IS TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING KILLING OUR INNATE CREATIVITY?

There was one time I observed my daughter closely for a whole hour while she was playing with her little kitchenette. For her not to feel conscious, I played along by asking her to cook for me. To my surprise, at the age of 2, she somehow memorised demo videos on how to use Play Doh Kitchen pack that she was speaking some lines to me from it as she tinkered with the plastic utensils and turning on the toy stove. This made me curious how is that possible? Probably because of repetition, she had somehow got it.

I noticed that she is inclined to love music. It's natural for people who love music to remember something thru it. Even the intro jingle of the Mr. Bean cartoons at the age of two? She loves dancing to it that she asks me to hum it for her. Until she did it on her own. Probably because my husband and I are performers, and we ourselves are music lovers, she can easily adapt to the tempo and she sings the lyrics in her own special way. With some words spoken clearly, communication with her starts to get very smooth. Most of the time she says it how she hears it. And it's usually right. I just know her that I get what she says even though it just sounds like that word while to some people, it could be a jargon.

Because of that, I thought to myself, what is the effect of traditional schooling to this massive energy? What if I will immerse her to doing what she loves to do instead of putting her in a classroom like everybody else? Somebody had told me about the beauty of homeschooling. So, in addition to the traditional educational system, time going to and from school will be spent making her an expert on something else at an early stage besides the expected curriculum for her age bracket. Just like what she wants to do, for example singing? or swimming? or origami? I'm sure there are advantages and disadvantages. Socially, maybe there could be a way for interaction to happen but I know the dynamics of group projects may be challenged. Though, in a classroom, there are students that may get the lesson earlier than the others. But they are situations where they are forced to wait for the others to get it before "all" of them could move on to another topic. Homeschooling will actually make use of this extra time by moving on according to her individual progress. More time maybe spent learning something else.

But, what if there's a total turn about on what we have gone familiar with? What if instead of finishing primary and secondary school, to get into college, we put our kids to doing what they want to do spot on and give her 8 years on, for example, acting. I don't think she'd be needing more than 8 years to learn the fundamentals. So, you may find that they like swimming, give it another 2 years. They want to learn computer, an intense 5 year learning about it may suffice. I guess what we're looking at, is an expert of these 3 things at the age of 15.

What is my point?

My point funnels to the fact that the educational system we use up until now tend to make us "all the same". Which in the future would actually be hindering the much needed creativity. With the fast paced technology and the power of the internet, information will be within arm's reach, communication to Timbukto will be possible whenever you need to do so and there's no point in sitting down in the classroom to study history because the student will just answer the teacher, "Ma'am, let me google that for you." The only way to defy this is to hail individuality but the school system is so old that it creates followers and not leaders.

In January 2015, the top 3 most researched topics are: free porn, language translator and maps. In July of the same year, it changed into: movies and music (entertainment), programming and blogging. Now, 2016, google's most researched topics were about the Paris attacks, Trump and Hillary's presidency campaign and the last is 'how to be rich'. This can all be checked out in www.searchenginewatch.com, www.seattleorganicseo.com and www.seigemedia.com.

These are trends that changed massively every 6 months. This shows that people continuously learn important things that can be done using the internet. But most of the school systems that is used up until now don't include financial education, proper usage of the internet and the creative arts as much as the other subjects. As far as trends go, almost everything had undergone huge changes. Henry Ford transformed a horse carriage into a car using horsepower, Steve Jobs had innovated Alexandar Graham Bell's telephone into an iPhone and lastly, Walt Disney had turned his dream park for his daughters into a dream park for everybody. What do they all have in common? They were creative, they did what they wanted to do and all of these energy were not from the classroom. Alexander Graham Bell had an active mind despite performing poor academically. He was homeschooled until he was 11 years old and he invented so many more but the telephone was the most popular. Steve Jobs was interested more in working in the garage with a friend to build a computer after dropping out from school. After getting hold of how the iPhone works, we are all different in terms of consuming, communicating and connecting. Walt Disney was fired from the newspaper job he got for lacking ideas and now, Disneyland are surrounded with imagineers, putting imagination, design and engineering altogether for its business to keep on expanding to satisfy its guests.

