Carlos and I needed a break. We’ve been so busy preparing our house for our baby that we’ve been feeling tired and a little burned out. Apart from the constant cleaning and organizing, we’re fixing the nursery and having furniture made. It’s been baby, baby, BABY on our minds these past couple of weeks, which is great, of course, we are SO EXCITED for our baby boy’s arrival. But it has also been exhausting to think of so many things and still work, do errands and housework.

I remember taking a staycation during my first trimester, and it really helped me re-energize and get back on my feet. Now that I am on my third trimester and I felt like I needed a vacation more than ever. But since I was already 35 weeks there was no way I could endure a long car trip or plane ride. Also I was advised by my OB-GYN to stay put, so the next best thing was really to go on a staycation. Luckily, I was offered a 2-night stay by New World Manila Bay Hotel, which included all-access to their amenities. I don’t think anyone could’ve said YES quicker–this was too good to pass up and this was exactly what we needed!

I grew up in Manila, so I am pretty familiar with this area. My grandmother’s house was just a couple of blocks away from the hotel, and my school and ballet classes were all nearby. This place always reminds me of my childhood, so you can say I was more relaxed than usual, especially since I had a scenic view of beautiful Manila Bay right in my hotel room. And what a hotel room it was! It was spacious, luxurious and complete. Plus, we were offered excellent amenities and service all the way through–we really couldn’t ask for anything more. In case you didn’t know, New World Manila Bay Hotel is a five-star hotel, so you can just imagine how pampered we were during our stay here. We ate at award-winning restaurants (I’ll be doing a review of Li Li and The Fireplace soon), swam and enjoyed at the Pool Bar, Carlos got an amazing massage (I was so jealous), and we spent the few days together doing nothing but relax.

And I have to say, New World Hotel Manila Bay pulled on all the stops to make our stay super comfortable. They stocked our room with Lush bath products, which I immediately used; sent a crazy amazing chocolate cake that I wasn’t too happy to share; and gave us full-access to the Residence Club executive floor, which has a 180 degree view of the Manila Bay, overflowing drinks and yummy treats (it’s the best place to watch the sunset). Carlos and I found ourselves so relaxed and happy at the end of our trip, we completely forgot all the stress we’ve been going through these past few weeks. Now we feel like a reset button has been pressed, and we could take on (and finish) all the baby preparations!

Huge thank you to Joey Silvestre of New World Manila Bay Hotel for taking care of us. We will definitely be back soon!