Meeting Trinity...

Trinity is Kimi and Kenzo's second cousin.

1st Day- BBQ at Sayi's

* Trinity and Kimi

My hubby's cousin who was his playmate during his younger years was Trinity's mom. There were fur of them, Anne, now in Vancouver with us, Kendrick (hubby's brother) in the Philippines and Sela (Trinity's mom), who now lives in Toronto.

Less than a week of vacation so we made the most our of it.

2nd Day- Victoria. B.C.

 * Aboard the ferry

* Beacon Hill Children's Farm

* Inner Harbour Performers

* Edison, Sela and Little Trinity

* Kimi, Karl and Mel

* Kimi and Trinity

3rd Day- Downtown, Vancouver

* Granville Island

* Ready for a boat tour

* Photo Op before the boat ride

* Inside the Boat

* Downtown View from one of the piers

* Kenzo with Papa Karl

* Across the Totem Pole at Stanley Park

5th Day- Dinner at Home

* Group Picture

* Family Moment

* Cute Kenzo

* Childhood Friends/ Cousins: Karl, Sela, Anne

* Another Group

* * * * *

VANCOUVER TRIP

July 12-16, 2013

Cars Land 2013

Last time we came here in Disneyland, the Cars Land was still under construction and Kenzo was left home because he got sick a day before the flight. This time was perfect for Kenzo as he is a bit bigger and his favourite, Disney Cars, is now open.

* Banners that made Kenzo stop and stare ;)

We decided to do Disney only for this vacation and secure ourselves with a 4 Day One Park Per Day Ticket which turned out cheaper than the 3 Day Park Hopper. We got them through West Jet wherein we got a package together with the flight and hotel. We divided our 5 days stay to 1 day solely for spending time with our friends, 2 days for Disneyland and 2 days for California Adventure.

Travelling with kids means there will always be things that will happen that is out of the plan. Such as the case on this trip. Kenzo was not himself when we went to Cars Land and we knew that something was amiss. We decided to get a hotel doctor to see him which cost more than his whole trip's total :(. It was effective though and he was okay by next day and the culprit was his ear got congested during the plane's take off and his cold aggravated the situation which resulted to a fever as well. We are still keeping our fingers crossed that one of our travel insurance will cover a part or if we are lucky, the whole cost of it.

Kenzo was not himself the first day of our California Adventure but he still managed to go closer for a peek at some his favourite cars...

* Little Fan getting starstruck

* This is a replica of a scene background in Cars Movie :)

* Must take a picture here... Poor Kenzo looks ready to sleep

... the medicine finally got to him and he slept while we explored more of the Cars Land and more with Kimi...

* Getting Goofy with the Cones...

As for the last day, Kenzo was himself again and we were back to running after him as we went back to California Adventure for our second to the last day in L.A.

Since our little guy is in tiptop shape (almost), we decided to go for the rides and took our time to fall in line and get our pictures taken with the Cars...

We did the magic morning this time and go for the Tow Mater Ride... Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. It spins like the tea cup ride but way cooler with your own Tow Mater. Kenzo was so happy and screaming gleefully throughout the ride, so did Kimi. It was well worth the wait...

* Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

* Kimi and me as partners for the Tow Ride

We used up the time taking pictures all the way to the front of the line...

* Kimi and Kenzo

* Kenzo with Kimi

After the ride, it was Tow Mater doing pictorial near the Cozy Cone Motel...

* More pictures while in line

* Tow Mater :)

* Kimi was Here...

* ... so was Kenzo :-)

... there was a commotion and sirens which meant that RED was nearby!

* Here we go again...

* A picture near RED which I saw from Cars Movie

* and more pictures

One of the popular ride was the Luigi's Flying Tire which was really looooooong... We got there early so we started lining up

* A picture outside

* Cars Memorabilia inside the Luigi's Flying Tire 

which also serves as a line up guide

There was a mock up Flying Tire for pictorial purposes near the line going into the real ride...

* Family Cheese!

* Kimi and Hubby :)

* * * * *

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Anaheim, California

June 2013

The Aubergine Grille

We never spent a night before in Whistler, it was always a daytrip until I got a deal I couldn't passed up.

It was an overnight with three course dinner for 2 at good price of $199 at Travelzoo. The overnight stay itself costs $270++ regularly and with a 3 course dinner for 2 thrown in with the package, it was just a no brainer :)

We had this planned for months with a lot of weekdays in the promo, we reserved the first weekend that was included so...

* The Aubergine Grille

Reservation was at 6 pm...

* Karl and Stone

* Twins and Mel

It was a nice surprise that we got to choose an individual 3 course meal, no shared appetizer or dessert in this promo. Then, we got (2) 3 course meal for the kids which was another bonus. The best part was that it was free and that the selection was way over my expectation. Wherein some restaurants offer the normal fare like Macaroni and cheese or chicken strips with fries for the kids. Not Aubergine, the free entree included was from a simple spaghetti (which we ordered) to Angus Beef steak and Sockeye Salmon. They got their own appetizer as well, with nice selections to boot and a really good dessert selections for each kid. The presentation for the kid's meal was just as nice. <blown away>

* Our Appetizer/ Entree Selections

The bottom right is the kid's entree complete with plating :).

The appetizer was great. Beef Carpaccio was sliced a bit too thin but the oyster for mine was really fresh and the Dungeness Crab Spring Roll was really yummy with crabs you can really taste plus the great sauce that accompanied it.

The Lobster and Steak was done really well as well and we were full by the time we finished our entrees.

* Dessert Selections

I chose the Sorbet and Rainbow Ice Cream for the kid's dessert which we shared. I especially loved the strawberry and vanilla ice cream with it's creaminess and loved the peach sorbet that comes with the trio sorbet. Stone chose the Flourless Chocolate cake that was really good while the Maple Creme Brulee was okay. The Best Creme Brulee I had was from Bistro Sakana, I loved all the food from Bistro but the food took way too long to be served. The Aubergine Grille got everything right, good food, nice ambiance, impeccable service, food arrived just in time and kids got three course meal with an adult's 3 course meal for free.

* * * * *

THE AUBERGINE GRILLE

Westin  Resort and Spa

Whistler, B.C.

The Westin Resorts and Spa at Whistler

I used to take a picture from outside this hotel when we go to Whistler. I just like the way it looks...

* Hotel Facade

I finally got the chance to stay at their junior suite with friends who stayed a room apart from us. It was like a giant slumber party. Even Kimi had playmates in the form of Heidi's daughters, Aimee and Sherilyn, she was excited to go and knock in their room and share snack as well as have them stay in our room to play.

Aside from the room, we got a picturesque view as soon as we woke up.

* Mountain view from our room

We had our certificate for dinner at the reception. 

* Certificate to a full dinner

...and a sweet  welcome

* Chocolate covered strawberries....

...which we devoured right away

* Oooh la la...

The Junior Suite (#763) was a good size for us with a King size bed and a sofa bed for additional sleeping areas. 

* King Size bed for 4

* Entertainment Area

* Kitchenette with an oven inside

The kitchen was fully-equipped with plates and utensils conveniently placed when needed. 

We loved the hotel room and especially the view. The location of the hotel is a given with everything a stone throw away. I would definitely come back if there is another good deal for this place.

* * * * *

THE WESTIN RESORTS & SPA

Whistler, B.C.