Staycation: Marco Polo Ortigas

For my birthday and wedding anniversary, we just opted to stay in Manila because of the weather.  I have been wanting to try Marco Polo in Ortigas.  The pictures looked enticing and I loved the fact that it is a new hotel.  We were able to book on the same day via Agoda.  Since I have an Agoda account, I accumulate points.   For this staycation, I got a discount of PhP1300, not bad.  So we just had to pay around PhP6,000 for our stay.

Everything about the hotel was good, with the exception of the parking.  If you have a huge car you might find it difficult to traverse the steep and tiny way to the parking.  But that aside, we would definitely go back here.

The Lobby is situated in the 22nd floor of the building.  From the parking you need to transfer to another elevator that will lead you to the Lobby.  To go to the rooms, there is another set of Elevators.

 

My favorite part of the room - huge and comfy bed!

R was quick to pull out the chair, stationed himself in front of the TV and watched his favorite Disney Jr. shows.

 

Bathroom with a view.  A big plus is that each room has its own tub.  Something that a lot of 5 star hotels do not offer.

The bathroom is very spacious.

For the coffee addict like me, having our own Nepresso machine was a real treat!  No 3 in 1 coffee!

 

R enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool.  This was around 6pm and almost everyone was gone.  But when we swam in the morning, it was jam packed that it was pretty hard  to really swim if you want to do some laps.

 

Breakfast was at Cucina.

The buffet breakfast had pretty much a little of everything.  They had their own Bibinka and Puto Bungbong station that R just adored.

Hubby's birthday Staycation

I don't know about you but I find staying in hotels so relaxing.  There is a certain calmness that I feel whenever I stay in one.  Probably it's the lush beddings, the breakfast buffet, and the interiors.  One day, when we have our own house, we will have our own 'hotel like' bedroom.  For now, let me just dream.

Last week was the Hubby's birthday.  I was planning to have dinner with him on the day of his birthday, but I had to be at the office by 8:00pm.  It was also such a hectic week at the office that I was yearning to have some R&R.  Since it was his birthday, we decided to celebrate his birthday at Edsa Shangri-la Hotel in Ortigas.  They have  an ongoing promo called Book and Buy at P7,700 nett in a deluxe room with breakfast buffet for 2 at HEAT.  All you have to do is call the hotel, book and pay via credit card over the phone.  Regular rate is at P9K+, so this was a steal.

The bed is just so inviting!  I can sleep here all day.

We stayed on the 12th floor of the Tower Wing.  I believe they had this renovated because the last time we were here 3 years ago, the room felt a little old.  But now, it feels so clean and bright and i love the splashes of blue!

Paradise in the city.

A place where both parents and kids will enjoy.

R having fun in the mini water playground.

R watching Daddy swim.  They also have life vest jackets for the kids.  So no need to worry if you forgot to bring your kid's floaters.

We had so much fun just hanging out and just spending time with little R.  It's was an escape within the city.  Hope you had a wonderful and restful weekend as we did.

Weekend Staycation at Acacia Hotel

Before I pop in a couple of months, we decided to spend some alone time with our son for a weekend. Luckily, Acacia hotel in Alabang was having a promo (ahhh the beauty of groupon deals!) in Deal Grocer for only P3500 for 2 with breakfast! The reviews about this fairly new 5-star hotel in the South were pretty good.

We arrived at around 2:30pm and check out was a breeze, accompanied by a welcome drink! We stayed in the Deluxe room. The room was good enough for a family of three and bigger than the Deluxe room of Edsa Shangri-la. I so loved the King sized bed and the fluffy pillows! Rocco enjoyed himself immensely just running around the room and peaking through the glass window watching the cars pass by. Another plus would be the bathtub - especially if you have kids with you!

At around 5pm, we went down to the pool area. The pool was pretty small. So, if you're a serious swimmer, it's not for you especially if it's a weekend and full of kids. There were also a few lounge chairs but the staff were quick enough to bring in additional chairs when requested. Plus points would be the complimentary Iced Tea that they serve.

Dining wasn't a problem. If you don't feel like eating at the hotel's restaurant or just getting room service, there are restaurants near the hotel. For dinner, we decided to eat at Conti's which was just across the back of the hotel.

By 8:30am the following day, we were ready for breakfast. I was a bit surprised that there was a line and we waited for 10 minutes before we finally got a table. I was quite disappointed to see that there were numerous dishes that needed to be replenished (never encountered this in other 5 star hotels) and it took them quite a while to do so, same with the glasses. They had American, Japanese, Korean and Filipino dishes but none of the food gave me an impression. I am not really into the quantity of the buffet spread but honestly I expected more in terms of quality and taste. So yes, breakfast was a letdown and I did not enjoy it, too bad.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Acacia hotel, except for breakfast. I'd say I'd still recommend it and will probably go back -but either we have breakfast at an earlier time or maybe just dine out.