Planning for Chea's party: Looking for that special place, part 2

It's 22nd of December, 2015, which is less than 3 weeks from Chea's birthday. And still, I have not yet finalized the venue yet.

The emails between me and Alchemy is taking a bit too long. I've already asked for a sample contract to make sure that all the terms are favorable. But it seems that Tina is most of the time away on other business, while her other people aren't too keen on replying via email.

I probably could call, but I want everything documented via email, so I could always refer back to them in the future.

I finally got the sample contract yesterday, but I still had a lot of questions. When we finalized on the amount, we actually agreed on a package for 80,000 pesos for 100 pax. We will be using the ground floor, as my sister told me that the 2nd floor could probably just hold around 50 people max when she did an ocular. The ground floor was supposed to be larger, but minimum amount for reserving the entire place was 80,000. But when I got the contract, they included other charges that ballooned the amount to almost 100,000 pesos. That plus the band I'm getting (they're good. they're worth every peso) is around 20,000 pesos. So that'll push me beyond my budget.

It didn't help that their replies took days or weeks. And we're too close to the party date.

Since I'm not that too busy at work, I decided to try and look for other venues. I also asked my sister although she's a bit busy with her other events.

So I browsed the internet for bars and restos near Poblacion Makati:

• Centerstage - I emailed them again. However, I never got a reply.
• Moonshine - Read the review in Spot.ph and WhenInManila.com and it sounded intriguing. I decided to keep it in the list first.
• The Back Room -  The review with WhenInManila.com looks very promising. Unfortunately, it's a bit small. I don't think I can fit a 100 people there along with a small band setup.
• Z Hostel - Although it's primarily a hostel, their rooftop have been playing host for a number of events. It's actually popular nowadays from what I've read over the internet. I decided to give them a call. I managed to speak to one of their staff, and was informed that their rooftop is almost split into two, each can hold about 50 guests. But only half can be reserved for private parties. The other half is a first come first served venue for patrons who want to drink and enjoy the festivities. I was given the number of the owner I think, Cao Ocampo. So I decided to text him. Unfortunately, he told me that starting 2016, they won't be taking in reservations anymore for Friday to Sunday nights. Looks like their night parties are a hit with the guests and local partygoers.
• BBZ Bar. I got the recommendation from my sister who got it from Chea's cousin, Em Lopez. I got the number for Tet Manares and decided to call her. We spoke for about 30 minutes, and she was pretty accomodating. She said she could work with a budget of mine which I pegged at 90,000 including all charges. I told her that I'll try to drop by tonight to see the venue. We'll be looking at the venue along with my mom, Em Lopez and her sister Karen.

With that, I just waited for the time i could log out from work and head off to Makati for the ocular.