Hotel review. 3 stars for cleanliness, friendly staff, and value…read more We stayed here for one night while visiting our family in the area. Unfortunately, our stay was too short to have taken advantage of their pool area. The room was approx. $60/night which was a good value for American standards however pricey for Filipinos. Although the hotel ground was decent, the room would be comparable to a motel: very basic with just the hardest bed you can find feeling as if you're sleeping on the floor, a long stool and an old school tv. The bathroom was least to be desired aesthetically with a slow drain and the water took 20 mins to warm up. A positive was that it had a balcony. service was definitely Filipino standards: polite, friendly, helpful, and top notch hospitality. The room came with breakfast served from the restaurant downstairs called the pancake house. Again, a very basic breakfast with Filipino and a couple of western offerings. They brought the food to the room in to go containers since we didn't have time to eat in. All in all, I would return if I'm ever in the area because staying with relatives is just not my cup of tea.

Before a multitude of resorts with wave pools started sprouting everywhere, there's 8 Waves…read more Located in the town of San Rafael in Bulacan, the resort is just a little bit over 50 kilometers away from the metro. For starters, they have a really huge parking lot. And when I say huge I mean a parking lot that will put to shame the parking lot of some malls. The resort got its name from its wave pool that creates 8 different kinds of waves. This has been surpassed by other resorts boasting of wave machines that can produce more than 8 kinds of waves. However, unlike other resorts that only has a set time when the wave machine is activated, 8 waves uses their wave machine the entire day. They just have a few minutes of rest in between. If you are not too fond of wave pools then you don't have to worry because they still have several more pools that you can use. They have a pool for kids and one with a jacuzzi. They have a lot of cottages that you can rent and they even have a big hall for large groups. I've seen the said hall used for group gatherings and family reunions. The only thing that they can improve on is their music selection. The last time we went there, songs from the 80s and 90s were playing all day long and I love it! But younger customers have no idea what those songs are so updating their music database won't hurt.

During our visit to the Philippines from Dec. 23rd thru Jan. 10, 2018, one of the things on our…read moremust do list was to zipline somewhere in the country. We thought it was going to be during our visit to Palawan, but we ran out of time. After celebrating 2018, we had a free day on Jan. 2nd, so I Yelp'd zipline adventures close to our barangay and what popped up was Sandbox. Even in a foreign country, the Yelp app was useful as Filipino Yelpers gave positive reviews. The quantity of reviews was lacking because I believe Yelp isn't widely used in the Philippines, but hopefully me being the 4th review will be of assistance to others. Sandbox was going to be experienced by my nephew, my brother-in-law, my cousin, my kids, and myself. We were all excited about finally ziplining in the Philippines. Sandbox is located in Pampanga and close to Tarlac, specifically Porac Access Road, Alviera, Porac. You know you're getting close to Sandbox once you come upon new home construction and development. We parked in a dirt parking lot and could see from a distance everything that Sandbox offers. All of us were excited as we walked towards the entrance of the park. We could see the many outdoor attractions and couldn't wait until we tried them all. As you walk towards the entrance, there are small businesses where you can grab snacks, drinks, or eat lunch/dinner. Admission to Sandbox is affordable, ranging from a high of $15 (American dollars) per person to a low of $9. There were 4 packages you can choose from, which include items you can do for each package. We chose the least expensive package, Package C ($9), which included the Sandbox entrance fee, the Giant Swing, Zipline, and Free Fall. The reason I gave Sandbox 3 stars was because the one thing that we wanted to do, which was the Zipline, was not operating. C'mon people, we flew 16 hours and this Filipino giant endured a cramped and uncomfortable flight from the United States to zipline in the Philippines, but to no avail. The Zipline was down the day we visited due to some inspection. Not sure if it truly was down, but I did see a cluster of Filipinos gathering around the zipline with clipboards. Bummer. We still decided to try out Sandbox because there were other attractions that looked fun. My daughter and I experienced the Giant Swing together and had a blast. The swing is a two-person ride where employees manually lift the seats to a good height and they release you to where you stomach goes into your throat. Next we did the Free Fall, which looks intimidating from a distance. You're clipped onto a rope via the harness you're wearing and then you step off a ledge. The kids were really nervous about this attraction and showed their nervousness with audible sounds of distress as they floated down to the ground. Since the Zipline was down, we got to substitute another attraction, which was the Rappel Wall. As we were waiting our turn to scale down the wall, another guest decided it was too high for her, so she decided not to do it. That display of fear added some anxiety to the kids, but they all handled the wall like Bosses. Besides the attractions, there are some good photo opportunities, but you're not going to spend a long time here at the Sandbox. We had a good time at the Sandbox, but just know that it won't be an all day affair. One thing I forgot to mention is that the Sandbox employees were friendly and provided really good customer service. For the price, it truly was affordable fun. We would have had a greater time and I would have given a more glowing review if the Zipline was operational. With the minimal amount of attractions, there shouldn't be any reason for the attractions to be down especially the Zipline that Americans like us were hoping to try in the Philippines. Oh well, maybe next time.

