Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila

We love the month of June. 

We have so many things to be thankful for.. hubby's birthday,

our wedding anniversary and father's day.

So as it was a special month for our family, we planned a special weekend staycation to celebrate ~ an overnight stay in one of City of Dreams' luxury hotels "Nobu Hotel".

We booked a family staycation package inclusive of  breakfast for two (2) at the Nobu Restaurant and 4 hours Dream Play passes for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Booking was fast and easy, done via phone. 

I gave reservations my card and contact details and received an immediate confirmation. 

Check in was a breeze considering there were a lot of guests coming in.  The staff were at their best and quite efficient.

Nobu Hotel spells luxury living.  You can truly feel sophistication as you step in to Nobu's hotel lobby.

Yehey!  Our room card access and our Dream Play vouchers.

Sepia paintings adorn the hotel walls.

Here is a peek to Nobu Hotel's Deluxe Room.

We were immediately drawn to the

floor to ceiling windows with a vista of Nobu Hotel's  sprawling outdoor swimming pool and well kept garden. 

The deluxe room was just the right size. I have requested for  2 semi double beds (which proved to be really comfortable).

The complimentary tea and coffee is neat hidden from sight.

There is a huge flat screen TV with a good selection of channels for the young and old.  Though ours was mostly tuned in to the cartoon channels (the downside of travelling with kids :P).

Look at these black and white slippers, a wonderful take on the Yin and Yang concept. 

Even bath robes come in black and white.

The bathroom was spic and span as expected, with nice attention to details.

Towels were soft and nicely laundered.

The toiletries were by Natura Bisse, Barcelona.  It was nice to note that proceeds from buying these, went to the company's fund raising program.

Right after check in, after much prodding from my 7 year old, we finally gave in and headed to Dream Play.  I will write a separate post on our Dream Play visit. 

The  next day breakfast is at the Nobu Restaurant.   

The spread was very good and has plenty of options, with top notched service: nothing short to the Nobu Hotel branding.

 After breakfast, we headed to the Nobu Hotel grounds for fresh air (actually to walk a bit to shed off a few calories we have ingested, lol!)

The pool area is picturesque...

I felt really bad, I was not able to bring swim suits for the boys.

VERDICT:

1. My family love this hotel and we would love to come back. 
2. However, the price tag is really on the high end and unless there is another promo or a REALLY special occasion to celebrate, I don't think a repeat will be anytime soon.
3. Service is world class and one would instantly feel pampered like a VIP the moment to stepped out your car.
4. Food is wonderful, would love to try lunch and dinner sometime.

Nobu Hotel ManilaAsean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard,
Entertainment City, Parañaque 1701, Manila, Philippines

For General Inquiries
guestservices@cod-manila.com

Guests can enjoy the convenience of hassle-free trips to and from the resort via Dreams in Motion, the official transportation service of City of Dreams Manila. Specific pick-up and drop-off points as below are available for guests coming from and going to different locations in the Metro.

 

City of Dreams Shuttle

Fisher Mall

Ermita

SM Mall of Asia

SM Megamall

SM Cubao

SM BF Paranaque

Binondo Dream Rewards Lounge

 

End of Summer Hurrah at Club Manila East

With barely two weeks left in summer, my family decided on an impromptu family swimming at one of Rizal's premier resorts, Club Manila East (CME).

CME is huge resort complex made up of a huge fantasy lagoon for kayaking and surfbikes (water bicycles), a kiddie pool, adult pools (a sun-screened pool, a 3-looped, 30-ft high slide, a 25-meter lap pool and a bean pool) and the resort's star attractions "2 wave pools (BeachWaves and OceanWaves, where one can actually do some serious surfing)".

CME also has basketball courts, volleyball courts and ziplines. Unfortunately, I was unable to tour the entire CME grounds as I was the designate "yaya" to my 7 year old, who would not leave the water.

Anyway, here is a quick peak at CME:

We rented a two (2) cabanas for our family of 25. Each cabana can seat down 15 persons, 7am to 7pm rental cost is P1500 each (not bad).

Entrance  is P325 weekdays/P375 weekends; Free for kids below 3 feet (Note: they have senior citizen rates, so be sure to ask if you have seniors along).

My dad enjoying the view (yup pretty ladies in skimpy bikinis, nah!)

Meanwhile, in the other cabana, sits my 93 year old Lola. I think she is secretively wanting to do some swimming too.

