birthday trip 2014: macau day 2

it’s my birthday! we started off the day by having a sumptuous shrekfast 🙂

welcome to shrekfast

shrekfast is the breakfast buffet offered by the holiday inn.  what makes it different is that you have a chance to interact and mingle with some of the dreamworks characters.  also there are themed food. 🙂 they have a wide selection of asian and western food so whatever you might want for breakfast, there is a good chance you will find it.

the hall

gingy!

beef noodle soup

kung fu panda pork buns

while eating, dreamworks characters will appear per movie, do a little dance number, and then they will go down to the audience and you can take your photos with them.  exception to this is the how to train your dragon gang.  since toothless is too big to move around, they stayed at the stage and we lined up to meet them there.

shrek

puss in boots

astrid, toothless and hiccup

skipper

alex

gloria

king julian

po

tigress

after breakfast, we got ready for our trip for that day.  we boarded the shuttle bus going to sands macau, and from there we took a taxi to macau tower for my birthday skyjump. 😀

macau tower observatory

from the aj hackett website:

Designed and invented in New Zealand, Skyjump is a controlled decent experience and you jump from the same platform as Bungy at 233m/764ft.

SkyJump can be described as Base Jumping, while attached to a wire cable – just like a movie stuntman! Your descent takes around 17 seconds before you come to a very smooth landing (on your feet) at the ground floor plaza at the base of the tower.

Skyjump is different from Bungy jumping as you don’t free fall or rebound and you jump in a standing position and stay that way all the way to the ground.

It’s a one way vertical drop – Hang on!

so i signed up, paid the fee, geared up, and waited for my turn at the platform.

ready to jump!

as i have told many who asked, the only fear you have to conquer is that of getting off that platform.  once you have jumped, it is just an amazing, freeing feeling. probably somewhat like flying. it was one of the best 17 seconds of my life.

wooooohooooo!

i would gladly do that again.

after the jump, we had snacks at a cafe at the ground floor of the tower, then we went to wynn macau to watch the golden dragon and the tree of prosperity.

wynn macau lobby

gold cupola with the chinese zodiac

after this, we rode a shuttle back to the ferry terminal.  and there we got a shuttle which took us to the galaxy hotel.  there we watched the fortune diamond and the wishing crystals.  we also were able to catch the signature peacock performance.

again, we bought dinner from mcdonald’s (i think we bought at the mcdonald’s branch at every hotel) and went back to our hotel to eat and rest.

it was a super fun day and i enjoyed spending my birthday with my loved ones, and of course crossing something off my bucket list. 🙂

birthday trip 2014: macau day 1

after getting enough rest the night before, we are now ready to explore the place.

one of the most important things to remember if you are touring macau is that shuttle buses are available everywhere.  most of the big and known hotels have their shuttle buses which travels to and from a certain location (i.e. the airport).  just make sure to take note of the hotel nearest your destination so you can take that particular shuttle.  they leave at regular intervals, have wifi, and best of all, free. 🙂

also, there are a lot of filipino workers there, especially in the hotels.  so if you need directions or any kind of help, look for a familiar pinoy face, and you will not have to worry about conversing in english. 😉

first stop is the venetian macao which just across the street from our hotel.

hotel lobby

we proceeded to the shopping area of the complex.  there we had our brunch in it’s foodcourt.  the place was designed to mimic venice, with its canals and buildings.  even the lighting is simulated so that you will feel that you are in an outdoor shopping place.

st. mark’s

one of our itineraries here included a visit to the transformers expo celebrating the franchise’s 30th year.  hubby is a big transformers fan, so we had to go. 🙂  it had exhibits about the history, evolution of the design of characters and the storyline.  there were also interactive spots wherein one can play and try out some technology.

optimus prime

after the expo, we went back to the shopping center.  of course, we had to ride a gondola!  our gondolier was italian, but he sang songs in english, italian, and filipino!  it was a very entertaining experience.

gondola ride

after this, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit, and so that the little boy can have his afternoon nap.

we went back out at around 5pm, to visit another hotel complex. the city of dreams.

