Le Meridien Al Aqah Resort Fujairah

Le Meridien Al Aqah.  From Deira, Dubai (or from the airport) was a scenic 2 hour drive.  We left the house at 11:35 and followed the signs to Fujairah via Sharjah.  It was my first time to go to Fujairah so i was really amazed seeing the magnificent hajar mountains, for me it was like seeing yet another side of the world. 

 

It's barely a month after our wedding day so this trip still feels like a honeymoon :)
We reached the hotel before 2pm.  Check in time was 3pm and according t the receptionist we have to wait until the room is ready as there were other guests who came before us, but they did the check-in process and was served fresh orange juice and cold towel, then gave us access pass and were told that we can now start using the hotel facilities like the beach and the swimming pool. We were also offered to keep our things in the luggage room but we opted to just bring our things as we take around the resort.

THE STAFF: The reception staff didn't fail to give a welcoming smile, the valet attendant, astros bar crew and everyone were all nice.  Over all I give them all an above the passing mark.

queen bed

The room we were given was not the same as what we reserved. We reserved for a queen sized bed but was surprised to see a twin bed instead. So we had to ring the reception and the housekeeping staff came shortly and put the single beds together.

Room amenities: Tea-coffee-choco making facility/bedroom slippers, bathrobe, complimentary bottles of water a day and a welcome fruit and brownies, iron, hair dryer.

Le Meridien Al Aqah has 218 rooms & suites as well as functions and meeting hall. 

Souvenir shop in the lobby side area

Lounge, a view from the 12th Flr

12th Floor, Hallway



Superior Room with Balcony with view of Sea and Pool

Located on 230 stretch of unspoilt golden beach and nestled between the Hajar mountains and the Indian Ocean.

way to the beach

Beach front sunbeds

 At 7am, the sea was calm and beach area was still empty but lifeguard was already on duty.  Guests started to flock at about 10 am.  So if you want it to be all yours, better wake up a bit early.  But it never really gets too crowded as the pool is huge too and sunbeds are plentiful. There is also a snack bar called Gonu Bar and Grill if you feel hungry. Watersport and diving for the active ones will keep you busy.  Karaoke for those who love to sing

A beautifully landscaped garden

Huge Swimming Pool

The swimming pool was clean and well maintained.  The temperature was just perfect. We were the first to swim in the morning while other guests were still having their breakfast.

The Astros Sports Bar located on the 20th Floor offers the perfect view of the sea. 

eg price: Peachberry Mocktail 30dhs, Beer 32 dhs

complimentary welcome fruits and brownies :)

bedroom slippers

Opt for a package with breakfast buffet

The resort at night as seen from our balcony





Kabayan Beach Resort

Summer. I have planned a trip to Boracay Island in the Philippines supposedly for May. but the month of May entered with heavy rain showers and even a forecast of a storm. I dropped all the plans until I reached Manila on 12th of May. All throughout my first week of stay in Manila never rained so I had a last minute plan to go to the beach that is near Manila. I first planned to go to Subic but can't find a resort with a good beach water and a swimming pool. Next option was either Ternate, Cavite or Batangas. I found Aquatico Resort in Laiya upon browsing the net and immediately contacted them. The resort was fully booked. I contacted another 5 resorts in the area with the same response. I then settled for Kabayan Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan even if the only available room they have was in the extension of the resort, which is about 80 meters away from the beach and outside the resort proper. The area is gated, adjacent to the main entrance of the resort. There are 4 cottages lined inside plus a staff house at the rear end. The first cottage as you enter the gate is Malungay cottage which accommodates 2 pax, the 3 other cottages are for 4 to 6 persons. Since internet booking is not available, to confirm the reservations, I was asked to pay 50% of the booking fee and deposited it to metrobank. A scanned copy of the receipt has to be faxed or emailed back to the resort and they will send you an email confirmation. I find this process very inconvenient!

Getting there. We took SLEX from Taguig and left home at 1230 noon time. The traffic was heavy. It took us an hour and 15 minutes to exit SLEX. From there we followed the signs to Laiya. The drive was smooth and signage are a lot, so even if we didn't check the detailed driving directions we printed from the hotel website, we reached the resort without a miss. Thumbs up to Batangas Officials for that! The total driving time from Manila to the resort was 4 hours!

The Petchay Cottage. It's an air conditioned bungalow with two queen size bed, a dresser and a wardrobe. Safety deposit box is also available inside the room to keep your important belongings. There is an attached bathroom clean and large enough. Outside the bedroom is a veranda with long table, a cabled tv, hot and cold water dispenser with free 5 gallons of mineral water, a refrigerator, cooking stove and utensils if you plan to cook. They encourage cooking so, you may bring in food without the usual corkage fee.

The Resort. Apart from the beach, there is a small swimming pool, a small chapel, restaurant and sari-sari store which sells just about anything like souvenir shirts. If you want to use the pool, you have to pay 100 pesos each and has to be in proper swimming attire. If you have forgotten to bring your swimsuits, its also available in their store.

The Beach. We woke up at 5:30 am to enjoy the beach before it gets crowded as it was a weekend. The sand was white but don't expect boracay sand of course. The water was very shallow and pebbly in the first 6 meters but clean.