Club Manila East also offers overnight accommodations, overnight villas costs P3000-P3300 per villa, which includes breakfast for 2.

This cute (fake) buko tree is actually a stand-in shower (swimmers are required to shower before going swimming). 

Water, water everywhere...

The fantasy lagoon is right infront of our cabana.

The family wasted no time and jumped right in.

Water is surprisingly warm... "ang sarap lumangoy"!

 Wondering where most of the people are? Head to one of CME's wave pools ~ the BeachWave!

The wave pool in action :P (sorry no videos of the OceanWave)

I think my youngest had the most fun at CME ~ I will let this picture do the talking :P  

VERDICT:

• CME does not come cheap at P375 per head. If you are a big family, entrance alone could easily pile to thousands.  Consider instead hiring a private pool ~ like Cattleya Resort Antipolo.
• However, having said that, I think my family seemed to have enjoyed CME more with its multitude of specialized pools.
• Previously CME does not allow food to be brought inside. Buying food from their concessionaires was the only option.  They have for the time being, allowed bringing in of food (drinks still not allowed though), but their notice says it is only until December 2016.  Be sure to check out this information on their website incase of changes.
• No facilities for cooking (including grilling).  There is no refrigerator either.
• The place is clean and well kept. The swimming pools were also well maintained.  The pools were clean (less for the kiddie pool, hell knows what is in there... I am not sure if CME requires swimming pants/diapers from babies/toddlers). 
• The cabanas were nice too, though it needs a bit of updating.  The cabanas also lacked chairs.   We were only given 15 chairs for sharing. We were informed additional chairs are coming, but yup NONE came (boo-hoo). 

For more information about Club Manila East check out their website at www.clubmanilaeast.com.

Club Manila East is located at

Km.24 Manila East Road, Taytay Rizal

Tel 284-4740/54 and 660-2801 to 02

Summit Hotel Magnolia ~ Hotel Review

 

Why travel far (with traffic and all) if you can have the bonding you want near the Metro?

 

Check out our most recent staycation hotel find in Quezon City ~ Summit Hotel Magnolia.

 

This hotel is perfect for shop-a-holic mommas as it has direct access to Robinson's Magnolia mall. So cool!

The hotel lobby is small with very few sitting, but quite chic with bits and pieces of modern elements.

 

My son while waiting for our room.

 

A room at the Summit Hotel is really affordable. A Super Twin room cost a little over P2500 plus VAT.  We got ours at a much lower price in a travel expo.

 

All rooms come with:
· 42-inch, flat-screen TV with HDMI, USB ports and Premium Cable Channels
· Executive Work Desk
· Individually Controlled Air Conditioning Unit
· High-quality Bed Linens and Duvet Covers
· Ultra-soft, non-allergenic Pillows
· Coffee/Tea Making Facility
· Mini-bar Chiller
· Private Bathroom with Hot and Cold Storm Shower
· Hairdryer
· Vanity Mirror
· In-room safe
· RFID Proximity Card and Lock System

 

 

Our room is smaller than we have expected, but given the price we paid for, we are not really complaining.

 

 

The beds were soft and comfortable, however, I think they are a bit small to fit my family of 4 comfortably (sleeping arrangement for 4 person needs a bit of imagination). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our package came with set breakfast for 2 in café located right next to the hotel ~ Club House

 

 

VERDICT:

• Location is right next to Robinsons Magnolia ~ perfect for those who wants to do some major shopping. 
• Rates are really affordable.
• Summit Hotel is a no-frills hotel, but offers all of the basic amenities to make your stay comfortable. They have wifi but comes with additional charges.  Though you can get free wifi at the mall next door. 
• Breakfast is free for 2 pax, but additional meals cost a fortune.  We paid about P500 for a simple breakfast meal for my son.  Food was nothing spectacular.
• Service is very good. Check in was fast and efficient. The staff at the reception and the bell door man are friendly and accommodating.
• We were a bit sad since there is no pool.  A pool would have been great, especially during summer.
 
For inquiries on Summit Hotel Magnolia (SHM), please visit Summit Hotel's webpage at Summit Hotels Philippines.
 
Doña Hemady Street corner Aurora Boulevard, New Manila, Quezon City, 1111 Metro Manila
 

Looking for cool activities to do near Summit Hotel Magnolia? Check our visit to the Art In Island Museum.

Art In Island ~ World Class 3D Art Museum