While most reviews for Manila Zoo would probably be more towards the negative side - talking about…read morethe sad state of the animals and the increasing need for rehabilitation of the zoo, there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Kinder Zoo. This is the paid area inside Manila's Zoological and Botanical Garden that offers a little more animal interaction than what you would get if you just go through the general admission area. They have cuckatoos and Hyacinth macaw, a butterfly holding area, horseback riding for kids and so much more. You can also feed a 50-year-old Sulcata Tortoise, watch the playful Gibbon or pet the potbellied pig. For kids who are more into wildlife, they can have animal encounters with a Cayman Crocodile or a Burmese Python. Kinder Zoo isn't just about animals. Kids can have fun by taking a dip in their clean pool. Do plan to bring your bathing suit and a towel if you intend to go inside Kinder Zoo, the pool is really clean and is refreshing for kids who have been walking inside Manila Zoo all day. They also have other fun activities such as zip lines, wall climbing or crossing a hanging bridge. Tip: The entrance to Manila Zoo is different from Kinder Zoo. Prepare about P100 (non-Manilan rate; if you live in Manila the rate is half off with an ID) for the entrance fee into Manila Zoo for adults and children above 4 feet and another P250 per child for Kinder Zoo and 100 per adult.

This is one of the places that can make you feel like a kid again - I definitely had that…read moreexperience! From the name of the place itself, yes, you can guess it is a zoo, but not of real animals. It's a zoo of 3D animal paintings - you can call it trick art or optical illusion, because the elephant and the whale shark look like they're leaping out from their respective picture frames, and the shark and the crocodile seem ready to gobble you up. Actually, the fun element here is also in the taking of pictures. On photos is where the 3D and optical illusion element is best seen. Sit or lie down at the open mouth of the shark and it will look like you're about to be eaten; hold a pail of water beside the elephant and you will look like you are giving it a bath. My friends and I really had fun here. There are also tarsiers (and yes, the Chocolate Hills!) and a pawikan, among others. And you know what's the best thing about this place? It's free! Yes, no need to pay anything to have the same fun experience my friends and I had.

Located right at the entrance of the Assumption school campus, the PACEM Eco Park is part-garden,…read morepart-museum, and part-mini zoo. It was established by the school to raise concern for the environment for its school community and for visitors who can visit the eco park for just a minimal entrance fee. It's amazing how this little pocket of green in Antipolo houses some amazing animals endemic to the Philippines like the Monkey-Eating Eagle or the Philippine Eagle, the "Pilandok" or Philippine Mouse-deer, the Flying Lemur, the Palawan Bearcat, and the Calamian Deer among others. There's also a cheeky myna bird somewhere in there that keeps asking, "Kumain ka na?" Lol. It's a well-maintained park so you can easily walk through the mini-forest inside, peek into the pond and this wishing well at the front, and stop by the butterfly garden and mini museum as well. It's pretty cool to have something like this in this area. Makes for a great environmental education trip with family, especially for those with little kids!

So World of Butterflies can be great, but it can also be very boring, depending on when you go. At…read morecertain points of the year, World of Butterflies is an amazing place filled with butterflies and flowers of all species and kinds. The entire area becomes this spectrum of colors just flying around and whizzing past your face. Unfortunately, that's normally not how it is when I go there. Literally the last 3 times I've gone to World of Butterflies, it just so happened that I got there during off season. That means that there are barely any butterflies flying around, and the flowers haven't bloomed yet. At this point, it basically ends up looking like a glorified science exhibit. All of the butterflies are either in the mating area or are inside cocoons that haven't opened up yet. World of Butterflies is during a specific time and place. If you ever do plan on going there, hopefully you get there when there are actually butterflies around. Otherwise, it ends up being a boring park.

Here's an idea: take a kid and a socially-sensitive adult to a zoo, and see just how different…read moretheir reactions are. A kid will ooh and aah at the animals, and maybe tap on the glass in the reptile room, a la Dudley in Harry Potter. The adult will most likely start off indulging and humoring the kid, but you might see him cringe at a particularly deplorable-looking cage and the sad animal inside it. The Manila Zoo needs to step up its game. I don't know if it is lacking in funds, as there is a continuous stream of people going in and out, especially during the weekends. But the state of the animals is just sad. Mali the elephant has to stand in the heat all damn day. The lions have their bones sticking out from malnutrition, and the tigers are losing their fur. Let's do something about this, please?

So yeah, what's a Manila tour without a quick visit to Manila Zoo?…read more So just to let you know in a straightforward manner, you guys can do better than visit this place. Because seriously, who will pay 100 pesos to see an elephant who looks more sick than my stomach when it smells prawns. But hey, the good news is the city government of Manila is actually planning to rehabilitate the zoo in a billion-dollar project and a firm who will join forces for a venture agreement to improve the zoo. So at least next time we get to see a healthier version of Mr. Elephant?

