Off a delayed flight from Australia and out of the arrivals hall, I stepped into familiar smell and familiar heat. I was surrounded by familiar noise. Manila may be hectic and chaotic, but I terribly missed it. It’s home. I’d visit any chance I get, even if it’s just a 20-hour layover. And this was…
hotel reviews
The Bene Hotel, Kuta, Bali: Budget Luxury
Adge Boutique Apartment Hotel, Sydney: Bold And Beautiful
2016 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice. World Luxury Hotel Awards 2015 winner. Boutique Hotel Awards 2015 winner. World Luxury Hotel Award 2014 for Luxury Design Hotel. Uhm, whoa. We had set sky-high expectations. It was the middle of winter, and our daughter’s school holiday… Why the heck were we in Sydney? Well, 1. I was playing tour…
57 Hotel, Sydney: Diggin’ The Dancing Queen (Room)
After a two-day road travel from New South Wales’ Northern Rivers to Sydney (a journey of more than seven hundred kilometers), my friend and I giggled our way through 57 Hotel’s automatic sliding doors (really convenient when you’re hauling your gear plus your preggo friend’s entire wardrobe luggage chock-full of two week’s worth of clothes)….
The Macleay Hotel: Vivid Sydney Eve
Checking in at two in the morning was definitely not part of the initial plan. I rocked up at The Macleay with nothing but my purse and a Vivid Sydney hangover. It was a Saturday night (of a long weekend), and I reckon such circumstance wouldn’t have been peculiar for the receptionist who was prompt…
Gold Coast Hotels: Islander Resort Hotel, Surfers Paradise
Naumi Liora, Singapore: Chinatown Charm
After an eight-hour intercontinental flight and a frantic search for a carry on bag which me mum left in the overhead compartment of our plane from Australia, we stumbled into Naumi Liora’s doors looking mighty frazzled. Henny the receptionist, who was prompt in greeting us outside the entrance, was on our heels — toting our…
Mövenpick Hotel, Cebu: A 5-Star Birthday
With a throbbing head and a brewing tonsilitis induced by a drinking spree + an all-nighter karaoke session, I impatiently paced around Mövenpick Hotel’s reception area. It was my birthday, and I was being a tad whiney because of my hangover. The front desk’s queues were more than five people deep and serving each guest…
Swissotel Sydney Review: That Vacation From A Vacation
I was watching my fingers drum to the tune of the pipe in lobby music on the reception desk. The front officer’s grin was from ear to ear. It was overwhelming and infectious. I gave him mine, it was more businesslike than hearty though. At Swissotel Sydney’s shining, shimmering, splendid lobby, I stood there wearing…
Singapore Hotels: J8 Hotel
“A balcony?!” That pretty much sealed the deal. There had been much deliberation between me and the sis over where to stay in Singapore on her 30th. “Splurge”, we said with conviction. But at the last minute realized that our stingy arses could only agree on a mid-range one. That wall!” The decision to bunk…