Travel Tips for the [Aspiring] Light Packer

I saw this awesome YouTube video yesterday.  If you're a light packer like me, you need to watch this! If you're not a light packer, then you really really need to see this and know that you don't have to bring the entire house when you're checking in the hotel.

 

Have a great Friday everyone!

 

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Hawaiian Adventure Series: Marriott's Maui Ocean Club

We stayed at the Marriott's Maui Ocean Club for a week while in Maui. The resort is strategically located along the famous Ka'anapali Beach.  Moreover, it is only about 15 minutes away from the Lahaina Historic Town which had a number of souvenir shops and restaurants. 

The only thing with our resort is that you need to rent a car in order to go around Maui efficiently. But I guess that's the case with any resort in Maui. They have shuttles but the desitations and schedule are quite limited. I will talk a little bit more about renting a car in Hawaii in a future post.

Our hotel's feel is very laid back. The lobby is definitely not the posh, carpeted, five-star hotel type but the interiors definitely fit the beach-vacation ambience of the place.

The resort is separated by the Molokai, Maui and Lanai towers.  All of these towers houses guest rooms that generally look the same. The only difference, of course, is the view from each tower. If you are booking more than one room, you may want to request for rooms from the same tower as traveling from one tower to the next requires elevator transfers and a good amount of walking.

For our family of 8 (6 adults and 2 kids), we got one Guest room and one 1-Bedroom Suite. I was not able to take pictures of our rooms before we settled in but they looked very much like the pictures below.

Guest Room with 1 king size bed and a sofa bed

Living room of the suite. The couch is a sofa bed.

Bedroom of the suite, 1 King size bed

Here are pictures taken from our hotel room in the Lanai tower.  





The resort had a good fitness center which I used a couple of times. But truth is, when you're in a place as beautiful as Hawaii, you'd want to run outdoors. I only used the gym on days when I woke up too late and want to avoid the harsh mid-morning sun.

The resort has a schedule of activites that changes every day. From Koi feeding to Zumba, they got the entire family covered.  

Playroom for the children (and yes, parents, you can leave your kids with them!)

Giant chess which Troy loved

A full functioning kitchen at the lobby that can be used by all resort guests.  We cooked some of our meals here.

And, of course, there's Starbucks inside the resort. I count that as an activity.

Overall, I would not hesitate staying in the Maui Ocean Club next time. The kids enjoyed going to the beach every day and we also got to enjoy lounging while watching them have the time of their lives.

Marriott's Maui Ocean Club - Molokai, Maui & Lanai Towers

100 Nohea Kai Drive, Marriott Vacation Club Hawaii Tax ID # W20121878-02

Lahaina - Maui, Hawaii 96761 USA

 

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Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club, Philippines

“Anvaya” means “family” in the ancient Sanskrit language...that's the first thing that you will read when you visit Anvaya Cove's main website (http://www.anvayacove.com/) and that's also how you will feel the moment you enter the resort. The place is very serene and kid-friendly.  And the people working there are all so kind and courteous.  It does feel like family.

Early last year our family visited Anvaya once again. Though it wasn't my first time to go there, it was my first time to stay overnight. My dad got us adjacent Lagoon Terrace rooms which i highly recommend. All their rooms are located in an area separate from the clubhouse. If the weather permits, a walk to the room is always enjoyable. You'll find yourself surrounded by lakes and parks which is almost a rarity in the busy Metro Manila.  December to February are the most ideal months to visit since the weather is nice and cool. On hotter months, you can always opt to take the golf cart back to the room. They have plenty waiting by the lobby so you almost never have to wait.

I'd like to share some pictures with you. Most pictures were taken during our visit.

Taking the golf cart to back to our room

Watching the ducks swim by the pond

Trying to catch the worms on an early morning

Enjoying the lounge bed in front of our Lagoon Terrace rooms 

Receiving area of the Lagoon Terrace

They also have a SPA that i will try next time. Photos below are taken from the Anvaya website.

The Spa rooms

This is where you can get foot massages

Group massage

I am definitely looking forward to our next visit to Anvaya. It's the perfect weekend getaway for the family.

