When you’ve lived most of your life in Metro Manila it’s easy to take a lot of things easily for granted.
For those who love the nightlife for example, there’s always a new restaurant, café or bar opening somewhere in the city, so you’ll never run out of options and places where you can just hang out and chill out.
If you’re in Quezon City, there’s the Tomas Morato area; in Manila, you just have to drive to Remedios circle or even to the Mall of Asia. And let’s not get started on Makati, where you have Greenbelt and Bonifacio Global City just a few minutes away.
But for those outside the capital, your options can be quite limited, and there are some who’d even drive for two or three hours just to find a nice place to unwind.
This is one of the reasons why Acuatico, one of the most popular beach resorts in San Juan Batangas decided to put up the AZUL Bar and Café.
“There’s not a lot of places here in San Juan where people can just chill out and enjoy good food with friends, that’s why we thought of putting up AZUL Bar and Café, shared Acuatico Resort GM Simonette Gusi. “We have heard stories of our friends who would even drive all the way to Makati or BGC especially during Friday nights, so we thought why not have our own bar here that would be at par with those in Manila,” she added.
Unlike other nearby nightspots, Azul is the only high-end Bar and Café in San Juan offering a cozier ambiance, great food choices and even better music with its regular live band performances.
During the grand opening earlier this month, no less than Zion Aquino, Aiza Seguerra, Nyoy Volante and Jim Paredes serenaded the VIP guests to make it truly a memorable night. And with renowned OPM icon Trina Belamide serving as consultant, the quality of performances will undoubtedly be remarkable.
As for the food, chef Richard Dancel has created a unique TexMex inspired menu that perfectly complements their beverage choices.
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“Food historians tell us TexMex cuisine originated hundreds of years ago when Spanish/Mexican recipes combined with Anglo fare. TexMex- a combination of the words “Texan” and “Mexican” is a twentieth century phenomenon and now we’re bringing it in Laiya! for some “delicioso” cuisine, said Chef Richard.
For salads and appetizers they have the Corn Tortilla Salad, Nachos Tostadas, Calamari Fritos, Crispy Buffalo wings and Mojo Potato. The Crispy Buffalo wings standout for its succulent, sauce covered wins that is both crispy and juicy.
If you are in the mood for pasta Azul has its special Cajun Pepper Shrimp Pasta, Pasta A’La Vodka or good ol’ Baked Mac and cheese. Their pizza options on the other hand include Pepperoni, Mexican (deep dish pizza with beef, refried beans, salsa and cheese layered between two flour tortillas) and the Azul Signature pizza which is a combination of shrimp, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and pesto sauce.
To experience the best of their signature TEX Mex cuisine you have the option of ordering grilled pork sliders, Tex Mex chicken stack, fish tacos, spicy chili beef, Club sandwich, beef/chicken fajita combo, seafood/ chicken quesadilla or the Azul Beef burger-180 grams of beef patty, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes homemade pickles served with crispy fries.
Azul also features several main dishes for those looking to fill up their hungry stomachs. Standards include Fish and Chips, Sizzling Beef and Shrimps, Smoked Pork Belly, Azul Atlantic Salmon and of course the Crispy Pata.
Since Batangas is known for its delicious beef, you might also want to try Azul’s Porterhouse Steak, Tenderloin, TBone, Sirloin or Beef Rib or Pork Rib Roast and Baby Back Ribs.
Finally for groups there’s the Cajun seafood platter, Meat Platter and Azul Trilogy.
“As you can see, we have a complete lineup prepared for our guests so whether they are looking for a heavy meal, or just appetizers and bar chow, I’m sure they’ll find something to order,” adds the head Chef.
Azul is open to both hotel and walk in guests of the resort.
ACUATICO BEACH RESORT & HOTEL
As I mentioned earlier, Azul Bar and Café is part of the Acuatico Beach Resort and Hotel, one of the nicest hotels in Batangas that I’ve seen. Unfortunately we weren’t able to check in as we were staying at its sister resort Acuaverde (check out our review here).
It’s a tourist’s haven for couples and families looking for a post summer retreat. And because of Laiya’s unique climate characterized by less rainfall, Acuatico provides an excellent beach getaway for those who want to spend a brief moment of relaxation anytime of the year.
The beach resort derived its name Acuatico from the Spanish word “water”, signifying its inherent business character and accentuates the resorts most prominent feature – a 700 sqm. infinity pool that looks to seamlessly blend in with the blue waters of the adjacent sea. Its probably the one thing that differentiates from all other resorts in the area as it gives you the choice of whether to take a dip in the sea or just lounge all day at the pool area.
The infinity pool is complemented by a jacuzzi, a kiddie pool and a floating bar at the pool’s center.
The Balinese-inspired resort features 21 villas with well-appointed rooms complete with five star amenities. The hotel also has its own meeting area for corporate functions, a playroom, souvenir shop and unique Day Tour areas for tourists and guests who want to relax in elegance and style.
Its all-day dining restaurant Oceano has a buffet that features a mix of local or international to suit the guests varied preferences.
“Acuatico aims to provide a high-class deluxe resort under a friendly atmosphere and ensure premium leisure experience and complete satisfaction to all its guests,” GM Gusi explained.
“We thrive on the slogan– “Happy Guests, means Happy Employees and Happy Stakeholders, that is why we make sure that we exert our efforts in providing excellent service, optimum quality, adaptable flexibility and cohesive teamwork,” she added.
ACUATICO has recently topped the lists of preferred holiday destination accommodations and awarded a Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Acuatico Beach Resort is a bona-fide member of the Association of Laiya Resorts Owners (ALRO) and accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
For more information email: [email protected]