Looking for an outdoor adventure? Sandbox is the place to go! It offers unique activities that are…read moresure to attract groups of friends, office mates, and families alike. For some who do not like to go to waterparks or the usual amusement parks, Sandbox is the best option. Awesome location by the way, especially since I drove to this place. With only a few minutes away from the major highways and about 1.5 hours away from Manila sounds like a great deal to me! I highly suggest to rent a van for those who are in large groups as the area is not likely to be accessible by commuting (though I saw some tricycles going in the Sandbox parking area). I went here with my boyfriend on a Sunday morning and we saw how the line to the entrance quickly became so long (so better be early!). We were offered with several packages of rides and we chose A (giant swing, zipline, rapeling, drop, rock climbing, aerial walk and mini golf) and it's definitely worth the money (650PHP). Regular rates cost about 100 - 150PHP per ride. Weather was great for us (we got lucky): cloudy with little chance of rain so at least it was not scorching hot. The downside is that outside food and drinks are not allowed here. I think it's best to bring an ice chest in your vehicle so you can stack up on cold drinks. They have a snack bar that I feel got overwhelmed especially when some of their food/drinks got out of stock. :( Maybe have more snack establishments to accommodate everyone's hunger and thirst? Expect the area to be dusty and hot (and physical!) so bring the necessary personal care (cap, shades, lots of fluids, extra everything). Sandbox is still on its way to expand with more rides and activities, so I hope that they will offer more exciting treats in the future! I will definitely go back here with my friends. :)

Basically a mini indoor theme park inside of the City of Dreams complex, DreamWorks DreamPlay is a…read moregreat place to take kids. If you've ever been to DisneyQuest in Orlando, it's sort of a smaller version of that, geared toward a younger crowd. They have a "participant" ticket for 1500 pesos which includes access to all the attractions and a "non-participant" ticket for 350 pesos. Non-participants get to walk around the facility, as well as the Shrek House and Madagascar areas. Basically a cheaper chaperone ticket for the adults that are accompanying the children. You can also upgrade from your ticket at any time if you decide you want to take part in the fun. There's also a VIP pass for 2999 pesos which includes a meal (food, drink, and ice cream) and the ability to skip the line. Although when we went there weren't really many lines for anything so I'm not sure if it's worth it. We only got non-participant tickets just to take a look around but even that was pretty fun. The facility is well designed and well maintained it feels like a legitimate theme park. Even just walking around the themed areas was entertaining and there were various activities scattered around. We got lots of cute pictures and even got a pic with Alex the lion from Madagascar. Although we didn't try any of the attractions they also looked like a ton of fun for kids. It includes things like ropes course, cooking class, theater, and lots of games. DreamPlay is definitely a place to check out if you've got children, especially if they're a big Dreamworks fan!