Surprisingly fun time with family. At first, it doesn't seemed to be much to do or to see. They…read moreoffer service for a tour guide, but no paper map of the zoo available. You will have to find your way around. Rated 4 stars due to entertaining factor: We happened to walk by the pond with massive freshwater fishes and a crew mentioned of feeding food availability for fee. Another we walked by the small trail only because my daughter saw 2 small eagles standing on perch on their own in open area. We came upon the area with crews readily to provide hands on activities with selfies opportunities with adult eagle and handful colorful parrots. Encounter of Feeding the giraffes. Another selfies opportunities. Very close encounter with mammals in their cages. Not many other zoos offer it. Missed opportunities are abound sadly: For sure we missed other animal viewings without proper map. We noticed "feeding food availability" sign, but none are near to buy or where to go (except for giraffe encounter). We walked in couple areas where we aren't sure if there are animals or empty spots. Proper advertisement location could use updated. Definitely having a map locating feeding areas & engaging with animals display. Staffs are friendly, no doubt. The place is clean and properly maintained.

I've been here maybe 4 times, three of which were with family, and once for a class field trip…read more It's a very hot place, so be sure to bring a fan with you, along with a cap and some water. We covered a lot of ground area, and if you're travelling in a group, you're going to experience a lot of stops between the different areas. I particularly enjoyed the giraffe and arapaima sections, where we got to feed the animals. The posted signages are usually informative enough, detailing the genus, species, conservation status (e.g. threatened, endangered, critically endangered) and distribution of the animals with fun facts about their behavior, physiology or numbers, so there's not much need for a guide. That being said, it was pretty cool how my professor asked an employee checking on the animals about hteir conditions, and he provided much more info than the signage, even asking us on our opinions on zoos and the condition of Philippine biodiversity. It was a thoughtful exchange that was probably the highlight of that particular visit.

WARNING: this place will charge you for everything!!!…read more Over priced and not worth the price you pay. No outside food or drinks are allowed and if they see outside food, they will fine you. The first day we arrived it finished raining and they shave no dining areas that are closed in, so all dinner locations were filled with mosquitos that kept biting us all. The rooms are pretty small so my ma and pa asked if there were extra rooms. They tried to pretend that all they had left were executive rooms that were expensive. One my mama and papa said it was to expensive for us they magically found a "cheaper room available." The WiFi only allows for 2 guests to connect per room, however the WiFi was not even good at all. Even the employees at the bar told us that the WiFi would work and not work all the time. When my I laws room was "cleaned" the made the bed, emptied the trash, but did not bother to change the used towels. The towels should be the first thing to be changed, especially if they are left on the floor. The TVs in each of our rooms were difficult to operate as the instructors were wrong. It tells you to change the TV to Video 1 or 2 which we're not even options on the TV we had. If you want an extra pillow or blanket or anything they will charge you to "rent" it. The guys at the bar lacked maxing skills and all seemed to be new as they had to look at a recipe cheat sheet when they only serve a hand full of cocktails. When checking out they said everything and everyone has to be out of the room. One of our friends that had another room was charged $4,700 because there was writing marks on the bed sheet. They said that if after they wash it, and it "goes away" they will refund the price. They contacted my friends and said that the marks "went away" but that "it's not as white as it use to be" so they refused to refund the money. I would not recommend this place to anyone because they will charge you for everything and there are mosquitoes everywhere!! Beware they will take you money and instead of enjoying the resort, you will be more worried about what restaurants to drive to outside the resort, making sure you have enough mosquito repellent, as well as making sure you are no over charged on your bill.

Last weekend, we took a short, overnight trip to Island Cove in Kawit, Cavite…read more We took the Cavitex, and there were 2 toll booths. One charged P24.00, the other charged P64.00, for a total of P88.00 one way. We just used Waze to navigate, but it was just all driving straight ahead until Kawit, a little past Island Cove, actually, and then making a U-turn after the toll booth to head back to Island Cove. Took us less than 30 minutes from SM MOA. There's a big sign that says there's no bringing of outside food & drinks. ISLAND COVE HOTEL Parking space was plentiful. We checked in at the hotel, it was the usual process where we were asked to provide a deposit. The staff was helpful. The lobby was cold and air-conditioned, and the original hotel building, where our room was, was obviously old but maintained. They have some newly built villas beside the main hotel. Our deluxe room had cold air-conditioning. The amenities are modern - there's an Asian-sized bath tub, hot and cold water, rainfall shower, telephone shower head, soap, shampoo with conditioner, lotion, vanity kit, shaving kit, hair dryer, etc... room entry also used key cards. They also provided some insect repellent lotion. You'll need this. It is an island, after all. There will be insects. Slippers are also available. It's nice to see Island Cove's support of the local community. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough water to drink, so I was so happy to see that they provided complimentary filtered drinking water, and you can request more drinking water if you want to. I'm one of those people whose first order of business after settling in for a foreign trip, is to buy a gallon of drinking water, so this is great! They also provided several USB sockets located near the headboard! It's much appreciated for charging our gadgets. Some usually ignored areas like the back of the headboard was a bit dusty though. Wifi was available, but was spotty. It's good enough for casual surfing and staying online, but if you need internet for work, better bring your own pocket wifi that you can position near the balony. I had good Smart signal outside, but weak cellphone signal inside the room. ... AND LEISURE PARK There's an electric shuttle you can ride to take you to the different buildings and areas on the island, but we decided to just walk. It is really not too far, just 2-10 minutes' walk to anywhere on the island. This was better than a staycation where we just stay inside the room. We were actually walking around, breathing fresh air, in wide open space, getting good vibes from the abundant plant life. It is so different from crowded Metro Manila. Time moved so slowly. SANGLEY POINT After swimming, we had dinner at Sangley Point, Island Cove's main restaurant. Sangley Point and the pool are connected, but have different entrances. However, you can order food from Sangley Point and eat it at the poolside tables. We ordered the Sangley Point Burger (P330), 6 sticks of their Pork Barbecue (P495), and Chicken Piccata pasta (P330). These were good, especially the BBQ. BREAKFAST BUFFET The breakfast buffet was at Sangley Point, from 6 AM - 10 AM, Saturdays and Sundays. I was happy with the breakfast buffet -- it's not the most extensive, but it was just such a relaxing morning, the ambience made one feel like they had their own hacienda, it just didn't matter. They had typical Filipino breakfast fare like rice, tuyo, tinapa, adobo, corned beef, goto, champorado, etc... There are eggs cooked different ways. They had breads, pancakes, cereal, salads, fruits, coffee, juices. SUMMARY Our stay at Island Cove was a happy, relaxing one. It brought us out of the Metro Manila time dimension and we experienced a slower pace of life - can't believe it had just been a day! It felt like we had a long time to unwind and relax, more than the actual 20 hours we actually had.

