Jollibee

CHRISTMAS 2021 AT GRAND HYATT HOTEL MUSCAT

December 27, 2021 by Little Miss Honey

We have advanced booked staycations in differnt for Christmas and New Year. For Christmas, we chose Grand Hyatt Hotel for a 2-days stay.

The night before our staycation, the kids were a bit under the weather. Zeke fell off the bed 2 days before and been limping. We went to the hospital to do an xray for him and thank God, there was no fracture. However, he can’t really walk properly. We have to carry him around the house or he uses his knees to go from one spot in the house to another. Naj and Howell have vomiting too and have to give them some medicines. I, too, was not feeling well especially that it was the the time of the month and I been feeling nauseous with a throbbing headache.

On the morning of December 24, we headed to Muscat with our bags. We were excited even if we were all feeling a bit unwell. When we got to Muscat, we headed as usual to Jollibee for our breakfast.

Once we had our breakfast, we proceeded to the hotel to check in. It was located in Qurum area near the beach. The hotel looks like an old castle with beige brick-stone Arabian architecture. We parked our vehicle in the parking lot and we have to walk in this steep inclined walkway up to the hotel lobby hauling our bags with us. It was quite inconvenient for us especially with Zeke who can’t walk well long distance.

Once we entered the hotel lobby, the whole place was decked in Christmas trimmings. There is a corner with a Gingerbread House and a large Christmas tree at the center of the hotel

A nice Omani receptionist checked us in. We realised that we have booked the room for one adult only so we have to pay additional 20 riyals for my stay. The interiors of the hotel shows particular details in every corners that is very much like the castle-like facade of the hotel. Unfortunately, everything looks quite old: the carpets, the furnitures, etc. The receptionist lead us to a narrow hallway where the lift is somewhat hidden that would take us to our room. We were in Level 2 near the Mokha Cafe. The structure of the hotel reminds me of a cabins in the ship we took going to Manila from Iloilo City.

When we entered the room. It is huge and stately. There is a big king bed, a big office-type desk & chair, a lounge chair and a terrace. The bathroom has a shower, toilet, bidet and a tub. The room lights are dim and yellow. The hotel room does looks old and in need of refurnishing. The bathroom have brown stains in floors and corners.

We had created some sort of tradition (because we often do staycation) is to take a family photo on the bed of the hotel.

We fixed our stuff and we explored the pool area for a bit before we head out to the mall. We saw the Mokha Cafe with its indoor and outdoor dining. We booked a Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet there for the night. From there is the pool areaz There were a lot of Caucasians relaxing in the pool, enjoying the sun. There is overlooking the lovely view of the Qurum Beach.

We left the hotel to go to Oman Avenues Mall. The kids checked the toys they wish Santa would give them, *wink wink at Kiddy Zone. Then we went to the food court for lunch. J ordered pizza and chicken popcorn at Papa John’s while I head back to the Kiddy Zone to buy “Santa’s gifts” for the kids. When I joined them in the food court, I slide the large plastic bag at J’s side of the seat. When we were eating, J looked shocked and said, “What is this?! Santa’s elves delivered these for you!” Kids were so excited and said, “Wow, it was not there earlier! It is magic” Haha! We told them they can open it tomorrow on Christmas Day when they wake up.

We went back in the hotel. We found Christmas cookies and a card in the side table which is a nice touch.

Zeke and I were not feeling so good so we drank our medicines that I bought in the pharmacy. We stayed in the hotel room while J accompanied the kids to swim in the pool.

Before 7pm, we prepared for our Christmas Dinner Buffet at the hotel. We were received by a nice Filipina manager that is in charge of managing the event. We were seated inside the restaurant in a round table good for 5 people. There were 5 cuboid gifts in our table. We were instructed to pull both ends and possible a gift will be inside.

The buffet was outstanding. It was 24.948 omr for adults and 12.474 omr for kids above 5 years old. The variety of food is amazing. The salad bar has so many choices. The bread corner has a wonderful spread. There were a cheese and charcuterie corner too. Several main dishes for meat lovers and vegetarians. There are Christmas pudding and soups. There are roasted chicken and roasted beef. The dessert table is so divine with so many cakes, pastries and a chocolate fountain. My small gluttonous tummy can’t seen to fit all the food choices even if I wanted too. We got water refills throughout the meal. For beverages, it is not included in the package. However if you prefer unlimited beverages with spirits & alcoholic drinks, the package is 17.010 omr. J opted to order just 2 beers because 17.010 is too pricey.

I enjoyed the salads. I love the squash gratin and rolled chicken. I enjoyed the triple layer chocolate cake. The kids love the Christmas cookies a lot.

