A Subic Sanctuary

It's tried and tested in our family. A quick escape from the urban jungle is a sure fire way to get some downtime, relax and bond with our kids, recharge our entrepreneur batteries (which are usually running 24-7!). After our Batangas trip last October, we wanted to go to a new location that's not too far from Manila, and this time we ended up in Subic.At first I was a bit apprehensive about going to Subic because of the jellyfish stories. There was a boy who was attacked by a box jellyfish last year which was also in Subic, and then the recent news about Anne Curtis' jellyfish attack this time in Batangas. But we decided to go for it and just take extra precaution.Into the family van we went and the kids were sleepy but excited. See my little tropical island girl ready for the travel.in her Billabong straw hat, little suitcase, sitting on her Udon pillow (Snug a Hug's latest creation!) and her Spinkie blankieWe reached our destination in around 2 hours- Kamana Sanctuary located on Nabasan Beach in Subic.I booked the room through Agoda and got a good rate for a Loft room- good enough for our family of 5. I always use Agoda not only because of the good rates but also because you accummulate points for every booking which you can use for succeeding trips.The hotel was very nice and clean. The rooms were as well, and very spacious. All rooms faced the sea and had a nice balcony with a view.Look closely and you'll see Reese and Gary on the floating barge.This was the room's first floor. The three kids were to sleep together and claimed the King-sized bed. They don't have TV in their bedrooms at home so this was apparently a big treat for them.These are the stairs found on the right side when you enter the room. It leads to the loft's second floor.Gary and I stayed here on the second floor.We spent most of our time in the pool and loved the peace and quiet. We were the only ones there, save for 1 or two families who joined us at some point though I'm sure this gets quite full during the peak holidays.The mountain view was breathtaking and peaceful, even as the boys were horsing around while spraying Beach Hut sunblock on each other.We got to relax in the warm waterCapturing these fleeting moments: when my 17 year old still does handstands:)daddy's stache courtesy of Reese's 'do :)trying to do an optical illusion with Zach and Coby (didn't quite achieve what we wanted hehe)just the family being together in the pool.Whoever invented infinity pools should get a major award:)The photo above shows the piece of beach and then the Casitas of the resort (on the right). I had wanted to stay in these rooms on stilts but capacity is only for two people couples and two small kids at most. Aside from the pool, Kamana has a small beach but it's quiet rocky. During our stay, there was a signage warning swimmers about jellyfish so we were careful. The lifeguard checked the water for us before we went it and luckily at that time there were none so we were able to take a dip in the saltwater for a couple of hours.It's great the resort has a very attentive lifeguard and they also have life jackets for grown ups and kids.We had fun swimming to the floating barge and sunbathing there. The quiet waves, splashing of the water, and just our kids voices and laughter is always music to my ears.As the sun set, the boys played frisbeeGary challenged them to a game of volleyballas he relived his volleyball varsity days back in high school:)Check out that happy grin! @daddydribblesMe and my ZachReese strolling before sunset. Behind her is where the rooms are.We just enjoyed being with these three guys immenselyuntil the sun set into the sea.For dinner we hied off to Subic and had some ice cream at FIC for dessert.Coby got himself some Mochiko, happy to support our friends Noey and Odette:)I got son-kissedand Gary got sun-wiched :)Time with my familyalways makes a happy me!If you'd like to check out Kamana Sanctuary for your own family, here's the link.