Our Fabulous Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Family Staycation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Love should always be openly expressed, not only during the Love Month of February, but every single day of our lives. This is why we should take every opportunity for quality bonding moments especially during weekends which are supposed to be spent and dedicated only for our loved ones.

Though most of the time we can't stop working on our work load even at home, we should take advantage of every instance when we could really be with our loved ones and away from the hectic requirements at the office.

Thus, we very much appreciated an opportunity to be with my better half and children where we could spend the days at a great weekend hotel staycation at Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila located at Ortigas, Pasig city.

"The Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila offers luxury apartments equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and world-class amenities to fulfill the modern-day client's need for space and security in an elegant environment, combined with highly-personalized service, and the comforts and conveniences of home."

It had become a home for the Miss Earth 2016 beauty pageant candidates where my husband had the opportunity to meet last year before this scheduled staycation. I have to say that the place is elegantly suited for present and future beauty queens to stay in and consider as their second home.

Before proceeding to the hotel, we headed first to a restaurant nearby for lunch of pizza and pasta, among others. The place was called Joey Pepperoni, or Joey Pep for short, and it's located just along Pioneer in Mandaluyong. The restaurant is owned by one of the most popular businessmen in the Philippines, Joey Concepcion. We had some left-over pizzas too that we were able to bring to the hotel for some afternoon snacks later. We will share the story about it in detail soon at a separate blog post so you would get an idea how splendid their meals are.

My family and I arrived at Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila at around 2 pm, which was a little early for the 3 pm check-in time for serviced living accommodation. However, the accommodating staff informed us that the room is available already so we can proceed directly to room 2104 which is at the 21st floor.

Since the place is an apartment - hotel, families who will be visiting the Philippines could even opt to rent a room here instead of a house at a subdivision which would be more expensive. The lifestyle here is made more convenient being very near the popular malls in Ortigas like the biggest here which is SM Megamall, or the Robinson's Galleria mall, and the nearest which is the Podium mall, that are such short walks away from the hotel.

The moment we opened the door, we were all excited with the very spacious air-conditioned room given to us. There was a kitchen, a dining table, a huge living room with LED TV plus sofas and study table to complement along with the view of the Ortigas area specifically the Asian Development Bank where its helipad can be clearly seen from our 21st floor room, and the equally big bedroom with its own LED TV too. It had just one bed, but it is big enough for the four of us. The room also had its own study table at one corner and a few more seats and side tables at other parts of the room.

The kitchen is complete with all the luxury we would ever need if we are to live there permanently. These are washing machine, dishwasher, induction stove, microwave and gas oven, refrigerator, and plenty of cooking utensils and accessories.

The closet had a steam iron, a safe, bath robes, slippers, and other miscellaneous stuff, and the bathroom had a bathtub and many other amenities including its own LED TV so you won't miss a show even while using the bathroom.

We took several photos and videos to preserve memories of our family bonding. It was just too bad that our eldest could not join us since she has a group thesis work with her classmates that weekend. Of course we missed her so much that she could not join us for this family staycation.

To continue with our worth reminiscing experience, we went down to the 6th floor to explore the indoor swimming pool with Jacuzzi, and their huge gym at the 7th floor. The pool requires everyone to be in proper swimming attire so we rushed over to the nearest mall to buy the cheapest we can find. At around 6:30 pm, my family and I enjoyed the pool and Jacuzzi for almost an hour.

We couldn't show you the insides of the locker rooms since its supposed to be a private place where we dress up or down for shower and sauna, but I must say its an awesome place to continue pampering yourself with great amenities. If I was not holding a monopod in one hand, it would be two thumbs up always for Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center for having amazing facilities.

As expected, there were many guests at the pool that night because that's the best time to swim and frolic in the water. It was a good thing that the pool is huge for all of us. I saw the happiness in everyone’s eyes as they indulge with the relaxing Jacuzzi including my sons. I truly missed my daughter because she missed this seldom opportunity to spend quality time with family.

Swimming is a good form of exercise too and afterwards we definitely felt our hunger after the said activity. My kids heated the pizza for dinner but I knew it was not enough for all four of us.

Thus, my better half and I went out again and bought something to eat for take-out at the Podium mall nearby, specifically at Burgoo restaurant. We took advantage of their mouth -watering promo that time where you can get the same combo dish for the price of one - lots of pork ribs, chicken and calamari for only Php1,500.

The rest of the night was enjoyed watching TV, and my two sons finishing their assignments for school. We laid our backs in the comfy bed at around 12:00 midnight. The Internet was so fast that I was able to upload many photos and videos from past events that night.

But I believe our two sons were still working on their laptops while watching the TV before they slept early in the morning. Well, that's how they've always been even back at home, but the comfort experienced here at Oakwood Premier was elegant living at its best. It would have been paradise if we had our own garden with a zoo, plus our own pool in the room. Lol!

A yummy buffet breakfast was waiting for us in the morning at their Nostalgia Dining Lounge where we indulged on the feast. You simply can't manage to try all the dishes in just one seating so be sure to eat your favorites first. I start with a cup of hot chocolate, and followed it with different kinds of breads and pastries. The main dishes usually follows but I tried first the many flavored yogurts, and the nuts and cereals combined, then the assorted fruits - in an effort to eat healthier. But still had room for the main dishes but with only a few spoons of rice to go with the many viands. Among their fruit juices, I had to stick with the apple juice as I made my way to the rest of the meals. Still, I wasn't able to try everything they have to offer that morning for my tummy was already way too full to have more.

Thank you very much Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostag Center for a fabulous weekend family staycation at your place. We hope you can invite us again for another overnight.

Our observations: There were no special treatments as we were there like any ordinary family, though there were no offers to upgrade our beds by adding additional beds, and the breakfast allocated was only for two even after seeing that there were four of us.

But that's our fault since we never mentioned there will be four of us. It was supposed to be a couple staycation so we were already decided to share the bed among the four of us even before we went there. But since the room had a big sofa and plenty of other soft-cushioned seats, the two boys snuggled comfortably there since we were able to request for extra pillows and blankets.

We were also able to request for extra slippers, towels, toothbrushes, etc. to make it a lot more convenient for us.

The people managing the pool area were strict in only allowing proper swimming attire, which is a big positive for us since we also want an establishment that conforms to the high standards.

Of course since check out time was 12 noon, we had to go to another restaurant for lunch.We visited Skippy's Bar & Grill located at the Forum of Bonifacio Global City. You'll hear more about our dining experience at a separate blog post soon.


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Photos by Ross Del Rosario using Oppo F1s smartphone camera

Written by Wilma Quintans Del Rosario