Images from Sentosa

I remember how excited I was to see Sentosa – Singapore’s island resort – on this trip, as I haven’t been there before. It was “masterplanned” like all of Singapore. Don’t know if it was because September was no peak season, but I found it too quiet in fact. Far from being the crowded nightmare that was the Hong Kong Disneyland. And certainly far from the “character” of our beach resorts with its barbecues on the beach and ladies selling pearl necklaces by the road.

The most “touristy” thing I did was visit the Underwater World but sadly, our Manila Ocean Park was better (and bigger!), if only because nothing rivals the view of the Manila Bay. Underwater World’s advantage was the moving travellator and the fact that along with the Sing$18 fee came a free ticket to watch a dolphin show in the Dolphin Lagoon. They also offered an interesting Dive with the Sharks package.

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Asian Food Museum by Makansutra now open at Manila Ocean Park

Mostly, I like the Manila Ocean Park because it is one of the few places in Manila where you can enjoy the city’s natural beauty without spending much. Ever since Baywalk closed, this is now the place to gaze at the beautiful sunset and watching the panoramic expanse of the Manila Bay while sipping a drink and enjoying the time with your family.

The best things in life are (almost) free!

It is good that MOP doesn’t charge an entrance fee just for entering their complex. After offering the mermaid show, the people behind the Makansutra Asian Food Village unveiled yesterday the Asian Food Museum for a peek at Asian food history, culinary cultures and traditions.

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Mermaid show at the Manila Ocean Park

The kids and I hang out at the Manila Ocean Park over the weekend, just in time to catch their recently launched Mermaid Show. This is a 30-minute treat where attractive (and should I say, curvaceous) swimmers perform dances, moves and acrobatics underwater. Of course it’s a given, they gotta be professionals to do that!

I must say it’s a real delight for kids, who must be harboring fantasies about being the next Little Mermaid or even our homegrown Dyesebel. It was fun seeing the women-swimmers in their colorful, alluring costumes, waving and smiling at their audience while grooving to the beat of the music. I took a video but I still have to upload it to YouTube
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Ozeano Fusion Restaurant and our wedding reception at Manila Ocean Park

Manila Ocean Park is one of the city’s latest tourist attractions. When I visited it with the family sometime last year, I knew that we just had to have our wedding pictorial there. I was amazed with the see-through walkway tunnel where you can view the fishes swimming in their full splendor. To my mind, it was simply one of the scenic places to have a picture for posterity with your loved one.

Here are some Ocean Park pics taken by our official wedding photographer:

When it was time to lighten up, we chose to have a sweet moment with the Manila Ocean Park mascot:

Manila Ocean Park has the Ozeano Fusion Restaurant operated by Tamayos’ Catering on the second floor. Its glass-enclosed corner gives one a sweeping view of Manila Bay and the world-famous sunset.I did not hesitate to book our wedding reception at the resto when I saw it. I do think its Panoramic Buffet is one of the best value-for-money offerings in Manila. The P600 net price is already inclusive of an array of main dishes ranging from Japanese, Filipino, Continental to Chinese, the salad bar and Mongolian barbecue. Their dessert station with the chocolate fountain is really good.

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Manila Ocean Park: family-friendly fun!

Since it’s Christmas bonus time, I decided to treat my kids to visit the sprawling Manila Ocean Park behind the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. It was our first time to see the place since the Park opened to the public almost a year ago. These costumed clowns greeted us at the entrance:

First impressions: MOP could do better with a little more organization, more park guides to lead the visitors and brochures. Some parts, like the open water marine habitat, are not yet open to the public. Overall, we had a good time. Am glad there’s a place like this now in the Philippines which is at par with other oceanariums in the world, like Ocean Park in Hong Kong and Underwater World in Singapore.

MOP’s main attraction is the 25-meter long walkway tunnel with 220-degree curved acrylic walls from where you can see fishes and marine life all around. This is the “Buhay na Karagtan” ( Living Oceans) exhibit of the oceanarium.

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