Microtel South Forbes (near Nuvali): Hotel Review

My sister planned a weekend get-away for both our families and our parents. It has been a while since we visited Enchanted Kingdom and thought it would be nice to rekindle lost memories together.  The last time we were there was about 11 years ago.  We were there with our brother, who now lives abroad; and my sister still single.   It was indeed a long time ago, but I can still remember the fun time aboard  Space Shuttle; And my My mom's first and last ride time ride Anchor's Away  (she almost disowned us, after that hellish ride).

We arrived at EK at 11am, and was overwhelmed with the volume of guests.   Too much for catching up with lost memories :P

We only got to ride the Bump Car (twice) and the paid 7D Theater.  The 7D was cool and my boys liked featured attraction on "Zombies".  We had lunch at the Amazon Grill (which was a bad choice, since we smelled like grilled chicken after, strolled a bit, again paid extra to play the Carnival games, bought souvenir shirts and jackets, before finally surrendering to the long lines and the full packed park.   Did we get our money's worth?  Nah!  It was way too crowded. We should have chosen a weekday to visit! 
We left the park at 3pm and headed to our humble accommodation for the night ~  MICROTEL South Forbes (near Nuvali).

Microtel South Forbes is about 25 kilometers away from Enchanted Kingdom. And took us 45 minutes to get there.

I love Microtel Rooms, they have spacious rooms and offer basic convenience to travelers at an affordable price.  

My sister handled the room booking and charged me P2600 for the room inclusive of breakfast.

Now about Microtel  South Forbes ~  check in was fast and easy. Having paid just a fraction, of a hotel cost, we already expected less than a 4-5 star hotel accommodation.

We got three deluxe rooms at ground floor.  All the rooms are spic and span.  We requested two queen beds for us.  The beds were comfortable and fits our family of 2 adults and 2 kids snuggly.

My boy testing his side of the bed :P

However, toiletries was lacking. And there are no slippers or bath robe to speak off. 

They do have a safety deposit box for your valuables and hair dryer.

There is also no in room refrigerator, instead the hotel services a mini-pantry with hot water, with coffee and tea, a vendo machine (also located at the ground floor).  They also have ice available at the 2nd floor. 

There is also no pool, which was a downer.  The kids would have loved that.  

Although very near Nuvali, where the action is, it is still about 10-15 minute drive (with traffic).  It would be an inconvenient commute if you are travelling by public transport.

Breakfast was served buffet style at the Umenoya.  Choices was limited, but surprisingly delicious.  We had our fill before our final check-out.    

Overall, we had a fine stay at the Microtel South Forbes.  It is a good halfway house, if you are heading to Tagaytay, which is just an hour away from the hotel.  

Microtel by Wyndham South Forbes
(near Nuvali Sta. Rosa) is located at
South Boulevard, South Forbes Golf City, Brgy. Inchican, Silang, Cavite

      (I got the following photos from the Microtel website).

For reservations and inquiries, you may contact them through the following:
Phone Number:+63(49) 543-4888
Fax Number: +63(49) 543-4800
Email: southforbes@microtel.ph   

Manila Sales Office
Phone Numbers: +63(2) 899-7171 | +63(917) 888-1800
Fax Number: +63(2) 870 0319
Email: sales@microtel.ph, reservations@microtel.ph

A Day at DreamPlay City of Dreams Manila

 City of Dreams Manila recently opened the door to it's latest attraction "DreamPlay". 

DreamPlay is an interactive play concept, where kids and adults alike can play, create and learn with their favorite DreamWork's characters.

(image taken from Wikia.com)

 

Let me help you in planning your family day out, by sharing with you tips from our own experience, visiting DreamPlay.

 

1.  Get your tickets at an SM cinema ticket outlet.  We got ours at SM Aura before heading to the theme park. It proved to be a wise decision as the line queue outside the park is quite long.  I must have saved 30+ minutes waiting time.

