Another Trip to Clark

December 19 - Last December 5th, my Lola (grandmother) and Uncle Jimmy came to the Philippines for a 3-week Christmas vacation.  My Lola hasn't been to the PI since 1993 so this is a big deal for her.  She wanted to come back so she can see her great-grandkids Dana, Dylan, Den, Jianne, Justin and Sofia.  I believe that what also initiated her coming back was because my Mom couldn't make it and I guess it was in her honor that my grandma came back.

While they were here, the whole family was in a tizzy :) There was the bingo/family reunion during the fiesta.  She was able to visit her siblings in Cavite, was able to go to Baguio, and visit some of the sites here in the city.  She even got to see Avatar in IMAX hahaha good for her!

So, my sister Sharon and I planned to have a weekend get-away with her to catch up on stuff and to spend time with her too.  We planned it during the Christmas break so the kids will have no school.  So, we booked our rooms at the Lohas New Well-being Spa in Clark for the 19th and 20th.  We were all so excited!

Unfortunately, all the visits that Lola made plus the pollution and the climate took their toll on her and she ended up getting sick - almost pneumonia and some tummy ache too.  She wasn't able to go with us to Clark.. such a bummer.. We still ended up going because we didn't want to forfeit the deposit we made.  It was still fun though because we had my sister's family with us too.  Here is a slideshow of our swimming escapades :)  At that time, Sharon and Jowell were experiencing first hand the Korean Sauna, the Jimjilbang, so they weren't in the pictures.

For Dinner, we all went out and ate at the very popular A.C. Rumpa restaurant (short for Angeles City, Retired US Military Personnel Association) and had a blast eating their steak. But, unfortunately, we failed to take pictures because as soon as they served it, we dug in! LOL

As a Christmas treat, Den and I booked ourselves for a full body massage at the Hotel Spa too although I have to admit that the communication mix-up with the scheduling left me feeling frustrated and irritated.  The massage made up for it though :) All I can say is WOW! :D   

The next day, the kids all went back for a swim, naturally.  While they swam, we arranged to have a late check-out to really make the most of the trip.  I thought everything was okay until I received a call from the front desk that we were supposed to check out ASAP from the room.  It was my sister's room that was arranged to have a late check-out.  That was freaking terrible!! They were basically telling me to hurry up and get out of the room and I had kids to take care of and you can imagine cleaning up after them!! I was so mad I was like a bull charging at everyone!!  In the end, we had no choice but to hurry up but believe me, I was not taking this sitting down.. 

As we came to the front desk, I asked to speak with the manager but supposedly he was out.  I asked to speak with the Korean gal who appeared to be a higher-up but she supposedly did not speak English.  I ended up talking with the Filipino manager on the phone and I really complained about the lousy miscommunication mistakes that their staff keeps on repeating.  It was really horrible.  I really don't intend to go back there even if Patrick feels that they're still the best value in terms of accommodation in Clark.  I don't believe that sucky service should be patronized.   The manager tried to appease me but really, what else can you offer??

Anyway, after leaving the hotel, I asked Patrick to take us to the park so I can relax a little, all that massage for nought.  The kids and I had a great time running around hahaha My sister and her family, left ahead of us LOL probably scared of my tantrum hahaha Here are some pictures (slideshow)

We also found great picture moments there:

 

Finally, rounding out the trip with a dinner at Yellow Cab along the expressway.  It was a great meal to end an over-all great Christmas out-of-town trip.