Pool-Cation - Have you tried ? (3 Mins Read)

They say "Life is better when you're swimming." It indeed is!

We love traveling, and off-late we love stay-cations. But what we discovered this time around is Pool-Cation!!! The occasion was - Truly yours Birthday!!! 

 

Keeping it simple and quick :) Pool-cation is all about spending some great time in great pool from day till night ;) It was special because we took Kiaan (Our 10 month old)  to pool for very first time and he loved it!And it was in month of May of 2022 so weather was perfect for pool time!

Many might wonder what is this Pool-Cation now? 

Pool-Cation is going to hotel which offers the best pools. We planned for something which would excite both kids and adults  alike. The Lagoon Pool of - Ocean Park Marriott in Hong Kong did its job well! This concept is not new just that it has been titled recently. The whole idea for pool-cation is something similar to stay-cation but your criteria of hotel selection in this case is hotel which offers best pool either with good views or good good interiors or great kids pool.

Off course there are beaches for dips and some amazing LCSD pools and clubhouse pools but sometimes you just want luxury and something beyond routine :) And after tiring day playing in pool, all you need is good ready to eat food and some amazing room just around. Hence this combination of stay-cation + great pool makes Pool-cation a great experience.A must must try at least for once!

Review about Mariott Ocean Park hotel:

Its a wonderful brand new property with beautifully developed landscapes. As mentioned our central point for selection of this property was for it Lagoon Pool which is very well made with lot of fun for both adults and kiddies. P.s. Kids get very cute bathrobes and soap hamper, so ask for it! Rooms are big and thanks to birthday we got upgraded to Big size tub rooms. They were tall and spacious and real fun.

Food wise there are three restaurants and we couldnt find any Jain Vegetarian meal there, not even pizza without egg so no comments on food. Well, we could arrange for local Maharaj to send us delivery for food and that was certainly yum. Children play area is small but definitely lot of fun. Its clean adn wel maintained with interesting activities to keep them busy. Overall a great experience to spend birthday day in this beautiful place!

 Where can one go for pool-cation?    

Many in Hong Kong would go to the Infinity pools of Kerry Hotel or W Hotel or Kowloon harbour hotel to enjoy  pools with harbour views. Some prefers indoor pools of Ritz Carlton or Peninsula or even Disneyland. Many may prefer pools with jacuzzi offered by W hotel or Cordis or Island shangrila. The list is endless. Well for some of these hotels you got to really splurge but there are many which offer great budget deals too. So log-on to your agoda and get your best deals!

Well, one can also consider budgeted Pool-cation in luxury hotels by availing day passes. Some of the hotels in Hong Kong gives day passes for its visitors to enjoy their pool and few other facilities . The famous ones being Cordis hotel, W Hong Kong, Mira Kowloon, Ritz Carlton, etc. Find some more details in the link below :DAY PASSES - POOL-CATION HK

When can infant start to swim?

As per babycentre.com, It's important for kids to learn how to swim – and learn about basic water safety – early in life to help prevent drowning. Babies can start learning to swim around age 1, though they won't master swimming skills until they're at least 4 years old.

Even though your baby can't swim yet, you can bring them into the water with you once they're about 6 months old. Some babies really enjoy getting in the water, so feel free to make playing in the pool or splashing in a lake or river a family affair. Just make sure to put your baby in a well-fitting infant life jacket anytime they're near water or on a boat. 

Did my infant Enjoy pool-cation?

Just before our Pool-cation, we planned to do trial run :p so we took Kiaan to the beach to test the waters first ;) He had loved being around and in the water. He is total nature and travel lover.. so far :) So it was not surprising to see Kiaan loving it being in water in pool as well... He ended up being in pool for 2 hours straight and enjoying every bit of it.

What to carry for your infant during pool-time? 

We went with some great safety gears for first time experience -  

1. Water tubes,  

2. Banana Boat sunscreens, 

3. Full sleeved swim clothes from NEXT, 

4. Huggies swim diapers for baby

5. Bath / Water toys

6. Bathrobe (Infant body temperatures can vary significantly while in water so this is highly recomendd if they feel shivering first time)

7. small backpack with little food (I highly vouch on slice of cheese, fruits, or any fav snack like rice puffs) extra pair of clothes, water, sunscreen 

 

But my infant is scared of water, How can we help?