To wrap up my post, allow me to share this eye opener. And please let me know if you agree with me that our generation needs an upgraded educational system.

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Investment /ɪnˈvɛs(t)m(ə)nt/

The word that is enticing to the masses as they know this is the not-so-much-of-a-secret of the rich. Investing in multiple ventures is the way to be and it is the only game plan in staying on the pedestal of the privileged. The difficulty of its implementation comes in with its concept perceived as intimidating. A common misconception being that it “always” takes a huge amount of money to start.

Warren Buffett, CEO of the Berkshire Hathaway and one of the most successful investors in the world, said, “The best investment you could ever do is to educate yourself.” Let us begin becoming financially literate by understanding these 3 basic principles:

1. What is an investment?

As explained by www.investopedia.com in its very economic sense, “An investment is any purchased good that is not consumed today but will be used in the future to build wealth.” This definition implies that it starts with an intended delayed gratification. An investment is best used to produce passive income while you earn aggressively. Finding a product that will allow regrowth of the capital you bought it with is the key.

2. What is the difference between passive income and aggressive income?

In his book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, Robert Kiyosaki shared the importance of passive income over active income. To embrace the advantage of the first one over the other, he pointed out that active income is what you earn from your day job. Passive income is called so since you get it without doing much of a workload. Having an investment to earn you some passive income is the name of the game. You will get paid via the ‘investment’ you have made.

Sample financial statement
that the boardgame Cashflow provides.

For example, you have bought an apartment and had it rented out. Basically, the monthly rental payment you get from it is passive income because you did not actually have to do any work for it compared to your 8-hour day job. Simply put, you did not have to report for duty to anybody at anytime. You are earning money even when your attention is on other things. The capital you bought and renovated the apartment with was your investment and this can earn you back your capital and more! Understanding the rate of return based on how an apartment is in demand, you are actually making your investment work for you. This way, your apartment becomes an asset.

WHY PHILIPPINE OFW'S GOT THE POWER TO REBUILD ITS ECONOMY THRU FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Only one in every three people knows how to handle money according to Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s) Global Financially Literate Survey conducted December of 2015. That consists only 31% of the total global population who have access to, had gained knowledge from and is practicing financial literacy.

How long do you need to stay at the left
to be able to do what's on the right?

Manila Times had elaborated that the survey conducted an interview amongst 150,000 adults from more than 140 countries. The lowest percentage showing the least financially literate is 13% from Yemen. Sweden and Norway closed the gap being the first with 71% of their population having an understanding of the concepts about money. Remarkably in Southeast Asia, Cambodia garners the lowest percentage with 18%, joined with Vietnam to be lower than the Philippines with 24% and Singapore has the highest rank with 59%. 

Philippines accounts 25% only of its entire population of 102,550,352 (recorded as of Monday, Sept. 12, 2006) to be the only ones who know inflation, compounding interest (savings and loan) and proper handling of a credit card. What does this mean?

According to www.investopedia.com, The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the primary indicators used to gauge the health of a country’s economy. It represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific period of time; you can think of it as the size of the economy. Its calculation could be done adding altogether the income generated by each working individual of a specific country within the year. This is how society’s contributions come to play.

Individual success in handling money depends greatly on how experienced one had become in using this commodity. With experience being the greatest teacher, financial education could build a platform as to where all these experiences could be shared. Experiences don’t consist of achievements all the time. Challenges that may have occurred could be shared as well to be analyzed to prevent errors to occur. As it is truly devastating to make a mistake with your hard earned money, we can all learn from these challenges.

You may say the rich have a lot of exposure to such scarce form of education but information was passed from one generation to another only within their family. The survey also reflected who don’t have access to such education like the women, the poor and the illiterate. For whatever reason, it’s another story, but I want to focus on how alarming Philippines’ 25% is since each civilian is a significant contributor to an economy’s growth.

