La Dolce Vita Friday Brunch at Andiamo!

La Dolce Vita is Italian for "the sweet life."  Andiamo! means "let's go!" Put them together, and you get an invitation to enjoy a life full of pleasure and indulgence...or in my case last Friday, to a feast of delectable Italian dishes with Hubby and my two girls at Grand Hyatt Dubai's newly refurbished restaurant.

I remember being very satisfied with the food when I had dinner with my family at Andiamo! for my birthday three years ago; so having come from a tiring walking activity in the morning, I was really looking forward to our brunch that day.

Sophie's Last Minute Book Character Parade Costume

When it comes to resourcefulness and creativity, nothing brings out these qualities faster from a mother than her child who has an activity or requirement at school and there's no time or budget to go out and buy.

Yes, that's what happened to me when I read in my youngest's school diary that they were having a Book Character Parade the following week...and only remembering that she still didn't have a costume two days before the actual activity would take place.  Aacckk!

Simply Fish at Brasserie Quartier

Ate Ning and I had another opportunity to have a sisters night out while dining in one of St. Regis Dubai’s restaurants last week. If you remember, the first one was last August for Tomahawk Thursdays at J&G Steakhouse.  This time, the invitation she received was for their Tuesday offering called "Simply Fish" at Brasserie Quartier. The restaurant serves mainly French cuisine, so it was adorned with chic and classy décor everywhere we looked, creating a sophisticated but relaxing ambience for the diners to enjoy.

Asian Lunch Buffet at Liwan, Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana

For the past few months, my family and I have been having our Saturday lunches in fast food restaurants or food courts in the malls.  Not exactly healthy, I know, but we're always outside at 1pm, and by then, we're all hungry and we want quick fixes to fill our growling tummies. However, last Saturday was different as we were treated to a delectable spread of Asian cuisine in Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana.

Downtown Slide and More at the Burj Plaza

Bored at staying home almost everyday last week (because our nanny is in the Philippines for vacation and it's my turn to be the stay-at-home mom until she returns), I begged Hubby to take me and the girls out last Friday.  Although we needed to buy some groceries, I didn't want to just visit the mall and go to the supermarket; I wanted a change of scenery.

Fortunately, Caila remembered seeing a giant slide at Downtown Dubai when we passed by the area a week before and asked if we could go there.  I agreed, and we convinced Hubby that that would be the place we would go to that afternoon.

A New Miyako at Hyatt Regency Dubai

Nine months after our visit, I received another invitation to dine at Hyatt Regency Dubai's Japanese restaurant Miyako.  This time, though, it was because it had been recently renovated so it was a great opportunity to see what changes it had gone through.

My family of four arrived in the hotel lobby at 7:30pm one night last week, met with their Sales Manager, and we proceeded to the "new" Miyako.  As we approached the restaurant, we immediately noticed its new look.  Instead of the brownish-yellow marble wall with the red and black logo, it was now covered with vertical pieces of wood and its name done with horizontal pieces.

Sisters in Switzerland: Kempinski Grand Hôtel des Bains

Judging from the title and my previous post about our trip, I’m sure you’d have guessed that my sister and I stayed at the prestigious Kempinski Grand Hôtel des Bains when we were in St. Moritz last year. Unbelievable huh?!  Even I still can’t believe how lucky we were!

The hotel certainly lives up to its name. Everything about it shouted luxury and grandeur.  Very impressive!