 

 

Quick pointers for this situation is to follow some or all of above ways. Also, as a parent one needs to accept this situation first and try every opportunity you get to make baby feel more and more comfortable with water around. Like 

1. you can consider (if time permits) making bath time little longer 

2. buy all fancy swim equipment like fancy goggles, different colorful tubie, trendy clothes and some funky bath toys,   

3. always be around them, ensuring they you are just here and they are in safe place.

Lastly after few months of Covid when we took Kiaan in pool, he seemed too much bothered by vastness of it but after trying few things said above, in our next quick visit he seemed super happy again and enjoying quite a lot!

 

Happy Pool-Cations for Biggies and Kiddies alike! 

 

Remember, life is always cool by the pool!    

Follow my blog for Stay-cations below:

1. Blog on Why Staycation at Beach Resort with Infant

 

2. Click here for Blog on inspiration for staycations

 

Staycation with Infant at Mui wo's Silvermine Beach Resort (3 Mins Read)

As we got promoted from being couple to Family :)

Hello All,

After really long long time! Hold on! I have a valid reason for being away! I am not only globetrotter now but a MomGlobetrotter. Mother of sweetheart Kiaan who is going to be 10Months already! 

Thanks to many readers for their wishes in advance :) 

 Being son of globetrotter isn't easy but definitely fun, Kiaan says :p   

Our first journey with him began when he was 65 Days old only! That experience we shall keep for sometime else. For now, as Hong Kong relaxes its Draconian lock down measures, we decided to go on well deserved vacation even if it meant for 2 Days!

We love Staycations, as known from my earlier blog : https://globetrotterandbeyond.blogspot.com/2020/09/blog-post.html . This time around, we did our 2Days staycation at Silvermine Beach Resort, Mui wo in Lantau Island.

Beautiful scenic area near corridor rof resort

Mui Wo is located in southeast of Lantau island. It is ideal location with scenic hill and seashores around. There are plenty of cycling and hiking trails at Mui Wo. Its most beautiful highlight being Silvermine Beach with its fine sand and clear water is perfect for swim and sunbath. Silvermine beach resort which is just across the street of beach is perfect base to explore Mui Wo and enjoy its fun. Especially with infant it was convenient to be located at one place and explore many activities around just in two days!

With Kiaan who was just 9 month old then was our priority, our priorities and activities did change! So his priorities are our command :) 

Before we head towards all the fun part of this resort and Mui Wo, would like to mention about traveling with infant - what to do and why and how and blahh :)

How did we decide for staycation with infant?

Well, one fine beautiful evening we decided to go to beach with Kiaan and we realized that he loves to play in sand and beach toys are his favorite toys suddenly. So the bored 'Us' decided to try on staycation. (It was our first vacation after September 2019!) Hence why i call it well deserved one!

Beach Loving Baby - Discovered his love for sand at Upper Chueng sha beach!

P.s. Once you plan or staycation, its best to keep describing them about hotels and beaches and gardens. I have noticed they do remain calm when we keep saying things vs just giving them surprise.

How did we select location?

Since we knew now that our boy loves sand, we decided to try staycation near beach area. Also since we stay in Tung Chung, the proximity to Mui wo was ideal. We had kept in account that if he is not going to like the place then we may have to return home and hence the hotel should be not too far away from home.   

P.s. To begin with always be around their comfort level. If you have explored beach earlier then just go for beach vacation.

Activities to do with Infant at staycation?

There are plenty of things to do when you are near beach resorts. To begin with Mui Wo has lot of activities to do. Will list them at the end of blog. Specifically for children 

1. There is small but very very beautiful garden with couple of car toys, see saws and cycles.

2. Cycling: So  there is concept of family cycle! Though Kiaan didnt really enjoy too much as we think he was getting squeezed between both of us :p But when he was alone on family cycle, he did seem to enjoy a lot!

3. Swimming: We haven't explored this enough but we did try to introduce Kiaan to water at Beach and bath tubs and he seems to be enjoying. So soon in our upcoming staycation we will ensure to have lot of Swim time considering from May 5th, 22 all the pools would be open.

4. Beach Time: As mentioned, Kiaan loves his Sand time and this is top rated activity to do with infant. Buy a beautiful beach set, grab your mats, take few balls, ensure to keep some of their finger foods along and you are set to spend good hour or even two by the sea.

5. Walk by the local areas: We just took a small walk around the Mui wo area and he seemed to be really enjoy that time

P.s. I feel kids tend to be greatest observers, as much as we enjo new things, they do it too. Just dont be embarrassed if they are cranky at first. They need time to settle but once they like it, they are all set to party hard!

