Guam Hotel Options

Given the advance notice of our friends on the geographical size of the island, we decided to book in a nicer resort in Guam. This way we would have the hotel amenities to enjoy in case we run out of activities to do.  And a week after our trip, I must say that was a pretty smart move.

 

We had a rough criteria of the hotel that we're looking for. We wanted a hotel that has access to the beach (Tumon Bay) and located along Pale San Vitores Rd in Tamuning - this is where most of the action happens.  That way we would be pretty much walking distance to the duty-free shops and restaurants. 

 

So after some research, we narrowed our choices down to the following based on reviews and ratings.

1. Hyatt Regency Guam

• We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and do not regret it one bit. The hotel is beautiful. A few of the toilet fixtures have seen better days but it's still relatively good compared to most 4-star hotels I have stayed in. The hotel has a nice beach front and the pool area is perfect for the kids. Lots of slides and waterfalls. Truly felt brought me back to our vacation in Hawaii last year.

2. Hilton Guam Resort & Spa

• Hilton was recommended to us by a friend who knew someone who stayed there already. The hotel is located very near the Duty Free shops. Definitely walking-distance. At around P7,000 (USD 150), it is probably the best priced hotel with access to Tumon Bay in the area.  Although we eventually decided on Hyatt since activity and pool area was perfect for the kids.

3.  Outrigger Guam Beach Resort

• The photo below will show you how centrally located Outrigger Guam Beach Resort is. The shops and restaurants are practically housed in its lobby! While that does seem very attractive, we decided not to book with them since the hotel does not have direct access to the beach. This was pretty important for us since the kids wanted to enjoy both the beach and the pool on a daily basis. But if you are after the nightlife and the shopping, then this hotel is definitely for you.

4.  Dusit Thani Guam Resort

• Dusit is the newest resort to open in Tumon Bay. It is located right behind Outrigger Resort which makes the located just as perfect. What's even better is that it has direct access to the beach. So you get the best of both worlds as far as shopping and swimming are concerned. The only problem with Dusit is that unless you find a promo, it's quite pricey. But if money is not an issue, I highly recommend that you stay at Dusit.

So there's the rundown of our top hotel choices in Guam. Do post a comment when you get to visit. I'd love to hear your feedback!
 

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How to Enjoy Six Days in Guam

You know how people usually say they need a vacation from a vacation? I feel that way after almost every trip. I want packed schedules and productive days. This goes for both weekends, holidays and vacations. This is totally opposite to my husband who prefers to wake up late and lounge around during vacation. He always tells me that's how vacations should be.

 

Last week, we found ourselves booked for a 6-day vacation in Guam. Prior to the trip, friends have been telling us that 6 days in Guam might be too long since the place is pretty small. As soon as we arrived, we knew they were right. We can practically see our hotel from the airport. No kidding. It was indeed quite compact.

 

One thing we discovered about our family during the trip is that we are pretty much 'plug and play'. You put us anywhere and we can create a packed schedule. We do not run out of things to do.

• Shopping during the day - we don't really care if we go back to the same shop over and over again. We enjoy trying different clothes, sneaking to get more testers of the yummy chocolate macadamia, and road testing various perfumes. Never mind that we don't really get to buy a lot of things. Window shopping is free and fun.

• Late afternoons at the pool and  beach - the resort we stayed in has really nice pools. All of us took turn going down the water slides - every one from my 66-year old dad to my 5-year old daughter. On some occasions, we end our afternoon dip in the Jacuzzi. We would play word games where everyone (again, from grandparents to kids) can participate.
  

  
• Nice dinners and stroll down the boulevard - we spent one evening enjoying a sit-down dinner + show at the Sand Castle (which was an awesome acrobatic and magic show, by the way) and the rest of the evenings visiting nice restaurants and walking down the main street. We would stop for ice cream or visit the Godiva chocolate for free hazelnut coffee. Easy breezy evenings.

• Movie and late night snacks - this is something we do even at home in Manila. We spend late evenings watching a nice movie, drinking tea/coffee while enjoying cookies, chips and mixed nuts. We came to Guam prepared with a moved-packed external hard drive. We did movie marathons in the hotel rooms until late at night.