 

You can buy tickets via SM cinema online, but these would need to be exchanged for the actual tickets in an SM cinema outlet.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Weekend/Holiday ticket rate is more expensive.

If possible go on a weekday and save money on your tickets.  I am assuming it is also less crowded on a weekday, so you can get the most out of your money.

(please read through above the themepark's general policies)

 

3. You ask, how many hours does one need to visit DreamPlay? 

Well, the answer depends on the following:
a. the age of your children
b. what activities you want to do
c. volume of guests/visitors inside the park


It is a relatively small park and very easy to navigate, especially if for older kids.  I got my family, two (2) hours adult and children's tickets.  I figured, I can easily get a top-up/upgrade (should we decide to extend).  The extension hours though is a tad more expensive, but only by a few pesos.


4. There is separate queuing for guests with pre-bought tickets.  We were asked to enter the back door via the DreamPlay souvenir shop entrance. Look for the guest services.

Entrance was a breeze and only took us 5 minutes tops.

 

At the guest services, I was asked to sign a parental consent form for my kids.  I only used one form for my 2 boys.

 

The attendant got our names and assigned us each an RFID wrist band.  

 

 

 

5. What's inside DreamPlay? The park has six (6) mini-zones.

 

a. Kung Fu Panda's  Wall of Destiny and Furious Academy

 

 

 

 

 

 

My youngest is too small to try the Wall of Destiny and opted for the Furious Academy. The concept is much like a Wii game were participants are asked to follow the actions of the characters.

 

 

 

 

b. Shrek's Swamp Stomp. Younger children would love to play around Shrek's swamp home.  They also may register for free for a cooking class at Gingy's Kitchen. 

 

Cooking looked fun and kids looked adorable in their chef's costume, unfortunately Gingy's filled up early and the next available time slot is at 8:30pm.

 

 

 

 

c.  How To Train your Dragon. My boys made their own dragons and had the chance to make them fly. 

 

d. Madagascar's Whatever Floats Your Boat, guests make their own boats and test-floats them. 

 

  

 

The Afro Circus is a play area for smaller children.

 

e. Dinotrux. You can build and pilot your own reptools in this zone.

f. DreamWorks - Dream Studio, Dream Tales Library and  Dream Theatre

Learn to create your own animation.

Watch a 5 minutes 4D movie.

 

 

Spend hours inside the Dream Tales Library, where occasional story telling and puppet shows are held.

7. Hungry? There are food outlets inside DreamPlay, but quite expensive.  Good, we had heavy lunch before heading to DreamPlay, so we were still too full for merienda. We did get the kids fries and drinks before leaving, which left a 300+ dent in papa's wallet.

(P140 bottomless cup and P90 for the fries)

Note, eating also consumes your DreamPlay time.  I suggest having a hearty meal elsewhere, before heading to DreamPlay.

6. Remember to check your time, excess time is rounded to an

extra hour, even for a fraction of time exceeded.


VERDICT

• There are ample free indoor parking.  You only need to take an elevator and exit to the upper ground floor to get to the park, really convenient.
• Unlike most theme parks, DreamPlay does not issue park maps. We were actually lost for a good 10-15 minutes wondering what to do and where to go.  I recommend you research first on the activities they offer, to plan your visit well.
• DreamPlay is relatively small and is designed for kids 6-13 years old.  Activities for toddler guests is quite limited.
• Souvenir items were as expected expensive.  They were pretty cute though... but, yeah still pricey!

 

I am not sure my kids will be begging to come back anytime soon. It was a good experience, but my kids have been to better parks before, so it was a hard comparison, with the size and limited activities a bit of a let down. 

DreamPlay is located at the City of Dreams

Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City, Parañaque Manila

 

Fun Day with the Kiddo at Star City

 

It has been ages since my last Star City visit.  I have been wanting to go there with my children, but the distance and the traffic is quite unbearable!