Dreamplay, City of Dreams Manila some of your staff and crew need a better understanding of Autism,…read morewe had a reservation for 4 pm today under Jerome (3 participant and myself). When we came back at 3:50 pm I was not allowed in because I was not wearing a badge. I told her I was just there to really watch Jerome and when I did the reservation I was not wearing one either. The young girl was obviously not aware of Autism and so is her idiot of a Manager. Seriously? I really don't mind paying an upgrade if it was mentioned when I made a reservation for my son. All other staff at the center was pretty accomodating with my son. FYI my son was wearing a medical bracelet. Thank you for ruining an almost perfect day for my son. #autismsocietyphilippines #dreamplace #cityofdreamsmanila #cityofdreamsplace #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismacceptance #OnlyInThePhilippines

I have too many good memories here at Worlds of Fun. From the haunted train ride to the bump cars,…read moreeverything was magical specially because it was a time I spent with friends and I was at a point where the biggest problem I had was my first crush, it was indeed a good time. Looking back I was thankful that they've put up small amusement parks like these in malls where kids can easily go to, not just this one in particular but also in other malls too. As a child, we couldn't afford to go to big ones on our own because: 1. we didn't know how to drive and 2. our baons weren't enough to cover the expenses to go there. Unlike most kids nowadays! Worlds of Fun though, they're really budget friendly. Give a kid a couple of hundred and he'd be all set for the day. I also loved playing arcade games there though that wasn't my main focus. It was the haunted train ride that still haunts me to this day (scaredy cat!).

When the baby boomers of the previous generation had children of their own, the demand for places…read moreto take the little toddlers rose considerably, leading to some malls and supermarkets or other major shopping establishments to create mini-carnivals which catered to the young and the young at heart. I don't know if this is something unique to the Philippines, but when you're not up to travel all the way to Star City or Enchanted Kingdom, Worlds of Fun may be a very viable option for you. Boasting mini roller coasters and smaller scale carousels, as well as a plethora of modern, digital arcade games, this area provides children with multiple worlds of fun to go to! Designed in a grandiose fashion that I still find impressive (the entrance gateway is in Egyptian style, for example), the area manages to make something affordable and reasonable look like a lot of fun, even to a young adult like myself, who may be secretly wishing to have the ability to go back to those carefree times.

My kids loved this place. My brother and cousin took my kids here so I could go shopping at the…read moremall. Thank you!

Kids can never have enough fun. Play places know this--that's why they charge by the hour. When…read moreevery second counts, there's one place (well actually, at least a couple--more on that later) where you and your kids are sure to get more bang for your buck: Kidzoona! Kidzoona offers a different approach and feel to every other major kiddie play place due to one major factor--the all-out love for their Japanese roots. Both Kidzoona outlets my daughter and I have been to (Robinson's Galleria and Waltermart Makati--please let me know if there are others out there!) exude Japanese-ness, from the arcade games kids try to play for free while mom pays for everything to the cute little warning and information signs scattered within. But don't worry--these aren't second-hand, surplus play sets. Every play surface in both branches has up to this point been kept immaculately clean and impeccably Japanese. This tiny stab of culture shock mixed with the vivid colors and the wide variety of play experiences make for unforgettable - and often bitin! - parent / kid bonding time. Check out the Galleria branch if you need a much bigger space to play in!