In the Philippines, no money topic could be considered an easy one to talk about. Some feel awkward conversing about it, some feel uncomfortable and others feel threatened. Needless to say, it speaks a lot about status. The rich people love to talk about money but the barriers are high for the majority which is the poor to take it lightly. Money remains taboo and is still surprisingly thought of as the source of all evil.

Financial Education says otherwise. It suffices the need for understanding how money should be treated as a tool. A tool in creating opportunities for a brighter and secure future ahead while you enjoy the fruits of your labor today. That the amount of salary is not the only determining factor whether you will be rich or not but the strategy you learn in sustaining it and making it grow. In addition, it is imperative to understand a little as to why insurance is needed, how time can help your money grow and how compounding interest could benefit you as you save more. And these are just a few of what financial education can empower you with.

Being aware of a nation’s potential outcome if its entire population becomes financially literate is enough reason to increase the number of learned people as to how to use their money wisely. A world renowned leader Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” In consideration of the Filipino overseas workers that surround the globe, this statement of Mandela’s could drive the Philippines into becoming a global success.

WIKIPEDIA tallied that 13.5% of Philippines GDP came from Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers’ (OFW’s) remittances alone. Remarkably, the Philippines, India, China and Mexico are the largest recipient of official remittances and the Philippines got the largest in proportion to the domestic economy amongst the 4. If the biggest income generator are the overseas foreign workers, then the campaign for advocating financial education should be done aggressively beginning with them.

The overseas Filipino workers leave their families hoping that working abroad could make their lives better. To consider a contract abroad, the salary should be promising enough that it should be a lot more than what they would earn while working in their own country.

So what happens is that, once they receive their first paycheck abroad, it usually goes to paying debts in the Philippines that they incurred to arrange the papers to be able to work abroad. Second paycheck comes, everything will be sent to the Philippines for the family expecting a breather from the usual lifestyle. What happens to the OFWs, they have to do another sacrifice of eating noodles until the third paycheck comes! More likely, the OFW will start rewarding himself with the third paycheck and this practice becomes endless until you are pushed to apply for another loan while abroad. The cycle continues from there… on a larger scale. In the end, with that much number of years away from the family, you will go home without savings nor any form of retirement plan.

If the OFW’s would be taught of and trained on how to save, invest and re-invest which are the fundamentals of financial literacy, it can improve their way of looking at saving and spending. They would see the importance of having an emergency fund which would prevent them from making unnecessary loans. In the long run, individual efforts will improve the Philippines’ current economy big time. Individual efforts put together could give the country a competitive economic disposition.

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7 PILLARS OF BUILDING AN EMERGENCY FUND

Do you consider losing your phone an emergency situation? How about finding a one-peso deal online from CEBU PACIFIC? OR maybe, a friend is asking you to hang out over happy hour? It sounds so irresistible, you conform even if it means spending the last food money you have for the week. More likely, if you would answer yes to these, a reassessment of your understanding of an emergent situation is needed.

The big question now is, what should be treated as an “emergency”? Let's consider only three:

1. A life threatening situation for you and your family

Example: sudden hospitalisation, dealing with complications of chronic illness; force majeure; war

2. If you are cut off of your main source of income

Example: you got laid off that resulted being jobless, most especially if you're the family's sole bread winner; force majeure

3. Death

Death of the bread winner in the house may leave a family in an emergency because there's no source of income. Funeral services had to be done and, most of the time, it's the least included in one's personal budget. Death is inevitable, yes, but it comes with an unexpected cost of funerals.

So, anything that doesn't fall under these categories, more or less, is NOT an emergency. Although, any situation which could lead to it may be reconsidered. Say, if your car is your only means of income like UBER, car rental services or you are a transporter by the day, obviously, it's your main source of income. Therefore, this falls under the second category.