 

 

I was glad, this came up as part of my son's school fieldtrip itinerary.

 

 

 

 

However, it was the last stop in our agenda and my kiddo was already tired. As I was visiting with a child we had to stick with the children's ride as some of the major ones are restricted to adult riders.

 

 

But no worries since, there are still so many rides to choose from:

 

1. Kiddie Bumper Cars (please don't mistake with the huge bumper cars ~ my son is a lot taller for his age and he passed the Adult Bumper Car ride, it was a big mistake as the Adult version was much faster and impact a lot harder).
2. Kiddie Ferris Wheel
3. Magic Tea Cups
4. Rodeo (a variety of vehicles that travel around a loop track)
5. Quack-quack (a duck carousel ride)
6. Magic Forest* (a trip around a mystical forest onboard a vintage train)

 

Other kiddie attractions, includes:

1. Little Tykes
2. Ball Pool

Rides for older kids, includes:

1. Happy Swing* (which gave me a bit of a headache)
2. Dragon Express (a roller coaster ride)
3. The Giant Ferris Wheel
4. Red Baron** (a plane ride)
5. Wacky Worm** (a mini - roller coaster)
6. Tele-combat* (a space ship ride)
7. Grand Carousel**

The ones in "*" are the my son's favorites.

 

Other Attractions we visited included:

 

The Peter Pan

 

 

 

 

 

Toy Chest

 

 

 

Admission Fee Php 65.00
Entrance inside Star City only. EXCEPT Mid-way games, coin operated machines, rides, attractions, Snow World, Lazer Blaster, Scream Avenue and Walk on Water.

 

3 Cheers Ticket Php 360.00
Three rides of your choice (Ride restrictions apply), EXCEPT mid-way games, coin operated machines, Snow World, Lazer Blaster, Scream Avenue and Walk on Water. Entrance fee included. (Ride restrictions apply)

 

Ride-All-You-Can (RAYC) Php 420.00
 

With Unlimited access to the following rides:

• KIDDIE RIDES: Quack-Quack, Kiddie Wheel, Little Tykes, Tea Cup, Kiddie Bumper Car, Rodeo, and Ball Pool.
• FAMILY RIDES: Grand Carousel, Happy Swing, Magic Forest Ride, Red Baron, Super TeleCombat, Dragon Express, Wacky Worm and Giant Star Wheel.
• OLDER KID, TEEN AND ADULT RIDES: Bumper boat, Bumper Cars 1 and 2, Jumping Star, Tornado and Blizzard
• EXTREME RIDES: Star Frisbee, Surf Dance, Jungle Splash, Star Flyer and Viking Ship
• ATTRACTIONS: Toy Chest (Coming Soon), Peter Pan, Time Tunnel, Pirate Adventure, Dungeon and Gabi ng Lagim

 

Additional fees required for the following attractions:

• Snow World Php 150.00
  Unlimited same day entrance. (Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.
• Star Dome: Heart of the Dragon Php 80.00
  Good for 1 (one) entry. Entrance fee excluded.
• Lazer Blaster Php 100.00
  Good for 1 (one) game only. (Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.
• Scream Avenue Php 120.00
  Good for 1 (one) film showing only.(Ride restrictions apply) Entrance fee excluded.

 

VERDICT

• I love that most of the rides are indoor. Given the country's hot and humid, or sometimes rainy weather, air-conditioned indoors is really welcomed. 
• Price on my personal opinion is affordable, considering the number of rides and attractions to choose from. 
• The rides are also located near each other, so you would have covered the entire place without wearing your feet off.   
• There are numerous food outlet around and merchandize aren't that difficult on the budget.
• Rest rooms and common areas are clean. 

 

For a worthwhile bonding experience with the kiddo ~ consider a trip to Star City!

 

 

Please check the Star City webpage for the latest promotion and park schedule updates here:  STAR CITY ~ MORE RIDES, MORE FUN!

 

 

 

Star City Location Map