MomMeCation At Manila Peninsula

The first few weeks into mommyhood, I honestly felt tired, exhausted and just drained. The overwhelming surge of endorphins gave an equal amount of challenges for me. After weeks of trying to keep up with motherhood, I knew I had to have a “me time”.  I remember my very first “me time” was a trip to the salon because I had to have my roots retouched. I was guilty of leaving lil’ Ms. GJG because being her mom, I know I should be with her 24/7. What made my guilt dissipate was realizing that I felt better after my quick trip to the salon. I felt recharged and happy being able to spend a few minutes for myself. Since then, I try to give myself “me time” once in a while, whether it’s a trip to the spa for a relaxing back rub or even a few minutes alone time in the bathroom. I believe every mom needs a break and once in a while a little indulgence is needed.

Manila Peninsula honors mothers through their MomMeCation package and they invited me to try it along with five other moms who also blog. Before I could pack my suitcase and on an off-duty mode, of course I had to ask the GJGs if I can go. Thankfully, Mr. GJG indulged me to take my time out from being a hands-on momma.

The Friday of Mother’s Day week, I was picked up at our home by Manila Peninsula. It was such a pleasant treat that I didn’t have to drive for myself. 😀 Ang sarap lang ng may driver. For once, I didn’t really care about the stop light or the jeep/bus stopping in the middle of the road, as I enjoyed the view from where I was seated with a warm towel & drink to make the travel even more comfy.

 

I was greeted by the staff of Manila Pen with a bouquet of flowers and when I entered my room, a doorknob made of chocolate was waiting for my arrival.

My suite had a spacious living room and dining room area. It also has a guest bathroom, a beautiful bedroom and an open walk-in closet that leads to the master bathroom. I also love the letter that came with the treats and Moet for me to indulge. As I was fixing my things, I found a cute card that lil’ Ms. GJG slipped into my bag *cue mushy comment*. It really made me smile and grateful to be her & her brother’s mom. I love, love, love petty moments like this. Lakas maka-taba ng puso. 😀

We were given an hour or two to settle in and just relax. I really wanted to sleep or swim but since I had a few pending posts to do, I decided to use my quiet time to blog. Our itinerary was pretty simple: pamper all the way! Some of us met up at the lobby & off we went to Rustan’s Makati for an hour of beautification courtesy of Murad.

Murad offers different skincare treatments and during our visit, I was able to try their AHA Facial and my therapist, Mirell used pomegranate for that extra fruity punch. I have a few breakouts on my right cheek but she managed to extract the unwanted without using any tools.

Jaymie of The Bull Runner, Ruth of Mommy Writes, Shen of Shen’s Addicition and yours truly. All of us had a relaxing facial and look at how refreshed we were. We didn’t even have any redness or signs that we had a facial no? Galing!

For dinner, we explored Asia at Spices. The restaurant is bound to give you a feel of what it’s like in Sri Langka or perhaps Indonesia- both which I hope to visit someday. Spices isn’t new to me as Mr. GJG & I have dined here twice already. The most recent was last year when our friend held his wedding entourage dinner. I loved the food  selection then, so I was eager to try the other dishes.

If you’re a fan of aromatic and authentic Asian cuisine then I highly suggest a lunch or dinner date a Spices. The floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the lush green and pool area of Manila Pen makes for a lovely place to ignite your palette, offering cuisines from Malaysia, Indoniesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India.

Delicious dinner at Spices. I personally loved the Asam Goreng- tender and flavourful beef stew, Channa Papadi Chat- spicy chickpea salad and of course the butter and cheese naan with dips. Janice of Mommy Mundo, Jaymie, Shen, Ruth, Neva of Manila Mommy and yours truly with our hosts, the friendly PR group of Manila Peninsula headed by Mariano Garchitorena (leftmost).

After dinner drinks soon followed at Salon De Ning.

The imagined life of Madam Ning is what makes up this bar and lounge inside Manila Peninsula. It’s got four themed semi-private rooms: The Boxing Room- a shrine to 1937 World Boxing Champion Joe Lewis; The Shoe Room- which holds 101 different shoes, The Zeppelin Room- inspired by her long friendship with German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin and The Shanghai Room which is the recreation of Madam Ning’s 1903’s mansion.

I capped off my Friday at Manila Pen with a warm bubble bath and slept soundly in my huge room. Come Saturday, I look forward to breakfast buffet at Escolta.

What I love most about Escolta’s breakfast buffet is that it offers fresh buko juice and fresh fruits. You can even request to juice a particular fruit. They also have taho (soy pudding with caramelised sugar and tapioca) and champorado (sweet chocolate rice pudding). Bacon, waffles and other pastries as breakfast staple were also available.

I took my time with breakfast as I usually do every time we stay at a hotel. Aside from the amenities, this is really something I look forward to. For me it’s the clincher and a deciding factor on whether or not we’ll stay again in the hotel. Let me just say that I plan to be back at Manila Pen with the GJGs. 😉

After my very filling and satisfying breakfast, I walked around and head out to the pool area. It was very inviting but I was pressed for time that I wasn’t able to take a dip. Instead, I head to the Fitness Center which is right beside the lounge area, where I was scheduled for a one-hour massage.

Calm, cool and collected na ko right after my invigorating one-hour massage. One of the best massages I’ve had in my life! To cap off our MomMeCation, we had lunch at The Lobby.

As I mentioned on my Instagram, I love celebrating Mother’s Day not because of the recognition but because I am lucky to have two adorable little human beings who call me Mom. Thank you so much Manila Peninsula for the wonderful MomMeCation. I truly felt like a queen, pampered from the moment I stepped foot at Manila Pen up until check out. For those of you who want to treat the special woman in your life whom you call Mom, Mama, or Nanay, you can still avail the MomMeCation package until December 31. 2015.

Find out the full details at Manila Peninsula MomMeCation

MANILA PENINSULA

www.manila.peninsula.com

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