Azure Urban Resort and Residences Staycation

Travelling is an art. You see, you don't necessarily have to go somewhere far in order to travel. You can stay within your city and be able to satiate your thirst for wanderlust. Case in point, staycations. When I won a contest earlier last year for a piece I wrote, I wanted to spend it on a grand vacation of sorts but budget-wise it wasn't practical. Also, I just recently moved to Manila then so I decided to get to know more about the area and its metropolitan charms. Luckily I found the perfect place: Azure Urban Resort and Residences.

I brought my family with me and we spent four days and three nights basking in Azure's glory. Below are little snippets of our day alongside a massive photo dump! Here's to hoping my noisy mind doesn't turn me into a chatterbox yet again.

DAY 1: Azure was located in Paranaque near SM Bicutan which was about a thirty minute drive from home sans the traffic. We arrived late in the afternoon and were greeted by the unit owner's son, Miggy. When darkness took over, all lights went up so we decided to wander around the pool area and the man-made beach. Boy we were in for a treat!

DAY 2: My uncle who happens to be a photographer decided to greet the sunrise to take a couple of snaps. My sister and I on the other hand wanted a great view while eating our fruits and Nutella-filled sandwiches. It was indeed magical as the roof-deck proved to be the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of Mister Sun smothering the heavens and the city with light and bringing streaks of color with it. From our perspective, it was like a painting before our very eyes. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the massive wave pool.

DAY 3: Our pack decided to check out the Paris Beach Club which housed some of Azure's special amenities like the movie room, game room, spa, restaurant, cafe, al fresco dining areas, candy shop and my favorite, the illuminated and color changing hallways! It is the perfect place for a photo shoot so with my uncle and his trusty camera, we got my grandma to model away!

DAY 4: Our last day was bittersweet. We had so much fun that we didn't want to end our little staycation. If only we could stay forever! To enjoy as much of Azure as possible, my grandma, sister and I decided to head for the beach early. I'm no beach bum to be honest but the place looks too glorious to neglect!

It was a staycation indeed! Plus points because our hosts, Arnel and his son Miggy, made our experience as awesome as can be. The condo unit we rented was pristine and clean with all the appliances and kitchen utensils you could think of. There's WiFi too which is perfect for our social media obsessed generation. LOL. They even brought us fresh fruits to bring home before we bid farewell. Oh Azure, you were lovely! Til next time.

Azure Urban Resort and Residences is located in SLEX West Service Road, Bicutan Paranaque, Corner D. Soledad Avenue beside SM Bicutan.

HOW TO RENT/STAY AT AZURE

A lot of you guys have been emailing me regarding the condo we rented so I decided to save everyone the trouble by sharing details about the space. I booked Arnel's unit through Airbnb.com. If you haven't tried it then might as well take a look because it has really amazing locations and rentals all over the world. It's cheaper than many hotels too so it's perfect even when you're on a budget. I am not being paid to say this. My experience has so far been great thus the recommendation.

Have you used Airbnb before? If not, I can share a discount coupon with you if you sign up through my referral link. Click for it here. It should direct you to Airbnb's website that says "Anne gave you $___ to travel." There's a button that says "Sign Up to Claim Your Credit". Follow the instructions to create an Airbnb account and you'll be given the discount coupon which should automatically appear when you check out. Terms and conditions apply.

Once you already have an account, you can check out Arnel's condo unit. You can message him through the site from here on. You can only contact him through the website's message platform because any shared information containing phone numbers/email address/etc will be blocked for privacy and safety purposes. If you do book his unit and complete payment, he shall be given your phone details from where he'll contact you. Payment is done like most online transactions (e.g. PayPal, credit card). There are several other Azure rentals on Airbnb so you can go ahead and check those out as well. Rates and regulations for the use of the amenities may change over time as per Azure policies. Each Airbnb listing varies and hosts offer different services and inclusions so make sure to inquire beforehand.