Our stay at Pico Sands Hotel

Our last hurrah for the summer was a trip to Pico de Loro to celebrate hubby's birthday. We've been here several times in the past, but this was our first time to stay in Pico Sands Hotel.

Our stay at Hong Kong Disney Explorers Lodge

For our son Sabre's 7th birthday, we decided to just go to Hong Kong for a family vacation. Personally, I think I've become more practical through the years since his Ate Miley also didn't have a big party when she turned 7. We just celebrated in McDonald's because she wanted to have her own room as her main gift. I guess going on a trip was also a good idea since Sabre's birthday is during the summer. So it was the perfect time to travel since they wouldn't have to miss school or anything.

Anyway, I definitely wanted to book in a Disney hotel even for one night since the kids had so much fun the last time when we stayed in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. This time, I wanted to try the Explorers Lodge since it's the newest hotel which only opened last year (April 30, 2017).

Featuring an “adventure” theme, the resort’s third hotel sits on a breathtaking waterfront location and has 750 rooms, three restaurants, four gardens, and an outdoor swimming pool. The exploration theme expands to the four unique tropical climates of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa.

Christmas staycation at The Bellevue Manila

Ever since I got married, Christmas Eve has been spent at my in-laws where my MIL always cooks up a storm. We always have mass on December 24 which starts at 8pm, and then we have dinner after. Then, we wait until midnight to open presents!

However, both my in-laws and my mom happened to be in the States for Christmas, so hubby and I were going to be orphans lol! We just decided to book a staycation, which is one of our favorite things to do with the kids, so we could celebrate a little differently.

I think we've tried almost all the hotels in the south already, except The Bellevue Manila and Vivere. And when I looked for holiday promos, I ended up booking with Bellevue since they had a great deal.

Staycation at Azumi Boutique Hotel

Ahhh... so many days without school! Coming from a 2 week sem break, then a class suspension because of a storm (na walang ulan naman on that day!), then another week because of the ASEAN Summit. I've talked to so many parents already and everyone feels the same - we're all going crazy with the kids at home lol! And sayang ang tuition haha! ;p

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only mom who's getting stressed thinking of activities for the kids to do. And I wasn't planning on going out of town this week because we already went to Cebu for the sem break. So the next best thing? A staycation!

I booked super last minute so almost all the hotels here in the south were fully booked already. Good thing I found an available room in Azumi Hotel here in Alabang (via Agoda).

Long weekend staycations

I haven't been blogging lately since I've just been enjoying time with the fam, especially with all these long weekends. We love going on staycations and I made sure to take advantage of all these rainy day promos the different hotels have been offering.

Staycation at Somerset Alabang

Our family loves going on staycations, and our last one here at Somerset Alabang definitely tops our list.

Discovery Primea Hotel

My family loves staycations because it's more convenient than going on an out-of-town trip... but you still feel like you're on vacation! So when I was invited to a Mothers Who Brunch event in Discovery Primea, I was really excited since I would be able to tour the hotel and check out their rooms and facilities.

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Renting a Pico De Loro condo via Airbnb

Finally, my family and I were able to go to Pico de Loro for the first time about a month ago. It was my mother-in-law who organized the trip since my brother-in-law and his family were visiting from the States.

Before, only Pico De Loro beach unit owners or Pico De Loro country club members were allowed to enjoy the facilities. But now, Pico De Loro is open to the public via the Pico Sands Hotel or by renting a condo. At first, we were thinking whether to stay at the hotel but since we were a lot, my mother-in-law just decided to rent 2 condo units through Airbnb.

Our staycation at Acacia Hotel Alabang

We usually stay in Crimson Hotel when we're in the Alabang area, but this time we finally decided to have a staycation at Acacia Hotel.

Birthday staycation at Crimson Hotel

My son Sabre turned 5 a few weeks ago, and all he wanted for his birthday was a staycation at Crimson Hotel. I actually wanted to try another hotel since we've already stayed in Crimson twice in the past (you can read about it HERE and HERE). But my in-laws went ahead and booked a stay for all of us as their gift to Sabre! Yey! :)

Sofitel Staycation

My mother-in-law had her high school homecoming last February 20 at Sofitel, so she decided to book a stay there for the family so the kids can enjoy as well.

Staycation at Solaire

I was invited to a blogger lunch at Kiwa Korean Grill last January 14, which can be found in Solaire Resort & Casino. Since the kids had no classes on that day because of a school activity, hubby and I decided to just make a family day out of it and book a stay at the hotel.

Our Vacation Villa at Subic Homes

After our overnight stay at Holiday Inn Clark, we then moved to Subic for hubby's triathlon race. We got a villa at Subic Homes since that's really where hubby's team stays when they have races in the area.

Our stay at Holiday Inn Clark

Our family took a quick overnight stay at Holiday Inn in Clark last June since hubby was participating in a triathlon race in Subic. The last time I stayed here was when I was in high school pa ata, so it's been a very long time ago!

Located in Pampanga, Holiday Inn Clark is situated in the Mimosa Leisure Estate. Getting there, I noticed there are now more restaurants near the area and also SM mall. So very convenient to eat out or even buy fast food for the kids.

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Breakfast buffet at Café Ilang-Ilang

Part of our Manila Hotel staycation included a breakfast buffet for 2 at Café Ilang-Ilang. It was my first time to eat here so I was excited (and hungry too!). :p

Sabe was with us but thank goodness he's free pa :)

Staycation at Manila Hotel

I was looking to book an overnight staycation for hubby's birthday last month and chanced upon this Facebook offer for Manila Hotel. It was one of those sponsored ads and you just had to click the "Get Offer" button and this will be emailed to you:

Post-Christmas staycation at Crimson Hotel Alabang

We booked an overnight stay at Crimson Hotel Alabang right after Christmas to maximize the holiday season with the family. We've already stayed here before, and you can read more about it HERE.

Food Galore at the Fairmont Hotel Gold Lounge

During our staycation at Fairmont Hotel, we were upgraded to a Gold room, which meant we now had access to their exclusive lounge also on the same floor. The Gold Lounge served breakfast and snacks, plus unlimited tea, coffee, juices and soft drinks the whole day!

Our staycation at Fairmont Hotel Makati

For my birthday last August, we just decided to book an overnight stay at a hotel, which the kids really love.

Good thing I found out about a promo for BPI cardholders (BPI Gold MasterCard, BPI SkyMiles Platinum MasterCard, BPI Amore Visa, BPI Amore Platinum Visa and BPI Corporate MasterCard) where they are entitled to 50% OFF on best available rates on weekends at Fairmont Hotel in Makati (available from August 1 to October 31, 2014). Since it was also my birthday month during our stay, they also offered a free upgrade to the next room category.

Our staycation at Crimson Hotel Alabang

February was a big month for us since we celebrated 3 events - our 5th wedding anniversary, Miley's 4th birthday, and also Skyler 1st month! :)

To celebrate, we decided to just book a stay at a nearby hotel since I didn't really want to go out of town yet with Skyler being so young. After checking out the different options, we finally decided to try out Crimson Hotel in Filinvest City, Alabang.

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