One very noteworthy thing about our vacation in Guam is that we got to wake up relatively late most of the time. On our last day, we woke up at 10:30am. It was my first time in probably 10 years to get 10 hours of sleep and not be woken up by my alarm or the kids. I just woke up on my own. It was uh-ma-zing! I felt very relaxed the entire day and keep on dreaming back to that morning even after our trip.

 

I was chatting with Dens last night and told him I miss that 10-hour sleep in Guam. He reminded me of his concept of a vacation. And I must say I am almost convinced. For the first time in a long time, I did not need a vacation from my vacation. It was easy and relaxing. No hectic schedule.  No rushing to meet an appointment.  We just go by our own pace and enjoy. I guess there is value in booking a vacation in a small island.  You will not be tempted to over-schedule. And once in a while, you will get that vacation that you truly need.

 

 

 

 

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Hawaiian Adventure Series: Shark-Cage Diving

Weeks before our family's vacation to Hawaii, my sister sent an email to our some of us containing a link to a Shark-Cage Diving Encounter. I know she sent it as a semi-joke and i also just laughed it off. I really did not take it seriously. When my dad saw the link, he was immediately interested. This surprised us but also made us rethink this 'joke' and inquire more seriously.

After a lot of back and forth, we decided to push through with it. We booked online through a promo with Groupon and prepared ourselves for an adventure of a lifetime.

We got there 30 minutes ahead of schedule and waited by the pier for the boat to arrive.  We then got in a speed boat that can sit around 12  to 14 passengers. Since there were already 8 of us (including 2 kids) plus three crew, only two other guests were accomodated to join us. It felt pretty exclusive to our family. We rode a high-speed boat on bumpy seas for a good 15 minutes before reaching the shark infested water. The cage was already docked, waiting for us.

The two kids did not go down but they were able to also see the sharks from the boat. There were a good 12 to 14 sharks swimming around us. Ironically, around the same number as the passengers of the boat. Eeps. They were about 13 feet long each and were Galapagos sharks.

I know the pictures look intimidating but it actually felt very safe. I would have even asked my kids to join us if they dared to. The only reason why it may not be ideal for small children is the rough seas. The waves were hitting hard and we had to hold on to the rails of the cage to avoid getting whipped around. Although once we were under water, it felt very calm.

Amidst the rough seas, it was an experience I will never forget. Definitely one for the books. As i looked at the sharks swimming around us, I was just in awe of how peaceful they moved around their habitat. I was just so amazed and cannot believe I was actually doing it. Such a National Geographic experience.

When you find yourselves in Hawaii, I would highly encourage you to give this activity a shot. To those of you asking who took our pictures, the captain of the boat had a GoPro on a stick and took our videos and photos for an additional fee. You only get to do it once, I'd say the additional $$ is priceless.

Visit Hawaii Shark Encounters http://hawaiisharkencounters.com/home to learn more about this wonderful experience.

 

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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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The Real Joy of Our Children

So last weekend we found ourselves in Oslob, Cebu on another family trip. We did a host of amazing things with the kids from swimming with the whalesharks to taking a dip under the breathtaking Tumalog falls.  But amidst all those fun things, one event stood out for Troy. Shopping and spending time with me.

On our last day in Cebu, we visited a mall which was right across our hotel. Everyone had their own mission so we decided to split up. Troy decided to go with me since both of us did not have any agenda.  We just walked aimlessly around the mall.  To me, it was not an extraordinary experience as I just shopped like i normally would.  Once in a while, I would ask for Troy's opinion on some products that i liked and he would ask me the same on things that he saw. We walked around chatting and laughing like good friends. As we were heading back to the hotel, Troy was smiling from ear to ear and he suddenly said "You know mom, you're not my normal mommy today". I did not know what he meant so i prodded. He further explained that i was so happy and so much fun to be with that day.  Eeps! That compliment stung a little.  We talked about it some more and i understood his heart.