This place is amazing when it's not crowded!…read more My son gets a great excercise everytime we go here. Plenty of space to run around and friendly staff. This place has four floors of fun! Ball pits, trampoline room, slides, awesome time to spend with your kids! Please don't bring your Yaya to watch your kids here. It's sad I see the yayas on the phone the whole time and the kids fighting or getting hurt and the yayas are just standing in a corner. Parents please bond with your kids. This is an awesome place to do it! Be active and slide then enjoy some Krispy Kreme doughnuts when the fun is over.

This place is a great concept- kids can play while parents can relax and eat or drink something-…read more except when child is 4 or younger a parent needs to be inside with child. 3 stars because most, not one or two, machines (for shooting and playing with foam balls) were broken on our trip. I can understand something being out of service but this indicates a lack of follow-up or cheapness. One hour seemed like enough- not really large enough to warrant an all day pass. To be fair, my son had a lot of fun- I think older kids would be disappointed by the broken equipment.

We were probably the oldest people in line when my friend's and I decided to try out Lazer Maxx as…read morea way to pass the time one weekend. Grown up kids all excited to get suited up, it was the dorkiest I've felt in a long time. They said we only had 30 minutes inside and I felt a bit bad for paying so much money for just half and hour but when you're running in the dark with a laser gun strapped to your chest, it does get pretty tiring. So the end goal is to get as many hits to your opponent's target without getting hit yourself. Each vest is equipped with a sensor that you should aim at, when you're hit, your gun temporarily shuts down and you'd have to wait until it's turned on again. I was a girly girl growing up so you can imagine the struggle I had aiming at boys running at lighting speed. But it's all good fun and even if I finished last on several occasions, yes we've been here more than once, it's a great place to blow off steam and burn off a few calories.

There are only a few things that can top the joy of shooting a friend for recreation. And there is…read moreno risk of you having to go to jail. This place gives you the opportunity to release stress, have fun and exercise at the same time. I got to experience Lazer Maxx with some officemates for a team building activity and it's been a very memorable experience. You will be divided into two teams and you each have a gun or what they call phasors. You will also wear a vest with sensors on it that your opponents will try to hit with their lazer and different points are given based on the location of the target that you hit. Sorry but no headshots here. They assign you a cool code name like Achilles or Perseus so you can keep track of your own score. Once everyone is ready then they release you in their arena. And then all hell breaks loose. I mean, you are in this dark arena with guys shooting lazers at you and you're trying to shoot back and you're trying to take cover while a comrade is asking for cover. The game is so frantic that the fifteen minute game play seemed like an hour for me. I exited the arena sweating and panting like I just ran a marathon. So yes, bring an extra shirt if you can. There are some things that I find interesting in this experience. For one, this is a game of wits. There are holes in hiding places that you can exploit to gain advantage over your opponent. It's fun to just go crazy and shoot at everything that moves but you'll just end up getting shot more by the other team. Strategies are needed. Plan the position of your team and make sure that someone covers your back at all times. On a side note, the game brings out hidden personalities and you get to see peolple for who they really are.The cute, prim and proper girl in the office is suddenly shooting wildly like a homicidal maniac who just drank a gallon of Red Bull. You also get a glimpse of who has a hidden angst against the boss, the one who has his target on your manager at the onset of the game. Or the one who keeps on "accidentally" hitting you even though you're on the same team. This is one of the most fun experience I've had. Your calves will be aching afterwards along with other muscles you didn't even know existed but it will definitely be worth it.