Standing erect amidst a vast, dark field in Pasay, Halloween Haunts Scream Park Manila is the first…read moreof its kind in Asia. It houses four horrific attractions for the adventurers and thrill-seekers to enjoy. And remember, it's not for the faint-hearted. Together with my family, I had the chance to immerse myself, as a horror fan, into this wonderland. Just a warning, though: the biggest person in your group MUST wear a large shirt. I'll tell you why later. The first horror you'll come into contact with is the Haunted Village - a literal ghost town set in the Spanish Era, where Katipuneros and Maria Claras wander around aimlessly. Your group will be asked to wait for approximately 15 minutes before going in for a more indulgent experience. By this time, expect the scaredy-cats clinging onto your arms. Yes, photo-ops with the zombies are allowed! However, that's it. For the next three attractions, cameras and video-cams are prohibited. You will be asked to leave all your things into a depository room. The next one is the Haunted House. Get ready to surrender your screams. The house is pitch black, and believe me when I say that your group will automatically hold hands upon the entrance! Now I don't want to spoil anything, but here is the gist. It's a maze, and you'll have to find your way out, all while encountering sudden scares, terrifying rooms, and your inner voice that says, "Not that brave at all, eh?" There are also narrow, squeaky and confusing hallways wherein you'll experience having a simulated epilepsy: watch out if you have health problems. As for us, we did find ourselves out after twenty minutes inside. And my Dad's shirt expanded from medium to large: we all clung into him while screaming and walking inside. The Haunted Cemetery, in my honest opinion, is the least scary and exciting. It's a field where graveyards feel more alive than they seem, and wherein you'll get to live out MJ's Thriller. Don't sweat it, you'll still enjoy especially if you are all scared. Forgive me, I cannot review on the Haunted Asylum, as it was not opened yet at the time we visited. It looks promising, though. It has jails and rails and you'll go insane just by thinking how it will turn out. Little tips: When the administration begins to open pre-bookings for tickets, grab them immediately! Not only will your group pay for a discounted price (it's 600+ Pesos per head), you'll be prioritized into the attractions especially when the Scream Park is packed with visitors. Also, when you get through the attractions, don't close your eyes! It'll soon be over and you'll regret not being scared and getting the most out of the experience. Lastly, take advantage of their official photography services! (Flash your smile with your friends, even if we know you're scared inside.) If you want to feel a realistic undead experience, then The Scream Park may be just the right kind of bite you need. Get those trembles out now!

This is the ultimate kid's haven. Where the parents are mere spectators while kids enjoy getting…read moretheir hands dirty to try out what grown-ups do on a daily basis. I loved how my kids went to laundry world as their first stop. In there, they learned to do laundry: washing, drying, and (the best part) folding. I hope they remember some of that learning a few weeks from now. I found that the experience gave kids a way of getting a sneak peak at a grown-up's life without the complications. I especially like the concwpt of earning vs. spending Kidzoo (the kidzania currency). Although it's not explicitly stated, kids get to learn the value of money. Being at kidzania made me wanna be a child again. Unfortunately for parents, we are left as mere guardians and porters for our kids. The entrance fee isn't cheap, but I see the value that one gets in exploring this place. Except for some limitations to aome younger kids, the whole experience was well-worth the fee.

Wish they have this in USA. My son is already 12 years old, but had so much fun. Most kids museums…read morethat are hands on role play in US only have activities for smaller children, but this place is huge and allows kids to work for real companies like McDonalds to make their own burgers. They get paid using Kidzos currency and they can save it in their own ATM cards that they are able to obtain after opening a Kidzania bank account and have saved up enough money. They also get a Kidzania passport and can use both with their money saved in other Kidzanias around the world. They even let adults play at least a couple of times a year. Cannot wait to go back to Kidzania Manila! Everyone is extra nice and helpful as well! Food is available for purchase as well.

If a city has a famous Ferris wheel when I visit, I always love to hop on and enjoy the views. I…read morehad missed out on my last trip to Manila so was happy to take a ride on my recent trip. Located at the Mall of Asia in their amusement park SM by the Bay, you'll find the MOA Eye. Definitely an older wheel in need of some TLC, the ride will give you views overlooking Manila Bay. Tickets are cheap. A single ride costs about 200 pesos (about $3.50). However, for only 50 pesos more/person, you can get a VIP ticket. This was worth it for the separate line alone. The regular line was LONG, but we got on within 5 minutes with the VIP ticket. This ticket, though, puts you on a gondola with a glass floor - super cool unless you have a fear of heights. As I said, the wheel is in need of some TLC. Definitely one of the more rickety Ferris wheels I've been on, so something to take into account if you decide to ride. Gave it four stars because it still was only 250 pesos/person to ride. Otherwise I would've made it 3 stars.