We decided sort of late to take a quick trip to Manila.  We hadn’t really gone anywhere during the summer yet, and we thought we should take the kids somewhere.  Love wasn’t able to go because of work, so that sort of delayed the decision even further.

Finally though, I booked the tickets and hotel a week before we went.  We ended up with a really nice place to stay in a really nice part of Manila.  We took H with us to also visit with her sister, G who lives in Manila.

Departing from Hong Kong

On Tuesday, 24th July, we set out to Hong Kong International Airport for our flight to Manila.

It was a relatively easy trip in.  The flight is not that long.  We flew into Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport – NAIA.

We flew in at night time into Manila.  This is the second time we’ve been in the Philippines.  The first time, we went to Tagaytay City.

Arrival into Manila

This time, we were able to get a ride to our hotel from the airport.  The kids were excited because the vehicle we were in had WiFi.  Our hotel, Discovery Primea was in Makati in Manila.  It is an interesting place.  The hotels we passed on our way had bomb sniffing dogs at the driveway and guards holding semi auto weapons at the front.  Even the 711 I found down the street had an armed guard outside.  All of the malls/buildings you enter, you are searched.  I don’t know if it made me feel more or less safe.  All I know is that walking those couple of blocks to the 711 were nerve wracking.

It was a super nice hotel.  Bub couldn’t get over the fact that it was a 5 star hotel.  We ended up getting room service for dinner the night of our arrival.  The room was huge.  It was actually a suite with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Our Hotel Room

This was our home for 3 days.  The kids were very happy.  We had many activities planned for our days in Manila.  We were waiting for H’s sister, G to join us the next day.  She would meet us at the hotel in the morning after breakfast.

Day 1: Manila Ocean Park

Day 1:  The first day, we took a taxi to Manila Ocean Park.  We spent a ton of time there seeing everything there was to see.  We went to a nearby mall to have dinner before going back the hotel to have a swim.

Day 2: Museums

Day 2: G ended up staying the night with us in the hotel.  We had breakfast with her in the morning and then headed to a few of the museums in Manila.  We wandered around parts of Manila with H and G before heading back to the hotel.  We sent H and G for some bonding time while the kids and I went to dinner on our own at the mall nearby.  Then another nighttime swim.

Our last day was short because our flight was in the afternoon.  Still the kids were so excited to get in a swim session before heading off to the airport to flight home back to Hong Kong.

Day 3: Heading Home

Day 3:

We had such a great time in Manila with H and G.  We had met G before as she stayed with us for the weekend last year.  That time, she and H went out and did their thing.  This time, we all spent our time together (except when I pushed them for more sister time).  We really enjoyed our time with G and H.  In the end, H headed home with us.  Hopefully, one day we can share our home country with her.  =]