Check out the map below for the best way to go to Anvaya (via SCTEX).

Learn more about how to visit Anvaya Cove by visiting their site: http://www.anvayacove.com

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F1 Hotel, Manila Philippines

Over a week ago, one of our friends gave us a voucher to the F1 Hotel in BGC. I've been to the hotel a couple of times to attend business and social events but haven't really stayed there overnight.  One recent weekend, our family decided to have a little staycation at the hotel.

The voucher was for a City Suite.  The room is usually priced somewhere from P7,650 to P10,200 per night, depending on the season, but my friend got it through Deal Grocer for only P4,800 which was such a steal.  

The room has two double beds which, honestly, can comfortably accomodate four adults. Although they just allow 2 adults and 2 kids in the room. It has a spacious living area with a separate TV.  

 

Bathroom and the baby girl

The hotel has a small foyer at the back of the building (facing the parking lot) so guests are asked the check-in at the Premier Lounge on the 5th floor. 

Photo from F1's website

The hotel also has a beautiful pool area on the 3rd floor. There are two pools and a jacuzzi on deck.  All of them are near the restaurant-bar which gives a nice relaxing vibe to the place.

 



The restaurant at the 3rd floor boasts modern interiors.

Elevator area at the 3rd floor

The hotel also has a nice gym and spa which, unfortunately, we were not able to enjoy during our stay. Maybe next time :)

Photo from F1's website

Photo from F1's website

The hotel is conveniently located within walking distance from shops and restaurants within BGC.  We walked across the parking lot towards Bonficacio High Street to grab some lunch and headed to S&R just across the street for some grocery shopping and a pizza dinner. It truly felt like a vacation abroad. 

Our family had a wonderful weekend at F1 hotel. Thanks again, Han, for the treat. We will surely be back.

My best hotel souvenir. A note from Troy :)
ALOVU 2, Anak.



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Healthy Relationships

  
 

Coach Pia


 Do you have a healthy relationship with your spouse? We often freely answer 'yes' or 'no' depending on how frequent we fight or argue at the time the question was asked. But the fact is, our lack of argument does not automatically equate to a healthy relationship. Here are some questions that you need to answer before you confidently say you have a healthy relationship.

1. Can you be yourself while nurturing your spouse?
2. Can you trust him/her?

4. Do you feel respected? Do you respect him/her?

5. Do you feel undertsood?

Sometimes, couples can act civil towards each other but there is no empathy. That is not a healthy relationship.

Last month, the SoMoms had another life coaching session with Coach Pia.  She taught us three strategies that we can use to help build a healthier relationship with our husbands.

1.     Work on your willingness and ability to fix the following seven aspects of your relationship.

• Willingness and ability to maintain and develop trust in the relationship.  A lot of times we don't feel that there is a lack of trust so long there is no infidelity.  This is exactly how i felt until Coach Pia cited an example that hits a familiar cord. She said that wives often don't trust husbands enough to care for the kids the same way we do. I used to give 1,001 instructions to Dens whenever i will be leaving the kids with him. He would always respond sarcastically saying that i might be forgetting that he's the father and he loves the kids just as much.  Apparently, that is already an indication that there is a lack of trust.
• Willingness and ability to learn continously. 
• Willingness and ability to communicate openly.  This includes suspending judgement on the other person.
• Willingness and ability to cooperate and create a plan. There has to be a willingness to come together and define common values and principles. There is lack of cooperation in relationships where the one often jokes that 'sya naman lagi nasusunod eh'.
• Willingness and ability to adapt and be flexible.  Acknowledging that the two of you have
  different personalities and values is an essential first step to adapting and being flexible.

• Willingness and ability to let go and forgive. 
• Willingness and ability to sacrifice.

In all of the aspects above, there should be a willingness (your positive disposition) and ability (your skill) to deliberately choose to work on one aspect at a time.

2. Understand and transcend my personal ego.

The 'Ego' is our natural instinct to preserve ourselves.  We should not be bothered by what others think. At the end of the day, that's just our ego being bothered.

