Michi Photostory

One way to get into airport lounges is to apply for a credit card with this benefit. This is why we were able to stay at MIASCOR but we deactivated our credit cards because they did not waive our annual fee. Since we are not frequent travelers naman, we don’t need that credit card. 

A few months ago, I received emails and text messages from my bank about “credit card application” and hindi ko pinapansin kasi may credit card na naman ako. But last month, out of the blue, niresearch ko yung credit card benefits and I found out na may FREE AIRPORT LOUNGE and no annual fee pala. 

So after one week of contemplating, I finally gave in and filled out the form online and crossed my fingers na umabot yung credit card sa biyahe namin kasi usually, 15 business days. I was so happy when I received my credit card in less than a week. And because of that, nakapagstay kami sa PAGSS Premium Lounge before our Manila to Melbourne flight.

And the good thing about this credit card is I can bring one companion pa. We paid for an additional person since we are a group of three. The rate is PHP1,500, not bad na rin kasi ganun din naman magagastos namin kapag kakain sa airport. But I told my husband na mag-apply na rin siya ng credit card na may lounge benefit.

Upon arrival, I just showed my boarding pass and credit card. I was advised that the lounge was full so we went to the extension lounge. This is my old blog post about PAGSS Airport Lounge at NAIA 1 where my husband stayed using his Mabuhay Miles benefit. 

When we entered the room, the place is already crowded and akala ko nga wala na kami pwesto pero may other side pa pala and luckily, maluwag pa. The choices on the buffet spread are limited compared to Mabuhay Lounge but it was fine with us since we only needed to eat snacks.

We also requested instant cup noodles and ice cream. We only stayed for 2 hours and already went to our boarding gate. Another security check pa kasi sa boarding gate.

Time passes very quickly and after several days, it was time to say goodbye to Sydney, Australia. Our last day was our flight to Manila, Philippines so we woke early to prepare for our afternoon flight. 

Since it was our last day, I cooked our leftover ham and hotdog and we need to eat and drink all the complimentary breakfast like the bread, fruits, milk and juice, para walang sayang. 

We check out at Hyde Park Inn around 8:30AM and we arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport three hours before our flight. Unfortunately, all check in counters were still closed, as in we didn’t know where to fall in line, nagkahalo-halo na yung pila ng mga airlines to Manila. Our flight was 12NN and past 10AM na kami nakapagcheck-in and because of that, sobrang nagmamadali kami. 

Immigration is via Smartgates so you just need to scan your passport + facial recognition and that’s it. My son and I were able to pass through Smartgates but my husband needs to go to Manual Passport Control Counter because for some reason, hindi nareread passport niya doon sa Smartgates. After that, we went straight to our boarding gate just to make sure kung malapit ba or malayo and if we still have time to eat. 

My husband went to “The House”, this is the complimentary lounge of Philippine Airlines at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. He just ate here and we will meet na lang ulit sa boarding gate. 

My son and I just ordered the boxed meal at KFC, the meal includes Original Tenders, Popcorn Chicken, Fries, Mashed Potato and Drink + additional drink. Food is around 22AUD. PHP800+ na yang isang meal. 

After eating, we went to Think Sydney and Pharmacy to buy some souvenirs before going to the boarding gate. Nagmamadali pa kami pero delayed naman pala flight namin. Tapos, boarding took a long time pa because we need to ride bus. 

After 8 hours, we were back to Manila. End of vacation and back to reality. 

Level 4, adjacent to Gate 9

And because of that, no more Mabuhay Lounge for him but good thing that Philippine Airlines still provide lounge access but there is no specific lounge for Philippine Airlines passengers. The staff will be the one to assign which lounge you can access so my husband was able to try a new airport lounge in NAIA. 

I already blogged about Miascor, PAGSS and this time, let us have a glimpse of Marhaba. This lounge is located in NAIA Terminal 1, adjacent to Bay 9, West Satellite. So if you want to have a comfortable place while waiting at the airport, you can go to Marhaba. 

If you don’t have complimentary lounge access, you need to pay $23.14 for 3 hours of stay. The lounge is open from 7:00 to 24:00. Children under the age of 2 years old are free. Keep in mind that online bookings cannot be made within 24 hours of service airport local time. So for shorter notice bookings, it is better to call (971) 800 627 4222. 

The lounge offers international cuisine and hot and cold beverages, restrooms, shower area, prayer room, meeting room, and for entertainment, they have newspapers, magazines, TV, and wifi.

Last year, Philippine Airlines has a “Great Mabuhay Miles Getaway Promotion” so we did not waste the opportunity and we booked Manila - Cebu -Manila flight for 4500 miles + PHP2879 per person. I was shocked when I learned about the taxes and surcharges kasi wala pa PHP600 yung fee dati kapag domestic flight. But this is still a good deal because nowadays, airline tickets are really expensive.

This was our first family trip since COVID-19 happened so I was a little bit excited. We booked this flight knowing that my son has no morning classes but a week before our trip, the teacher changed their online classes schedule, nagkaroon na ng morning classes. Waah! I was glad that we book an early flight but I was still nervous, so during our trip, I was praying that there would be no flight delay so my son won’t be absent. 

Boarding is on time but it took a while because we need to ride a bus. We already ate our breakfast while waiting for our boarding so we did not touch the snack that was served. Ito na lang yung meal sa Philippine Airlines, hindi rin naman nakakabusog. I don’t know when they changed it, kasi bread pa yung food last Batanes trip namin. 

Fortunately, we landed at Cebu International Airport earlier than expected so my son was not absent from his first class. The perks of online classes so kahit sa cellphone lang pwede na magclass. Natagalan din sa pagbaba because we also need to ride a bus. From the airport to Sheraton Mactan Resort, my husband just booked Grab. 

When we learned that there will be Sheraton Mactan Resort, my husband has been saving his points for this resort so we were delighted when it finally opened before my son’s birthday. We’ve been to Shangri la Mactan Resort and Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa so I am looking forward to our Sheraton Mactan Resort experience. 

Compared to our previous Cebu trips, we did not do any tours and we just had Staycation at Sheraton Mactan Resort. We knew that this resort is not cheap so we want to maximize our stay. We were in the resort for 3 days and 2 nights. As usual, this resort deserves a separate post. 

If our Manila to Cebu flight was on time, our Cebu to Manila flight was changed so my husband requested for late check-out. Our travel time from the resort to the airport was less than 25 minutes, it was my first time at the new Cebu International Airport, hindi pa ganito yung airport nung last na punta namin. 

Yung last Cebu trip namin, kami ng anak ko ang nakalounge, ngayon si hubby naman. My husband has lounge benefits so he ate at the Mabuhay Lounge while my son ate in one of the restaurants at the airport. We just ate snacks since we are still full from our late buffet breakfast (brunch). 

Our flight was rescheduled and it was also delayed so ang tagal ng biyahe namin. Nalipasan na kami ng dinner kasi same pa rin naman ang snack na binigay. 

Despite that, we still enjoyed our short trip to Mactan, Cebu. I just hope na may magaganda rin na resort na malapit lang para hindi na kelangan mag-eroplano pa.