Staying in Makati at Jupiter Suites

Last February 23-26th was travel time for us. We were really stoked to get an excuse to travel to Manila. I was actually traveling there to join the DigitalFilipino E-Commerce Summit 2012. Business-related trips like these are great excuses for me to do a side trip travelling with my two boys. So off we went to Makati City.

We arrived late afternoon at NAIA. It was such a huge airport but you can just ask around for locations. Make sure to practice your Tagalog as you will surely get abused (Yes, I am referring to taxi drivers.) if you make it obvious that you are promdi.

So, we hopped off the airport and got a taxi driver that didn't rip us off. It was even fun to know that airport security chose a taxi for us and told the driver to help us and even warned the driver for not wearing seatbelts. Superb employees!!

At the airport/yellow taxi lane

We told the driver to drop us off at Jupiter Suites in Makati. You have to specifically tell them that it's at BelAir or else you'll miss the location. It was good to know that the driver is already familiar with Jupiter Suites so dropping us off was not tasking.

For the taxi ride, I think you have to prepare around ~Php 150. While Mark was paying the driver, Robert -  one of the employees of Jupiter Suites - helped us out with our super heavy bag. I was then able to confirm out reservation with front desk and immediately got ushered to our room by Mr. Bert.

Waiting Area

Quick info about the place

Accommodation Name: Jupiter Suites

Website: http://jupitersuites.com.ph/

Address: 102 Jupiter Street Bel-Air, Makati City Philippines

Phone number: 

Contact Numbers: (632) 890.5044 to 50 // Fax Number: (632) 890.5019

Landmarks: BelAir, In front of Petron, Along street with KFC, McDonald

Room Rates:

• Standard Suites Php 2,400++
• Deluxe Suites Php 2,900++
• Familly Suites Php 3,700++
• Extra Person Php 700

Jupiter Suites on Google Maps

View Larger Map

Some photos during our stay

Front Desk

Lobby

Bed 1 of Standard Room

Standard Room has two beds for guests. Great for a family like ours. 

Their sink at the comfort room/shower.

Lampshade and phone. I don't think it can be used for local calls though.

Where to eat?

You might want to grab something to eat once you get there. They have a cafe but it's only open until 10:00 AM. But don't worry. It's Makati! You just need to go out of Jupiter Suites and see the road lined up with places to eat like KFC, McDonald, Jollibee, Chic Boy, Papa John's Pizza, Mang Inasal and lots of other cafes!

For Gadgeteers and Internet Junkies (like me!)

For those who are looking for internet connections or bringing gadgets, here are some info for you:

1. They have wifi at the first floor only.
2. You can access their internet via cable inside your room. You will need to pay Php 100 for it for your whole stay.
3. They have two PCs with internet access. You need to pay Php 100 per hour of use.
4. You can charge almost all your gadgets at the same time. They have lots of outlets in the room.

Taxi Rates (Estimates)

Since you are in Makati, I would assume that you will be using Jupiter Suites as springboard to travelling awesome places like Greenbelt, SM MOA, Peninsula Manila or Ocean Park to name a few. Here are some estimates on the taxi rates. These are all from Jupiter Suites to the mentioned location:

• To SM MOA: ~Php 130
• To Peninsula Manila: ~Php 50
• To Greenbelt, Ayala: ~Php 100
• To Manila Ocean Park: ~Php 170

I would stay at Jupiter Suites again if I would be visiting Makati since I am already familiar with the place. 

Handy Tips for Parents on Teaching Fiscal Responsibility

The day your child is old enough to be getting money, they're old enough to learn fiscal responsibility. Regardless of age, however, the basics of saving and spending are the same for everyone. Whatever they plan to do with their money, remind them that once the money has been spent, it's gone. 

"Basics of saving and spending are the same for everyone."

Resist the temptation to intervene so that they can learn on their own. They will rely on you for guidance and support, but in the end, they have to decide for themselves. If your child is especially industrious or thrifty, you may soon find that a piggy bank won't be enough to keep their money safe. Most banks offer several planned incentives for children's accounts, so make sure to review your options before taking that trip to the bank. 

