F1 Hotel Manila

We decided to spend a city staycation for my birthday weekend. F1 Hotel Manila has been my first and last option because of two main reasons. First, I want an easy access to almost everything (malls, coffee shops, restos, parks, etc.) and second, they got three pools which my little girl will truly enjoy. We didn't get a chance to go to the beach this summer but I don't want to end the season without dipping in the water.

I booked directly through F1 Hotel Manila's official website. They allowed early check-in starting 12noon instead of the usual 2PM. Check-in was a breeze and the reception staff handed me two key cards plus the wifi password. You need to use the key cards to access the floors except for the reception lobby and pool area. Note that they will also require you a Php3,000 deposit during check-in which will also be refundable upon check-out. If you notice, the hotel lobby has a minimalist design and it definitely looked pretty neat to me. On that day, we saw two beautiful brides with their own photographers.

ACE Hotel and Suites

Before anything else, I'd like to greet you all a Happy New Year and wishing more success in all our future endeavors. I hope you all had a safe and wonderful celebration with your loved ones!


My family and I decided to spend our new year stay-cation in one of the famous and newest hotel situated near the business district of Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Before I give you an in-depth review, let me just tell you that we literally had the ace experience during our overnight stay. First off, they accepted early check-in from 10:30am onwards. That was exceptional!


Since we were a group of four, I chose to book a junior suite at Php4,950 (excluding VAT and other taxes, breakfast for two included). Of course, we won't fit in a queen-sized bed so I requested for an additional bed. So that was roughly a total of Php7,500+ for a holiday overnight stay.

 
I browsed a few reviews prior to booking at Ace Hotel and Suites and have found interesting comments from the guests. It was only in 2012 when they opened the business to the public, technically the hotel is still new. Though I have set my expectations, I am still caught by surprise to what welcomed me and my family.


The room was simply yet elegantly designed and quite spacious for a junior suite. We had a mini living area where we were comfortably seated as we watched cable channels in our 32" LCD TV. Our room was really clean and neat. I forgot to take a "before" photo of our bed but it was queen-sized by default and the pillows were fluffy, I can hug it all day. In fact, my daughter really had a good time sleeping and curling under the duvet. I hope this photo below can describe it for you.



There's also an office space where you can work/blog during your stay. WiFi is available, an iPod dock should you wish to listen to your playlist, and a digital safe for your valuable items.


A mini-bar with complementary wine and drinks. The small fridge is beneath the cabinet.


Fruits were also served right after we settled in our room.


This is Mom's favorite spot as she's into coffee and tea set.


How cool is this? Doing work with a glass of red wine!


While here is my favorite area - the toilet and bathroom! I am very particular with the cleanliness of bathrooms and lavatories. Thankfully, Ace Hotel and Suites did not disappoint. And look at the rain drop shower head! I want this for our future home!


Complementary toiletries ready for use. I didn't need a bathtub and some may find the entire T&B a little small, but in general, it was orderly and really clean. I did not have this feeling of "namamahay" whenever I had to sit down on the throne. :-)


After a quick rest, we checked out the Sky Garden located at the 8th floor. The weather made it really possible to take good pictures with my family.

 
We also checked the Sky High Bar at the 21st floor. Cool spot for a happy social drinking session. You will be overlooking this Ortigas skyline, really nice view. That night, they were selling tickets for the New Year's Eve countdown for Php1,399 (drinks + dinner buffet). We didn't try it though as this stay-cation is exclusively for family bonding.


We had our dinner buffet at the ground floor. Didn't take a lot of food pics but we all had an epic dinner with sushis, shabu shabu, Chinese and Korean dishes, lots of cakes, pastries and desserts. I'm glad the new year's eve was free from doing all the cooking at home. Everything was served completely.We were really full that we decided to go back to the Sky Garden for a little walk and viewing the early fireworks display across Manila skyline. We did our own countdown inside the room - fireworks display for free viewing from the window. Thankfully, we did not smell the smog brought by the extravagant celebration.


Breakfast buffet is still courtesy of ACE Coffee Lounge. We stayed a little late so we're only up by 7am. This is what greeted our morning.


The buffet area was jam packed unlike the night before, probably because this one's included in the room rate.


We were ushered to the right part of the resto but that was quite far from the food. So I requested to find us a closer table once there is one available. The waiter came back after three minutes and table is ready in front of the coffee lounge that's also facing the other side of the pool. Spot on!


Hubby and I love breakfast food. He was more happy to see the crispy fried danggit. I got hash browns, bacon and blueberry pancakes! Little girl enjoyed her Coco Crunch, while Mom had fruits and omelet. Again, not much food pics.


One of the reasons of choosing ACE Hotel is because of their water spa, but sad to admit, I didn't get to use the complementary pass. But since this is just a 20-minute drive from our place, would definitely want to go back and try this. There were a few people swimming but I think it was too cold to enjoy the water.

Overall, we had the best overnight stay at ACE Hotel and Suites as we welcome 2014. Hoping to do this more often with the family, so I'm looking forward to feature more hotel reviews for you this year. :-)

ACE HOTEL & SUITES
United Street corner Brixton Street near Pioneer
Pasig City Philippines
Reservation: (632) 462-8283

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First Family Trip in Zambales

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Our dream to say hello to again to the sand, sea and sun finally happened last weekend. Thanks to hubby's employer who sponsored this annual company outing. It was our daughter's first beach trip so you could imagine how more excited we are preparing her swimwear and all. I even thought we couldn't join the last minute due to my wild err hectic work schedule but I'm thankful my boss granted a weekend off despite crazy deadlines come Monday. I worked 16 hours prior that day which took most of my energy but having a job that believes in your competence and acknowledges your essence in the team is beyond being grateful. I may be tired or even half awake on our way there but hey, it's all in the mindset!

