Staycation and relaxation on budget? Well, we moms are probably the best finance officer! Why? We are the custodian and budget officer in the family. We make sure that our finances are alloted to where it should be. More of calculating our savings rather than listing our expenses.

Imagine a house without a budget officer who thinks of the finances and savings. We would end up spending all of the hard-earned money of our spouses. Without planning and allocating, life will probably be hard.

So as a mom of two kids, who are already on their teens, I know how challenging it can be to find the time and resources for a family vacation. The past year has been especially tough, with the pandemic putting a damper on many travel plans. But now that things are starting to open up again, my family and I are excited to spend our not so first but thrifty staycation.

For moms and dads, a staycation is a great way to relax and recharge, and there are ways of spending without breaking the bank. Instead of spending money on expensive hotels and airfare, you can enjoy all the comforts of home while still getting a change of scenery. Plus, with the kids being home from school, it's a great time to bond and make memories together.

So how do you plan a staycation on a budget? Here are a few tips:

• Set a budget. Before you start planning, decide on a budget for your staycation. This will help you make decisions on activities and meals that fit within your financial constraints.

• Take advantage of free activities. There are plenty of free or low-cost activities you can do as a family during a staycation. Take a hike, go to the beach, or explore local parks and museums

• Plan your meals in advance. Instead of eating out for every meal, plan to cook at home as much as possible. This will save you money and also allow you to bond over meal prep as a family.
  

• Look for deals and discounts. There are often discounts available for local attractions and activities. Do some research and take advantage of these deals to make your staycation more affordable.

• Create a schedule. A staycation can be just as hectic as a regular vacation if you don't plan ahead. Create a schedule that includes time for activities, meals, and relaxation. This will help everyone stay on track and make the most of the time together.

If you're still having problem or second thoughts about spending, allocating and planning your expenditures, there are always some help online. You can visit for quite a number for easy reference when it comes to calculating your savings and expenses. Just simply visit SavingsCalculator.org to learn more.

So, overall, a staycation is a great way for families to relax and bond without breaking the bank. With a little planning and creativity, you can create a fun and memorable experience for everyone. And with the pandemic being around for so long, it's more important than ever to make the most of the time we have with our loved ones.

It was my first time to celebrate Chinese New Years eve at the oldest Chinatown, the Binondo. There are so many people buying foods to include in their celebration, I told my self, it is just the way we celebrated the new year's eve as well.
Lucky Charms and crystals, fruits, tikoy and hopia and dragon dance are some of the highlights of the celebration. Love the tikoy so much but my favorite of all time is the hopia, no month that I never buy or eat hopia in my life, I really love the taste of it.
Gladly, I was invited in one of the iconic chinese hotel, the Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel, to cover their re-launch featuring Feng Shui interiors, rooms and new amenities.
Strategically located in the heart of Chinatown, Philippines' oldest business district, Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel opened its doors in September 1, 2014, under the new management of Jackson Chua. Veering away from the old hotel, Chua did not just changed the name to “Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel, but also developed it into a modern Chinese-style hotel form the facade, lobby, rooms down to the hotel decors.
“Lai Lai” meaning “come”, the hotel is inviting people go visit the significant part of the country's history. Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel is surrounded by a heritage of two races, Filipino and Chinese that has perfectly blended through historical landmarks in Binondo. It was build in 1988 and is still in its original structure.

Here are some of the videos during the re-launch,


The new interiors were designed based on Feng Shui that illuminates harmony and happiness in every room; making guests feel relaxed all throughout their stay in the hotel.

“Management wants every guests to feel the excitement of staying at the hotel. Equipped with our strong knowledge in feng shui, our guest will be amazed to occupy a room based on his luck,” says Jackson Chua, Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel General Manager.

Longing to stay at that hotel knowing that they will suggest the right room for you depends on your year. What if, we stay their as family, knowing that I am Year of the rooster, my husband is year of the sheep, my eldest is year of the pig and my youngest son is year of the rabbit.  Watch out for it if we have an opportunity to check in at their hotel.

Accommodation

Both business & leisure guests will appreciate the Chinese-style rooms and choose among Standard rooms ( one queen size bed), Superior Rooms (two single beds), Deluxe rooms (one queen size bed and one single bed) Junior Suites and Executive Suites that provides a refrigerator and an elegant sofa, ideal for families. Hotel room features include LED television, electric kettle, hot & cold shower, hair dryer, working table, phone, built in safe, free wifi and 24 hour room service. Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel has a total of 84 rooms.

Here are the actual rooms:


My blogger friends and I usually celebrates christmas party at the hotel, and I found out that the Executive Suite is the right room for us to enjoy the celebration. I will definitely suggest to them Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel for this year Christmas Party.

