The Kiddos are all present now, thank God. The Hubby arranged for us to have a weekend getaway. We went to Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu. I must say the kids were impressed with the place, especially the
suite room where we stayed. And that’s not easy for my I-don’t-care-for
anything boys.
Check-in time was 2:00 p.m. But we purposely went there
earlier to maximize the time.
My heart was leaping with excitement at the beauty of the manicured lawns and hotel structures. The building at the background is where the rooms are. The rooms there are either standard or suite rooms, with a choice of a garden or an ocean view. We chose a two-room suite with an ocean view.
We were hoping to stay at their villas, with its own jacuzzi or pool. However, the headcount limit is four persons, so we were not able to get one. Sayang lang, because there was not much difference in the room rates of a two-suite and and a villa.
But we were excited anyways.
A dip in the pool was the first thing in their minds.
The pool has a light current that circles another kiddie pool.
This was their kiddie pool. When Issa saw it, she got more excited because of the cute slides. She immediately tried one of the slides, but was rudely apprehended by the life guard. He shouted that the slides were just for kids, and she shouldn't have used it. I heard the whole incident from atop a bridge and I was tempted to tell off the said life guard. Yes, she made a mistake, but that didn't mean she should be embarrassed by him. I asked Issa if she wanted me to confront the life guard but she said to forget it. But the Daughter got a bit of a bad mood after that.
They actually had slides for the biggies. The green one was enclosed, the white one was open at the top, while the red and white one was supposedly the longest one but it wasn't open for use. I don't know why. Anyways, Issa and Carlo tried the green one.
You have to sign up first and abide some safety rules, like no watches, earrings, and other accessories on your body. Issa had six earrings (yes, six ear piercings!), so she had to painstakingly remove each one before she was allowed to get a rubber mat.
There were four flights of stairs to be conquered before you reach the mouth of the green slide.
Carlo came out first.
And then came Issa.
I actually tried the slide the next day. But underwhelmed, I was. The slide was enclosed so you couldn't really see where you are going. Nah, not at all satisfying. Issa said it was dizzying. I kinda agree.
And where was Paolo and the Hubby? Well, Paolo said he didn't find any satisfaction in that thrill, and the Hubby had to order for food and act as our bag guard.
We ordered lunch at the pool bar, but was kind of disappointed. The choices were few, with actually half of the items on the menu not available. The pizza dough was undercooked, and the sauce topping was too salty. The other food was just okay. Well, we were expecting for better-tasting entrees since everything on the menu was Php500 up, not to mention local bottled water was Php60.
But still, the Kiddos must eat. Baka pumayat e. Hahaha!
And the mother hen? Hayun, nag-zumba! (I hadn't done that in a month!) There was an instructor who led an aerobics section at the pool side. So in-avail ko lang po ang freebie!
At lunch time, the pool side became deserted. Everybody had gone off for lunch. Our room would still be available by 2:00 p.m. So what else was there to do but to take some vanity photos.
We were able to coerce Carly to smile.
Their beach was clean, but we were not attracted to swim in the sea. Picture-taking na lang.
O di ba emotera raw, like what my newly sworn US citizen best friend Marie said.
At the background were the cabanas, for those who don't want to stay overnight. One can just avail of their Day Tour (Php1,900/pax) and Night Tour (Php1,600/pax) including buffet lunch or dinner. But each cabana costs Php3,000 daw.
Shh! Issa has lost 20 pounds since she started college.
She is the prettiest for me! (She'd kill me if she read this!)
...almost eighteen, but still eight years old at heart!
Enough of mother rants. At exactly 2:00 p.m., we were told that our room was ready.
First thing Issa blurted when she entered the room? "Faaaaancy!"
The living area...
We had to pay for an extra bed, which was really unnecessary, given both rooms were quite spacious.
The kitchen/bar. They didn't provide for utensils and dishes though.
The master's bedroom...
...and the second bedroom. There were three flat screens tellies for TV addicts, and believe me, this family needs its boob tube fix (except moi)!
There was a bathroom for each of the rooms. The kuripot in me raided the freebies at once ---shower caps, loofahs, vanity kits--mine all mine! Hahaha.
Oh, and there was a jacuzzi-like bathtub in the master's.
The best part of it all was the view from the balcony.
Sosee mag-kodakan!
I think the ocean view room was so worth it.
Looked like a poolside diorama from the top, right?
And the night view wasn't that bad at all! We couldn't resist the lure of the pool, so we swam until 7:30 p.m. And then we went off to the nearby Sutukil (SUgba, TinUla, KInilaw) near the Mactan Shrine.
The next day, we woke up at 8:00 to avail of the free breakfast. Normally, the Kiddos would rather sleep late than eat breakfast. Not this time, though. The buffet breakfast was part of the package and it costs Php1,250 each, so they had to eat. Hehe. Besides, it was the best time to go swimming. The sun was out and the pool was clear.
Let's swim!
My inakays.
Issa wanted to get some floaters so we went to the other pool, the one with the current. I tried it but I got dizzy after a round on the floater. Must be the heat, the current, and yeah, my age. Haha.
But she didn't mind it at all.
I had to forgo the darned yellow thing and just float my nausea away.
Time to go home. I think we achieved our purpose of emotionally bonding with the kids.
We were able to have a one-on-one heart-to-heart talk with them, especially the boys. They needed that---Paolo is going to Diliman, while Carlo is going back to Iloilo in a few weeks time. They needed to be assured that their mom and dad are always around to support them, while I also needed the assurance that they are still my babies, however bigger than me they appear to be.
As for the Daughter, we had more LOL moments, as always.
Oh, part of the package was a welcome drink for each of us. We got it while the Hubby was checking out, so it turned to be a bye-bye drink.
Bye, Imperial Palace. You have given us a great time. And more.
Summer vacation will be over in just two weeks. I’m dreading the end of it more and more.
I wish I could capture these three in a teeny time bottle.
