pinoy Dishes :Deliciously Refined Filipino Cuisine

Flavours Gastronomica’s Pinoy Dishes 
Deliciously Refined Filipino Cuisine

Flavours Gastronomica, one of our favorite restaurants
is known for their European and Mediterranean specialties,

 

…so we were happy to see that they added

several new Filipino dishes in their menu.

It came as a set meal called

Flavours’ Family Meals,

 

…that comes with a pitcher of Iced Tea,

 

…and a bowl of Flavored Rice. 

 

The Sinigang na Salmon was delicious as

the broth was not hideously sour, the veggies

were fresh, crunchy and not overcooked.

The downside of this otherwise tasty sinigang was

using belly strips instead of larger chunks of salmon

belly. The slim tender pieces of salmon have a melt

in the mouth consistency making it almost taste- free

that the sinigang appeared like it was a fishless dish.

I am addicted to Pancit Bato and I was glad that it

was included on the set meal. It was a delight to find

out that this is probably one of the best tasting versions

 of this region’s extremely popular indigenous noodle.

 

Pork Binagoongan was included on the meal deal,

since we are never bagoong fans, any dish with this

repulsive and smelly shrimp paste is always on the

last of our list. But the Flavours Gastronomica version

of this popular but malodorous dish is a work of magic.

The chef had incredibly concocted what seemed

to be an invisible bagoong. You don’t see it, but

the delightfully sweetish- salty taste is there, with

no dreadful smell, and not awfully salty at all.

 

Despite of already having sinigang we still ordered

Potato and Crab Chowder as my daughter craves

for this creamy and exceptionally delicious soup.

 

We also ordered Beef and Mushroom Casserole

for my young son, who dislikes salty and greasy

food which unfortunately most Filipino dishes are.

 

The Meat Overload Poutine that we ordered as appetizer was

a tremendously delicious dish. The French Fries was generously

bathed with richly flavored meat sauce, overflowing with ground

beef, bacon, tomatoes and topped with thick and tasty cream sauce. 

 

Flavours Gastronomica, being one of our favorite restaurants, 

we have already tried everything that had to offer in their menu. 

 

Their specialty are mostly European- Mediterranean dishes and

I am happy they have a new offering of local dishes for a change.

Read on the links below for related posts: 

Flavours Gastronomica's Chef’s Ultimate Burger

Flavours Gastronomica:Glorious Salmon Festival
Flavours Gastronomica: Peaceful and Delicious Culinary Refuge  
 Flavours Gastronomica: Penafrancia’s Culinary Miracle     
 Flavors Gastronomica: Delicious Christmas Weekend (Christmas 2014 Series 4)