"Resist the temptation to intervene so that they can learn on their own." 

As you teach your child more about financing, you may want to talk to them about several investment options. A very viable option you will need to explain are offshore accounts, which are often misunderstood. Their policy of keeping the identities of business owners private is a particular concern when the people involved are in big business or politics. 

Source: anne009.hubpages.com

However, for individuals and small and medium business owners, the privacy and tax advantages they provide level the playing field for them. Among the best places to setup an offshore account is Hong Kong, one of the friendliest business regions in the world.

With the help of an official registered agent like Startupr, you can go through the entire process of setting up an offshore Hong Kong account online. Due to the overwhelming number of companies already doing business in Hong Kong, the only local bank accepting offshore accounts now is HSBC. Among the documents required to setup a Hong Kong bank account are: 

• Business Registration Certificate
• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A)
• NC1 form (particular to Hong Kong)

In a matter of hours, Startupr can handle the entire process of incorporating a business in Hong Kong, with everything also done online. To find out more, go to http://www.startupr.com.

The Funky Car

Funky Car. Monkey Bar.

Traveling with Kids

The best of part about traveling with a kid is that you rediscover simple joys of discovering the world around you.

That's what I always feel when we get that little taste of excitement whenever we go home to Mindanao for a quick vacation. Trips with Dabby are always amazing. His endless questions are quite interesting that I find myself groping for answers to his queries that range from why a thing is of such color or to awkward questions about people around him. 

What I find most interesting is when we ride a plane. He is almost always seated near the wing and always get to see the propeller outside his window. He puts his hand on the window to show that he loves watching the propeller spin moving the plane to where we are headed to -- our hometown.

Philippine Airlines has chosen to sponsor the Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Iligan City on October 29 – 30, 2011 and this is a great way to show that the number one airline in the Philippines is supporting the cause not only of travelers like families with kids but also bloggers who want to explore the world.

Thank you Philippine Airlines for choosing to sponsor the summit!

The Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011 is open to all Mindanao-based bloggers and to interested bloggers from Luzon and Visayas, with web logs or web journals hosted by any of the publishing platforms, social networking sites with blogging features such as: Blogger, Facebook, Multiply, Tumblr, WordPress,among others, and to those individuals interested in blogging. With 100 bloggers to converge, the Mindanao Bloggers Summit is already accepting registrations.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011

Registration and Accomodations

Partners and Sponsors

What Excites Me to Go to Iligan City Blogging Contest

Speakers

Programme

City Tour Itinerary

If you’re joining to become a participant, register now, or for those who are interested to sponsor, contact Iligan Bloggers Society, and don’t miss out on this chance.

Homeschooling and Mobile Internet

We homeschool everyday. Each lesson is divided into 2 days of work so we need to stick with a daily schedule to cover topics for school. With our current pace, we are very much on schedule. I even saved an allowance of about 15 lessons before June for situations like sick days or travel.

With our travel to MBS5 tomorrow to join the summit on the 29th, our lessons might come to a halt. I am joining the Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Iligan City to support Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. And of course, I will be bringing my family with me.

Excitement of travel is creeping way too much that I can't go back to sleep at night. Seriously :p And who says we still can't study on the road right?

I was glad to know that Globe Telecom is a co-presentor of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011. A big telecom like Globe surely deserves a pat on the back for support blogger societies.

What I learned about Globe is that they are currently promoting their mobile internet products with their release entitled "You’re On with Globe: Taking mobile internet to the next level".

It is interesting to know that they have Postpaid options for those whose consumption includes push notifications and instant updates at bulk consumption valid for 30 days. This PowerSurf is available in 3 denominations:

• PowerSurf 99 with 50MB allocation, 
• PowerSurf 299 with 300MB allocation 
• PowerSurf 499 with 1GB allocation

I do know that as a blogger and as a homeschooling mom, I need to be constantly connected to the net. So if you're also one, I bet you don't have an excuse anymore not to go traveling to summits like Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011. You're always connected!