According to Floi Wycoco, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Global Filipino Investors, a person’s emergency fund is ideally a total of 3 to 6 months’ salary. The basis of this would be the number of months you can be covered without compromise to your usual lifestyle even if you don’t have a job before you land the next one. This is also put together to cover up for any expenses after whichever emergent situation may lead to. Depending on the number of months you’re going to decide on, it still takes a lot of effort to build that safety net that will catch you.      

Here are the 7 pillars that could help you build a sturdy emergency fund:

1.   DISCIPLINE

Recognizing emergency situations need a great amount of discipline. We have defined what it is earlier. Simply put, establish your definition by remembering the three things that should be present: the sick, the dying and the dead. So that you won’t be misled with what you'll consider a priority.

Since emergency fund is for emergency purposes, it should be liquid. Meaning, it should be available and accessible at all times. Wherever and however you keep it safe, you should have a full access to it anytime. And here’s how it becomes difficult. You may always be tempted to dig into it.

Don’t underestimate the struggle behind resisting most especially when you become emotional on something like the need to reward yourself every payday. When you go over your budget to buy what you think you deserve, then your emergency fund may suffer.

A friendly advice from Edward Lee, CEO of COL Financial goes, “Develop the habit of saving up a portion of your salary with the aid of a budget formula, then find the discipline to stick to it. Ideally, it’s 10-20% of your income”.

A sample budget plan, by JP Adena of Spearhead Mission, called “IsaveIspend” encouraged a lot of Filipino overseas workers in Hong Kong not to fall in debt. With an advocacy for a financially literate community, he allots ‘Happy Fund’ as the the number one need to be met. And this should never be reprimanded in any way. Why? To keep you motivated to follow this budget plan the next month, and the next month, and the next month. Reminder: The funds from the right column may fill up percentages on the left but strictly, the funds from the left should never be used to pay the ones on the right. Also, the funds on the left side should be kept as is except if the emergency fund had been filled up already.

A good help to your own discipline is to allot a different percentage of your salary for your ‘happy fund’.

2. EDUCATION

“Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do.”  – Warren Buffet It is liberating when you learn about something you were curious about for a long time. It's even empowering when you know something so well that you get to teach it. It doesn't matter if you just started learning about financial education a year ago or for ten years already. The important thing is you're establishing yourself with much deeper sense for whatever may happen in the future. Security after all is the best pillow at night. It is important to know where you invest your hard earned money into.

Friendly advice: Take advantage of the platforms available online that offer and assist you to financial education. Some people have a concept that money is evil.  www.trulyrichclub.com says otherwise as the founder of this club is a pastor gone financial advisor. Check out what he has to offer for you. Start getting familiar with the 3 Basic Laws of Money by reading, “The Rich Man in Babylon”. Robert Kiyosaki’s book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” is a true eye opener to the concept of financial freedom. And www.investopedia.com is another good source of non-biased information when it comes to handling your finances. Motley Fool owns another website that gives education and advice in terms of stocks to put up with and lose vs. time.

3. PERSERVERANCE

Any good investment usually takes time to bring back profit. Don’t expect that

you save now and then you reap money to spend it tomorrow. It doesn’t work that way. It means you have to work doubly hard over time.

If you persevere in everything you do today, if you persevere to be the better version of you each time, you’ll be able to get rid of nasty habits and make way for good ones, you’ll be able to control your emotions and you’ll be able to focus on your goals. You may be led to endless opportunities because you will strive to learn every day.

4. COMMITMENT

Good habits emerge from how committed a person is. And a commitment’s backbone is a

person’s biggest WHY. If you can’t figure that out just yet, be reminded that your emergency fund isn’t for anybody else but you and your family. That’s enough reason to commit. If you’re single, commit to living the dream you’ve always wanted.

5. HONESTY/INTEGRITY

These two work hand-in-hand as you fill up your emergency fund. If you have a second job to have an additional income but you call in sick to keep up with it, where’s your integrity? If you collect a dollar a day from random friends, (which is an annoying attitude of some Filipinos), just so for additional change to your emergency fund, that’s being dishonest. Just say no to unnecessary spending habits.