Amenities
Guests can also pamper themselves at the Spa which offers Aromatheraphy Massage combination of Swedish – Shiatsu Massage. The hotel also have 5 KTV rooms that can accommodate 10-30 persons. For groups events, the Rich Apple Garden, located at the roof deck overlooking Manila, can cater 100 persons.
My husband and I will definitely try the Spa. Every time we stayed in a hotel, spa is what we are looking for to really enjoy and to be relaxed at the same time. Their spa looks inviting as it is.

Dining

The hotel's dining room experience includes an authentic Chinese restaurant that offers affordable buffet menu form breakfast til dinner. Its signature dishes include authentic sweet and sour pork, Hong Kong Style chicken, seafood pancit canton, fish fillet tofu, squid salt and pepper.

Guest and toursits can explore the whole Chinatown that houses various business establishments, such as the Dragon Phoenix, a one stop shop for feng shui lucky charms and crystals.

Soft opening rates will start form Php 2,280 per room, per night including VAT with a complimentary breakfast.
Since my kids are longing to stay again in a hotel, Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel is included in our bucket list. I will definitely let my family experience the Chinese-style hotel.

For hotel room inquiries and reservations, please visit www.chinatownlailaihotel.com or call (+632) 25-2888 and look for Jeffrey Tee or Apple Castro. You may also send an email to sales@chinatownlailai.com
For events needs, contact LDF Events Management, the home of powerhouse events team in the Metro, though landline number (02) 505-2601 or send an email to ldfeventsmanagement@gmail.com

Moms are always the ones who look for the best and affordable places to stay and the Dads are the ones who pays.  Am I right Moms?

Well, I got a chance to check out through their page what EUROTEL has to offer and why they are one of the hotels to consider when looking for places to lodge and have a staycation.  I'm just checking out where we will be having our next hotel staycation.

I know most of you are wondering why it is named as EUROTEL, well perhaps it's because their aim is to served their guests with what European hotels can offer.  EUROTEL brings that experience here in the Philippines.  Motivated to meet the demand for unique lodging services in the Philippines, Eurotel was conceived to meet such a demand. Managed by experienced hoteliers, it is the only lodging chain in the country that uses a distinctively European theme and motif.  Now and perhaps this answers your thought why it was name EUROTEL.


Basing their services with the best hotels in Europe, EUROTEL is a welcome haven for couples, tourists and travelers seeking respite and comfort in the heart of Metro Manila. Elegantly designed with subtle modern European influences, guests are assured of comfort and convenience with a good range of rooms. Affordability plus the traditional Filipino hospitality is a matchless combination.  Well, what most of Pinoy would look into are the affordability and of course the comfort.

Meeting modern-day standards of sanitation and safety, each room is guaranteed to satisfy your needs. Managed by experienced veteran hoteliers and staffed by carefully selected and well-trained personnel, EUROTEL will provide you with the best lodging experiences you will ever have.

Aside from lodging they also accommodate BUSINESS FUNCTIONS with their function rooms that addresses a variety of occasions like seminars, conventions, and social functions.  Large function rooms can be tailored to fit management development seminars, strategic planning, team-building and other corporate functions. EUROTEL can even provide lists of potential trainers depending on your needs. All rooms are equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment and training tools necessary for each event.  Their rooms can accommodate up to 450 persons and packages are available to fit your budget and particular requirements. Participants can also choose to unwind at the end of the day using its Karaoke on wide-screen.


Since relaxation is one of the main reason for staying, an in-house spa is also available for guests.  A good way to relax those tense muscles and lay your cares at the hands of their professionally-trained masseuse, either in the comfort of your own room or at the Spa.  From body massage, foot scrubs and body scrubs they guarantee a great relaxing experience.

With their Eurozen Bar and Bistro you can sure have a different type of relaxation that you need.  Enjoy a delightful meal or just appetizers while downing your favorite cocktail and drink.  Or you could just unwind and watch entertaining programs with their wide-screen LCDs.

Of course what would be the relaxation without the opportunity to envy your friends online with EUROTEL's unlimited Wi-Fi access on all floors.  What's even great is that computers are also available at the lobby for free.  Now you don't have any reason to not update your status online.

So perhaps we will be having our next staycation very soon!


EUROTEL

Mission
To provide innovative products and excellent services, executed by carefully selected and well trained personnel, that would ensure the continuous growth of the business to sustain it’s profitability and improve the lives of all stake holders and the community where we belong. “This is our commitment to God, our society and the future generation to come.”

Vision
We are the Leading Businessman’s Hotel in all Key Cities in the Philippines and in Asia - We set the Trend!

Values
Guest Delight, Re-engineering, Environment, Attention to details, Teamwork



WEBSITE: http://www.eurotel-hotel.com/EH/main/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/myeurotel?fref=ts
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/myeurotel?fref=ts

Wow! It's the month of May! What does it mean? Well, it's my month, it's been 6 years that I have been greeted and celebrated MOTHERS' DAY, isn't it nice? Yes, of course!

There are many ways to celebrate Mothers' day.  There are things that my hubby and my sons connive just to surprise me on that special day.  I know all mommies long for that.  On that specific day, sometimes we eat lunch or dinner in a restaurant in which they make surprises, sometimes they asked me to cook a special food and we eat together, and those are the things that makes me happy.






