Long before my youngest child had his birthday this year, he already told me specifically what he wanted for his birthday. He, surely, knows what he wants!

He said that he wants to have a bear stuffed toy and not just a small one. He wants a BIG one! He wants to eat spaghetti and chicken from Jollibee! He wants a chocolate cake for his birthday cake. He wants a shirt with We Bare Bears design. He wants to watch a movie with the family. He wants to stay in a hotel preferably in Tagaytay.

Most of his wishes can be easily granted. And my husband and I were happy to grant him his wishes.

But his wish to stay in a hotel and in Tagaytay or near Tagaytay was challenging for us. Our budget at that time was tight and spending on a hotel stay was not part of our budget. We have other priorities that we need to spend our money on.

I tried to check other options that were affordable like condo units or resort rentals that were more budget-friendly. I really wanted to grant his wish because last year on his 7th birthday, we didn’t get to have a party like what his older had on their 7th birthdays. Now that there are fewer restrictions, I wanted him to feel more special and loved on his birthday.

Sadly, I could not find available rooms in the hotels/resorts that I checked. By the afternoon of the day before my youngest son’s birthday, I was already resigned to the fact that we would not be able to book a hotel room on his birthday.

Then by evening, I got a call from my mom. She asked if I have already booked a staycation for our family in a hotel or resort. I told her no and that we will just celebrate at home.

Suddenly, my mom introduced me to her niece who was vacationing in the province with her. She said that her niece manages a number of units in a condo property in Tagaytay. My mom asked her niece to check if there is an available unit for the following day that is big enough for our family of 5. She checked right away and confirmed that we can stay in one of their big units on my youngest son’s birthday.

What a last-minute surprise for my son from God, our loving Father!

What my husband and I could not give our youngest son on his birthday, His Father in heaven gave him. I was so happy and grateful to God and to my mom and her niece who were God’s instruments in answering my youngest son’s birthday wish!

We gave our names and contact details right away so that we could be registered and our booking would be confirmed. We also hurriedly packed our bags for our staycation. We were all excited!

The following day, I just ordered pancakes instead of cooking pancakes for our birthday boy since we were rushing to go to Tagaytay.

Here are photos of my son with his many gifts. He received more gifts from us this year than last year. Last year was a very challenging time for our family because my late father got very sick.

After my son opened his birthday gifts, we got ready to leave for Tagaytay already.

We decided that we will eat lunch in a Jollibee branch on the way to Tagaytay to grant our son’s wish.

SMDC Wind Residences Review

After lunch, we went straight to SMDC Wind Residences in Tagaytay.

Deep in our hearts, we were wishing that the unit reserved for us had a good view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano. Since we booked at the last minute, we were not able to get more details about the unit anymore aside from being big enough for all 5 of us and that it’s at Tower 1 of SMDC Wind Residences. We were very grateful already that we can have a staycation in Tagaytay on the day of our youngest son’s birthday and that we can stay there for free courtesy of my mom!

Thus, when we arrived, our hearts were filled with praise and thanksgiving again because the condo unit reserved for us had a great view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano. Wow! God truly gave us a wonderful surprise! He did not only grant our youngest child’s wish but He even went beyond our expectations!

From the balcony of the unit, we can see also Summit Ridge Hotel where we stayed many years ago when I gave a talk at the Bestselling Authors’ Bootcamp by Bo Sanchez. But the hotel room where we stayed during that time didn’t have a good view of Tagaytay.

I realized that it was a blessing in disguise that I did not get to book a room in the hotels or resorts that I was considering because God had much better plans for us. Amazing!

The unit where we stayed had a separate bedroom unlike many of the other units in the building that were studio-type.

It also had a big sofabed in the sala. It had a big TV with Netflix access. There was free wifi as well.

It was a beautiful unit! It even had a good view of Sky Ranch from one of its windows!

We were also blessed to be given a parking slot in the same building where we stayed. We just had to pay P300 for overnight parking.

Staying in that beautiful unit for free on the exact day of our youngest son’s birthday was a big favor indeed from God!

Another blessing of this staycation is that there is a nearby Catholic church that has evening daily Masses. Therefore, we were able to attend a Mass on our son’s birthday also. We believe that it’s the most important thing that we can do on his birthday and we were delighted that we got to join a Mass in church on that day. If we didn’t have a staycation in Tagaytay that day, we might just be joining an online Mass because most Masses in the churches near our house do not have daily Masses in the afternoon or evening. It was really a blessing!

After the Mass, we looked for a cake shop so we can buy a birthday cake for our birthday boy. Good thing that my husband found one near the church and the mall where we had dinner.

We had chicken and noodles again for dinner aside from the cake.

We went back to the condo after dinner and watched a movie that our birthday boy wanted to watch.

The following day, the boys went swimming. I loved that SMDC had several swimming pools and big pools. They also have an indoor pool but it was not available during our stay. One of these was a kiddie pool. It was already a bonus that there is a swimming pool where our boys can swim during our staycation. You need to pay P150 for every person who will swim during weekdays. The fee is P300 during weekends. Our only complaint is that the place where you need to pay the swimming fee is far from the clubhouse. I suggest that they allow payments to be made at the clubhouse upon registration.

It was another blessing that they have a kiddie pool because our birthday boy doesn’t know how to swim yet and he always prefers to stay in the kiddie pool longer whenever we go swimming. Again, another silent wish granted. God is so good!

We had a late checkout but we didn’t leave SMDC right away because my husband had a virtual graduation ceremony for a course that he took right after lunch. We stayed at the clubhouse where my husband joined his virtual graduation ceremony and where the boys and I played.

We enjoyed our stay at SMDC Wind Residences so much! We would love to go back there again soon!

After my husband’s graduation, we took more pictures at SMDC and went to church again to attend Mass. We had so much to be thankful for! Our hearts were bursting with praise and thanksgiving!

One of the things I was reminded of by these many birthday wishes granted for our birthday boy is that even if I love my children very much, our Father in heaven loves them so much more with a perfect love, and thus, He can give them far greater gifts than I can. Thus, I should trust God more and continue to teach my children about our loving Father.

If you are planning a staycation in Tagaytay, I recommend that you stay at SMDC Wind Residences and book a unit on one of the higher floors facing Taal Lake and Taal Volcano. The view is spectacular there! SMDC Wind Residence has great amenities. In the clubhouse, you can play badminton and other games. They also have an outdoor children’s play area but it was under maintenance when we stayed. Nonetheless, they also have big open spaces where you and your kids can run around and play or have a picnic. It is near stores and restaurants also.

You can contact my mom’s niece, Rose, through her Facebook account to inquire and book. She manages many units at SMDC.

After hearing Mass on the second day of our staycation in Tagaytay, we had dinner at Bag of Beans. It was a perfect way to cap our blessed stay in Tagaytay!