Travel Jams

Detailed driving directions at the end of this post.

ROOM

We stayed in a deluxe room, an air-conditioned 36-square-meter room with two queen beds, which are very comfortable and with fresh, well-pressed linen. The room features elegant, contemporary Japanese interiors plus a beautiful city view, where we can see airplanes flying to and from NAIA!

Photo: PinayTravelista.com

The wardrobe closet has a huge space for the luggage, complete with hangers, iron and ironing board. Bathrobes, bedroom slippers, bottled water, and a selection of Ikaati premium tea are provided for the guests as well.


And of course, for guests who have to catch up with work, there's a small table for work (and/or dining) in the room. Bonus points for the strong wifi connection!

BATHROOM AND TOILETRIES

The toilet and bathroom area is clean, spacious, and well-lit. Hot and cold shower is available. There are premium Natura Bisse toiletries for use.  Face, hand, and bath towels are of great quality as well.

Other personal items such as vanity kit, dental care kit, and sewing kit are also provided.

STAFF

HOTEL FACILITIES

Guests of the hotel have free access to the swimming pool and gym.


TIP: Pack your favorite swimwear and gym clothes (and footwear) should you plan to burn off those excess calories from their incredible breakfast buffet.

BREAKFAST

Speaking of breakfast, there's a free buffet at the Nobu Restaurant for guests from 6:00AM to 10:00AM.


There's a wide assortment of breakfast goodies. There's bacon, sausages, bread, cereals, fruits, pancakes, French toast, and many more. There's also Pinoy breakfast favorites like taho and pan de sal!

PRICE

WIFI

There is complimentary WiFi internet access in rooms and within City of Dreams Manila.

I tried the free internet connection, with Speedtest result averaging around 100Mbps.

IN SUMMARY

PROS:

• convenient location; within walking distance to shopping destinations, tourist attractions, and transportation access
• with complimentary WiFi internet access
• spacious bathroom with hot and cold shower
• provides premium supplies for personal care and tea fix
• pool and gym access
• online booking available

CONS:

• It's a little pricey. But hey, for the luxury and comfort, all worth it! 

BOTTOM LINE:

Overall, I highly recommend staying in Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila for your next staycation in Metro Manila. The entire staff is awesome. Service is excellent. Everything is great!

CONTACT DETAILS:

Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City,
Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City, Metro Manila 1701
(02) 800 8080
Website: https://www.nobuhotelmanila.com/

GETTING THERE:

Driving directions from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1

• Take NAIA Road from Ninoy Aquino International Airport, heading west
• Past Roxas Boulevard, enter Seaside Drive and turn right on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
• Turn right on Asean Avenue

Driving directions from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2

• Head north on Arrivals toward Parking Exit Road
• Continue onto NAIA Road
• Past Roxas Boulevard, enter Seaside Drive and turn right on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
• Turn right on Asean Avenue

Driving directions from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3

• Head southeast on Terminal 3 Arrivals Area toward Terminal 3 Exit Ramp
• Slight left toward Andrews Avenue
• Continue onto Andrews Avenue
• At the roundabout, take the third exit
• Continue onto Andrews Avenue
• Continue onto Airport Road
• Turn left on Roxas Boulevard
• Turn right on Seaside Drive
• Turn right on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
• Turn right on Asean Avenue

Shuttle Bus Services

• Complimentary shuttle bus services between Nüwa, Nobu Hotel Manila and Hyatt are offered daily. 

We initially planned to maybe just spend the afternoon in City of Dreams Manila or SM Mall of Asia while waiting for our scheduled flight. At around noon, however, we decided to just check out and head straight to the airport and try to request for an earlier flight, at 2:20 pm. That way, we'll be in Iligan by 6:00 pm and I'd be able to join my family for the Sunday mass.

We stayed here patiently waiting for advice if we can be accommodated at an earlier flight.

We were advised to wait until about 1:30pm, after the last call for check-in. We had an hour or so to kill, so we took advantage of the free wifi and got some work done.

Life Lesson #1:

Use available resources and find ways to be productive. 

I needed to have some work completed. So I opened up my laptop and tapped away while waiting. After all, this will earn me more moolah for the next adventures. 😂

At about 1:30pm, we were called back at the standby counter and we were told that we can be accommodated. Yey! We were given our boarding passes and ushered to the check-in counter for our luggage and then headed to the departure area as the passengers start to line up for boarding.

