Deal for another Deal

I purchased a great deal for a 3 course meal for 2 at Hyatt's Mosaic. Turns out that it expired January 31, 2012, and I found out about it on February 1, 2012. Toink! I was planning to use it for my upcoming birthday or something.

I called up the restaurant and told them the situation, I guess they deal with these kind of calls a lot and decided to give me my coupon at face value but not for what is written. I relented and reserved right away for that weekend. I was a bit sad that we won't get the deal but lucky us, it was still Dine Out Vancouver, and Mosaic is one of those participating restaurant so it was still a deal if we use our coupon for Dine Out.

* Our Dinner Feast

This restaurant waiting time for each dish is way better than Bistro Sakana. I love the food in Bistro's more though but the food here is good too. Parking price is better than that of Yaletown's.

* Kimi, Mel and Twinny

* Stone and Karl

* KM with Kimi

* * * * *

MOSAIC BAR and GRILL

DINE OUT 2012

Hyatt Regency

Vancouver, B.C.

Homewood Suites by Hilton

It was a fun way to end the Sea World Adventure. 

A slumber party for half of my college friends.

Mel. Honey. KC

We met 11 years ago back in U.S.T. 

taking up Interior Designing...

we endure the 4 years of college supporting each other

through endless nights of plates

listening to the radio

humoring each other after a night of frustrated crying from all the projects

almost giving up... but holding on until the end.

Now, after years of surviving in different places,

we managed to keep in touch through different avenues

just to update each other

to keep the friendship alive even through distance and time zones.

It was really something that I am excited about,

to meet up once again

not as singles but mature married women

some with kids, some just enjoying married life.

As we saw each other,

it seems that all those years apart melted 

and we chattered like the college girls that we used to be.

we settled the kids early, bought some coffee for a late night catching up,

while the guys went down for the night 

to acquaint themselves with a game or two of billiards.

Our home for the weekend:

HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON

2 Bedroom Suite

King size - Dy Family (Honey)

Queen size- Chua Family (Mel)

Pullout Sofa- Agbada couple (KC)

* Dining Area

* Living Area

* Queen Size Bedroom

* Sink was located outside the actual bathroom

* * * * *

HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON

2576 Laning Road
San Diego

U.S.A.

Marriott's Fairfield Inn

I wanted to make our stay in Disney a bit more convenient so we decided to book 2 nights in a hotel nearby even though my friend generously offered her house which was a 30 minute drive to Disneyland. I figured that staying a hotel nearby will lessen the chance of a stressful day when a kid gets tired and wanted an afternoon nap plus we won't rushed home early since it will be a stone throws away from the park.

I initially wanted the hotel right inside the park but the price doesn't match what I had in mind so a good neighbor hotel was the next on my list. With the help of my friend, Honey, I was able to narrow down the lists to a selected few and decide to go with Marriott's Fairfield Inn. Reviews and being a Marriott rewards card member made it easy for me to go with Fairfield Inn.

I was very excited to finally be on our way to Disney. We went to Disney on our 3rd day because the weather for Sunday was rainy and being an outdoor resort, we wanted to maximize our tickets. Wait again :(

* I know these trees are common in LA but not in Vancouver

I was a bit scared as to how far our hotel will be from the entrance of the park. Maps can be deceiving and so does Hotel's description to sell their rooms. I was happy to report though that it was a decent walk to the entrance and going there on a November is the best because it was not too hot to walk and that comfort goes a long way.

* Facade of our hotel for 2 days

* Lemon Water

I initially thought this was lemonade and was quite impress... ha ha! Not that lucky...

* Play area in the lobby

Kimi was not expecting anything from Disneyland so she was happy to stay in this lobby... Sigh* 

No Kimi, that is not what we came here for...

* Lounge Area

* Room Key

* Our Room... 2 Qn Bed. Looks Like a double to me but big enough for us 3

* Entertainment cabinet 

* Kimi revving to go meet the Princesses

* * * * *

MARRIOTT FAIRFIELD INN

Anaheim, California

U.S.A.

Hotel Grand Pacific

It started with a deal from Travel Zoo recently. Then, my mind started turning...

RELAXATION.

I'm sold....

* Hotel Grand Pacific

Right next to our hotel on the left is this coat of arms sort of park. I am not sure what you call this place but that is the best I can do ;)

* Splendor.

* Coat of Arms of all the Canadian provinces and territories

* Fountain at the middle

Love the location... A few steps away to the Inner Harbour. It almost feels like the Inner Harbour is your whole front yard :). To the right is the Parliament Building. Really good eh? Even hubby was raving about this hotel.

* Nice Entrance with Glass Awnings

It was like a Hotel that says luxury... even the Interior of the hotels speaks of Classic and Regal

* Kimi has been begging for a horse ride

it was way expensive so....maybe next time!

