Mactan Island, Philippines - pause button

Hitting PAUSE and jetting off to the Philippines for a family babymoon --- a good idea.

Time for some R&R. Sandwiched between an emotional summer plus moving house and the pending arrival of our new baby -- being intentional about spending restful time together is top priority.

fresh squeezed pineapple and mango smoothies (in the pool!?) -  yes, please!

Accessible travel is still one of my most favorite things about living in Honkers. Direct flight to a beachy resort in under 3 hours and within budget? sign me up.

Daddy's frequent work travel coming in handy --
Airport LOUNGE time with the fam is pretty swanky. *my first time*

arrival - Bear with her nose in a Kindle Book, and Bunny feeling like a travel pro

Arrival at hotels in Southeast Asia nearly always involves someone swiftly taking your bags and offering you a comfy seat while serving you cold-refreshing-hand-towels to wash up with. Whisked away on a golf-cart to our room at Plantation Bay Resort - we were met with the most delightful front-doorstep-view:

This little 3-feet-deep pool anchored a small cluster of rooms. Several of these in different variations are scattered across the grounds of Plantation Bay along with saltwater lagoons, a children's pool, waterslides, restaurants and an incredibly beautiful spa to boot. Spoiled much?

thinking of you - grandpa Jack! Know you love these flowers!!

Every effort to leave the hotel grounds in search of adventure was thwarted. It actually became ridiculous - with thunder storms moving in mere minutes before a boat departure, cancelling our trek, only to clear up within the half-hour. Being 5 months preggers, no-one wanted to risk taking us very far. With the very earth seeming to tell us we needed to BE STILL and CHILL OUT (something I don't do very willingly) -- we soaked up lots of rest and pool time. And of course - time at the small beachfront. Probably just exactly what we needed.

feeding the fish - then seeing Dad snorkle among them

 

bookworm or bar-girl ??

 A highlight - Watching our girls kayak and paddle board!! Got this.

because it's not fun if you don't get wet

- pause -
wait a minute.
linger.
breathe.
notice.
...
keep going.

Our family unit right now is pretty amazing. Two distinct and independent minded girls. Girls I'm proud of. A marriage of 16 years. A loving husband and excellent father. Living life with arms open, hearts open, and eyes wide. And always on the brink of something different because life is full of surprises and wonder. Which is felt ten-fold when you are expecting a child. Third child. Our "unit" is about to change and we don't yet know what it will be like, except that it's sure to be wild and crazy and wonderful. Plus, I turned 40 during this trip. Which is hitting me unexpectedly hard. So yes, in conclusion, a babymoon - a moment to pause before everything shifts - is a very. very. good idea.

Cebu, Philippines

Has it really been over a MONTH since I've posted!?? My goodness!

One of the perks of living in Hong Kong is the TRAVEL. Hong Kong is the home for Cathay Pacific Airlines. It's also a hop-skip-and-a-jump from many different cultures, climates, and getaways.

You can travel for 2 hours and be worlds away from your day-to-day life.

Not to mention - this is the SLICKEST airport boogie I've ever seen. Taxi to the MALL in Central. Get out. Check in. Check bags. Shop or eat or go to the movie theater (if you want). Take a super-speedy-bullet-train to the real actual airport. At the actual airport? I could happily while away hours easily with all of that people watching and shopping and eating!!! Beautiful and clean.

2 hours on a plane with individualized screens? CAKE WALK. Mommy and Daddy even got some time in for a digital (play-another-patron) game!

So off to the Philippines we went after Christmas! Tropical vaca in winter - here we come!

view from our room

Now, I can't truly write this post without the full disclosure that we actually didn't see much of the Philippines. We didn't even see much of Cebu. In fact - we left the airport on a "shuttle" (aka: well-loved mini van) and 15 minutes later arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel where we stayed. put. (For the record: Shangri-La is EVERY.SINGLE.BiT as good as it sounds.)

this friend of ABear's just happened to be on the same flight out of HK, staying at the same hotel. Beach playdate!

We played on the beach, swam in the various pools (too busy swimming to photograph, sorry!), ate ice cream, mini-golfed, lay in hammocks, played volleyball, listened to live music, mom-got-a-massage, dad-snorkled, and we played indoors during the typhoon (that was CRAZY).

making discoveries

random

watching hermit crabs

grainy sand - but full of life and coral bits

warm towels and drinks with umbrellas at your service

BunnyCakes had it figured out pretty quick. By day2 - she was trying to use room service to order her warm milk.

hermit crab olympics

They offered in-house babysitting for roughly $7 USD per hour - um yes please! So Jasper and I had two date nights. in a row. alone. drinks-music-food-conversation. seriously spoiled, folks.

chocolate for breakfast. Never seen so many sweets for bfast in my life! talk about a sugar-crash by 8 am.

Did I mention the FOOD!?

toddlers & kids :: serve yourself height. Lots of candy and sweets intermixed here.

who can resist a ferris wheel of chocolate muffins?? and a giant tube of marshmallows?

mom couldn't stay away from the donuts

All in all - a GREAT place for a family. Easy to get to. Easy to be there. Fun. Relaxing. Amazingly friendly and super-helpful staff. Best customer service I've seen in my life. Luxury without feeling awkward. Delish food.

I see why every family in HK has been to the Shangri-La in Cebu.