I have been thinking about what Troy said ever since he said it last Sunday.  I reflected on the many times that we enjoyed things together.  How did that short shopping trip have such an impact on him?  Then I realized that I was a friend to him that day. I was not the parent who had to say "Look only but we're not buying, okay?" when he wanted to look at toys. I realized that I did not treat him like a child when i spoke to him about the things that I bought.  After one of my purchases, i even told him "I'm so happy i am finally able to buy this! I have wanted this for so long!" I did not realize it then but now that i think about it, i realize that it's something i would probably say to Dens but not really to my children.

While our kids need us to guide them since we are their parents, they also need us to be their friend. Time spent with them does not automatically make it 'Quality Time' even if we're doing things that they enjoy. Laugh with them and be silly together. Last night i played Wii with Troy and we had the time of our lives laughing at each other's wrong moves.  I did not try to make it into a teachable moment but simply had fun with him as i normally would with my friends.  I hope that i can consistently be the 'not normal mommy' for Troy.  Someone he would love to always spend time with even when we're not doing anything exciting.  And one day when he is all grown up and still loves spending time with me, that would be such an awesome reward.

 

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Bangkok for Kids!

I've always thought of Bangkok as a shopping haven. Well, rightly so. But our last visit made me realize that they also have a lot of fun places for the kids.  I'd like to share with you two fun parks in Bangkok that the kids enjoyed during our recent trip.

(1)  Siam Ocean World

The aqua marine park is conveniently located at the basement of the Siam Paragon Mall.  It is perfect for families who cannot decide whether to go shopping or visit a children's park.  You can finish Siam Ocean World in 2 hours and spend the rest of the day shopping and dining inside the mall.

The park contains a lot of interesting sea creatures that are not usually available in most aqua marine parks.

Some poisonous frog - think Rio 2

King Crab!

Here are some fun activities the whole family can enjoy at the park:

The Glass Bottom Boat Ride is an ideal adventure ride for the whole family. This is the best way for the kids to experience riding a boat in shark-infested waters.

  

For thrill-seekers, i encourage you to try to dive with the sharks or do the Ocean Walker in the same shark aquarium. My sister and i were planning to do this but we didn't have enough time since we had to meet some friends for dinner. Maybe next time.

Another fun way to enjoy the huge sharks in the park is to watch the 5D Cinema Xtreme which is a virtual ride that allows you to have close encounters with the deep sea creatures.

Shark Feeding Show

Watch the divers feed the sharks. The sharks were so impatient they dove into the basket to get their own meal.

Shark Feeding

You may also check out the park's official website for the park schedule and ticket prices: http://www.siamoceanworld.co.th

(2) Safari World

The highlight of the trip for the kids is definitely Safari World. Troy came back telling Dens that he'll bring his dad there one day. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animals in a wild but controlled environment.

One thing that really amazed me in Safari World was feeding the Giraffes up close. The place claims to have the largest herd of Giraffes in the world - counting over 300 as of today. 

The kids enjoyed petting and feeding these amazing animals. I never realized Giraffes were that big until we saw them up close and personal in Bangkok. Some of them had heads almost as big as Dawn! No kidding.

Another Safari World highlight was the elephant show. You simply cannot visit Thailand and not see an elephant show! Troy and Dawn wanted to ride the elephants but got too scared to try when we had the chance. I was even able to volunteer to have an elephant walk over me during the show. I only have the video but will try to share some pictures when i get the chance. My mom was so scared the elephant might crush  step on me.

My sister, Tammy, riding an elephant

The kids also enjoyed the Orangutan show. The set was very colorful and the show was funny...well, funny for the kids. I honestly had more fun watching the kids laugh to their hearts' content. 

Finally, there was also the bird clinic where they kept pregnant birds and their babies. It was pretty awesome -- not to mention a good break from the heat since this area is fully air-conditioned. 

Visit their website for more park information http://www.safariworld.com/

One thing i learned from this trip is that there is truly no country that is unfit for kids.  This is simply because there are children in all countries. If there are no widely-known theme parks, then you just have to find the places where locals bring their kids. 

My kids left Thailand with so much fond memories. I'm sure they don't mind going back next year. Maybe they will be brave enough to ride the elephant then. We'll see.

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