If you would like to earn passive income, there’s a lot of ways but of course, we need to go back to educating yourself by learning about investing on assets whose return of investment (ROI) is good (e.g. businesses, properties, gold/silver coins).

INVESTOPEDIA.COM:

                 

The RETURN OF INVESTMENT (ROI) FORMULA:

                 

ROI = (Gain from investment - Cost of Investment)/Gain from investment

where:

“GAIN FROM INVESTMENT” refers to the proceeds obtained from the sale of the investment of interest. Because ROI is measured as a percentage, it can be easily compared with returns from other investments, allowing one to measure a variety of types of investments against one another.

6. DETERMINATION

As an adult, you set priorities. You weigh consequences of every decision you make. And as you become aware of what works for you or not, be determined to stand by something that will do you good in the end. Have the determination to step up and be responsible in choosing what fits your budget. Say no to unnecessary spending habits.

7. PATIENCE

Once you are able to reach the planned amount for your emergency fund, the excess funds can be invested for further growth of your capital. Let me suggest for you to invest it into something that will take advantage of the compounding interest and beat inflation. For example, investing on mutual funds, stocks and bonds that may allow your money to earn 5% beating inflation. Here in Hong Kong, the inflation rate is at 3% as of the moment. It means, your money had earned 2% overtime if you are assured of a 5% ROI thru a lifetime savings plan.

Inflation, according to www.investopedia.com, is the rate at which general prices of services and goods is rising, and consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling. Central banks attempt to limit inflation, and avoid deflation in order to keep the economy running smoothly. This may be shocking to understand that the amount of goods your HK$500 can buy is not the same amount of goods you can buy 5 years after.

Friendly advice: Learn the beauty of delayed gratification. Be patient by sticking to your budget plan. If there’s an ongoing sale in the mall and you feel that your happy fund isn’t enough to buy everything you like, be patient. And focus on the bigger reward, a secure future.

Having an established emergency fund is the first step into attaining financial freedom. So many how-to-budget ideas are out there, but whatever you may choose to adopt, it’s important to know how to live to it. No matter how big a goal may be, foundation is what’s given most of the effort, time and energy. With these 7 pillars, you can never go astray.

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HONG KONG HOTELS YOU NEVER KNEW WERE THERE

Staycations are becoming a hit nowadays. And let's admit it, there's nothing more convenient than being in a totally different looking view in half an hour or so with the whole family without the hassles of packing, unpacking and flying. This Summer, rediscover Hong Kong with these hotels that you never knew were there all along to give you a totally different outlook.

1. ROYAL VIEW HOTEL

The name suggests its look from the outside as it stands at the edge of a hill solo. It is the perfect getaway if you really want a different feel of Hong Kong. Overlooking Tsing Ma bridge and the harbour separating Lantau and Tsuen Wan, Royal View Hotel has 688 rooms ranging from Superior to 3-bedroom suites. With a room size selection of 385 sq.m. up to 1,428 sq.m., these serviced suites aim to provide a spacious yet efficient interior. Its outdoor lap pool is so relaxing because of the trees. Its shade give out a vibe that you're in a lagoon. The weekend buffet presents fresh sweet tasting seafood and their lamb chops and steaks are seasoned perfectly. The room provides a 3G phone for the guests to use for free. It can be used to research about upcoming sales in the city, shows that you may want to watch, events that are ongoing and it provides IDD service to call the Philippines, USA and of course, Hong Kong for free.

This makes an experience different in a way that there are no 7-11's around, no food stalls nearby, it is really secluded. So if you need a quiet time to unwind, relax and rejuvenate, this is the place to be. It is perfect to stay in for a long weekend to indulge on its Lido Beach which is just a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Walking distance to the Tsuen Wan Waterfront Promenade is fairly bearable. The multi-intelligence mall for kids, Discovery Park, is just HK$25 away. And altogether, this makes a great suggestion for both solo and family staycation.