It's a good thing that Kimi is not a girl who does tantrum when she doesn't get her way. It is easy to distract her with another offer. :) Whew!

* Waiting Area

* Look Ma, Canadian Leaf!

Now, A tour of our room...

* Room 215

* Comfortable Bed

* Classic Armoire with Side Chairs for late night coffees

* Complimentary Coffees

* Ice buckets and Glasses

* Bathroom were a good size plus 2 sinks!

I wish that there was a shower hand spray for the kids in the shower though.

* Bathroom Neccessities

Overall, the hotel was a great choice and we also had spa at 10% off so no complaints there except I think the spa area was too small and not maintained as well as the hotel. I learned though that it was previously privately own and the owner went back to Japan so the hotel just held onto it while no one is interested in buying. The massage therapist was okay and friendly but it would have been more of an experience if there were candles or some scent to add to the spa experience.

* * * * *

HOTEL GRAND PACIFIC

Victoria, B.C.

Tukwila Hotel booked!

I am so excited for this week's weekend trip :)

Secured a hotel for us and what's great is that we used the Reward points and some Canadian dollars to pay for it,

just paid around $20 for a night'stay... Good deal huh!?

... Will post pics soon

* * * * *

Marriot Courtyard South Center

Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) , Washington USA

* * * * *

Seafood City,

here we come!

* Jollibee

* Red Ribbon

* Chowking

* Tokyo Tokyo

...where shall I start

I am excited to just see the logos from my Manila Fastfood favorites once again

but it would be better if there are no long lines so we can sample each of these restaurants too!

* * * * *

Seafood City Supermarket

North side of Westfield Southcenter

1368 Southcenter Mall #100, Tukwila, Wash

Le Reve- :The Dream

One of our must do list when we manage to secure our booking with Las Vegas was to see at least one show.

Hubby wanted the Luxor's Criss Angel BeLIEve while I got suggestions for Venetian's Blue Man Group and Cirque's O. I was immediately interested with O, learning that it was a combination of swimming and acrobatic. I searched out the reviews online and was impressed with the feedback from people who were able to watch the show. Unfortunately, O was not available on the dates we were in Vegas :(. Through more searching, I found out about another aquatic production that is related somewhat to Cirque's O considering that the creator of Wynn's Le Reve and O are the same person- and the most important thing is, it is available on our dates... :)

* Vegas Tix for Less are a good bet to get your favorite show at a great deal!

When should be the best time to get the tickets? That was the big question for me while we were still on the planning stage. I was torn between buying online at full price or risking the chance to watch the show by doing the tickets for tonight booths. I chose the latter despite the possibility of not being able to get a ticket once we got there. It was really luck when the booth nearest to our hotel was the ticket that sells discounted ticket for what else- LE REVE! at almost half the price. WHAT A DEAL! Of course, being a worrier that I am I was torn between getting the ticket and risking getting a bad seat because of the deal but I am soooo glad I bought the ticket because the show was so FANTASTIC!

The sets was really amazing and the technical aspect that goes into that set was really impressive. How many people can say that they are able to watch a show that has that impressive of a stage- a stage that goes from a pool deep enough to dive in which suddenly turns into a stage to dance in, then suddenly goes up and becomes a fountain with people hanging on each level. The title of the show means "The Dream" in French, and  it was as surrealistic as it gets which really fits the title perfectly. The storyline though was a bit confusing on some parts but I was pretty amazed with each segments of the show that I didn't mind that much since I was so focused watching the dives and the dances. 

* Wynn Theater 

Intimate aquatic theater. There seems to be no bad seat in the house. :)

The stage was really a great layout on my opinion. It was circular and intimate and I could say that even if you are at the top most part of the theater you would be able to see everything... I just love how they did the layout since I have been looking at stage layouts of the other shows and read reviews that there are some bad seating that are part obstructed. Unlike those other layouts, this theater literally doesn't have a bad seat, even the splash area in front is also quite good especially you want to be up close and personal with the actors. 

* The amazing cloth flower ceiling that bloomed magically at the end of the show

The ceiling at the start of the show was a swag that originated from the middle of the circle and opens up to the perimeter of the circle. It looks so grand and I thought that ceiling was going to be there from start to finish but I was wrong. At the start of the show the ceiling was suddenly retracted into the center and it opens up to a higher ceiling that amazed me from start to finish. Tables, chairs, lamp posts, and even a bed, etc. came down from that ceiling with people doing acrobatic number on air. 

* Karl and Mel after the Le Reve show

* Le Reve's stunning stage

To those who keeps on comparing O and Le Reve. I haven't got the chance to watch O but I am confident that Le Reve can go head to head with Cirque's O.  The money spent was worth every penny and more...

