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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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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Our Shangri-la Weekend

Webster defines Shangri-la as a remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection.  When i think of Shangri-la, i imagine blue skies and clear waters on a cool sunny day.  I imagine stress-free living with a bountiful selection of good food and great company.  "Shangri-la" -- a very appropriate description of one memorable weekend that we had in June.

Shangri-la Mactan Resort & Spa is located in the city of Cebu, Philippines.  When we arrived at the airport, a coaster from the hotel was already waiting for us. We were brought to the hotel where welcome drinks await us as soon as we entered the hotel lobby. There are two areas in the resort - the Main Wing and the Ocean Wing. We booked a room in the Ocean Wing which i would highly recommend for guests with children as it provides easy access to the pool, beach and activity areas of the hotel. We were booked in a premier room but was offered an upgrade to a Panorama Suite at a very reasonable rate so we grabbed it. 

View from our room

Living Room with a sofa bed

Bathroom

Bedroom with a balcony

Nespresso for the coffee lover

 Our first day was spent lounging on the beach and enjoying the game room. We also played mini golf which was free of charge when you're booked in the Panorama Suite. Not a bad deal.

Early that evening, the kids watched a cultural show by the poolside and went back to the room while the parents proceeded to our scheduled massage at the Chi Spa.  It's best to go early so that you can maximize your experience and enjoy the facilities such as the sauna and the hydrotherapy pools. The massages are done in your own private villa which is especially nice if you're getting a group or couple massage.

Chi Spa compound

Private Villa

Another highlight of our trip is the super fun activity area for the kids and not-so-kids alike. They have a giant slide for the bigger kids.  We (yep, we as in the moms) took turns braving the giant slide. The dads were too scared to try. Yes, that's true.

Be sure to bring socks for everyone so that you don't have to purchase a new pair when you go. It's also a requirement to wear long-sleeved tops in the playground. I suggest bringing jackets for the kids so that it's easy to transform any outfit into the required 'long-sleeves'.  Make sure you bring the same for all nannies who will be taking care of them.

Giant Slide

Slides for the kids

Ball pool -- this is also the landing spot of the giant slide

One thing that we decided prior to the trip was to avail of the hotel buffet package. We got three buffet meals each day which sure made it feel like we were living in a luxurious cruise ship. It is especially convenient if you have kids with you so that you don't have to keep on thinking where to eat and there's no waiting time - which is particularly nice when kids are already hungry.

They had two venues to choose from for breakfast and lunch while dinner is always by the poolside. The multiple locations made each meal different so you don't really get bored eating the same food at the same venue all day.

Tides was being renovated then so breakfast and lunch were served at the main ballroom and the Acqua restaurant. We usually take our breakfasts at the ballroom and lunch at Acqua.

Check out the baby buffet area at the breakfast buffet

The Shangri-la mascot visited us each morning

Acqua restaurant

Beach view from Acqua

Our weekend getaway costs our family of four less than P30,000 for three days and two nights - including airfare, all meals and the couples massage at The Chi Spa. This was such a good deal thanks to my super resourceful friend, Kim,  who tracked Shangri-la's promotional deals for us all year.

All of us left the place feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated. The kids had a blast and the parents did not feel like we needed a vacation from our vacation.  We will definitely be back.

I highly encourage you to monitor the Shangri-la Mactan's website for great deals that come by once in a while. The amount you invest for this trip will be worth the memories that your family will share for a very long time.

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