A Review of Seablings Seafood Restaurant, Cagayan de Oro

While I consider myself a well-traveled person, I must admit that there are still a lot of question marks in my traveling resume.

Here in the Philippines alone, there are still three or four provinces that I haven't visited and most of those I have actually reached, I only check out once.

It is therefore a welcome feeling for me to come back to Cagayan de Oro once more. Even though it was just a short stop en route to our main destination of Bukidnon, I really savored the chance to check out what we can given the minimal time we had.

And one major stop was at Seablings Seafood Restaurant.

I had high expectations from this particular restaurant mainly because a lot of previous travelers have given it high marks for its relatively cheaper cost, and sumptuous, fresh seafood cuisines. In fact, it is a highly recommended restaurant according to Zomato and the second best restaurant in Cagayan de Oro according to TripAdvisor.

Needless to say, I had to check it out. And I did. And boy was I glad that I did.

Located in Opol, Misamis Oriental (Cagayan de Oro), Seablings restaurant stands proudly along the beach, emphasizing its niche in seafood dishes.

The staff and crew were very accommodating and they entertained us even though I made reservations barely an hour before we arrived.

The entire restaurants have large, open door and windows, allowing the cool breeze, much to the delight of the customers. It was a really a good respite from the noontime heat.

We ordered several fish dishes, prawns, squid and scallops. We also ordered the native kilawin and pakbet with seafood. All dishes arrived within 20 minutes even though there were other customers at the time.

I must say the seafood dishes were really fresh and they were really good. I even found later on that they were really affordable t

I particularly enjoyed their pakbet sauteed with seafoods. It wasnt very salty and was very appetizing.

Their hilabos na hipon was also good, though I had to request for the dish to be reheated because it was not very hot when it reached our table.

Their red snapper was also excellent.

The ambiance was perfect for a relaxing, chill lunch among friends or families. I was so relaxed during our visit that I was able to eat a lot, hahaha.

Their banana split was ok but their leche flan needs improvement.

Overall, I really enjoyed my dining experience at Seablings. And I realized that the high praises given by fellow travelers were very much deserved. The awesome ambiance, great food, affordable prices plus the fact that it is about 20 minutes away from the airport are major factors why it is a very popular restaurant.

I would really recommend this restaurant to others.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give it an 8.5.

A Review of Alpa City Suites in Mandaue, Cebu

As mentioned, I recently had the pleasure of exploring Cebu once again. Being a major city, there is so much to explore in Cebu no matter how often you visit the province.

This time though, it was a business trip so almost everything was pre-arranged by my company and corporate sponsor.

I have my preferred hotels in the province so when I was told that I was staying in Alpa City Suites, I really didn't know what to expect since that was the first time I heard of it.

As in turned out, it was a very good business hotel that is worth every penny.

Located in Hernan Cortes St corner F. Cabahug in Mandaue City, Alpa City Suites is about 30 minutes away from the airport. If you take a yellow coupon taxi from the airport, it will cost you about P210.

It is five minutes away from Ayala Mall and Parkmall Cebu.

In all honesty, it is one of the most affordable hotels I've been to. It is therefore not a surprise that the hotel was almost always fully booked.

Despite a prior reservation, I wasn't able to make an early check in because all rooms regardless of class were occupied. I had to wait until 1pm before I was able to check in.

There are 84 rooms in Alpa City Suites and I took a superior suite priced at a friendly rate of $70 per night. The executive suites are priced at $76, while the Deluxe suites are at $80 while the royal suites are at $86.

The hotel has very few facilities just a small conference room, small buffet area Amo's cafe, where guests also have their breakfast. There is also a small business center in the lobby.

But for $70 per night, I was suprised to see a bigger than usual ordinary room. I assume that the others rooms are even bigger. The room has a huge flatscreen TV, a 7 foot fridge filled with beverages and alcoholic drinks, and a bigger than usual comfort room. All rooms are equipped with wi-fi and LAN.

The only bad comment I have, I guess, is that their buffet breakfast is not too filling. just some toasts, cereals, some omelets, rice and a few dishes. But for the hotel rates, I can't say i was surprised at all.

Overall, I was satisfied with the rooms and the hotel services. It's really a good value for money hotel.

Re-discovering Casa Verde in Cebu