Ready for boarding! :)

We were prepared to be seated at the most uncomfortable part of the plane, perhaps at the middle area where we would have to squeeze through the throngs of passengers already in the aircraft. We were chance passengers after all -- we could very well be the least priority because we were not supposed to be there in the first place.

To our surprise, we were given reserved seats. We were behind the business class seats. Haha!

We felt like princesses in the flight. Snack treats of yogurt, chicken burger, coffee and juice were filling, which was also timely because we were just going to skip lunch after a rather heavy brunch at the hotel.
This leads me to another life lesson.

Life Lesson #2: 

After we safely landed and passengers were ready to disembark, we stayed inside to have a photo of the empty aircraft and the awesome crew.




Since we were in the aisle seats, we had to move to allow other people on our row to disembark. We transferred into the business class seats while waiting. Of course, we had to take selfies! LOL.

Thank you! 💗💗💗

Thanks to the warm and friendly flight crew and entire Philippine Airlines staff on the ground, our flight home was a memorable one.

Life Lesson #3:

My biggest takeaway for this entire experience was to take chances. In this "adulting" phase we are in, it is kind of hard to intentionally let go and surrender to the spontaneity of the moment. Plans, lists and calendars are great. They help us be responsible and accountable for our own actions and productivity, but sometimes we just need to give in to the spontaneous kid inside of us. Loosen up a bit and leave it up to the universe to do its magic.


So for those of you who like to have life planned out, let this experience of chance passengers be a reminder that it is okay to take risks once in a while. Be open to new experiences, even if they are not perfect. Instead of listening to the voice that asks "what could go wrong?" try asking “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” Who knows what new world of possibilities becomes available.

Go ahead and take a chance and welcome life's surprises with open arms and heart.

Stay 

City of Dreams is home to three luxurious hotels -- Nobu Hotel Manila (check back later for link to blog post); Nüwa, and Hyatt Hotel. If you're looking for a quick escape from the busy hustle and bustle of life in the metro, you may want to consider a relaxing staycation here. There are spas and fitness centers as well. We were housed at Nobu Hotel, and I'll share about the experience on this blog soon.


Dine 
City of Dreams offers a wide array of premium dining options. There are world-class dining places and some casual restaurants and cafes as well.

Photo: http://www.pikksie.com

Shop
A lifestyle destination is never complete without shopping places. City of Dreams feature international brand outlets and high-end beauty and fashion labels.

Play
Kids and kids at heart will definitely enjoy DreamPlay, a DreamWorks-inspired education-based  interactive playspace.

Photo: http://www.pikksie.com

City of Dreams is also home to a casino, for those who want to play with higher stakes. :)


You will never run out of things to do in City of Dreams Manila. This is definitely the perfect escape from the busy life in the metro.

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Location:  Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City,Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City, Metro Manila 1701
More details: https://www.cityofdreamsmanila.com

Dress Code: 
For Gaming areas, the dress code is smart casual.

Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts and all guests wearing, shorts, slippers, hats, caps, hoodies, sunglasses, masks, veils or any other items which conceal their facial features (fully or partially) are prohibited from entering the Casino or Gaming Areas.

And then, we went on a Puerto Princesa City Tour, stopping by the crocodile farm, Baker's Hill, and Palaw'an Village. We also stopped at Karst Mountain / Elephant Cave, which was featured in The Amazing Race Philippines (2012) and The Amazing Race Ukraine (2013). We ended our stay in Palawan with a sumptuous dinner at KaLui.

We spent 7 days in Palawan, but we felt it is not enough. There's still so much places to explore, food to devour, and culture to appreciate. But thanks to the amazing people of Northern Hope Tours for the amazing experience. It is a great sneak peek of what Palawan has to offer. We are definitely coming back for more! 

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Full performances during the showdown at the end of this post.

The dances showcased the rich and varied cultural traditions of the city, narrating the divine protection of St. Michael to the united people of Iligan -- the Dumagats (now Christians), the Maranaos (Muslims) and the Higaonons (lumads or natives). It is highlighted by the eskrima, a dance form simulating a fight between the patron saint and his enemies, depicting the celestial battle between the forces of good and evil. The dances features the faith of the Iliganons that in the end, good always triumphs over evil.

Photo: Iligan Daily

Street Dancing Competition Winners 

Showdown Performances

How to Enjoy Cagayan de Oro if You Only Have 7 hours

With the limited time we had, we only had 3 stops, with the first stop near the airport, which is technically outside CdeO.