Last year has been epic. And,
when March 12
th finally arrived this year, it felt surreal, not only
because I still can’t believe that my husband and I have been married for a
year (seriously, it has been a year?) but also because we celebrated it in the
most luxurious hotel resort & spa in the metro --- the
Edsa Shangri-LaResorts & Spa, courtesy of my husband's sister.
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| hotel lobby |
We spent the night at one of the
deluxe rooms in the garden wing area of the hotel. It had a great view of the
pool area and has the biggest and softest king-size bed you can think of.
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| the door to luxurious living *wink* |
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| inside our room |
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| beautiful view of the pool |
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| can't believe we're in the middle of Ortigas! |
Each room is comprised of a
receiving area with a sofa and a coffee table, a huge writing desk with all the
drawers filled with all the tools you might need, a full-stocked mini bar, a quaint
bath with tub, shower and in-room sound system, a Samsung LED TV (in case the
great view becomes boring, I guess), a big wooden cabinet that has an attached
ironing board, and a 24-hour phone-in help desk assistant who knows your name
even before you pick-up the receiver (I swear, I love the sound of my name
whenever she says it! Good morning Mrs.
Medrano, what can I do for you today?)
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| hubby and Zeke playing around the receiving area |
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| total big room |
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| toiletries |
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| robes, safe, a giant cabinet... what more can I ask for? |
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| slippers |
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| complementary daily water |
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| super pricey, 5x the original price (no kidding!) |
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| in case you want to throw a mini party inside the room |
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| fully-stocked mini bar |
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| Zeke loves the bed; he's onit most of the time *wink* |
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| king-size bed, softest duvet |
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| Samsung LED TV (of course, always on Disney Junior) |
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| complementary fruits |
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| bed side table :) |
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| mahogany writing desk |
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| dim lighting at night *sigh* |
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| wide window |
An overnight stay gives you
access to all the hotel’s amenities including the pool, visiting areas and a
buffet breakfast at their equally five-star restaurant
HEAT (the acronym for “Healthy
Eating, Amazing Taste”) which serves international cuisines in buffet-format
all day. My husband and I were lucky to eat here for dinner on our first night
(worth Php 3500 for two) then breakfast (inclusive of our stay) and lunch
(worth Php 3400 for two) the next day. In other words, we never got hungry! The
buffet for each time of the day was different and we get to choose from
Japanese, Italian, Mediterranean, French, Chinese, even Indian!
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| cool placemat |
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| from the hotel's point of view |
But before I start making my
mouth water again, let me begin my narrative from the very beginning. We
checked in at the hotel (I sound so posh already, just referring to Shang as the hotel) at around 2PM (we were
allowed to go in before two, I guess because it was our first time). The
concierge was very accommodating (no “holier-than-thou” people here, contrary
to what I hear) and the helps were very fast, always by your side enough to get
you anything you need. I know this is part of their duties but hey, I’m easy to
please.
Upon checking in, I made the
usual inspection of the area and like what I’ve said in the first paragraph,
everything was in luxurious taste. I guess it’s worth it; our stay cost Php
9200++ not including the buffet lunch and dinner. It was easy for us to settle in
as the room has a very homey feeling. Zeke was even able to catch a few zzzs
before we hit the pool.
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| zzzz |
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| with my Zeke in his MotherCare swim nappy |
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| on our way to the kiddie pool |
March 11th also marked
a memorable event for my little boy --- his first time to swim. We thought it’ll
be a walk in the park for us because Zeke loves to take a bath in his little
tub at home. I even bought a swim nappy for him to make sure he’ll be safe and
not get any germs while swimming in the pool. What came next was unexpected ---
he cried! I guess he got anxious when we hit the showers. Poor boy! He didn’t
want to let go of his daddy! So, we just strolled around, took some pictures
with Mae’s Canon DSLR and went back to the room to freshen up before dinner.
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| mandatory self-shot *hubby* |
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| Dydy (Lacoste), Mymy (Aldo), Byby (Stride Rite) LOL |
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| mandatory self-shot *mymy* |
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| ready? |
During dinner, we felt like
walking in a surreal universe where everything is so pretty… literally. The
restaurant, at night, was extremely romantic, with lit candles on every table,
dim lighting, and very subtle ambiance. Not too kid-friendly, I guess but the
waiters were kind enough to offer a high chair for my little boy.
