My wife and I decided that we needed to get away from our property in southern Mindanao, so we went to Manila for a week. Manila is not the most livable city by any standard, but at least it is a nice change from the rural countryside where we live.

We stayed a week, in an apartment hotel with two air conditioned bedrooms, so the Mrs. and I could set our own sleeping schedule free of disturbance by the other. We needed this because both of us were wiped out by the stress of managing our property (long story) and night time trading of stock options in the U.S. markets 12 time zones away. (I learned that a break from the grind was essential to avoid the inevitable exhaustion from the stress.)

So we both returned home rested and with sanity regained. It was not exactly cheap (1.5 hrs jet flight one way, plus hotel), but worth every penny.