minimunchkin: Cebu

We haven't had a family holiday (and by this I mean a holiday with just the four of us) since we had Mia. The last time we went on a beach holiday was in October 2008 when I was heavily pregnant. We finally decided to take a short break at the Shangrila Resort in Cebu in March. Now if you have kids, this is an ideal place for a holiday. They have so many activities to keep the little ones occupied including two swimming pools, a kids club, adventure zone and of course lots of water sports.

We spent the entire four days alternating between lying by the pool and on the beach. Thank goodness Ryan is such an outdoor child, and after this trip, it looks like Mia's going to be a beach baby too although she still has a phobia about grass. Absolutely refuses to walk on it or even go close to anything green!

The beach at the Shangrila wasn't fantastic, no powder fine sand but the colourful sea life close to shore more than makes up for it. Just a few steps into the ocean and you're surrounded by loads of fish. For us it was exactly what we were looking for, the perfect learning ground for a first time snorkeler. Each time Ryan got into the water he was so entranced by the hundreds of fishes swimming around him, with many coming so close that he could almost touch them.

Day 1 - Our flight from Hong Kong left at 9am and we were relaxing on the beach by 1pm. Another reason why anyone with little kids will appreciate this place.

A great start to the holiday. Ice cream on the beach! A first for Mia :)

Free rider

Child labour - no guesses as to why the kayak was in the same spot for the longest time!

Glamorous baby model in training

Up close with the vain model

She knows she's cute too!

Horsing around in the pool

View from our room

Day 2 - A day by the pool.

Ryan's fusion breakfast - fruit, sushi and a donut

Morning stroll to work off our brekkie

Pep talk from Mama to help Mia overcome her fear of the lawn

Maybe holding Koh-koh's hand will help

Nope, didn't help and we haven't even reached the grass!

A favourite with all the kids

Practising for the real thing

The all important underwater sign - captured perfectly by the photographer Master Ngam

Hungry and ready for lunch after her morning nap

Deep fried chicken wings - a must when eating by the pool!

Enjoying the cool water on a warm evening

Yoga position number 237

Still a little unsteady on her feet

But loving this new found freedom

Dinner that night was out by the pool terrace where they were having a Philippino cultural buffet. The food was pretty good and we got to taste a selection of local dishes which were pretty interesting. Surprisingly though, adobo which to me is synonymous with Philippino food did not feature on the menu that night. The whole suckling pig (lechon) was delicious and so were the many different types of cassava desserts.

Dancing their way to dinner

Not too sure about the local cuisine that Mama's piled onto his plate

Fire dancers

Mesmerised by the flames

Day 3 - Beach bums for the day. We spent the entire day on the beach, immediately after breakfast until dusk. I think this was Ryan's favourite day because he not only got to play in the sand and sea all day, he also got to "drive" a jet ski which he had been asking to do since he saw them on the beach the first day we arrived.

Early morning cuddles

All ready for our morning swim with the fishies

While we swam, sleeping beauty had a lovely nap on the beach

One very tired little snorkeler being towed into shore

The highlight of this little boy's trip

Father and son enjoying a high speed ride

Mama's turn after a quick lesson from the mini "expert"

Shad and I were amazed at how well Ryan did at snorkeling. The minute his head went under the water, he was so enthralled by all the hundreds of fish swimming around him that any apprehension he may have felt was quickly forgotten.

Junior snorkeler

So close you could almost touch them

Another discovery, a beautiful bright blue starfish

Can we take it home please...?

You can just see what's going through that little mind - to eat or not to eat!

Beached baby

One for the family album

Displaying her shoe fettish yet again

These two kids are happiest when they're out playing on the beach

Caught in the act - we're currently going through the "put everything into the mouth" stage

This little girl can't sit still for long - time to go explore on shaky legs

Still needs more practice - Koh-koh unleashing some words on wisdom (instead of helping her get up!)

I can't feel my body, literally!

After two pregnancies, I think if my head wasn't screwed on, I'd have forgotten and left it behind a long time ago. Oh wait I did, let me go pick it up!