Birthday Staycation at Shangri-La during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert)

Howdy homies! Now that I have officially turned 30, I'd be lying if I still say I'm in my 20s. so I will admit to be Uncle Thomas. If you do not know, since years ago, I've been spending my birthdays oversea - Bintan, New Zealand, Japan.. and then this nasty COVID came. Long story short, it's my second year in Singapore during my birthday, and Lady M was so nice to book me a staycation at Shangri-La, and includes all sorts of fun activities, like...

Kid's water playground, kid's indoor playground, swimming and painting with Olivia. Great (for our daughter), ain't it.

This is our fourth staycation during this period, with the rest being Equarius Hotel, Andaz, Marina Bay Sands, so we do have certain expectations.

Check-in

Awesome check-in experience because it was literally empty. Briefed us through the necessities and handed us some sanitary freebies. Then there was this nice lady who came by to give little Olivia a pack of goodies containing some DIY 3D castle, coloring materials and an activity book (basically to keep her entertained during the stay). Little gestures like this are HUGE plus points to parents like us.

The SHOPHOUSE bakery was still open, so you can get some quick bites here if needed. 

The Garden Wing Room

Apparently they have various wings, like the Tower, Valley and Garden wing. Lady M got the garden wing with perks like.. a lot of greenery. 

Teatime at Glasshouse @ CHJIMES, Singapore

It has been a while since I posted something, just related to food. As parents of a 2YO girl, you could imagine planning our schedule and weekend trips just to cater for her. Hence, before we head to an animal exhibition (Human X Nature, National Library, now till 21 Sep 2021), we decided to stop by Glasshouse at Chjimes, a casual 5-min walk away from the library.

Glasshouse is just like its name suggests, a contemporary coffee and bar toast. Yes, inside a glass box house. Expect to walk into a chic-Scandinavian setting - a design I would love for my house. It didn't have baby chairs, but some seating are low enough for our girl to climb up with ease.

Its menu weren't extensive, with a limited selection of toast and sides. However, just perfect for us as we were just grabbing some drinks and a small bite before heading to the museum (and trust me, as a parent, your selection is gonna revolve around your child). I'm either a coffee or a matcha person, so if I'm not holding my favourite black coffee, chances are, it's a matcha. And, theirs hit my sweet spot - thick, strong and a tinge of bitterness. Lady M on the other side, loves tea.

Staycation at MBS + Infinity Pool

Apparently we can't travel overseas until God knows when, so Singaporeans are turning to staycations more often than ever either to take a break or to utilize their Singapore ReDiscover vouchers. So when CNY comes, we thought why not take another short break during the long weekend, this time at the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

Lunch buffet at Rise

The check-in was pretty smooth and took slightly more than 20 minutes, afterwhich we went to Rise for a nice international buffet, where we got to enjoy free flow oysters, sashimi, abalone, and king crabs.

It was the CNY period, so they even had a God of Fortune mascot walking around greeting everyone. Olivia was so excited that she kept doing the "gong xi" hand gestures to him.

The Room

We got the Deluxe Room with a garden view, which is pretty superb as we get to see the majestic super trees with a backdrop of the vast Singapore straits (the other side is facing the Singapore river and floating stadium). 

The toilet is huge and spacious, which could easily hold 10 persons (for any needs).

Shortly after lunch, we went for a quick nap. Thank God for the blackout curtains.

Birthday Staycation at Andaz Singapore

For Olivia's big two in November, we decided that it's time we take her for a little staycay. We actually searched high and low, considered a lot, including availability, kid-friendly amenities, budget and distance. We contemplated between Shangri-la and Andaz, because the former has a huge built-in kids playground in the hotel (that's the things you look for when you have kids). 

Unfortunately, it wasn't available so Andaz was the hotel to go.

We headed onto Klook and got a really good deal for Andaz Singapore. For just $280, we got a Deluxe City View Room, and that comes with:

Set Breakfast for Two Adults + One Child

SGD$100 Dining Credits

Free Mini-bar Amenities 

(including beer! Sorry got to add this in)

Our residence is pretty close to Andaz, so there were several occasions that we bought little Olivia for a walk there. She absolutely love the fountains by the way. Now that we are inside Andaz, she "wow"-ed even more.

[PROMOTION] RWS Luxury Staycation at Discounted Rates!

When we heard that our Sydney travel plans got cancelled in July due to the stupid coronavirus, we were devastated. It was the trip that we anticipated for more than a year, and we were just excited to attend the Hillsong conference, go on mini road trips and slurp some oysters at their famous fish markets. And not to forget a few days of really, really good night sleep. If you do not have kids, or if your little ones can sleep through the night, good on you, because we have absolutely zero idea why our darling Olivia still wakes up between 2 to 10 times per night.

In short, we needed the trip. To unwind, to relax, and to sleep.

Yes, so we were devastated.

A few weeks gone by, till early August, when my wife's birthday is around the corner, and I thought what better gift is there than a good staycation (albeit without our little one). The first place that popped to my mind was Sentosa, I mean, what better place is there to feel like a good staycation? We stay in the CBD by the way, so a hotel in town isn't much of a difference.

AND.

They have an excellent promotion starting only at $328 NETT for an "Indulgent WONDER" 2D1N staycation at either Equarius Hotel or Hotel Michael. And that's not it. It also includes the following:

Stay in Deluxe Room (Equarius Hotel or Hotel Michael)

Set Breakfast for two

Two S.E.A. Aquarium Adult One-Day Tickets

SGD$50 F&B Dining Credit

Complimentary RWS Invites $30 per stay

Complimentary parking

Our stay at Resort World Sentosa

My wife has something against Hotel Michael's interior, so I booked Equarius Hotel instead. 

Because of the social distancing measures, all check-ins are staggered, so we had ours arranged at 3pm. Proper measures like contact-tracking, temperature screening, declarations, and 1-meter apart queues are set in place, oh by the way, hotels have to meet strict regulations and screening to be approved for staycations.

So you can rest in peace. Oh, I mean stay with peace.

Brighten Your 2020 with Flowers

2020 hasn't been the greatest year. We started the year with pandemic, extradition protests, racial riots, economic recession, and what not. Sure our lives get affected, but that doesn't stop us from getting warm and romantic with our partners and parents. Birthdays, anniversaries, small and big celebrations should still on, even if we are stuck at home.

If diamonds are a girl's best friend, flowers would be next. That's why flowers would never go wrong.

An award-winning Singaporean florist, Angel Florist Singapore has been offering a wide range of beautifully crafted flowers and gift hampers since 2007. No matter what's the occasion, they have flowers for that special day, to see smiles get lit up on your favourite person's face.

Valentines? Anniversary? No problem.

New born baby? Birthday parties? Sup sup water.

Mother's Day? They got you covered.

Your friends opening a new venture? Yup, that too.

If you're not sure where to start, hand bouquets are a safe and wise choice. To start with, they have over a whopping 100 different choices of bouquets. You know what's the best thing?

FREE SAME-DAY DELIVERY. Yes, you heard that right. Free delivery. AND on the same day. Last minute delivery? No worries. Plus, you you don't have to worry about hidden delivery costs which you would need to add upon check-out.