We were looking forward to finally moving in a semi-swanky accommodation, something my parents and our backpacking infant truly deserve.
My sister hailed a cab along Avenida De Almedia Ribeiro, a couple of blocks from Sanva Hospederia. Only she and our parents with Luna in tow hopped in, for cabs in Macau allow a maximum of four passengers at a time. And instead of taking another cab, hubby and I walked to the bus stop near Grand Lisboa Hotel.
Bus 21A whisked us out of the bustling Macau Peninsula and to the almost-southernmost point of sleepy Coloane Island. The driver, who didn't speak a single English word, gestured for us to alight at a deserted stop after we showed him the hotel's name in Chinese on a piece of paper. We shuffled to and fro the street, in search of the hotel. It took us about five minutes to spot a teeny weeny sign and a staircase heading downhill, partially hidden by dense foliage.
The pool lies at the foot of the stairs. I found my father sitting on a lounge chair, lazily watching a couple of guests swimming despite the chilly climate. He rose when he saw us emerge from the bushy rear access and led the way to the front desk where my mom and sister were waiting.
The marketing officer I had been corresponding with regarding our reservation via email is Filipino. He swiftly processed our check in and handed us the keys. The bellman, another fellow Filipino, assisted us to our rooms. The whole family was awestruck as the doors unveiled beautifully furnished Portuguese-style interiors.
Four-star Pousada de Coloane Beach Hotel has only two types of rooms: The standard room which has twin beds, and the superior room which has a king size bed. Each of the hotel's 30 rooms has a jacuzzi and private balcony overlooking Cheoc-Van Beach. Such features made me choose this particular hotel. The rate of a standard room is 862.50 MOP, inclusive of service charge and tax (230 MOP per additional head, service charge and tax included).
We booked one room for two nights for my parents and sister, but only one night for me and the hubby (uhm, we slept at cheapo Sanva Hospederia again for our last night in Macau). 2,587 MOP is a hefty price which we shelled out the first time for accommodation (our post-wedding honeymoon suite cost only half of the standard room rate), but we never regretted such expense... Especially after seeing the sheer mirth in my folks eyes as they laid on their beds. Priceless.
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to idle. We're heading out that afternoon to see The Venetian and City of Dreams. So yeah, I had to drag my dreamy parents out of the plush sheets.
Macau Series: Meet My Backpacking Folks
Meet My Backpacking Folks
Century-Old SanVa Hospederia
Largo Do Senado: And The Family Chaos Continues
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35 comments:
November 29, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Comfort is our primary concern, thus we have to find a good accommodation and couple with service crews who really understand english is a plus thing. Awestruck din ako gaye sa ganda ng loob.:-). BTW, nice to be back here. Have a nice day to the family.
November 29, 2011 at 8:58 PM
Love the family photo! :D Now is the time to splurge naman hehe :D I want to go back to Macau din to backpack then bonggang accommodation sa last night. Will keep this post in mind :D
Btw, can't wait to read about your parents. Dali post naaaa! :P
November 29, 2011 at 9:05 PM
Ay wait ayun na pala LOL Akala ko Up Next T_T
November 29, 2011 at 9:58 PM
Kuya Bonz, room rate is our primary concern. Lol.
November 29, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Mica, we rarely splurge. And splurging while backpacking with parents is pretty justifiable :)
November 30, 2011 at 6:15 AM
If it were up to me, room rates first din. And if the Happy Meal is with us - proximity to the nearest patch of sand with water.
Plan on going to MAcau for the beach next time. Last time we were there, it was raining pretty hard
November 30, 2011 at 7:58 AM
ang galing.esp.yung mga beaches naman nila di masyadong crowded no so yung view maganda.hehehe.ito ba yung beach sa baba ng A-ma temple ba yun na bago sa taas ng bundok.me napansin kasi akong beach doon.:D
November 30, 2011 at 8:18 AM
Well justified splurge indeed, minsan lang tayo magtravel abroad with our parents.
November 30, 2011 at 8:49 AM
Eileen, oh yeah I remember! Happy Meal is a water baby too!
November 30, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Anton, I think it's a different one. I have not visited A-Ma Temple though :(
November 30, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Claire, so true. And they really deserve it!
November 30, 2011 at 2:02 PM
you're one of my fave writers bff! Feeling ko nakagat din ako ng lamok like Luna. hehe
November 30, 2011 at 2:05 PM
Biased ka BFF! Hahaha. Aylabyu :)
November 30, 2011 at 2:31 PM
Family photo, loved it! siyempre hindi pwedeng mawala si Luna dito. She's my idol, traveling the world kahit may gatas pa sa labi lol - ang classic ng hitsura sa loob ng room.
November 30, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Edmar, LOL @ "may gatas pa sa labi"... Haha. Literally :)
December 1, 2011 at 6:38 AM
khanto, ansaya naman dyan sa hotel na tinuluyan nio... gusto ko yung may bathtub. heheheh :D
December 1, 2011 at 6:40 AM
Khanto, nasulit ko sya kahit overnight lang kami sa room namin :)
December 1, 2011 at 9:26 AM
I miss this! Pero parang bitin!
December 1, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Gabe, we can't afford to stay longer eh. Hahaha!
December 1, 2011 at 11:09 AM
wow! sosyalan! nice ng mga rooms, its good to splurge once in a while esp kapag kasama family. :) cute ni Luna. congrats sa PBA! :)
December 1, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Gael, being nominated alongside awesome travel bloggers like you is already victory for me :)
December 1, 2011 at 5:00 PM
Haha you called that "semi-swanky" I wonder what a non-swanky looks like...glad ur folks and Luna got a well deserve rest in that place. Missed that part in Macau during my hurried daytrip haha
December 1, 2011 at 6:17 PM
Poor Luna suffered from the bites the whole time we were there :(
December 1, 2011 at 7:00 PM
may beach pala sa Macau? toinks. hehehe. saya Gay! next time, babalikan ko ang Macau pero I'll spend a day talaga dun. :D
December 1, 2011 at 10:50 PM
Yez Ed, on Coloane Island. Not outstanding though.
December 2, 2011 at 10:58 AM
such a far cry from your first accommodation. but yes, seemed a little pricey, too. is the beach any good?
December 2, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Not so spectacular, Gladys. And it was mostly gloomy when we were there so we were not able to fully appreciate it.
December 2, 2011 at 2:33 PM
What a beautiful hotel and truly worthy of a splurge. I love those headboards.
December 2, 2011 at 2:40 PM
I love those headboards for our own house!
December 3, 2011 at 7:32 PM
cheap accomodation is what i am after. but cheap accomodation doesn't necessarily mean a nasty or bad accomodation. ang cute ni luna.hihihi
December 4, 2011 at 4:40 AM
ganda ng bed! hehe
December 4, 2011 at 5:07 PM
wow ang ganda ng room!! Kung hindi lang sana mahal baka dyan din kami mag-stay ng barkada ko pag punta namin dyan sa March. kaso ang mahal!
December 5, 2011 at 2:45 AM
Joan, yeah it's really too pricey. But then again, it's pretty reasonable for Macau.
December 7, 2011 at 1:41 PM
Oh yay, the Macau series continues! I'm thoroughly enjoying these posts with the 'rents:-D
December 7, 2011 at 5:59 PM
Thanks Kim/MJ. Hopefully I finish it soon.
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