The kids got a shoe horn, a fan and a magnifying glass in their little gifts. Inside also have folding crepe paper that you can make into a crown.

We had a lovely time. The food was amazing. Kids enjoyed too. However, J and I realised our stomachs are not built for buffet eating. So we may rethink buffets for next Christmas and opt for a nice dinner in a restaurant next time.

The Next Day: Christmas Day

We were so tired from the day before plus Zeke been waking up several times during the night because he was not feeling well, so we missed the free morning hotel breakfast. We just let the kids open their Christmas gifts. The kids and I bathe in their tub using Lush rainbow bath bomb for a bit. We love bathtubs! Then we prepared to go to Mall of Oman because J booked a movie at 2:00 PM at their Vox Cinema. We strolled around the new mall and see what are the new stores that opened. By 1:30 PM, we proceeded to their Vox Cinema. We already paid the tickets online so we just ordered some food. We got a big tub of caramel & cheese popcorn, nachos, 2 chocolates and drinks. The Vox Cinema looks great! It was very spacious and looks like a state of the art facilities. J picked the movie: Spiderman No Way Home. The kids are excited to see Spiderman in the big screen.

I truly enjoyed the IMAX movie experience in their Vox Cinema. I love the movie! I am so surprised how much I love the movie so much since I am not much of a superhero fan, thoug Dr. Strange is now my favourite Avengers now. Kids enjoyed it a lot too and surprisingly, they were entertained and were sitting contently watching the movie. I am glad J suggested to watch a movie for Christmas Day.

After the movie, we went to Muscat Grand Mall and ended up in Oman Avenues Mall to buy take out dinner. J started feeling unwell too and started to have a slight fever. I gave him some paracetamol to take.

Going Home Time

Next morning, we made sure we get to have our morning brunch at the hotel. We glad we did. We sat outdoor and it was just lovely. Kids enjoyed the waffles and pancakes. I was happy with my cappuccino and turkey bacon. Too bad, I was able to get french toast because it wasn’t refilled.

We packed our belongings and check out at 1 PM. Grand Hyatt Hotel has its appeal but I am not sure if I would want to book a stay there again. They have a policy that they will only clean the room you stayed at after your 4th day of stay unless you call for a clean up. We informed them that if they can clean our room on the day we went to Mall of Oman at around 11:30 AM. But when we got back, our room was still not cleaned. In spite of those little glitches and the old moldy vive of the hotel, the overall experience was satisfactory.

Any other hotel recommendations for us for our next staycation?

Grand Hyatt Hotel Muscat

Shatti Al Qurm, P.O. Box 951, Muscat, Oman, 133
Tel: +968 24 64 1234 | Fax: +968 24 60 5282 | muscat.grand@hyatt.com

STAYCATION EXPERIENCE AT HILTON GARDEN INN DURING RAMADAN & LOCKDOWN

June 15, 2021 by Little Miss Honey

Since staycations has been our official way of celebrating birthdays in our family, we booked ahead for our sons’ birthdays. Last May, we booked a stay at Hilton Garden Inn for our 3rd son’s 3rd birthday. We, however, didn’t anticipate that there will be a lockdown plus it coincided with Ramadan time. We planned to drop by Philippines Embassy for some transactions but we learned they are closed! Lesson learned that we should have checked the schedule first before dropping by. We also dropped by Oman Avenues Mall to learn that all commercial establishments were all closed. Oppss! We just bought take out from Jollibee before heading to the hotel. We couldn’t eat in the restaurant or even in our car because it was Ramadan. Out of respect for our Muslim brothers and sisters, we should not eat in public until sundown. This practice is not new to me because I experienced that too when I was studying in Saudi Arabia that we should be mindful not to eat in public before sundown even chewing gum is prohibited.

We, then, headed to Hilton Garden Inn which is strategically located in Al Khuwair. It just nearby Jollibee and Oman Avenues Mall.

We were greeted by a nice friendly Filipina hotel receptionist, Ms. Janet. She helped us with the checked in. Check in was swift and easy. We were informed that the pool in the top floor is closed because of the pandemic restrictions. We got the King Connecting Family Room. We was basically two rooms with one King bed in one room and two single beds in the other when our two older sons will sleep in, with a connecting door to both rooms. We got the room at 34 Omani rials without breakfast included.

The design of the rooms are pretty much basic hotel decor with lots of beige colour. The view from our room is the street with a nice little garden park and a playground below. I like best is the lighting streaming inside our rooms.

The bathroom has a bathtub which the kids are happy about. No pool? No problem, as long as there is a bathtub, they are happy. Also their toiletries are from Crabtree and Evelyn which smells divine and feels luxurious on the skin.