dragon at the lobby

i wanted to watch the house of dancing water, but it wasn’t recommended for children below 6.  i also think that my son would get bored and might want to leave in the middle of the show, so i decided against it for now.

vquarium

we saw the vquarium where you can see mermaids doing dances along with other sea creatures.

the dragon’s treasure

we lined up to catch a showing of the dragon’s treasure at The Bubble.  this a 360 degrees multimedia show, telling of the magical properties of the dragon pearl.  you will brought into different places by the four dragons.  the show was great.

the dragon and the pearl

we walked around a little bit and took some pictures both inside and outside the complex.  then we went back to our hotel.

since i am an IHG member, we got to redeem free drinks from the hotel’s lobby lounge and planned our activities for the next day.

paradise garden

sands cotai strip also has a tie-up with dreamworks, so they have this nice park situated in the ground floor.  it features characters from shrek, kungfu panda, madagascar, how to train your dragon and turbo.

we had dinner at the food court of the shopping mall located at sands cotai, and then we retired back at our room.

birthday trip 2014: macau day 0.5

for my annual birthday trip, we went to macau, the las vegas of asia. 😀

we left manila on sunday evening, and after around 2 hours of flight, we arrived at the macau international airport.  funny thing after we deplaned, we were ushered into a bus which will take us to the terminal.  so we waited until the bus was full, and then the bus started to move.  not 15 seconds have passed, the bus stopped and we were already at the terminal building.  we were all like, we could have just walked instead of waiting. 😉

it was a breeze through the immigration, then we got our bags.  we then boarded the shuttle which would take us to our hotel.

while planning this trip, we took a lot of consideration for the hotel that we will be booking.  most of the hotels are a little expensive, and the cheaper ones are a little small.  it would just be fine if it was just hubby and me, but we had to consider all the facilities of the hotel because of the little boy.

luckily, we were able to avail of a promo at holiday inn macao cotai central.  we got a 3-night accommodation for just around hkd 2600.00.  we booked this thru the IHG website since i am a member.

checking in

the shuttle dropped us at the front door of the hotel.  upon checking in, we were asked for a hkd 2000.00 deposit.  it is a little steep for the usual hotel deposit.  good thing we had a extra money.

our bedroom for three nights

the king-sized bed

the room was very spacious.  it had a king-sized bed with soft and firm pillows.  a working desk, sitting chair plus all the usual amenities.  we also got free wifi access for upto 4 devices.

toilet and bathtub

shower area and vanity mirror

for the toilet and bath, we had a bathtub and a separate shower area.  i like the ginger and lemon scented toiletries and the oatmeal soap.  another plus factor is that their toiletries are all paraben-free so it is safe to use.  housekeeping also ensured that all of the things we used were replaced or replenished everyday.  my son enjoyed soaking in the bathtub. 😀

after we have settled in, hubby went out to get some food and we had nuggets and burgers from mcdonald’s.  after cleaning up, we went in for a good night’s sleep.

the view outside our room

day 1 starts tomorrow.

Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central

+853 8113 9000

HolidayInnCotai.Reservations@IHG.com

staycation: hubby’s birthday celebration at acacia hotel

for hubby’s birthday celebration this year, i got a voucher for an overnight stay at acacia hotel from deal grocer.  for php 4000.00, the deal was for an overnight stay in a deluxe room inclusive of buffet breakfast for two.  you will also be allowed to use the hotel’s facilities like the swimming pool, and also avail of the free shuttle around alabang area.

we arrived at the hotel at around 3pm.  after checking in and having our welcome drinks and snacks, we were ushered into our room.

our room

king sized bed and reading chair

closet / hallway

the room was very spacious and i like the way the natural light comes into it.  in the center was a very comfortable king sized bed. there was also a reading chair, a working desk, minibar/ref and of course the television set.  acacia hotel boasts of the “pillow concierge” wherein you can choose a particular type of pillow based on your needs.  the “menu” is available inside the room, and you can just call housekeeping if you want to change your pillows — they have latex, microgel, aromatherapy and fiber.  for us, we were already contented with the fiber pillows in our room.  we also had complimentary internet access, and it was very fast and reliable.

