Happy 23rd Anniversary, my love! Every day, I thank our Lord for the gift of you, Rachee, and for blessing us with our four boys — Aidan, Joshua, Raphael, and Yugi. Twenty-three years have been an incredible ride: full of joy and challenges, financial highs and lows, risks we faced hand in hand, and the shared mission of creating an awesome planet for the next generation.
Year 23 feels like halftime — a meaningful pause. We just celebrated our 20th during the pandemic, and now we look forward to our 25th, hopefully renewing our vows in Cana once again.
As Gen X parents, we’re in that transition where our kids have finished K–12 and are now in college. You can almost see the finish line — just two more years before our first college graduate. And yes, this season feels like the toughest financially, especially with Manila colleges making the first two years a repeat of Grades 11 and 12.
But through every season — the easy, the heavy, the uncertain — we’re still here, side by side.
Sharing with you our Nüwa escape — a much-needed pause to breathe, reconnect, and regroup. A quiet moment away from the kids, a chance to rekindle our love in the middle of financial storms and the daunting projects that defined this year.
Nüwa Premier Suite
This has long been one of our dream hotel staycations in Manila — a true 5-star luxury experience and the perfect place to celebrate our 23rd anniversary.
Nüwa Hotel – 5 Star Luxury Resort Hotel & Spa
City of Dreams Manila
Aseana Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard
Entertainment City, Parañaque, Metro Manila
We got upgraded to a Premier Suite with a spacious living room where we could hang out and watch movies, make more love, and just have some breathing space to relax.
We appreciated the tiny details like the welcome balloons, the fruit basket, the anniversary greeting with lights, and most especially the delicious anniversary cake.
The bedroom is really cozy, and we usually end up hanging out here for most of the day.
Loved this welcome towel sculpture of kissing swans with a red rose on a bed of heart-shaped towels. It was so beautiful we didn’t want to take it apart.
The bathroom was luxurious, with a bathtub centerpiece that felt perfect for our anniversary celebration.
Haliya Tasting Menu
This was our first time trying Haliya’s tasting menu, featuring their best Filipino creations and giving the whole experience some real Michelin vibes.
Taste of Artistry: A Five-Course Filipino Tasting Experience
5-Course Menu – Php 2,990 per person
Beverage Pairing – Php 2,700 per person
The first course was delicious lechon and seafood bites — a burst of textures and flavors, though a bit messy to eat with your hands. Wet towel, please!
Binalot Na Cochi & Lumpia Dinagat
Cochinillo / Papaya Atsara / Red Onion / Butter Head Lettuce
Adobo Flakes / Jalapeño
Prawn & Crab Meat / Crystal Malunggay Chips / Kalamansi Aioli
Aligue Dip / Red Chili Floss / Lettuce
ALAB
Made from local ingredients of calamansi liqueur and dalandan fruits
This was like a citrusy margarita — bright, refreshing, and perfect for stimulating the appetite.
Creamy pumpkin soup with bread and butter — the perfect course to set the mood and warm your cravings.
Kalabasa Krema
Caramelized Pork Longganisa / Cheesy Sourdough Crouton
Pumpkin Seed Oil / Micro Herbs
TROPIKO
Gin-based cocktail with tropical pandan finish
I love gin-based cocktails, as long as they’re not as sweet as this one.
Loved the playful presentation — parang bitin, I wished there were more scallops and caviar!
Escabeche Scallops
Pan Seared Scallops / Petchay / Cauliflower
Luya & Capsicum Beurre Blanc / Coriander Oil
Served as a deconstructed bistek tagalog with a mini steak in the middle.
Bistek Tagalog
Slow-Roasted Black Angus Beef Tenderloin / Broccoli / Crispy Kabute
Sweet Kamote Fondant / Crispy Onion / King Mushroom
Moringa Powder / Kalamansi Soy Jus / Sinangag na Kanin
The desserts included their signature cheesecake bibingka, turon, and the anniversary leche flan cake.
Chichingka & Turon
Itlog na Maalat / Keso / Coconut
Journey of 7 Flavors
“Mango / Chocnut / Banana / Leche Flan / Peanut / Dulce de Leche / Langka”
Another fantasy celebration unlocked — all day and all night.
I guess the secret to a long-lasting marriage is having financial security (still working on this), sharing the same values in guiding your family toward heaven, and still fantasizing about your spouse even after so many years.
Breezes Breakfast
The low-key à la carte breakfast at Breezes was relaxing and really good.
Hot Chocolate (₱180) and Cafe Mochaccino (₱180)
The coffee and hot chocolate were really good, served with well-crafted latte art.
Beef Tapa ₱680
Fried Marinated Grass-fed Beef and Fried Egg, with choice of Plain or Garlic Rice, served with Pickled Papaya
The tapa was tender and delicious, especially with the vinegar, scrambled eggs, and garlic rice.
Corned Beef ₱400
Slow-cooked Beef Brisket sautéed in Onions with Potatoes, and Fried Egg, Garlic Rice
My wife loved the corned beef — even yummier and so comforting, perfect to kickstart your morning.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for 23 years of love, faith, and resilience. Here’s to more adventures, more prayers answered, more dreams fulfilled for our kids, and more fantasies unlocked together.
Thank you to our friends at City of Dreams Manila for making our anniversary truly memorable!
Nüwa Hotel – 5 Star Luxury Resort Hotel & Spa
City of Dreams Manila
Aseana Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard
Entertainment City, Parañaque, Metro Manila
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. Thank you to City of Dreams Manila for a beautiful stay at Nuwa Hotel.
P.S. We actually won the Nuwa stay during the raffle at City of Dreams’ media appreciation Christmas lunch – swerte!