Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue: Top 10 Reasons Why We Love Our Stay

Hop Inn Hotel originated from Thailand and now has two branches here in the Philippines: Makati Avenue and Ermita Manila.

Ever since we heard about Hop Inn Hotel, we've always been wanting to try it.  Honestly, it has exceeded our expectations that we've loved our stay.

Top 10 Reasons Why We Love Our Stay at Hop Inn Makati Ave
10. Adequate Parking Spaces

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue dedicates it front space for car park.  If you have a car and want to stay for a night to spare yourself from the city traffic, this is a great choice.

9. Easy to Find

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue is easy to find.  It is not surrounded by any tall buildings.  And, it is found in the corner of Makati Avenue and J.P. Rizal.

8. Free Fast and Reliable WiFi

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue has free fast and reliable WiFi which covers every part of the hotel.

7. Strategic Location

• Hop Inn Makati Avenue is found at the heart of Makati's Night Life.  Diners and pubs are accessible by walking.  There are many passerby all day and all night long so you can feel safe and secured going out and about.

6. Courteous Staff

• The staffs are very courteous and accommodating to requests.  Although no phones are located at the rooms, you can find them at the hall near the elevators.  And sure enough, someone will go up and knock to address your needs.

5. Adequate Elevators

• There are adequate elevators so we did not experience any waiting time. 

4. Bright, Clean and Spacious

• Whether it's the hallway, rooms and even the bathrooms, everything is bright, clean and spacious. 

3. Safe

• All the rooms have a glow in the dark fire escape plan by the door.  (Yes! The glow in the dark idea is so cool.)  Each floor is equipped with fire extinguishers and fire exit.  The walls of the rooms are sturdy and cemented.  Each room is also equipped with safes.  And, the entire area is a non-smoking area.  There is a smoke-detector in every room to assure that.

2. Comfortable Rooms

• The beds, pillows and comforters are very soft.  There's a luggage port under the bed.  The air-conditioning is cool and very silent.  There is a desk area with a view of the urban structures.  There is a clothes rack with hangers to hang and dry your clothes.  There are many electrical sockets for charging your gadgets.  Their cable TV has a lot of channel options.  The rooms are divided by cemented walls and not just wooden planks.  There bathroom is equipped with a shower with heater.  There is even a hairdryer.

1. Very Affordable

• Considering the location, comfort, service and lots of inclusions like 2 bottle waters, fresh towels and soap/shampoo (but no toothbrush and toothpaste), the price is very affordable!  This is considered a budget hotel.  And, yes we dare say a very good one!

So there you have it, our top 10 reasons why we love our stay at Hop Inn Makati Avenue.  We are definitely considering staying here again.
 

Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue
Hotel Address	7806 Makati Ave, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact	(632) 816-7866	Reservation Required	No (Encouraged)
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Jeep, Taxi
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Standard - Twin	• Good For 2 Persons • 2 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,400 php
Standard - Double Room	• Good For 2 Persons • 1 Queen-size bed • 1 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,400 php
Standard - Sea View	• Good For 2 Persons • 1 Queen-size bed • 1 Single Bed • 1 hair dryer • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi		1,800 php
General Amenities		Parking	Yes
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Hop Inn Hotel Makati Avenue Map
Location	★★★★
Room Comfort	★★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★
Price	★★★★

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Bataan: Top 10 Food Pasalubong or Food Products

Bataan is a province very near Metro Manila.  Unlike Metro Manila, it has a coastal area making it rich in Marine Food Products.  It also has a lot of other gourmet food products that's great as food pasalubong. 

So what are the top food pasalubong to buy when you're in Bataan?

Top 10 Food Pasalubong or Food Products from Bataan
Let us share our top 10 food pasalubong or food products from Bataan.

1. Montey's Buko Pie

From the town of Morong Bataan is Montey's Buko Pie.  A whole pie costs only 150 php.   We found this cheaper than the more commercialize Buko Pie's from the south - Tagaytay and Laguna.