2. HARBOUR PLAZA RESORT CITY

If you are planning to get close to nature, this by far is the cheapest, yet most worthy of your money. Start your day with a good yum cha just a stairway up the hotel's lobby. They have a massive pool kissed by the sun from early morning 'til late afternoon that is perfect for sunbathing. The kids' room is sanitised every two hours and is spacious and facilitative. Total opposite of the Royal View Hotel, it got a lot of eateries around. But, it's still is provincial in a way. The park is open for some meditation, good long walk and exercise. I have lived more than 8 years here and I can attest to how it had developed to its best to this day.

So for those who would like to stay for a week or two, try checking in here since it's just walking distance from a movie house, groceries, shopping malls, hospital, wet market, police station and many more. Also, it is 45 minutes away from the Shen Zhen border which you may want to visit for a day and then just come back home to Harbour Plaza Resort City in the evening.

A little trivia goes, Tin Shui Wai was known as the fish pond area of Hong Kong before. A New Territory taxi driver explained to us that livelihood long before was about farming and being a fisherman because some of the rice paddies were turned to pools. In the long run, aquaculture had declined that led many to abandon their fish ponds. The government tried to save it thru land reform. But there was a planned preservation of the ponds from the Tin Shui Wai New Town Development. To separate the two, an ecological mitigation area for the wetlands served as the buffer. Later on, it turned into and educational and tourism facility called, The Wetland Park, that your kids may enjoy as you visit. You can jump in the light rail transit going here. Probably around 15 minutes away from the hotel.

3. NOAH'S ARK RESORT

Surprise your children with an epic adventure at Noah's Ark. This is absolutely a perfect destination to consider during a staycation here in Hong Kong this Summer.  This season calls for a chance for kids to explore a new experience without the stress from school.

A modern type of camping maybe done by having all your friends with families check in at Noah's Ark Resort, located at Park Island. Underneath the Tsing Ma Bridge also, similar to Royal View Hotel, the resort faces a breathtaking view of the harbour and is situated to the nearby theme park, Noah's Ark.

They have a room that can hold up until 8 people that is perfect for a big family. That room has a huge table where all of you can have a quiet dinner altogether, face to face, without any disturbance of today's technology. Quality time is assured because of the activities the resort can offer. Also, their mission and vision aims to educate and encourage kids to be loving to the animals, environment, to others and to themselves with their exhibitions, displays and attractions.

4. HERITAGE HOTEL AT TAI O

If you're up for some history and serenity, experience a getaway at Heritage Hotel in Tai O. It's a hotel, museum, and historic facility all in one. And it is an award winner by Trip Advisor, Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific, Human Resource Magazine.

Services here include a tour of the former police station and that of a prisoner for illegal trespassers to Hong Kong at the earlier 1900's. It is facing the South China Sea already so this facility also aimed to patrol against pirates from neighbouring countries back then. It's just in the year 2009 that it got restored into a 9-room boutique hotel by a Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. An added restaurant above the prison had been built, called the Tai O Lookout to be able to cater to dining guests. Don't miss ordering the one-of-a-kind Crispy Bun with Tai O shrimp paste marinated Pork Chop. And beside the look out is a well preserved booth where policemen exchanged shifts as look outs, hence, the name.

The fish that accompanies the shrimp paste marinated burger
is truly the best kicker in this dish.
I don't eat chocolate but I tried it and it was
deliciously moist and its chocolate flavour is not too
sweet and not too bitter.

5. SILVERMINE BEACH RESORT

Silvermine Beach Resort had been recognised
and had been awarded consistently.
The most recent is being the Resort Hotel of the Year
from the last June 2015, awarding ceremony.

If you want to escape the busy city life, jump in a ferry and take a trip to Mui Wo to find this gem that offers incomparable comfort with their super sized beds and semi buffet treats. By booking Silvermine Beach Resort, you get the sun, sand and the solitude. Bring your family for a series of outdoor activities that become limited while living in the metro.

Imagine my big Samoan husband,
my half Samoan, half Filipino, one year old and I on this bed.
We all have the best sleep for this is the most
comfortable bed we've ever slept in together as a family.

