Accommodations: Real Coast & Surf

Since 2015, me and my girls made a tradition to have 1 night to do whatever we want whenever I go back to Manila. First time was in Ace Hotel & Suites (Kapitolyo, Pasig) where we had a grand time in the water spa, strolling in Capitol Commons and getting crazy drunk with no worries ~ a break that one of them told me (while lounging in the lazy river) was desperately needed.

So we planned to venture out of Manila this time and decided on Real Coast & Surf resort in Real, Quezon after M saw their account on Instagram. The booking was made from a link on their facebook page: Real Coast & Surf and we booked a cabana good for 4 people.

E-Tip:The price was good, but once you get there you still have to pay 200/pax as entrance fee. We thought it included access to the newly built resort on the other side (with a pool) but it was only good for our side (but if your booking was made for their resort, access to our side was already included).

Booking and schedules confirmed, leaves applied and children safely endorsed ~ we're finally off to Quezon! Roadtrip!!

Nobody knows how to get to Real so we had this map from the resort's website (see below). Initially we were relying on Waze but they said it's usually better to use if you're in the city compared to far-flung areas so we had to ask her colleague from work time to time to know if we're on the right track.

 E-Tip: Better make sure all car (or van) parts are in good working order before starting on your journey as the roads, if you're taking the route above, are mostly by the mountainside. We had to check our brake pads twice to be sure, and I'm not taking any chances because I have two moms with me. Safety first people!

On the way L saw the Pililia Wind farm so we had to stop over.

We didn't get to eat the world famous bulalo in Tanay because we had a lot of stopovers already so we went straight to the resort after the wind farm.

We didn't bring a lot of food but there's a market nearby so we went back there after checking in. You just have to be careful of your food as they have a loooot of stray dogs inside the area and  they'll steal it the minute you ain't looking.

Anyway. all the stress and the dogs were erased the minute we woke up to this:

Unfortunately, we didn't surf because as soon as we checked in, there was an earthquake alert in Quezon. My cousin, who drove us here, said the area was landlocked so minimal chance of tsunamis dragging us out to sea but we just stayed put and played in the beach hehehe

E-Tip: Minimal to none cell reception here so be prepared to disconnect from the outside world.

Have fun and stay safe!

Accommodations : Dirty 31 at Aloft Abu Dhabi

To date, we have stayed here twice already - first was my birthday then my habibi's. By far, compared to all hotels we stayed both in DXB and AUH, Aloft Hotels remains no. 1 in my heart in terms of customer service, facilities, the view and the room, everything was exemplary.

Accomodations : Eid Break in DXB

Since our gang were blessed with a 5 day weekend for Eid Al Fitr, we planned for a staycation to decompress and destress from the rigors of the OFW life. And where best to do that with just a hint of going bankrupt? Dubai, of course!

               

As we booked the place at the last minute and everything got expensive fast, we opted for a hotel apartment so we can cook our own food and of course, an outdoor pool with steam/sauna. My sister and I got on Booking.com (genius perks baby!) to quicky scan and filter everything and we settled on Savoy Central Hotel Apartments.

The air-conditioned apartments feature a modern interior with traditional decorative touches. All apartments have a seating area with satellite TV, a kitchen with an electric oven and an en suite bathroom.

                                      

Starbucks, Al Ghurair Mall

Basically we stayed in the whole time, we only got out twice to grocery shop and to try out the pool/steam/sauna. It was too hot outside for us to explore the creekside so we just basked in the heavenly AC, watched war movies, gorged on the food and had a few friends over to catch up. 

Travel Tip: You can do your grocery shopping at Baquer Mohebi (my personal fave) which is right next door. Make sure to check out their daily promos specially at the frozen section for great savings!! Plus the Savoy has a lot of freebies until September 2016 so do check their fine print for more details.

Many cultural sites are accessible by either walking or bus/metro. Free shuttle rides are provided by the hotel to and from the beach from 10AM-2PM and you can opt to try 1AED ferry rides from Dubai Creek to Deira and vice versa as well.

How to get there:




Metro: Take the Green line to Fahidi Station and the location is a 10-15 min. walk during the winter. The nearest landmark will be Baquer Mohebi supermarket, which is at the hotel's left side. If it's summer, don't even think of walking during the daytime. Just take a taxi, it will be a 5 min ride max for 12AED (min. rate). 

Bus: There are no buses that stop in front of the hotel directly but you can take any bus from Fahidi Station (Green Line)/ Burjuman (Red Line) station along Khalid Bin Al Walid Rd. going to Ghubaiba Station and get off at Raffa 2 bus stop. From there, take the footbridge across and it's a 7 minute walk to the hotel.