We thought we had set our phone alarm for 7.30 a.m. but for some reason we didn't wake until just after 9.00 a.m. Fortunately, our lie in didn't affect our schedule and we still had time for breakfast in the hotel before going out. Our plan for the morning was to take the MRT to …
Continue reading Day 8. Tai Kwun – Hong Kong’s newest landmark
A review of my three night mid-winter stay at the 4 star Lapland Hotels Tampere. Location Tampere is located in southern Finland, 160 km (100 miles) north of the capital Helsinki. Lapland Hotels Tampere is just a few minutes walk from the railway station and the city centre attractions. I flew from Helsinki and arrived …
On our first morning in Hong Kong we were awake quite early and were eating breakfast in the hotel's 2nd floor restaurant soon after it opened. The selection wasn't as extensive as at the Manila Sofitel but it was quite adequate for our needs. Our first task on leaving the hotel was to purchase two …
Continue reading Day 7. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong and the mid-autumn Fire Dragon Festival
We woke at 8.00 a.m. and enjoyed our final breakfast in the Sofitel where guests are really spoilt for choice as there are so many dishes to choose from. I started the day with a freshly made honey and oat smoothie which was delicious, then had some fruit and yoghurt before paying my last visit …
Continue reading Day 6. Leaving Manila and heading to Hong Kong
We enjoyed a long, leisurely Sunday morning breakfast in the Sofitel's attractive Spiral's restaurant enjoying glasses of Prosecco alongside our usual cups of coffee. The hotel runs a free shuttle bus service to the nearby Mall of Asia so we took the opportunity to have a look around and boarded the bus at 10.30 a.m. …
Location This five star resort hotel is located on Roxas Boulevard, just a short 15 minute taxi ride from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and close to the Philippine Cultural Centre. Arrival and Check-in As soon as our taxi drew up outside the hotel we were warmly welcomed by one of the concierge team who took …
Breakfast at the Manila Sofitel is absolutely delicious, the only difficulty being deciding what to select from the vast array of dishes on offer. We were shown to a table overlooking the indoor stream and settled down to a long, leisurely breakfast, eating too much as usual! After the previous evening's fruitless attempt at hiring …
Continue reading Day 4. Manila sightseeing followed by dinner at the historic Ilustrado restaurant
We must have slept for at least ten hours as we didn't wake until 8.00 a.m. It would be wonderful if all mornings could start like this as we drew back the curtains to be greeted with such a beautiful view of Manila bay. After showering in our luxurious bathroom we headed downstairs to the …
We had just over two hours to stretch our legs whilst in transit at Hong Kong airport. As it was early morning many of the airside shops and cafes had not yet opened so we settled for McDonalds where we had some hot drinks and took an opportunity to catch up on the news on …
Continue reading Day 2. Manila – our first impressions of the capital of the Philippines
It was a bright, sunny morning as I left my home to begin the first leg of my holiday. I met up with my son and we enjoyed a leisurely meal together in the centre of Manchester before continuing on to the airport by train from Piccadilly station. We had arranged to stay at the …
Continue reading Day 1. Flying Cathay Pacific to the Philippines
