Monday, November 29, 2021

Executive Hotel Lounge Review: Hilton Manila

Being alive is enough reason to celebrate nowadays. When CS agreed to bring our daughter out for the first time, I made sure that it will be a special one so I booked an executive room at Hilton Manila for the ultimate staycation experience - a decision I regretted the moment I realized that it is indeed a different time from what we were used to.
 
Ambiance and Amenities.
 


The hotel moved the executive lounge to the ground floor which was fine if service was at par to what a lounge should be - have at least a staff to man the counter! We went straight here after check-in for some light snacks but there was no one in sight. We, along with a couple other guests, helped ourselves with available drinks and cookies and we just went back to our room.

The actual hotel lounge was closed.
  
Variety and Abundance of Snack Choices.
 


Nuts and cookies were displayed at the counter but the afternoon snacks was set meal with no options - too bad for CS who refuses to eat beef lately. More burger sliders for me!
 
 
Unlimited alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages.


Coffee, tea, and soda were available and refillable. I am assuming the same goes for the alcohol though we did not see any guest ordered a glass during our stay there.


Operating Hours.
 
  • Afternoon tea - we self-served, no staff available when we went there
  • Evening cocktails - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Breakfast - served at Kusina Sea Kitchens with first & second seating to control the number of guests dining at a time

Full Breakfast Buffet.
 









Good selection of breakfast staples and favorites from breads, pastries, salads, egg station, charcuterie, Western and Filipino section, and with a few Chinese food as well.
 
 
It was my first buffet after 2 years and while I enjoyed the freedom of having to scoop food to my plate, it was quite alarming too see how many people have already touched the serving spoon before my turn. I'd rather dine in a fully-assisted buffet so I won't have to worry about touching anything I'm not sure if sanitized or not. Really worrying to say the least.

Other Perks & Services Offered.
 
None - we had to queue for more than 30 minutes for check-in. Check-out was done over the phone and I just dropped off the keycards on our way out.

Overall Service.
 
Skip the executive rooms. A 2-night stay at a deluxe room would be a more practical and enjoyable option for the same price that we paid for.
 
~o~o~o~

Hilton Manila
1 Newport Blvd., Newport City
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 7239-7788

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Sunday Treats No. 66

Fresh Noodles with Sesame Sauce - Php258.00

~o~o~o~

Hua Yuan Brasserie Chinoise
2L Hilton Manila
1 Newport Blvd., Newport City
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 7239-7788

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Pandemic Staycation at Hilton Manila

I never expected to be back to traveling or even staycations this soon as having a baby in tow really changed our priorities especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. I gave birth to our beautiful daughter during the first few months of lockdown so she is used to staying indoors for her safety, but us her parents needed time to adjust to not traveling at all. Travel withdrawal was real!
 
Fast forward to November 2021 when Metro Manila was downgraded to Alert Level 2, CS and I decided to book our first staycation as a family at Hilton Manila - our attempt to give our baby a new perspective of the outside world and to somehow scratch that travel itch. 

Hotel rates during that time was crazy low making it so hard to resist booking a staycation every weekend available! Lowest I checked was Php7000nett for a deluxe room with breakfast while this king executive room that we booked was about Php15,000nett.
 

Room amenities include:

  • Hilton Serenity king bed with 250 thread count sheets
  • A seating area with sofa and a work desk on the other side
  • LCD television with HD channels
  • Mini bar with tea/coffee making facilities
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Plush bathrobe and slippers
  • Separate bathtub, shower and toilet area
  • Crabtree & Evelyn bath amenities














To ensure everyone's safety and peace of mind, Hilton has partnered with the company Reckitt, the makers of top cleaning/disinfecting brands Lysol and Dettol, to help deliver an even safer stay thru CleanStay. This new cleaning protocol promises a more rigorous standards across Hilton's 18 brands all over the world - one of the reasons we chose Hilton Manila in the first place.

The hotel's outdoor pool is shared with guests of Sheraton and Hotel Okura but we were lucky that it was not crowded during our stay. Pool dividers were also placed to encourage social distancing.

Pros: Irresistible room rates, CleanStay seal of protection to ensure guests' safety, spacious and modern room, accessible location, wonderful staff, and complimentary self parking.

Cons: No club lounge, no private check-in/check-out - just book the regular rooms, the executive room is not worth the upgrade.

~o~o~o~

Hilton Manila
1 Newport Blvd., Newport City
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 7239-7788 

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Nau Ubud Villa: Resort Living at its Finest

Famous for its ancient temples, rice terraces, and a treasure trove of cultural landmarks, Ubud have been on the top of my list ever since I started planning for our romantic getaway. We stayed in a private villa in Seminyak during our first trip to Bali but we wanted a more local feel, away from the busy streets of Seminyak, so we chose Ubud this time. Besides, we were on our first leg of our honeymoon so privacy + luxury were the main factors we took into consideration.

Open-air lobby for guests to better appreciate the beauty of nature.

The BEST welcome drink ever! This refreshing cucumber-based drink is my staple order in every meal. We even asked for its recipe but shame that we forgot it in our villa when we left Ubud.

Nau Fresh

The entire place is truly beautiful and every corner is as picture perfect as it is shown on their website. As plants and trees are abundant, applying mosquito-repellent lotion is a must. Appreciate that the resort thought of placing complimentary bottles per villa so guests can protect themselves especially that booking a candlelit dinner is a must-try here in Nau.
 

There are only 2 types of villa available for booking - one bedroom and one bedroom luxury, both with private pools but with the latter having an infinity pool and outdoor bath tub overlooking the rice terraces. So if you have the budget, booking the luxury villa is no-brainer decision to make.

Other room amenities and services are as follow: 
 
  • 160sqm floor area with king size bed
  • Welcome fruit basket and snacks
  • Butler and tour services
  • Complimentary high speed WiFi
  • LCD television with international cable channels
  • In-room coffee and tea making facility





To be frank, I actually had a love/hate relationship with this outdoor toilet and bath set mostly in natural stone sourced locally. While it was the perfect setting for a romantic tub experience with the husband, night time frightened me whenever I had to use the toilet with only a few potted plants and a bamboo wall setting me apart from the darkness outside the property.




 The best part of the villa.
 
 
Breakfast in the pool is always a great idea. Unlike in other resorts, Nau does not charge extra if you prefer to have your breakfast in the comfort of your villa, or in this case, in your private pool.
 
 
 
 
Afternoon tea is complimentary for all guests and we always look forward to the local snacks and desserts that they serve. Our top favorites were Pisang Goreng (fried banana with coconut flakes and honey) and Klepon (chewy glutinous rice balls filled with molten palm sugar).
 
 
 
 
Pros: Gorgeous place, comfortable stay, warm service, cheap and delicious food, private pool in each villa, and complimentary shuttle service to downtown area.

Cons: Nothing as we were treated like royalties from the moment we step foot in the resort.
 
~o~o~o~

Nau Ubud Villa
Banjar, Sebatu Village, Ubud
Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia
Tel.: (62) 361-908-3852
Website: https://nauvillaubud.com
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