My hubby tried Indian (the lamb curry
with pita was very yummy) and I went for the steak, which was medium rare and
very delicious. I also tried the lamb chops and a plate of really tasty sushi
and sashimi. Of course we had to try the lobster and oysters. I even dared to
taste a raw brushetta, which was too powerful for my hubby. But the biggest
star of the night was the Teppanyaki ice
cream. OMG! It was like making a trip to heaven and settling on a nearby
cloud --- yes, that good!
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| sushi and rolls and sashimi!! |
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| pistachio and mango, yum yum! |
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| good night! |
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| refreshing |
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| ahh, the tub :) |
Zeke was tired and we were full
so we bid adieu (for now) to HEAT and returned to our room. As soon as we got
back, I dressed up Zeke for bed and went to hit the tub. Ahhh, the tub --- I
don’t know how to describe it but I was in there for approximately two hours
that my husband had to check on me to see if I zonked out. After getting ready
for bed, Zeke fell asleep almost immediately. My husband and I decided to watch
“Puss in Boots” before calling it a night. In the middle of the movie, someone
knocked on our door and of course, we were NOT expecting anyone so we opened
the door in total puzzlement. A waiter in white was standing outside, with a
chocolate-covered, strawberry filled cake (as far as I can see). He said, “Happy
anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Medrano. Please accept this cake as complements of
the hotel. Enjoy the rest of your stay.” Now that’s what I call “extra service”.
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| the uber delish cake |
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| my crazy family :) |
As it turns out, my sister-in-law
informed them that it was out wedding anniversary. Could the night turn anymore
magical? My husband and I took a few forkfuls (because seriously, I can feel a
food coma coming anytime from all the food I ate at the buffet) and decided
that the cake was one of the best we’ve tasted (better believe it; my husband
never liked cakes) so far.
Day Two, 12th March
2012
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| my little surprise to Dydy :) |
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| my mag-ama, still sleeping :) |
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| good morning sunshine! |
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| morning pool view :) |
I woke up at around 6:45 in the
morning, ready to do more exploring. But my hubby and little son have other
plans--- sleep. Well, being the “light of the home”, I have a louder voice thus
they had no choice but to follow my itinerary (haha). Buffet breakfast at the
HEAT was the first order of the day. We asked for a table outside because the
weather was really beautiful, not too cloudy nor not too sunny --- perfect for
an outside lunch at the patio.
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| Zeke's breakfast after Mommy's milk :) |
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| fresh fruits! |
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| tasty muffin, croissant and doughnut! |
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| Pinoy vs American :) |
The menu changed and I went for
the usual American breakfast with hot Pinoy coco while my hubby, being a huge
rice eater, went for the Filipino breakfast. We had fresh fruits and delicious
juices to go with our breakfast. Then we ate more bread such as doughnuts and
croissant to add more calories to our already bugling tummy.
After breakfast, we explored the
hotel and sadly, we only saw parts of it as most of the rooms were closed. There’s
not much to see except lovely chandeliers, manicured lawns, extremely tall
buildings and pretty flowers.
We went back to our quarters to
watch TV and to bathe Zeke (as he favors the hot tub more than the pool). By
11AM, we packed our stuff and checked out at around 12:30PM, no additional
charge.
We ate our lunch buffet at HEAT
and this time, the ambience was more family-feely and a bit rushed, maybe
because the diners are now more of the business-y types. I tried their Mediterranean and Chinese while my husband feasts on Italian and Malay dishes. My husband took some
pictures (he finally gave in after my egging) and to be honest, I will never
forget this experience. Call me cheesy, call me sentimental but I felt like we
were a member of the royal family from the great service we received from Edsa
Shangri-La.
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| yummy pizza |
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| spacious restaurant |
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| teppanyaki ice cream section |
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| Mediterranean section |
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| pasta station during lunch time, egg station during breakfast |
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| freshly carved meat *burp* |
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| the sushi/sashimi/roll station |
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| seafood island! :D |
I guess the reason why I totally
enjoyed this experience is because my family is complete. And even though it’s
still hard to picture that someone like my husband was able to live with me
(without complains, err, maybe a few) for a whole year.
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| counting the years with my little family :) |
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