For this year, my celebration of Mothers' Day is quite advance.  Another escapade and another new experience.  Just this week end, F1 Hotel Manila invited us for an overnight stay in one of their cozy and luxurious room together with my Family.  Isn't fabulous?  Of course it is, they treated us to celebrate Mothers' day on a staycation.







The room provided for us was beyond what we expect.  It was very big.  I'm not an engineer or an architect but hey I can say how big the room was.  It has a big living room which is just right for those who welcomes visitors if your planning to have guests and there's the bedroom with a queen size bed just right for a family of four plus the comfort room with a shower covered with a fiber glass.  The room got two 40 inches LED TV (Not really sure if it is LED and if it is 40 inches), a mini refrigerator, and of course an internet connection. The room that we got was just right for the morning, it welcomes the bright morning sun. 









My kids love to stay in our room, my eldest son said "Mommy, let us buy one like these so we can move!"  See! My kids really love the staycation over F1 Hotel Manila.



After familiarizing with our room, we went to meet the executives of F1 Hotel Manila, Mr. Laurence Pena, General Manager; Mr. Tony Co, Director for Operations; Chef Sau Del Rosario, Chef Head; and Mikco Maiquez, Marketing Manager.  They welcomed us and explained about their upcoming promos and their further development for their hotel to accommodate and meet the expectations of their guests.


Afterwards we get some time in our room and since we had an unfortunate incident happened to our youngest son.  We were forced to just stay in the room, linger inside, watch some movies on cable and take care of our little one.  Yup, we took care our little one because he just catched fever which we don't know the reason why.


The bed was comfortable and the room was well conditioned.  So even though that my youngest son is ill, we were able to have a good sleep. 

Aside from the accommodation, food is one of the most interesting part of our escapade, hahaha, coz we really love food. We tried the foods at the F Cafe at the 3rd floor, it's a Lunch Buffet.  You can choose from different dishes and desserts offered by the F Cafe.  My kids loved the fruits and the chocolate fountain.  Yummy!
 
 
 
 
 
 


 


Dinner time and it was served at the Canary Lounge.  It was a Barbeque Party, barbeque all you can and barbeque of different types.  Chicken, pork chop, liempo, spare ribs, and fish.  Ohlala yummy!  Plus you get to listen their live band while having a night out with friends and families. 







Since my eldest son was so much eager to dip down the pool we decided to have breakfast first.  The line up of breakfast dishes makes us eat more, especially the kids.  They got pancakes, bread and cereals that kids will enjoy and for the oldies, they got tapa, fried bangus, ham, choices of egg dishes, and more.  Wow, that was really a heavy breakfast!







The Pool, my eldest son was eager to go dipping in the pool and he keeps on asking to let him swim on the pool.  On our first day, we didn't allowed him yet to go down the pool since our baby is sick.  On the next day, his eyes got widened because we already allow him to swim together with his daddy, he really enjoyed it, you can see on his face.







It was great experiencing most of their services but there's more that's beyond our expectation.  While preparing on Saturday morning for the staycation at the hotel, my youngest son catched a fever that we don't know where he got it.  Though he has fever we traveled him to the hotel because we just can't leave him alone sick with his Lolo and Lola.  So, our little one is sick during our stay.  His fever shoots up to 39 degrees.  As per advise by my child's pedia he should be given an Opigesic once his fever is that high.  I called the Premiere assistance and asked if there's a pharmacy inside the hotel.  In other words they provided assistance in buying medicine for my son.  Thank you very much for that. 



So, this coming Mothers' Day prefer F1 Hotel Manila to treat and celebrate Mothers' Day.  Moms can enjoy "Freebies" from F1 Hotel Manila:

Free Buffet Lunch or Dinner: When moms dine at F All Day Dining Restaurant with four (4) more paying companions based on published rate, moms are entitled to eat for free. For those are planning to have lunch, this will be a great way to start mommy's special day and for those who opt dinner you will end her momentous night with a blast.

Free Manicure or Pedicure: In partnership with Fame Salon, F1 Hotel Manila's in house beauty hub will be giving mothers a free manicure or pedicure service making mom more vibrant and colorful on her special day. Moms will simply present their claims stubs to the said salon located at the 2nd fllor of the hotel to avail their selected service.

Free Massage: Moms will be given a SPA voucher which entitles her for 1 hour in room Shiatsu and Swedish massage which she can use when she is booked at F1 Hotel Manila. Mommies can still get pampering from the first hotel the Fort even if Mother's Day is already over as the voucher is valid for three (3) months.

Enjoy your stay!

F1 Hotel Manila
32nd street, Bonifacio Global City
+632 928 9888 or 906 788
www.f1hotelsandresorts.com
facebook - www.facebook.com/f1hotelmanila
twitter - @f1hotelmanila.