In terms of what's exquisite about this place, it is accessible to the city, a school, a wet market, a police station, a bus station, a taxi stand and the pier. This way, even if you choose to be in the hidden part of Lantau Island, villagers exude that energy all through out the area because they are efficient in their own ways.

Things that you shouldn't miss in staying here in Silvermine Beach Resort: The herd of carabaos resting in the evening right in front of the hotel. It's a good way to introduce what a carabao is to kids without any restraints or the idea that they are tied up because these carabaos are free to roam around. The outdoor swimming pools (one for the kids and one for the adults) are very rejuvenating because of the scenery that surrounds you, mountains and gardens. And my personal favourite, watching the sunrise by the hotel's wooden deck over coffee facing the beach horizon. The hope that it whispers is empowering.

6. GOLD COAST HOTEL

It's the kids' break from school. Why not take advantage of a HK$11,800 worth of a month's stay at Gold Coast Hotel? This 2-room apartment type is fully furnished, with a sublime sea view. Being 30 minutes away from the city, Gold Coast Hotel gives you a East-meets-West fusion of food, ambiance and service.

Its yacht and country club is such a great view from the hotel and from the Gold Coast Piazza. It provides a nice membership package including an exclusive spa service. Chilli and Spice is the most popular restaurant in the Piazza for their cooking service of the seafood that is freshly available outside the restaurant and their lamb curry is the most delicious I've had so far while staying here in Hong Kong.

Besides the Gold Coast Beach which is one of Hong Kong's longest beaches, the Piazza that holds French, Italian, Indian, Thai and Chinese restaurants and the view of the luxurious yachts, nearby attractions can also be readily accessed. Butterfly gardens serve as natural habitats for butterflies in pursuit of the tropical landscapes of the Gold Coast community to be redeveloped. There's also eco-gardens where residents can participate in organic farming with an intention of caring for the environment. Gold Coast Hotel gives its residents encouragement in doing physical exercises with its jogging routes which you may do for 10, 15 or 30 minutes. Gym facilities are also well equipped.

The minimum stay at the Gold Coast apartments is 1 month. But hotel rooms are rated per night. They have shuttle bus services to and fro Central, Olympic and Tsuen Wan stations. Airport shuttle bus service may also be availed. Some facilities include a barbecue area for your family to enjoy, there's a kids' cove, there are outdoor pools, billiard tables, tennis and squash courts and sun deck area. There's nothing more that you'd ask for except to be able to extend the kids' vacation months to stay longer I'm sure.

7. REGAL AIRPORT HOTEL

This last hotel is for those who want time on their own or with their loved one. This is the kind of hotel that would cater to somebody who wants to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. If you want to have a sleeping in time because of too much stress at work or if you want to lay low from being in all of these social networks, choose Regal Airport Hotel to lodge in.

You always neglect airport hotels because you always think they are actually unworthy of your money. But Regal Airport Hotel's buffet include, juicy, sweet tasting seafood. It brings you near the IMAX experience because it's just a 5 minute walk to the Hong Kong International Airport arrival area. That being said, it gives you a therapeutic view of the airplanes flying away and taking off.

Honeymooners and couples, get encouraged with their luxurious cabana type of a room where you and your loved one could get a couple's spa and massage. Om Spa, located at Regal Airport Hotel's 3rd floor takes you away into a Thai escape with fragrant essential oils and authentic Thai vibe because of how the rooms are decorated. My husband loved the massage service he had. And I loved the rose facial I got alongside of him. It is one of the best experiences we've done together.

This list of hotels had left me in awe for I never knew how good they were until I had the chance to actually sniff what it could offer me and my family. If you know of any more hotels that would want to be in the list, kindly suggest it in the comments below. So that #teamtoomalatai could have a new place to check out and enjoy. Thank you in advance!

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2. VENETIAN HOTEL MACAU - One of the best hotels I've been to my husband and I did a photoshoot in our room. LOL!
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