SG | An Aerial View of Sentosa Island

Sentosa is a well-known island resort in Singapore. They're quite famous for their expensive luxury landed properties, exquisite hotels and world-class entertainment attractions (you can find Universal Studios Singapore here), among others.

Although the island is connected to the mainland via a road bridge, visitors can also opt to travel by monorail, walk up using the pedestrian boardwalk, or via the Sentosa Line cable car sky network.

Admittedly, even though I've been to Sentosa a number of times already, I've only taken the cable car  twice. And so without further adieu, I present an aerial view of Sentosa from the cable car sky network. 

SG | Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park is a small hill in Singapore situated within the main CBD and has stood a quiet witness to this city state's colorful history

Fort Canning Park

PH | Summit Ridge Hotel, Tagaytay

It's been ages since I've been to Baguio City.  Plans never push through (you know how it is) due to time constraints and financial obligations and the like.  Good thing we live close by to the very next best thing -- Tagaytay!

Considered to have the second highest elevated area in the country, it's no wonder they get to enjoy cool, crisp, refreshing (*sigh*) weather for most of the year.  And with its close proximity to the Metro, it's the ideal place to cool off when one finds the capital too stifling (and polluted and hot and dirty, etc.)

Hence, we did, one weekend, pack our overnight bags for a short stay at Summit Ridge Hotel for some needed R&R.

Summit Ridge Hotel

 

PH | A (Slightly) Rainy Outing at The Watercamp Resort

What to do when you have your birthday during one of the rainy season months (as is the case with the Little One and the Favorite Nephew?  Go swimming, of course!

The Watercamp Resort

PH | STYLE FOR LESS: Kipling's New York Lite Carry-On Wheeled Luggage VS Voyager's 5167

THE SPLURGE: Kipling's New York Lite Carry-On Wheeled Luggage ($249.00 / Php11,209.00*)

Kipling's a brand we've all come to associate with quality and durability.  Given how much unnecessary junk we usually place inside our totes (guilty here), it sure helps that Kipling bags weigh so little, yet still feel secure enough to take on that heavy load.

Like any Filipino traveler, I too have the tendency to try to pack in as much clothes and pasalubong as I can fit into my luggage bag.  But with the bag itself adding much to the overall weight, don't you just wish that they was one that weighs so much less than the normal types you find in the stores?  Sayang ang extra kilos noh!  J

SOURCE: Kipling website

PH | Holiday Inn & Suites Makati: One Kid-Friendly Hotel

We've been very much blessed to have enjoyed staycations in a number of hotels around the Metro.  They're great alternatives to out-of-town vacations if ever you find yourself pressed for time to get away from the city (and what we definitely do have lacking of is some quality vacation time with the Husband here in PH what with his busy schedule and all).  I've noticed, though, that very few can boast to be truly kid-friendly, except for a handful.

One such hotel that is indeed family-friendly is the new Holiday Inn & Suites in Makati.

SOURCE: IHG website

Wish Fulfilled! A Stay at the Intercontinental Manila Hotel.

Intercontinental Hotel Manila...  The name just exudes sophistication at every syllable.

Intercontinental Hotel Manila in Makati, Philippines

If the Husband's pre-marital / college-era wish list included a stay in the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila (of which we have already fulfilled a number of times over -- check my posts here and in here), I, for one, have always wondered what the Intercontinental Manila Hotel looked like from the inside.  Finally got my wish early this year when we had a little staycation over.

Midas Hotel and the Casino -- the New Hotel in an Old Building

Pasay City will always hold a special place in my heart.  It's along one of it's busiest streets that I grew up in, living in a compound alongside family members.  It's heaven on earth (although a tab dirty and smoky) but it's a big part of me.

Hence, any place in Pasay City has always held a certain fascination.  Take the old Hyatt Regency Hotel along Roxas Boulevard.  I've passed by this place hundreds of time as I was growing up.  I've seen it at it's heyday and later on, abandoned and alone, seemingly left to rot.

Quite recently, though, they've opened this grand building again.  This time under the name Midas Hotel and Casino.

Source: Midas Hotel and Casino website

seda Hotel in BGC

My little family loves hotel staycations!  We have them at least twice a year.  Since the Husband has just so little precious time to spend with us whenever he comes home from Singapore, a night or 2 in a cozy hotel in the Metro is the perfect alternative to an out-of-town vacay for us.  We're near the major malls and the other attractions; all just a few steps away.

