Weekend family treat

When I saw a deal for a two-bedroom suite in Holiday Inn Manila Galleria a few months back, I thought it would be good way to celebrate my nephew Ciera's birthday. The deal was pretty good - the room was really big (it was a two-bedroom suite, after all) and the reservation came with buffet breakfast for four adults and kids 12 years old and below eat for free. The fact that it was located right next to Robinson's Galleria made it very convenient for me and my family to head out and eat and shop.

We checked in at around 4:30pm but unfortunately for my nephews, it was raining so they couldn't really use the swimming pool. Instead, I just took them and Nanay (my grandmother) to the mall. I got Ciera his birthday gift - a lego set based on the Xbox game Halo. Nanay doesn't have a lot of chances to go to the mall, especially not ones that are far from her house - so we used this opportunity to look for new shoes for her. We finally found a pair she liked in Celine and I got her those as well. We decided to quickly pass by the supermarket to get some groceries before dropping everything off at our hotel room and getting ready for dinner.

While there are a lot of restaurants in Galleria, I thought it would be great to bring my family to TGI Friday's. While my mom and I have eaten here before, it was the first time for my nephews and Nanay. Nanay was still full from their late lunch but she had a bit of my dish and my mom's dish while my nephews enjoyed their Baby Back Ribs and Grilled Porkchops. We saw the Fried Ice Cream in the menu and my nephews seemed really interested to try it. By the end of dinner, we were all pretty full. :)

My brother joined us for our early morning breakfast the next day and we all got to enjoy a pretty hefty meal to start off our day. Everyone else went back to the room but I took Ciera to the swimming pool. It was still drizzling slightly but there were a lot of other people there despite the weather so we spent about an hour in the pool before heading back to the room.

We checked out at 1pm and I took my family to Old Swiss Inn - I had another deal voucher for P1000 worth of fondue in Old Swiss Inn. People weren't in the mood for chocolate fondue that afternoon so we used my voucher to order the Fondue Bourguignonne. It was my first time having this fondue in Old Swiss Inn and it turned out to be a fun experience for everyone as the prime beef tenderloin cubes served to us were still raw, and we had to cook it ourselves by dipping it in hot oil.

We caught the 3pm mass in Greenbelt before heading home. Along the way, we decided to visit Tatay in the cemetery. We were a bit lucky as well as right after we finished our prayers for him and got into the car, it started drizzling again. I then brought Nanay to her house before heading back home with my family. It was a really great weekend filled with new experiences for me and my family - even staying in Holiday Inn was a first for all of us. I reckon I should plan something similar for my birthday.