Hotel Living

One of the perks of being an OFY is the opportunity to travel more and see the world. Having been in and out of hotels in the past few years, it's hilarious (and horrifying) when a hotel does not live up to its photo and you just have to live with it.

The upsides of hotel living = no cleaning up after yourself, 24 hr room service, wake up calls, etc. The downside is getting used to these all and getting lazy to do the chores again back home. Thought it might be good to share some of the most interesting places i've checked in to.

Palm Beach Larnaca, Cyprus - This resort was amazing! Really calm , quiet and relaxing. Good for lounging around and just staying in. Not for the young crowd as there's a lot of senior citizens!

Oakwood Marina Del Rey, California - I stayed here for 4 weeks in 2009 and it was practically home. The studio type hotel room has its own mini kitchen with electric stove and a big fridge which allows you to store food and cook. The downside is there's no daily housekeeping (only weekly) and no wakeup calls. Also close to Venice Beach but really far away from other tourist attractions in LA.

Park Hotel Clark Quay, Singapore - The moment I walked inside, I was shocked at the smallness of the space considering the price tag for a night. Very efficient, clean , accessible and comfortable though. Good for a business trip but not so much if you're looking to spend a holiday lounging around.

Palihouse,West Hollywood California - The hotel room interiors are worth raving about. From the decor, the ambiance, the location, the bathroom, -everything looks perfect. And in terms of convenience, there's a big fridge, a microwave, a stove an oven, pots and pans...name it! There's even a food weighing scale and a washing mashine inside the room! a bit on the pricey side but worth staying in here at least once if you're in this area.

Dusit Thani Bangkok - Nothing better but a soft bed in a luxury 5 star hotel after 5 hours of nonstop bargain shopping. Book through asiatravel.com crazyrate promos to get a good price. This is in the Silom area, right in the middle of the city. It's beside a Skytrain station and it's near some night markets and cheap food places

City Inn (now Mint Hotel), Manchester UK -On the downside the room and the bathroom are very small, but on the upside- very clean, very near to everywhere and has an Imac for free internet connection.

Park Lane Mews, Mayfair London - So what if it is in the exclusive Mayfair area? It is still the worst hotel experience I had. Surprisingly though,it has one of the best hotel beds ever, or maybe I was just suer tired that day?

Palms Las Vegas, USA- Hands down, the best, most luxurious hotel room I've stayed in with 600 square feet of honest to goodness wow. Too bad this room is in Vegas and I never really stayed inside the room long enough to enjoy it.

Any interesting hotel photos and stories? Share it here!

Email ofyuppies@gmail.com or post the pics on the OFYuppies facebook wall!

Just Always Pray at Night

The recent events in the first quarter of 2011 left overseas Filipinos across the globe stunned and panicked. To date, OFWs living in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, New Zealand and Japan are facing difficult times. Thousands have been repatriated while a lot are still in these countries trying to cope.

The Philippine government is trying to do its best to offer assistance to OFWs by providing flights , free calls and money. All these to make sure the OFWs safety is secured. But there are still those who chose to stay in these countries amidst the danger... thinking that the worst is over and the risk is better than going home and facing unemployment.

At this point, the best thing to do is to pray for our fellow Filipinos' safety and for them to have a better life back home. I guess, this is also a wakeup call for all of us OFYuppies. Life abroad is not permanent... we must always be prepared emotionally and financially just in case we need to pack our bags and say hello to home.