I want to also share some insights from my devotion the past weeks. I read last our integrity is measured not by what we/others say about ourselves but by what God says about us. Seeking God's approval should be our top priority. 

Psalm 86:11 says "Teach me your way, O Lord, that i will walk in Your truth; Give me an undivided heart, that i may fear your name"

3.  Fill the relationship with unconditional love and acceptance.

Be humble.  Be open to choose to nurture and help your partner to be the best that he can be. Love him beyond words.  

Beautiful reminders.  A lot of times we are so focused on the faults of our husbands or wives that we fail to see the things that we should also correct ourselves.  As Matthew 7:3 says "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Thank you, Coach Pia.  Here's to another step towards a #BetterMe.

You can learn from Coach Pia too by signing up for One Core's seminars. Check out their faebook page here - click One Core

Our seminar was held in the new Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City. They have nice function rooms that are ideal for parties or seminars. The hotel restaurant, Ombu, caters all events. They serve great food at reasonable prices. Check out my review of the restaurant - click Ombu.

Finally, i'd like to also thank BPI (https://www.facebook.com/bpi) for sponsoring our event. Do you know that they are the first commercial bank in Asia and was the first institution to print Philippine Peso? Cool, right?

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Marriott's Grande Vista Resort, Orlando Florida

I have been hibernating for a while in the blogosphere but i am back with a lot of exciting updates to share.

My family just came back from a 2.5-week trip to the US and Canada so expect the next few posts to be about our adventures during our vacation.

Let me start with our hotel in Florida. My dad booked us in the Marriott's Grande Vista Resort in Orlando. IT.WAS.AWESOME! i love how spacious and luxurious the place is and even with two very active kids, i still found the place very relaxing.

When you enter the resort compound, you are greeted with a picturesque view of the lake with the hotel in the background. It truly spells V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.

http://www.tripadvisor.com

The hotel lobby, as with most resort hotels in Orlando, was housed in a separate building where most of the amenities were. The lobby has modern mediterranean interior and was very spacious yet cozy.

http://www.orbitz.com

The hotel has a lot of family-friendly amenities.

They had a kiddie play center where Troy and his cousins, Lance and Mia, had a blast.

They even had an ice cream parlor for the kids and small table and chairs that looked like a kiddie restaurant. Isn't that so cute?

 There was also a video arcade for bigger kids and young-at-heart parents.

Of course, there are also the more common internet portals, swimming pool, spa and gym.

One thing that was very helpful for us was the convenience store inside the hotel. It was truly what it was - a store for our convenience. It sold anything from souvenirs to grocery items.  Special thanks to the store for having different diaper sizes in stock. It was a lifesaver when we suddenly realized we were out of diapers for our little girl.

http://www.orbitz.com

There were other amenities that we were not able to enjoy such as the gaming area where there was a pool table and other outdoor sports activities. It might even be a good idea to go back next time and not plan a full theme park itinerary. I think my dad might enjoy the idea of spending a day playing golf in the resort compound.

Now let's move on to the bedrooms. Our family got a two-bedroom villa. The rooms were very spacious and had complete living amenities such as a dishwasher, washing machine,  dryer, ironing set, and kitchen necessities. 

Dining and living area

Kitchen. The white door at the back is where the washing machine and dryer are.

The two sofa sets (one in the living room and another in one of the rooms) convert into beds. So you essentially get 2 beds and 2 sofa beds in a 2-bedroom villa.

Bedroom that crosses over to the bath area

Signature Marriott pillows

an oversize jacuzzi inside the bedroom

After 7 days in Marriott's Grande Vista Resort, it still wasn't enough. I really enjoyed our stay and would be more than happy to go back the next time we find ourselves in Orlando again. 

The hotel is conveniently located near most of the theme parks (Sea World, Disney, Universal Studios) so driving to and from the parks was not difficult at all. 

For hotel rates, you may go to the hotel's official website or the different travel sites available.

Marriott's Grande Vista Resort is located at 5925 Avenida Vista · Orlando, Florida 32821 USA.

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