shower area

sink / vanity mirror

bathtub

the toilet and bath was also of considerable size.  there was a separate shower area, a toilet and a bath tub which was already filled with water and bathgel, ready for you to use.  my son enjoyed taking his bath in the tub.  toiletries were also provided.  their quality and scent of their line was ok.  my only complaint is the packaging since it was a little bit hard to squeeze the product out especially when my hands were already slippery due to soap.

cake courtesy of the hotel

the birthday celebrant

when i was making the booking for this stay, i informed the hotel that we were celebrating my hubby’s birthday during our stay. they told me that the guest relations services will be preparing something.  so, after we got back from dinner at alabang town center, we found this slice of cake with greeting in our room. 🙂

as mentioned, we were able to use of the shuttle service to and from alabang town center where we had our dinner.  i also availed of the in-room massage which was very relaxing.

the next morning, we had buffet breakfast at their restaurant acaci.  the breakfast spread had varied options, and i can say that i was satisfied with how the food tasted.  i had soup, omelet, bacon, sausages and some breads.  there were also fruits, salads, cereal and other staples for breakfast. (we were just unable to take photos during breakfast… sorry).

the pool

view from the pool

after breakfast, we went to the pool area where hubby and my son spent some time swimming and playing in the pool. it was a little chilly given that the pool is at the third floor, and it was january. 🙂  we were also offered glasses of iced tea while we were in the pool area which i enjoyed while lounging around.

i would say that it is definitely worth your while to stay at this hotel.  they have good facilities – even the design and interior of the building is nice and impressive.  service was superb – they are true to their offering of “filipino hospitality at its best”.  they are always ready to help and please, and give you whatever it is that you might need.  rates are also very competitive.

would we go here again?  definitely. 🙂

 

Acacia Hotel Manila

5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue,
Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang,
Muntinlupa City 1781

Telephone: 720 2000 / 588 5888
Email: enquiry@acaciahotelsmanila.com

amazing race malaysia: day 4

march 8:

this is our last day in malaysia.  for this day, we rented a taxi to take us a tour around in putrajaya and then take us to the airport for our flight back to manila.

we had our breakfast courtesy of the hotel.  the buffet spread was almost the same as what was served in the first hotel that we stayed at.  again, i had the pink guava juice. 🙂

breakfast at ibis styles

after breakfast, we headed again to the old town coffee shop at the ground floor of our hotel building to get coffee and tea which we brought back to manila.  we also ordered some drinks and kaya toast.

old town coffee

we then went back to our hotel room where we finished packing our things and got ready for the last leg of our malaysia trip.  at noon, we checked out of the hotel and we had our driver/tour guide waiting for us.  we then proceeded going to putrajaya.

from wikipedia:  putrajaya is a planned city located 25km south of kuala lumpur, that serves as the federal administrative center of malaysia.

we went around the city to take a look at the different structures, buildings and landmarks of the place.  it is really amazing how the city is well planned, including all the phases of construction and the offices that will be contained therein.  if you need to do transactions that involve the government, you just need to go to this place and be done with it.  there are also a lot of bridges and mosques which are inspired by modern art.

putra mosque

seri wawasan bridge

we decided to avail of the putrajaya cruise tour which will take us around the city aboard a boat.  while waiting for the schedule of the boat, we first got the little boy his cake since this day is the actual day of his birth. 🙂

the birthday boy and his cake

we then boarded the boat which took us around the city.  the tour guide also offered some information and commentaries regarding the city’s history and also of the various structures that we passed by.  the trip was around 45 minutes.

cruise tasik putrajaya

aboard the cruise

after the tour, we then proceeded to the airport which is about 30 minutes away from putrajaya.  we did the check-in, drop-off of our luggages and then waited for our airplane at the boarding gate.

during the flight home, we got my son a little stuffed airplane as a “gift” for him.

little matteo and little ceb

that is the end of our malaysia trip.  we sure will be back to explore other parts of the country which we haven’t seen yet. 😀