I have, for the longest time, been intrigued by the newly refurbished hotel that replaced the old Hyatt since it opened. The imposing lights amidst the dead scene just lures my eyes every time I drive by. So when DG offered an irresistible deal for an overnight stay, my generous benefactor (thanks mahal!) bought one for me.

The old Hyatt lobby was unrecognizable (my mom liked hanging out at their ground floor cafe all the time). The lobby was as posh as Victoria Beckham, though I found the "Hermes-esque" boxes and the display of designer bags a bit tacky. Now don't get me wrong. I like how it felt when I entered (esp. with the courteous reception that we received) but the overall look can be nakakasawa and may need an update in time.

It was busy when we checked in, and I later found out that they were hosting Ms. World Philippines (candidates and organizers) in the hotel. No wonder I was not granted my request to be billeted on the women's floor as all the rooms were occupied. But nonetheless, I felt happy when I entered my room for the night.

The LCD screen behind the sliding mirror.

Moi and the little one.

My dad should have seen this!

The very masculine (and tight) bath.

Aigner Bath products.

Our balcony.

Had dinner in the room with my folks that same night as they bade us goodbye before they head to their annual panata for the Peñafrancia. Then in the morning, my sister drove straight from work to have breakfast with us at the Midas Cafe.

Went down to the lobby to experience the grandiosity and took photos of the kid on expensive Furnitalia...

So how did it fair?

PROS: I loved the service. They really go an extra mile just to please you. It was a first for me to be escorted from the car to the room. The executive room I stayed in was very spacious and the aesthetics were really praiseworthy. While I'm not new to staying at boutique hotels (W in SD is the best so far), it carved a really good impression on me.

CONS: Internet through wifi was free, but the signal was weak. I reported it to the front desk and they loaned me a LAN cable to plug into the wall - but it didn't work. An hour later, my signal got better and I was informed that they just reset the router.

I'm not a fan of shower over the bath, but it doesn't bother me as well. The size is enough for asians, but not to most of western guests.

They're still working on the pool and the executive lounge but they have this note on the table: 

Last, I checked their website's virtual tour of our room and noted that ours didn't have the Phillipe Starck ghost chair and some lighting fixtures. Not that it matters because I still loved the room but it would've been awesome if all their rooms had that chair at least. Lol.

OVERALL: I give it a 3.5 out of 5. Loved every second I was there, and as I said in the guest survey, I would definitely come back.

(THIS IS A REPOST OF AN ENTRY I MADE IN MY TUMBLR SITE.) 

Continuing my urban escape posts from my now defunct (err...alive) LiveJournal, the bf and I purchased another deal online for an overnight stay at Hotel H2O. This time though, we spent it as a send-off to our first ampon, Booboo.

This was our room. Lovely, ain't it? The kids might have gasped a lil when we peeked at the celebrated Aqua room but our view in this room was definitely better than the aquarium. We were going to the Oceanarium anyway.

Not for friends, unless you're super duper close, haha! Great for lovers who fancy body silhouettes though.

And because we have such water-crazy kids, we headed straight to the pool. It was a hassle getting there since it was outside the complex. They did not even last an hour because the water was freezing cold. 

Went back to the room to dress up and had dinner at Gerry's grill just downstairs. 

Around 7pm, we watched the musical fountain show - Once Upon an Ocean. They gave out those cute plastic ponchos to shield us from the rain. The li'l one and his kuya Boo were all eyes on the show!

The annoying music stayed in my head the whole night.

We headed back to the room to call it a night. I was just as tired but I was scheduled for a massage at their in-house spa. The massage was so-so. Manang was mostly missing the knots on my thigh area, but I was already too dead beat to complain. Slept through the whole session and was awakened when it was time to transfer to their heated negative-ion room (where I slept again! Arrgh!). 

Yes, all the kneading triggered the hungry monster in my tummy so I ordered this for room sevice! Gahd, I'm such a glutton! (See the hidden mickey?)

I woke up to the sight of the Philippine Dragonboat team practicing in the rain.

We had breakfast at MakanMakan ( it used to be called Makansutra).

Fairly decent spread for breakfast.

And what do y'know? Dimsum is included!

Of course the kids only fancied this section.

We went back to the room to meet my dad who went to check on us and tagged along  Nelva so she could come with us inside the Oceanarium. The kiddos love her!

But as they say, all good things come to an end, and end it did. Just as we were to exit the first floor of the oceanarium, the little one stumbled over one of those frames where you put your head into for pictures. It was made of a metal and was not balanced so the minute Lester put his little head on the hole, it got knocked over along with his fragile little body. I rushed over to see blood dripping from his nose bridge. We had to bring him to the vaccination clinic in the mall because Manila Ocean Park doesn't have a clinic. They did first aid to the kid and I was relieved when the doctor told me he won't need stitches. Sigh. 

We checked out the sea lions before we went home.

Here's the kid who looks like he just had his nose done.

They say love is sweeter the second time around. Given the love and effort (err) I put in the past entries, I do hope it applies to blogging as well.

After reading the things I've chronicled in the past, and a few "you should go back to writing" from a few inspiring people, let me surprise you with the news that...

I'M BACK.

Now give yo momma a kiss

I missed archiving important events, and I regret not writing about the simple pleasures and what-nots of the past year.
I'm crossing my digital fingers now and hoping that the love and hate bug of being too public about my life doesn't bite me.. soon, at least. LOL. 

See you around =)