What we love about Montey's Buko Pie is that:

• it is not too sweet therefore, bringing out the natural young coconut flavor
• the custard has a soft creamy and gelatinous texture 
• the crisp of the crust is addictive to munch on
• there is a generous amount of young coconut flesh

2. Busilak's Cashew Prunes

Busilak makes use of the all cashew by-products by making the cashew apple into Cashew Prunes.  The Cashew Prunes have a nice chewy texture and not overly sweetened.  This is a great alternative to candies.  If we recall correctly, it is priced at 100 php per pack.

They also have wines which we didn't get to try...

3. Dennis Ube De Leche Halaya

What makes Dennis Ube De Leche Halaya different from other Ube Halaya in the market is its silky smooth creaminess.  Because they don't use preservatives, this spoils very quickly.  Each spoonful is a massage to the tongue with an explosion of purple yam flavor making it difficult to stop yourself from consuming this.

Dennis sells other gourmet bottle food products.  The Bagoong or shrimp paste is quite good too.

4. Beakris Tamarind Balls

Not too sweet, not too sour with a mild chewiness that doesn't need extra effort to bite into, Beakris Tamarind Balls is another popular sweet treat in the area.  A box costs around 90 php.  Beakris from Orani Bataan also has other famous products such as their chocolate coated polvoron.

5. Cashew Nuts

We have tried several brands of Cashew Nuts and all of them have nearly the same quality and pricing.

Thus, choosing the brand is only based on your own preference.  Good brands we tried are:

• Bagakeño Cashew Nuts
• Virgie's Cashew Nuts
• Gracielo's Cashew Nuts

 A pack costs around 200 php.

Bagakeño also has Cashew Cookies which we found to be a bit sweet.  And, it has a bit of a spongy texture like that of Batangas' Broas.

 6. Ina Gloria Dayap Cookies

Although Ina Gloria also has Cashew Cookies, it is Ina Gloria's Dayap Cookies with a mellow citrusy flavor that impressed our taste buds.  The texture of the cookies is crunchy with a powdery residue similar to Bataan's Arrow Root Cookies or Araro.  A small pack costs around 35 php.

7. Amanda's Smoked Bangus and Smoked Gigi

We bought Smoked Bangus and Smoked Gigi or Tinapa from Amanda's as well as two vendors in Balanga's Public Market for comparison.  The price difference is not much but Amanda's of Balanga Bataan is high price point is worth every peso with its superior quality.  Although we want to support the small-scale marine industry, we can't help but be disappointed with the food quality.  The first one we bought from Balanga Public Market was too salty.  And, the other one was already spoilt within 3 days despite being refrigerated like the other two.

8. Balanga Public Market Ube Suman
No need to dip your suman into chocolate or spread it with Ube Jam, as this Ube Suman is already a combination of suman and ube halaya.  For only 10 php, you get two pieces.  Manang makes them fresh daily and boasts that she has send all her kids and grandchildren through her famous suman and other kakanin.

9. Sam Roque's Mussel Chips 
An alternative to the usual chicharon or fried pork rind is Sam's Roque's Mussel Chips. You can taste the rich sea flavors in every crispy bite.

10.  Araro Cookies or Arrow Root Cookies
Bataan's Araro Cookies or Arrow Root Cookies is more on the crunchy and less powdery side as compared to the Uraro of Pampanga.  Each brand has its own distinguishable feature.  We also can't decide which is the best.  It's a tie between:

• Joyce Araro Cookies
• Herrera's  Special Araro Cookies with Cashew Nuts
• Manuel's Uraro (since 1955) - Update May 2021: Just discovered this one! So good!

Other Food Products We Tried
We also bought the Tabang Tuyo at 200 php per kilo from the Balanga Market.  But, it turned out to be very salty which was quite contrary to their promise of unsaltiness.

An old man in the market also loves and swear by the Nilupak in the Balanga Market.  Somehow this mashed cassava delicacy with margarine on top failed to make a lasting impression upon us.

Did we miss anything good?  Let us know!

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