This blog post is dedicated to the pregnant Indian elephant who died a very pointless death in Kerala on May 27, 2020. You are beautiful and majestic; you deserved better.

Five years ago, a "suggested" video in my Facebook news feed caught my interest. It was of a steampunk wonderland that, to a travel-eager younger me, looked like Disneyland designed by an alternate Walt who was high on steroids and stanned Verne and Lovecraft with a passion. I remember gazing at the clip of what is probably the most unconventional merry-go-round in the world, replaying over and over again the part where sea dragons and giant angler fish made out of repurposed machinery screeched while they ran endlessly in a circle, like the competitors of a fierce yet never-ending race.

The hotel's Deluxe Family Quad Room.

Image from the Dorsett Wanchai's official website.

During our final two days in Hong Kong, we stayed in a hotel that all the mommy bloggers in the world are gushing about because the staff always goes the extra mile to accommodate guests with little tots in tow. 

The Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong (formerly known as Cosmopolitan Hotel) is the ultimate choice for group travelers and/or tourists traveling as a family. The hotel promises a pleasant experience despite having the lowest rates in town without ultimately having to sacrifice comfort, luxury, and accessibility.

The Dorsett Wanchai (formerly Cosmopolitan Hotel) in the distance.

The Dorsett Wanchai is just a stone's throw away from well-renowned tourist hotspots like the Happy Valley Race Course, the Hong Kong Racing Museum, Victoria Park, and Hong Kong's answer to Japan's kawaii cafes, the Hello Kitty Secret Garden.

The bus stop across the hotel is where Bus #40 (to Stanley Village) drops off and picks up passengers every 4 minutes to take directly to the beautiful Ocean Park. Should you wish to experience the cool, crisp air and the high-end shopping that Victoria Peak up in the mountains has to offer, there's another bus stop near the Dorsett where Bus #15 (to The Peak, Terminus) makes a stop every 12 minutes.

As a reference to its close proximity to Hong Kong's famed Happy Valley Race Track, the hotel's room numbers were superimposed on horse figurines!

Check-in was a breeze. The courteous receptionists just looked at our travel documents and reservation confirmation and, once satisfied, swiped my credit card for the security deposit and called for a bellboy to take us to the nineteenth floor-- all in a span of less than ten minutes!

The Dorsett's Deluxe Family Quad room as captured by my unprofessional photographer's lens.

Mini-bar, coffee, and tea maker.

What's inside the mini-bar?

Ironing board and flat iron, mini-safe, cotton robes, and indoor slippers.

The bathroom.

LCD TV.

When navigating in and around Hong Kong, a pocket wi-fi can be your best friend. The handheld comes free to use for Dorsett Wanchai guests.

When Dorsett Wanchai's hotel manager learned that I was traveling with a three-year old primadonna who celebrated her third birthday one day prior to our stay, he gave her two complimentary Dorsett Wanchai teddy bears instead of the usual one teddy along with the complimentary kiddie snack box and complimentary set of Johnson's baby care products! I didn't know who was more thrilled from all the gifts-- me or the little one.

In Dorsett Wanchai, everything is double the fun.

The complimentary kids' snack box. It has a milk drink, a packet of chips, a packet of sweets, and a box of chocolate balls inside.

Johnson's Baby Bath and Baby Shampoo for our little pampered princess.

One of the thrills that comes with being a child guest in Dorsett Wanchai is going "treasure hunting" inside the room. Playing on the fact that kids are naturally curious about opening drawers and peering inside nooks and crannies, the hotel staff hides "treasures"-- little packets of sweets and snacks-- where an exploring little tyke may find it. In my three-year old princess' case, she found one inside our side-table's drawer and another inside a corner of the closet.

Look at what my princess found inside one of the drawers! What a treat!

Should your little one get bored, Dorsett Wanchai also offers a mobile library service upon request (subject to availability). The management at Dorsett believes that empowering children to read at a very young age can make better our world's future, because is there a better way to cultivate fruit than to nourish the soil that binds the roots? 

A tisket, a tasket, the books are in a basket!