Summarising our Staycation experience!

How to travel with infant?

We tend to give Kiaan overall experience of traveling. So we prefer combination of Bus and Cab. Kiaan at 10 Months have experienced Flight, Train, Bus, and Cab experience. Infants are quite adaptive. They will explore with you best only if their certain schedules are honored well. One is food schedule and other most important is sleep schedule. 

P.s. I had read somewhere, all you want to try, try before they turn 1! So we always believe in this principle and don't give him only cab option.

What to do for their Food?

As Jain Vegetarians so we do not get much of option but we do manage and manage well thanks to existence of Rice Cooker! For Kiaan however, we carried simple food like Ragi Porridge Mix, Blueberries (His favorite), Kiwis, Vegetable soup and offcourse there is always backup of Milk until they turn 1. And for Day 2, we carried Cereals and fruits. It was very very simple to make cereals in rice cooker and thankfully he loves his cerelac (Home made) and Oats porridge. So his lunch schedule has always been my top priority especially while traveling. And it does keep them calm and less cranky.   

P.s. Food is their most comfort part.  no experiments here at all. If he likes blueberries and kiwis for snacks. Just stick to it!

Where do Kid's sleep?

Most of the hotels do provide Baby Crib/Cot. But again we do combination of Co-sleep and cot depending on Kiaan's mood.  

P.s. Kiaan has big time strangers anxiety, so for someone like him at very new place we let him co-sleep. Remember, Sleep and food schedule are their basic comfort not to be compromised at all! Overall, Kids would be really supportive and enjoy at their best if we are considerate about their little comforts.

Finally about :-

Silvermine Beach Resort:

Silvermine beach resort is sitting right on lap of nature. One can embrace the beautiful sea view in one side and mountain view on other. There are plenty of activities for couples and families alike of all genre. From Their beautiful Garden with Photo stops to SPA and playrooms and beach just by the side where one can explore kayaking, surfing and island hopping , this resort gives complete package of fun and frolic staycation. It has big restaurant but i cant comment much as we could not try anything here.

Food at resort: The rooms provide with black tea and ready to drink Nescafe packets but they do not have milk tea options! So if you are one who enjoys milk tea please carry for yourself tea, sugar and milk. Also the bottled water has to be bought by yourself or you can get empty bottles and there are water fountains on each floor from where you have to fill the water. 

For Food, there is a restaurant within resort ,but it does not have many vegetarian options. There is beautiful french cafe named Pause cafe just nearby which has few salad options one can try!

Activities Near Reosrt: There are many activities to do near Resort and especially in Mui. Many hikes, cycling tracks, kayaking, boating, Island hoping, just to name few. More detailed list is as below:

Place of interest near resort

 

Cycling and Jogging Tracks around resort

Hiking routes around the resort

 Best way to book resort: We are VIP members of Agoda so we got some good deals there. But if you prefer to book resort with breakfast option then its best to book from their website online. 

p.s. we are loyal to one booking website as much as possible. So, we get good deals on those websites.

Location of resort:

D.D.2 Lot 648, Silvermine Bay, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, Mui Wo Lantau Island 

Other ways to reach resort are: 

By Bus: Local buses are available to take you to and from Silvermine Beach Resort, Mui Wo. Between Tung Chung and Mui Wo: Bus Route 3M and take off at the stop Mui Wo Market. Duration is around 30 minutes.

By Lantau Taxi (Blue Cab): You can take Lantau Taxi from Hong Kong International Airport, AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong Disneyland and Tung Chung to our resort. Duration is around 25 – 30 minutes.

By Ferry: You could also take a ferry to reach Mui Wo easily from Central Piers no. 6 and enjoy an amazing voyage on the sea. Video of the routes: http://bit.ly/2DrEzmE

Ferry and Bus Schedule: http://bit.ly/2RG4109 

(Source: https://www.silvermineresort.com)

Overall, Silvermine beach resort is a beautiful place but its pretty old and one should not expect luxury here. Its bit outdated in terms of its room decor and feel. Please note, there are no elevators so if you are going with infants or old family member please call before hand and ensure that you get lower floor rooms. 

Towards the tail end, Lantau Island is blessed with vast green land and beautiful beaches. There are endless things to explore around Lantau. Just a synopsis of famous things are mapped in here by resort which is easy to reckon.