* * * * *

WYNN LAS VEGAS

3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Toll Free (888) 320-7123
Phone (702) 770-7000

Vending Machine for the 'Forgetful traveler'

It used to be candies, chocolates and snacks...

Not anymore, with Best Buy making it's way to hotels and airports targeting travelers who forgot some basic travel-related  necessities like chargers, sd cards and even cameras!

* MGM Grand's Best buy Express

I don't know personally how long this kiosks started but this is the first time I saw this machine and I am quite amazed with it. If it weren't for the fact that I got all I need for the trip I would be very tempted to buy something just to be able to try it out...

The MGM Experience

This was our first Las Vegas trip and since we don't have any comparison on Las Vegas hotels, I might as well relate to you my experience based on previous hotels.

By far, this is the biggest hotel I've got the chance to stay in. It has a map of it's own to help you navigate areas inside the hotel. The lobby was big and spacious and there were people everywhere! I have never seen so many counters assisting check-ins and still there was a long wait.

* The MGM taken from street level

* The MGM Lion taken from across the street

The elevator from the lobby was a decent walk BUT the long walk was from the elevator through the long hall going to the room... and our room was not even at the end of the hall. I wonder how the people staying at those room fare whenever they need to go home and rest. It's such a long walk to the room from the strip also since the entrance from the strip was from another entrance which was a long walk that consists of passing the Rainforest Cafe, Lion Habitat, more slot machines and some bars before the elevator.... plus the walk through the hall to the room. The room we got was a good size and clean, it has a King Bed and got the basic stuffs that every hotel room has except there was no COFFEE MAKER and FRIDGE... What!? I thought that maybe the coffee maker is okay but no fridge? I ask the front desk that I can;t seem to find the fridge (sarcastic?!) but they informed us that you can get a fridge for a fee.... !(#!(*$!&%! Oh okay, fine! What about the coffee maker can we request for that one? They informed us that they have three (which I thought was FREE) starbucks downstairs. Oh okay! So this is pretty convenient... Everything is way too far and the coffee was to be ordered from starbucks!? Hmmm.... fine! 

* Rm 27126.... After a long walk... we finally reached our room 

MGM Grand, Grand Tower

* It looks like a Queen Bed... But it was really comfortable and every night was such a 'dream'

* Welcome tray with lots of Las Vegas brochures

The location of the MGM Grand was a good one with both the Deuce and Gold Line (Another blog entry) stop in their area as well as Monorail at the back (which I still think is not such a practical mode of transportation but I didn't try this since the Monorail is located at the back of each hotel so I guess if you want to explore the strip it is a long walk every time you want to ride the Monorail). If you have kids they will enjoy the M&M and Coke store although MGM is not a hotel I would recommend if you have kids with you for this trip since with all the walking and the game areas and bar that you'll be passing through to get to the room...It does smell like cigarette :(.

* MGM Lion Gold Statue Lobby

* MGM Background at night

They also have a resort fee of $10 per day which includes Wifi, USA Today which you have to pick up on the ground floor store near the elevator, Free Beverage $15 worth per room and etc... 

Overall, it was a good experience and I'd recommend it to anyone who's planning to go there but next time we would try the hotel on the other side of the strip for a change

* * * * *

MGM Grand, Las Vegas

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109 - 

(702) 891-1111

Hotel Andra- Right at the Heart of Seattle Downtown

A Blogger friend suggested this Small luxurious hotel back then. Now, I was finally able to book for an overnight stay at quite an amazing price via Travel Zoo. At $119 a night including valet parking, we were quite happy with the savings and was really happy how nice the location was. It is within walking distance of Seattle's must-sees.

Room 903

1 Queen Size Bed

The Lobby was quite cozy and comfortable looking with a contemporary modern feel to it. The color scheme looks quite similar to our house which was a plus :).

COMMON LIVING ROOM AND CONCIERGE

One of the good things I love about Hotel Andra is the Ralph Grocer and Deli on the other side of the street that is open till the wee hours of the morning. More convenient if we suddenly had a pang of hunger for a cheap midnight snack or a hot breakfast that won't burn a hole in your pocket. In our case, we had the breakfast sandwich with melted cheese, crispy bacon and sunny-side egg (Yummy!).

Queen Size Bed
Entertainment Area

Bathroom Beauty Products

Quite at home at the hotel's bed

It is also a few minutes walk to some of the biggest malls here in Downtown, Seattle: Westlake Center, Macy's, Nordstorm and Pacific Place to name a few. Tourist attraction are also walkable from this place like Pike's Market. (...continued on next entry)

* * * * *

Hotel Andra

www.hotelandra.com

2000 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-8600