(Some pictures from other blogs show the mobile library in the likeness of a big two-tiered dollhouse in wheels filled with books.)

Reading together is a fun way to bond with your child!

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."

Our stay at the Dorsett Wanchai came with free breakfast buffet for four. The buffet is served daily in the Dining House on the second floor from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. 

Bread station.

Fruits and vegetable salad station.

Cheese and dried fruit. The kitchen help need to replenish plates more quickly.

Juices and milk.

A table for cereals.

Grilled tomatoes and beef curry.

Chicken sausage and beef burger patties.

Scrambled eggs and Chinese-style sauteed vegetables.

During the afternoon and evening, the Dining House reverts back to being Dorsett Wanchai's Chinese/Seafood Restaurant. Taking pride in serving only the freshest seafood, there are rows upon rows of glass tanks where customers can just pinpoint what they want served to their table.

My sweetheart probably wants to play with them more than have them buttered with garlic and chili.

Are these sea cucumbers?

Clams are surprisingly cute and stretchy!

Overall, we had a wonderful time at the Dorsett Wanchai and would like to stay again if we were to return to Hong Kong with a much older (but still little) travel-savvy baby girl. The service and the warm, hospitable staff were the best! 

 

The facade of Sanrio Puroland, Hello Kitty's official theme park in Tokyo, Japan.

No matter how old I get, Hello Kitty will always have a special place in my heart.

I remember when I used to live in Quezon City in Manila as a child. Hello Kitty was as big of a fad back then as it still is now. All of my female classmates then were decked out in Hello Kitty merchandise from head to toe. After school, I'd head to a certain mall in Cubao just to visit Gift Gate, which was a licensed retailer for Sanrio merchandise. I remember going through racks and shelves full of Hello Kitty goodness. To the five-year old me, it was kawaii heaven. To the maid who always accompanied me there, it was not. I remember coaxing her to buy me stuff that I want but definitely don't need, such as Kiki and Lala watches, Hello Kitty lunch boxes, bright pink My Melody tee-shirts, and a whole lot more. She'd always tell me how my mom wouldn't allow it, as they were too expensive. Not usually one to argue, I'd leave the matter at that yet would make it a point to come back the next afternoon just to make sure that nobody had bought them yet.

The Mushroom Disco area of Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku, Tokyo. Image from Spoon and Tamago.

When the word "MONSTER" is mentioned, my three-year old princess' immediate response is a somewhat unique and isolated process of its own kind. She instantly freezes with her mouth agape for three seconds, drops whatever she is holding, hesitates for a few nanoseconds before her flight response activates. She runs screaming to the nearest caregiver (usually me) for comfort or to the nearest blanket where she hides like a cute little kitten threatened with a bath. I point out that Mike and Sully from one of her favorite Pixar film are monsters. She points at the empty wall behind me and quietly whispers "A monster. Wearing white."

Either she's learned the art of trolling people back or she has an active third eye. I pray to God it's the former. 

A part of the Mugiwara Crew Banquet at the Landing Port, Tokyo Tower One Piece. Image from this link.

Imagine living in a world where the ultimate dream for most people is to be able to sail under the vast blue sky with bits of swashbuckling adventure on the side. Think of the proposition that there exists a world where the ocean so greatly divides the lands that much of the world is left unexplored. Imagine a world not run by any technological advances but is instead driven by the people's magnanimous love for the need to satisfy their natural curiosity about the world and its unsolved mysteries. Wouldn't it be nice to set sail in an alternate universe where the romantic call of the ocean is all the fad? While this kind of dream is far from becoming reality, the experience is within reach via boob tube.

One of the most sought-after items in the menu is Po's anko-filled steamed buns. Po is the main protagonist from the Kung Fu Panda film series produced by Dreamworks.

Macau, the Las Vegas of the East, is China's Special Administrative Region that is best known for its towering skyscrapers, luxurious hotels and state-of-the-art casinos. Truly, it is a playground tailored for adults with time on their hands and money to burn. However, at the Holiday Inn along the Cotai strip, one of the country's family-friendly resorts, there's an attraction that is all smiles and good vibes-- for people of all ages, children and adults alike.