A Staycation of Birthdays & Graduations with BFFs

It took us many months of discussion before we finally booked the hotel for our first staycation together as a group! We've been saying that we wanted to do it for years and finally it has come to pass =)

We met for lunch at Marche, Vivocity as it had a cute playground for my girl.

Enjoying herself so much in the playground that she hardly ate anything -_-

Group photo of us at the table

As you can see, we were colour coordinated for our self photoshoot later at the hotel (more on it later). One of us, R, also decided to bring her two month old Baby R as well. It was either bring the baby or leave earlier and we all didn't want her to leave earlier so she finally decided to bring the baby (a decision she sort of regrets later on *oops*).

We had to take two cabs to One 15 Marina at Sentosa Cove because we had so many things! Packing takes on a whole new meaning when you have a baby (*laughs*). We chose a hotel in Sentosa because I wanted to feel like we had left Singapore and Sentosa does just that.

Checking in was quite a breeze and before long we were heading to our hotel room.

Clockwise from left: Our room number;
Walking along the corridor to our room (the central area looks like a ship doesn't it?)
Welcome to One 15 Marina!

King-size bed with a good size baby cot

The bathtub is sunken into the floor, with a TV that you can watch while you soak in the warm water! =)

Chairs on the balcony to enjoy the beautiful view of the marina

Lovely view of the yachts all parked neatly at the dock
(we booked the Marina view room specially for this view!)

As usual, we wanted to have a self photoshoot (using my Olympus OMD and a tripod) in celebration of two of us who had graduated recently. We decided to use the bed as the backdrop for our photoshoot because it had the best lighting after testing different locations in the room.

One is the graduate and the other is the one who made the preparations (such as balloons and props);
(Can you guess who is who?)

The happy new graduates! =)
(Did you get it right? *grin*)

Group photos! The last time I wore a graduating cap was 3 years ago.
Love that the colour we chose matched the background so perfectly =)

My favourite shot of us. It's actually the very first shot believe it or not. Love it! =)
(even Baby R is looking at the camera! Model in the making!)

It was also D's birthday so we planned to have a staff bring us a piece of cake with a candle to surprise her. And lo and behold, just before they rang the bell, she insisted that she needed to go to the toilet! *face palm*

Initially we thought we could get her to open the door and sing happy birthday behind her while the staff held the cake but since that was not possible, it was time for Plan B!

Surprising her with the cake and singing happy birthday when she opened the toilet door!
(lucky it was a nice toilet haha)

Making her wish and blowing out the candle

So nice of the staff and One 15 Marina to provide the cake complimentary!
Really appreciate their personalised service!

We decided to head on to the pool before it got dark. R decided to stay in the hotel room with Baby R since she was too young to be in the pool (on hindsight, she should have joined us at the pool since it was well-sheltered from the sun).

Panoramic view of the pool taken with my Sony Experia Z3

Some of the pool tables and chairs are submerged in the water for people who did not want to dry off completely!

I was very impressed that they had a small playground next to the pool, which really got my girl very excited. It wasn't much but enough to entertain my girl.

Climbing up the stairs of the playground

Spinning and sliding

She didn't play very long though because the pool was calling out to her! I later asked her to play at the playground but she said, "no mummy, I'm wet. I don't want to make the playground wet." I'm impressed by what she said because I think she remembered how terrible she felt previously when other people made the playground wet and she couldn't play in the playground. So nice isn't it? =)

The hotel provided tube floats for guests (very fun!)

As well as floats for lazing around in the pool (girl loves it!)

Selfie in the pool

Such a nice background, couldn't resist posing for photos =)

Since my Sony Experia Z3 can be used underwater and I have never used that function before, I thought it would be fun to test it (while it is still under warranty hehe) =D

Not bad, quite clear isn't it? =)

Picture is nicer if you're wearing goggles and can open your eyes (and if you're cute)

We also lazed around in the Jacuzzi. Ahh, this is the life!

Enjoying the bubbling air jets

We would have stayed there for a lot longer if not because we didn't want R to be alone in the room for too long. It was also our turn to babysit the baby while R had a well-deserved soak in the bathtub! =)

Evening view from our balcony

We had fun chatting and catching up while waiting for R to finish her bath, Baby R to finish her dinner and my girl to take her nap. By the time we were ready to leave the hotel for dinner, all of us were famished!

We walked to Kith at Sentosa Cove Village for dinner

Clockwise from left: Delicious truffle fries (super large portion! We couldn't finish!);
I ordered the ribeye steak, which was succulent and juicy. Lovely!;
Girl chose beef bolognese pasta, which was also a really large portion.

Group photo taken by a staff
(Thankfully it was quite a windy evening so the baby slept really well as you can see)

The prices of the food at Kith are not cheap but the portions are quite large so technically you can share.

After dinner, we took a slow leisurely walk back and stopped at Sentosa Cove Village Playground so that girl can play while we chatted. The playground, being situated next to a marina, was of course in the shape of a ship. Very cool right =)

Playground at Sentosa Cove Village

Four swings side by side

Many structures for climbing and three slides for sliding. It's so fun to be a kid ain't it? *laughs*

Aunty D can't help but join in the fun!

After a long day, we couldn't wait to climb into bed! Some of us were in dreamland once the head hit the pillow!

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel.

Spread of fruits and bread (the usual)

Freshly-made waffles

To be absolutely honest, the breakfast was so-so only. My girl, the food critic, only ate one bite of everything and shook her head. "What?" I responded, "not even the waffles?" She shook her head. Well, I'm glad that the hotel was kind enough not to charge us for her meal (told them that she wouldn't eat much and I was right).

After breakfast, we spent some time chilling in the room before we checked out.

Playing with Baby R, who was in a good mood because she slept really well the night before (at the expense of her mummy though)

Ahhh, small enough to fit right into one arm.. How we will miss you Baby R when you grow up!! It was a joy to be able to spend 24 hours with you =)

The staff from the day before gave us a call to ask if we need help with our luggage. Of course I said yes! Really nice of him to offer, considering that we had kids with us. Plus it was raining cats and dogs outside!

Left: Girl and I in matching outfits just before we left our room;
Right: One of the staff gave my girl a balloon flower which totally made her day!

The staff who gave my girl the flower also informed us on the arrival of the hotel's complimentary shuttle bus, ensured that the bus driver drove to the shelter so that we can board without getting wet and carried our luggage up the bus. We really appreciated the help of the staff! A+ for service excellence!

After a day at the marina, I think that we will totally miss the view of the yachts.