Once we settled down, we prepared Zeke’s birthday cake and our Jollibee lunch. We bought again at Isfahan Sweets for birthday cake. We got the Honey cake again which is the same cake we bought for my birthday.

We rested a bit and watched a bit of TV. Since there is no malls open or the pool is not open for swimming, we headed down to the playground for the kids to play. The kids enjoyed playing at the free public playground which my husband and I relaxed at the nice garden park. There were a few people jogging around and some using the public exercise installations at the park.

Since the lockdown was imposed at 7:00 PM, we ordered delivery via Talabat using their easy-to-use app. We choose Yellow Cab for dinner time and the delivery was fuss-free and punctual. We got our food from the Talabat delivery guy and headed up to our room.

We had a very filling dinner. We enjoyed the rest of the night in our hotel room.

In the morning, we woke up a little late. We, again, ordered our brunch via Talabat. We choose Chowking for brunch.

We made sure we had a heavy brunch before check out because we will be heading to do grocery before going back home.

REVIEW OF HILTON GARDEN INN

Service: The reception staff were all very nice and we were able to do a quick check in without any hassle. We commend Ms. Janet from receptionist for the wonderful welcome and accommodating us with our needs. There was just a bit of delay when we were asking for some utensils for our room and we need to call housekeeping several times. However, they compensated by providing us with more water for our room and extra toiletries as well.

Cleanliness: The room was clean and the sheets were comfortable. We saw some rooms that placed their bag of trash outside their room, out in the hallway but it was removed immediately afterward when we went outside the room.

Location: The location was perfected located at the heart of the city with lots of restaurant and malls nearby.

Amenities: Too bad we weren’t to access the pool. Even if we weren’t able to access their pool, it was nice to have the park and playground below near the hotel. The lobby was darkly lit but well-designed. There is the usual digital key and wifi is fast.

In conclusion, we plan to book next time a stay in Hilton Garden Inn . We hope that time we can already use their pool. If we ask the kids how they find our staycation, they just happy with the simple birthday of Zeke. Kids just love hotel staycations. We are looking forward to staying at Hilton Garden Inn Muscat again.

Hilton Garden Inn Muscat

Address: OM, Dohat Al Adab St, 118

Phone: 22 515555

WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A LONG QUEUE IN JOLLIBEE ABROAD?

December 8, 2016 by Little Miss Honey 279 Comments

“Why is there always a long queue at Jollibee?” , a foreigner friend of mine asked.

Jollibee is a fast food chain originating from the Philippines . It has a lot of branches in the Philippines and all around the world. According to Wikipedia, it is dubbed as the Asia’s answers to McDonald. You would find meme of the bee (Jollibee’s mascot) beating the clown (Ronald McDonald – their mascot).

Jollibee menu consists of foods you normally see in regular fastfood chains. They have several types of burger which they call Yum. My all-time favourites are the Hawaiian Aloha Burger, a fat burger with a big pineapple ring and the TLC Burger (tomato, lettuce and cheese). The secret is in their sauce which reminds me of a sweet thousand island dressing. They have the fries and spaghetti. They have pies similar to McDonald’s, in several flavors. They have a palabok which they call here Fiesta Noodles. It is made of vermicelli noodles with orange sauce and bits of small shrimps. They have the burger patty with mushroom gravy together with Pinoy’s meal staple, the white rice. But what is most popular with Jollibee is their chicken called ChickenJoy. Yes, their chicken brings joy! There was even a blind test conducted to see which is the best fried chicken in Singapore and Jollibee was on the top.

So is it the reason why Jollibee has a long queue? Hmmm, I personally don’t think so. I may sound very unpatriotic if I say I prefer Popeyes and 4 Fingers chicken to Jollibee. And when I am in the Philippines, I prefer KFC to Jollibee any day. Though I would still queue for hours here in Singapore just to try any Jollibee food.

Yes, Jollibee may be potentially competitive in the fast food market considering local citizens & Pinoys line up to order but there is more to it being a good fast food. Considering there are a lot of Filipino overseas workers all over the world, lining up to get that langhap sarap flavor of Jollibee ChickenJoy bring us back home. It is our antidote for our homesickness and a taste of it soothe the longings of home with daily stresses of living abroad. I see long queues in branches here in Singapore. I am glad there are a few branches now. 2 stores in Lucky Plaza, one in Changi City Point and another in Novena Square. I heard also in other countries, queue can really be long too. So yes, besides the yummy chicken, the reason why Filipinos dont mind the long queue in Jollibee is because gathering with friends and family in place that feels like home give us a moment of priceless joy.