Beat the Heat at Hyatt City of Dreams Manila

School year is over! Summer holiday in the Philippines is on its way. This is the time of the year where I would accompany my two nephews from Saudi Arabia to Philippines. This is what I do every March. The excited kiddos spend summer with their grannies.

We landed at the airport on the 18th of March, 2017. The temperature is going up and up. Of course, the best way to beat the heat is to cool off in pool. My parents, being old, are not into beaches. So, we planned to go to a resort or a sanctuary in Batangas. However, my little sister had to study for the exam which resulted in a hotel staycation. Haha!

Before the staycation, I brought the kids to Jumpyard in San Fernando, Pampanga. Having the heart and even the mind of a kid, I take joy in this kind of activity. Hence, I joined my little sister and nephews. We jumped, shouted, ran, tumbled, played basketball, and jumped more. We were extremely tired and got hungry. We ate at its in-house restarant.

On the next day, we wended our way to Hyatt City of Dreams, Manila. My family and I always go on a staycation. This liking has started during our residence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where there are no beaches. Also, we prefer this over an escape by the beach as we could get rid of the cost of travel time. I think I should start blogging about hotels, too, shouldn't I?

Evey time my parents fetch me from the airport, we pass by City of Dreams. It's assuredly beautiful outside, so, we wanted to see its beauty inside. So, we tried out. I had an idea that it is a complex of resort and casino. But I felt at a loss for words when I saw how big the gaming area is. WOW!  And even got struck dumb by the big number of players. A lot of people must be rich. Hihi!

Our twin room is located on the 8th floor. It exhibits elegance. I fell in love with the bathroom - simple yet sleek.

The highlight of our staycation is swimming in the pool. Yay! Hyatt pool overlooks the garden leading to the Nobu pool. I was impressed with the staff. They kept an eye on the guests in the pool area and attentively delivered water and towels.

We look forward to staying at Nobu Hotel next time.

We had lunch at Venice Grand Canal mall in Taguig before we went back home.

Toledo, Spain - A Day at the City of 3 Cultures

In the midst of Spain, an ancient city is found atop the hill. It gives you a throwback of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures. Never did I hear the name of this city before. But after I visited, city of Toledo will never be forgotten.

On February 26, my flying group (Joana and Angel with her fiance Octav) and I took a bus from Madrid to Toledo. Travel time is 50 minutes only. The weather was very nice.

The first tourist spot we stopped by was the Alcazar. It is a 4-squared building with 4 towers at the corner. Just a hundred steps away, we found a restaurant where we had burgers and drinks. Here we enjoyed the breathtaking view of the famous castle, bridge, and river.

We walked along the alley of San Gines. Synagogues, mosques and cathedrals here are built next to each other. This gave me chills. Wow! We failed to enter Cuevas de Hercules for it was closed at the time. So, we just bought some souvenirs nearby.

We explored Puente de Alcantara. This bridge was over the Tagus River where you could eye the magnificent Castillo de San Servando.

Just by walking along the wandering streets and seeing the buildings and medieval walls, we truly appreciated Toledo. People here preserved their artistic and cultural legacy. Having seen 3 different cultures here, I felt like this city is where everyone belongs.