Whereas in the past, we'd usually limit our stays in Pasay or in Makati, this time around, we decided we wanted to stay in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) instead.  But still undergoing it's development stages, there were only but few places we could stay in (We stayed at F1 Hotel before in 2011).  Good thing, SEDA opened at just the right time.

seda BGC

My Favorite Singapore Malls (A Post About my Favorite Commercial Areas in the Lion City - Part 2 of 2)

Singapore is a shopper's haven.  So it's no surprise that there are malls here left and right.  It's unnerving, really, just how many there are (and here I thought we Filipinos were obsessed).  Take, for instance, the whole stretch of Orchard Road and its surrounding streets (considered the Lion City's main shopping area) houses a number of malls lined up side by side along its stretch.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

In fact, the very first time I came to the Lion City, my head started spinning, taking into account all the malls there are here.  And if you're like me, you'll be just as overwhelmed, too.  So here's a list of malls in Singapore (not just along Orchard Road and in no particular order) that I love going to and my personal reasons for why they hold a special place in my uhmm... wallet heart (and I promise not to let my emotions and feelings of nostalgia run away with me here.  Well, not too much, anyway.  J)

Changi City Point Mall, Singapore

Resorts World Sentosa Singapore's (Fairly) Newest Attractions: The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™

It's a known fact that Singapore is a small country.  But what it lacks in size, it definitely makes up for it in fun attractions both locals and tourists can enjoy.  Take Resorts World™ Sentosa's (fairly) newest attractions, The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™.

The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

A Quick Guide to Ordering Coffee Like a Singaporean

I’ve never been the type to order a cup of coffee at those expensive shops.  I’ve just never developed the taste for it, I guess.  In fact, the only caffeinated thing I can take in those types of cafes is a hot cup of cappuccino, and that’s only if I find myself out of the house and needing my regular afternoon caffeine fix.  So yes, I have to admit I’m actually quite content with a simple 3-in-1 instant mix from the store.  

But ever since having my first cup of tarik (pulled) coffee with heaping spoonfuls of condensed milk in Singapore back in 2008, I now find that it’s a concoction that I’ve been craving for ever since.  In fact, it’s so addicting that my mom became a convert when she stayed with us in the Lion City in 2012.  Now, we always have to have condensed milk in the house just for our morning cuppa.

My kopi from Wang Cafe

 

New Place to Explore! Bedok Resorvoir Park in Singapore

GIVEAWAY ALERT!  Get a chance to win travel-sized Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries from their Avocado, Olive & Basil collection.  Visit this post (link here) for more details.


I've never really liked moving to different homes frequently.  Although it's actually a good excuse to take stock of all the junk inside the house; but still, it's a necessary evil for us.  That advantage aside, moving to and fro various places also gives us a chance to explore new territories and uncover hidden gems.

Take our new favorite park, for instance, located just across the street from our abode in Singapore.

Bedok Reservoir Park

Days and Nights at the Somerset Olympia Makati

I end my balikbayan (coming home) vacation series with a post about our staycation at Somerset Olympia Makati.

View of the Somerset Olympia Makati from the inner courtyard

Summer Days at Sentosa Island, Singapore

Sentosa has always been a popular island resort here in Singapore.  Even before Resorts World™ Sentosa (RWS) and Universal Studios Singapore® (USS) started operations there, the island has always been visited by millions of people for the enjoyable rides and attractions that they offer.

I've made a few posts about RWS and USS already (you can read all about them in my 3-part USS series: The Little One Goes to USS!, The Little One's Adventure Inside USS!, and The Little One Goes Retro at Mel's Drive-In, USS), so I guess now is as good a time as any to showcase the original entertainment hub.

Tranquility at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

A short 20-minute taxi ride from our place here in Singapore and one comes across one of the best botanical gardens in the world named, what else, but the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Day Trips to the Singapore Zoo

I've been to the Singapore Zoo twice already; the first during my trip to visit the ex-BF (now the Husband) here in 2008, and recently last December 2012 when we brought the Little One, the Madir, and a dear friend of the family's for a day trip inside.  And on both occasions, I still get as giddy with excitement as if it was still my very first visit.

Me in front of the Singapore Zoo entrance (circa 2008)

Visiting the National Museum of Singapore

I love museums!  I just can't get enough of them.  They're rich halls of information and make history truly come alive.  And one of the best I've visited is located here -- the National Museum of Singapore.

National Museum of Singapore (apologies as this might not be the best photo to represent this great hall)

Reliving Childhood Pasts at the MINT Museum of Toys, Singapore

I love visiting museums.  So it's actually quite fortunate for us that Singapore has a number of these glorious halls of learning.  But out of all these, the MINT Museum of Toys will most probably always remain my favorite.

(Relatively) Cheap Thrills at the Marina Bay Sands® Singapore

Singapore is one heck of an expensive city to live in.  With attractions like the Marina Bay Sands® (billed as world's most expensive standalone casino property to date), there's just simply no denying that fact that luxury and high-end designer goods and services are almost always connected/expected when living here.

Although almost synonymous to wealth and luxury, a trip to this integrated resort need not leave such a huge hole in your pocket.  Here are just a few of the (relatively) cheap* things you can do at MBS:

Marina Bay Sands® , Bayfront Avenue, Singapore

*NOTE: Cheap, in this case, means a pay out of around S$20 (Php660**) or less; and, in some cases, can also be experienced for free.