A sunshiny Zambales welcomed us, perfect for our brighter than the sun yellow tops. This is also our first time to wear matchy matchy colors and I think we should do this more often. 

 

It was quite a long bus ride - something I've been avoiding that's why we never had a trip before this. We arrived exactly lunch time so we had to wait until past 3pm to take a dip, at least not that harmful from sun rays. At first, Daphne was hesitant to step on the sand. She looked really cute taking extra effort not to slip her feet. Aliw much! Upon seeing some kids swimming and playing with the waves, she almost wanted to jump and join the little girls. But no, she wouldn't let go of her Daddy's hand. We are really happy to enjoy the years while she's very much dependent on her parents.

 

We also capped off the afternoon with a lovely sunset facing Capones Island. I'm surprised Daphne still has the stamina to mingle despite waking up at 5am. 

That following morning, the three of us woke up around 630am to maximise the remaining hours of the trip. So far, no complaints from my daughter who's used to waking up at 8. Good job, baby! I was once again mesmerized by the magnificent, luscious green, mountainous view on far left. Philippines is indeed blessed with natural beauty and this is just one of them.

 

Summer is all about vibrant colors and we purposely aim to define it. I got these cute sand toys and baby float from Toy Kingdom for a very reasonable price. Spot Nemo!

 

This is my most favorite picture. Caption: "Nandito lang lagi ang Daddy sa tabi mo, anak.." Mind you, hubby was happy and the same time emotional on this trip. He even proposed to have as much as family trips as we could. Well... I'll do the budget in Excel format and let's do it!

 

I am obviously a proud Momma here. My two year old did not develop fear of water! She kinda want me to carry her and ditch the floater but it went fine when she realize she can move her feet freely while in it. Just a friendly reminder though, do not keep a distance even with a floater. Always, always, secure your child. 

 

It was one quick escapade so we still hope to organize another budget-friendly out of town trip soon. By the way, here's one lesson learned from this trip:

As a couple with full time jobs, we sometimes find it challenging to take care of our little one on our own. When I say challenging, that is if and when there is no one to seek for assistance despite flat energy. I really wanted to doze myself with some good sleep but managed to resist and prioritize her needs first. We can't blame ourselves if we thought we we lost the "magic" because our hands are mostly on top of our office keyboard rather than holding our kids' fluffy little hands. So for parents who's not used to travelling without a helper, why not try it once in a while? Put on some toughness. It will definitely make the trip more fun and that earns you twice as much bonding with your kids. 

Thank you very much, MCDC, for inviting us and thank You Lord for keeping everyone's safety!
More power to you and your company, Mr. Dy!

xx,

OneGutsyMom

Sunday at the Fun Ranch

This is another activity we did over the weekend. We visited Fun Ranch at Frontera Verde in Pasig or commonly known as Tiendesitas. This is one of the country's so called complete children's complex today as it offers a wide variety of fun activities and rides. We now have reasons to go to places like this as my lil' one enjoyed it to the fullest despite the scorching heat. I must warn you guys that this post has full blast of pictures. These were taken using my Olympus EPM1 all in automatic mode. 

 

Here are some cute friends that greeted us near the entrance area. By the way, there is no entrance fee at Fun Ranch. A ticket for one ride will only cost you Php50, unlimited ride is Php295.

 

I was just observing from behind if my lil' one will enjoy what she's seeing. She loves being surrounded by kids at her age but I wasn't sure at first if she will like the place.

 

Here's what you can expect at the vast area. Avilon Zoo in front, which I believe does not fit in the location. I find it weird that it's located in a shopping and dining place. Or maybe it was just me thinking that way.

 

Surprisingly, all the round rubber boats (is that what you call them?) were empty. There were fishes on the other side where you can also feed.

 

I always dream to ride in a carousel when I was around 6 or 7. It's more magical at night with colorful lights surrounding it. Ah, have you also seen the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 carousel runway? That was simply amazing!!

 

This was her first merry-go-round ride. She looked so serious, not sure if she's afraid or what. He he! Her hands didn't get off from the steel pole. I kept calling her name and waving at her. At this point, I can clearly remember my Mom doing the same thing when I'm still in grade school.

 

Was it her Dad who's enjoying the most? But really, I felt so fulfilled seeing her shy smiles.

 

I wanted to let her try these mechanical horses but she's too small to kick the pedals in order to let them move.

 

The infamous Ferris Wheel.

 

I'm not sure how she braved this hanging bridge. My knees were kinda trembling looking at her, seriously!

 

 

They also tried the Red Baron which nearly took 5 minutes. After this ride, Daddy complained of dizziness. The lil' one is still full of energy though.

   

This one below is their Swing Ride. There's a lot of activities to do here, I even forgot to take photos of the other rides. Indeed, this is a FUN place for the kids and kids at heart. They also have huge party venues that is worth spending as the guests will truly enjoy here. It was too humid that day, good thing we brought a lot of water and little towels for her. All of us were so sticky in just a span of two hours but didn't mind at all. ^^

 

How was you Sunday, guys? Tell me about it! :)

Much Love,

OneGutsyMom