Finally, it's school holidays again, and of course that means a holiday!
This time, we decided not to go far and just booked a relaxed stay at the Mantra Ettalong Beach hotel. It's a small town about 1 hour away from Sydney, with nothing much to do but stay in the hotel and chill. The hotel itself is huge, but the facilities are somewhat limited. They had a big pool, but that's about it. No gym, no cafes or restaurant (other than the adjacent RSL). There's a small business area about 2-3 blocks away with a good number of shops and restaurants.
We've booked this a couple of months back, so we have been looking forward to this break. We were joined by the Luzons, Madulis, and the Carungays.
April 12, Wednesday
- After our morning worship services, we all went home to start packing up and get ready for the trip
- At around 12noon, we started our drive towards Ettalong Beach
- There was a brief stop at the Penang Gardens, but we couldn't get out of the car because of the rain. So we just decided to continue on towards the hotel
- Arrived at our accommodation around 2pm. Rested for much of the day
- Around 4pm, we went to the pool deck for photo ops. We were planning to go out and stroll along the beach, but it was raining on and off.
- Kids stayed in the Madulis' room mostly while adults were at the Luzons doing nothing but cook, eat, and laugh. It was a relaxing holiday, didn't I say?
April 13, Thursday
- Woke up 9-ish am. Breakfast and lunch at the Luzons again
- It was raining most of the day so we just relaxed in the hotel
- Sad news today as my brother Jeff Au passed away. But that's another story.
- We went down for a stroll around 4pm. Walked halfway to Umina beach, then it started pouring again, so we hurried back to the hotel.
- Dinner again was at the Luzons
April 14, Friday
- Some of the couples managed to do a bit of sightseeing in the morning when the sun came out
- Lani and I woke up around 8-ish to prepare breakfast at the Luzon
- Mid-day, we all went out for a stroll towards the Ferry Wharf.
- Walked further till we reached the Paradise Cinema arcade, a small shopping centre with shops, restaurants and bar. Sadly, most of closed in the morning.
- We ended up in a Thai restaurant for lunch
- Headed back to the hotel for a quick swim in the pool
- The Carungays said their farewells as they had to leave back for Sydney 1 day earlier than us.
- Dinner again was at the Luzons
- Late at night, the adults went out for coffee at the arcade
April 15, Saturday
- Early morning again to prepare breakfast for the kids
- Then pack up time as we were to check out at 11am.
- After checking out, we headed to Patonga Beach for photoops and lunch at the Patonga Boathouse. It was such a beautiful venue. Good food and great vibes.
- At around 2pm, we started our journey back home in time for worship services.
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