Staycation in Marriott Hotel Manila

We had planned on a staycation at the Marriott Hotel Manila after we stayed there for a night two years ago, courtesy of the hotel which my wife won in a raffle. It was my birthday but unfortunately, I was not feeling well and not able to enjoy our stay as much as I wanted to.

photo taken from  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mnlap-manila-marriott-hotel/ 

This time, however, my wife had to work till 7 pm as there was a wedding fair being held at the hotel. So it was just my daughter and I who spent the whole afternoon. We were given a room on the 6th floor of the 8-storey hotel.

The room has two double beds with each bed having four fluffy pillows. My daughter loved the bed as she will be having four pillows all to her own. A large LCD television is located just at the foot of the bed. The room has two chairs by the window and a workstation where you can plug in your laptop computer. What I like about their electric outlet is it is universal where almost any kind of plug will fit into.

The room also comes with two pairs of house slippers and matching bathrobes. The bathroom has lots of towels and bath supplies, like toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and conditioner, etc.

Watching the 2012 fireworks from a distance

Every new year's eve, we usually stay in a hotel to avoid too much smoke from the fireworks but at the same time giving us a good view of the same. This year, we decided to return to the Atrium Hotel on top of the EGI Tower in Pasay City. It is at the corner of Gil Puyat and Taft Avenues occupying the 15th to the 25th floor. The lobby is located on the 15th floor which has a business center, a restaurant and a casino.

15th floor with the lobby and the Christmas tree behind us

The staff were friendly although they seemed to be understaffed and there were too many guests that night. When we got to our room, there was only a king-sized bed whereas we understood from the website that we checked in was that there are two double beds. We called front desk and they immediately sent an extra bed at no extra cost. We also called housekeeping to provide us with another blanket which was quickly delivered.

The last time we were here was about nine years ago and the place looked as we left it, except of course for some aging. The room we had seemed not to have been renovated since the last time we were there. The carpet was very dirty that it doesn't feel right walking on it barefoot. The television is still the old picture tube type but has cable. The toilet was dirty and I tried to flush it. It seems the water is dirty or the plumbing is rusty which makes the water brownish. The paint on the wall is peeling.Lighting is provided by mostly lamp shades making the room a little bit dark,.

Staycationing

I recently heard from a TV news program about the word above. The news reported that it is the latest trend in vacation in  Metro Manila where families stay in hotels and resorts within the same locality instead of going out-of-town.

photo courtesy of www.abs-cbnnews.com

Weekend at the Luxe

We stayed at the Luxe Residences in Global City, Taguig this weekend, where they have 12 units of hotel rooms located on the 8th and 9th floor. The rest are condominium units, of which some are for long term lease. We had a 2 night stay there for the price of one night based on their rack rate which we got from an internet-based travel agency. I'd rather not mention or promote their name because of the way we were treated when we booked for our stay, the experience of which I don't want other to undergo too, he he he.

courtesy of global city hotel, http://www.globalcityhotel.com/location/

The checking in was kinda awkward. I had to park my car outside the hotel while I register. After filling up a form and given a choice to put a P2000 deposit or a valid id, the key was finally given to the hotel staff and that's when I got to park on the 3rd floor of the Luxe. The hotel staff was waiting at the parking area to carry our things which was only a backpack plus our two laptops.