It has come to this point at last. To this season of motherhood... when we had to book a staycation but with two rooms. You see, I have a teen and tweens. The five of us wouldn't fit in a king bed, right? Thankfully, I found this superb deal and got to celebrate my birthday at The Peninsula, Manila. I have always wanted to try their pricey halo-halo. He he! I was looking online at hotels around the metro and by chance, I saw the website of The Peninsula, Manila Hotel. By necessity, I saw the … [Read more...]
Family Getaway: Summer on Balesin Island, Cymplified!
Holy Week in the Philippines sometimes mean traveling with the family. This year was a local trip to Balesin Island. We still had to ride an airplane though. We were at the hangar before sunrise. With this post, I am taking you on a short video-heavy tour of some of the places in Balesin we have set foot on. There were more themed villages to see, like Bali, Phuket, Costa Del Sol and Balesin Village. There were fruit and flower farms, fish and aviary to visit, too. En route to Balesin … [Read more...]
Family Getaway: EDSA Shangri-La Celebrated Mother’s Day, Cymplified!
I was excited to finally take a break because it's Mother's Day. A couple of days before that our helper went on her annual vacation. Who could blame me for desiring time away from the kitchen sink, the mop and the dust? There would have been more of that in the next few days to come. So for the moment, I dressed up and showed up at the front desk, where I was presented with KitKat Rubies (mmm....!).EDSA Shangri-La Hotel also celebrated Mother's Day with the moms. My family and I then went up … [Read more...]
Nail Spa Lounge in the South, Cymplified!
It's always such a treat for us moms to receive pampering on our hardworking hands and feet. I was the recipient of such a treat from Nail Spa Lounge by Ellabell. The branch I went to was the newly opened one located on the 2nd floor Alfresco area Robinsons Las Piñas. I went along with my husband Ricky to photograph the nail salon's facade. The outside kind of looks like a café, don't you think? The ambience of this nail salon was very welcoming. I think it's because of the … [Read more...]
Family Getaway: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Cymplified!
Our first summer family getaway was to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. I have to warn you that this is a long and photo-heavy post. One sunny Wednesday, we drove to Bataan to visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar for an overnight stay. We arrived right before lunchtime after being in the car for around three hours. It helped to have a printout of the map to the place. Checking in was a breeze as I have already paid for the room reservation using credit card. I also printed the confirmation … [Read more...]
Extraordinary Royal Caribbean Vacation, Cymplified!
Hi! How was your Holy Week? Ours found us having an extraordinary Royal Caribbean vacation on board the Legend of the Seas on a 4-night cruise of the Isles of Southeast Asia. Day 1 of the Royal Caribbean vacation Sleep, like ribbon Cut by the scissors of time Tossed to the backseat Of airport-bound car Process smooth like butter Spread and waiting Soon feet stomping To the big winged ride, Elle's first Three hours with meal Singapore, hello! Let us have lunch, Chinese food On, … [Read more...]
A Makati Shangri-La Stay (day 2), Cymplified!
I woke up at around 6 in the morning, still sleepy. But, I was looking forward to breakfast at Circles, Makati Shangri-La. Nomnomnom! We left after I washed the baby bottles and put them in the sterilizer. I was so full my tummy didn't even have room for the pastries and muffins. Darn! We went back to our rooms afterwards. After a little rest and getting the swimming paraphernalia ready: a beach ball and a float ring, we were set! Elle was excited, I could tell. She and daddy hanged … [Read more...]