There are three things that can give me an incredible high - great food, amazing places and luxurious hotels. Albeit a budget-concious traveler, I try to get luxurious hotel accommodations as often as I possibly can. I'm a firm believer that one need not be a millionaire to be able to live the " millionaire lifestyle."
I attended the 17th Travel Tour Expo last February at SMX Convention Center to find great deals from airlines and travel agencies. Since the event was very successful and the center was too jam-packed, the lines for local ailines like PAL, Cebu Pacific and Sea Air were too long so I found myself searching for good hotel deals instead. My top two choices were Malayan Plaza and the Herald Suites.
The Buy and Book Promos:
The Malayan Plaza Hotel
Price: P2500.00/night
Validity: Until December 2010
Extras: I wasn't able to find out because the sales rep wasn't very accommodating
Herald Suites
Price: P2,999.00/night
Validity: Until May 2010
Extras:
Free Note Pads
One-hour massage for two
Slimmers World Gift Certificate worth P1,500.00
I would have chosen the Malayan Plaza hotel because of the price, location and validity period if the sales rep wasn't too condescending and unfriendly. Instead, I found myself drawn to the friendly and accommodating representatives of the Herald Suites. My boyfriend liked the deal so much that he decided to book two nights instead of one. Our first choice was the Makati location but the rep gave us a call and informed me that Herald Suites Solana actually has nicer and bigger rooms, so we took that instead.
Herald Suites Solana is located at 2914 Finlandia Corner Einstein Street, Makati City 1234, Philippines. There is an SM Hypermart near it and a Mini Stop about three blocks away.
We were received with a cool glass of four seasons juice as soon as we arrived. The reception area is small but with tastefully designed interiors that carries touches of East and West.
Reception Area
Traditional Elegance with Modern Artworks
I was delighted to find out that the actual room did look like the photos from the brochures. It had a king-size bed, super soft pillows, desk, couch, coffee table, wifi, bathtub (you may want to bring your own bubble bath though), electric kettle, mini bar, complimentary daily newspaper and 21 inch television with cable.
Superior Room with King-Sized Bed, Couch and Other Amenities
Bath Basket Included Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Scrub, Toothbrush Kit, Shaving Kit, Cotton Buds, Shower Cap, Lotion and Bedroom Slippers.
Cafe Mondo at the second floor serves authentic Japanese cuisine. We had room service and I must say that they were prompt. The food was okay but it's the only menu they have with not too much variety.
The Menu
Tempura Soba, P280.00
Katsudon, P280.00
Prompt Room Service
We called for the massage service which we have been looking forward to all week, shortly after dinner. Unfortunately, my masseuse kept coughing and I wasn't able to relax at all. I requested for a different masseuse the next day which the hotel politely obliged.
There is also a pool, gym, sauna, and recreation area on the 9th floor. Fortunately the pool wasn't crowded (in fact we were the only people there), and the place was somewhat magical with the cool water, starry summer night sky, and the view of the Makati skyline.
However, there are things that need to be improved. Below is the summary of the things I found remarkable and unsatisfying about the stay.
Remarkable:
- Affordable Promo Package
- Friendly Staff
- Warm Welcome With Welcome Drinks
- Spacious Rooms and Large Beds
- Very Nice Pool (Perfect for Night Swimming)
- Prompt Room Service
- Complimentary Daily Paper
Unsatisfying:
- Bathroom wasn't as clean as I wanted it to be
- Cafe Mondo has only one set of menu and there's not too much variety but they do allow delivery..
- However, when the pizza guy arrived they wouldn't let him deliver to our room which is only at the 7th floor (I've had Yellow Cab and McDonalds delivered to the 20th and 30th floors during my other hotel stays). The receptionist didn't provide the courtesy to have someone deliver it to our room either. She insisted that we go down to fetch the pizza ourselves.
- The Massage is supposedly the highlight of the Wellness Package but the masseuse had a bad cold and was coughing the whole time while she was touching my body. I got really frustrated instead of relaxed during the process.
- They ran out of ice. This I believe, should never be allowed to happen in hotels, especially if it's summer and they're located in tropical countries!
- No complimentary bottled water so we had to buy some at the Mini Stop which is about three blocks away. During checkout, the receptionist asked us to stay while room service checked the room. Even though I already told the receptionist that I only consumed the four seasons juice (P100 each) from the mini bar, she charged us for the bottled water which by the way was P60.00/small bottle. When I asked her about this she said that the room service (who apparently saw the opened bottles from trash but never checked the mini bar) reported that we consumed two bottles. I asked them to please check the mini bar, so they made us wait again while they checked the room and finally corrected our bill.
Nevertheless, the unsatisfying things can easily be dealt with by the management and I did mention those in my survey sheet. Overall, I must say that I enjoyed the stay and I won't mind going back.
1 comments:
Nice!
What a very nice place!
I want to avail a wellness package or have a reservation in that place. but i'm bothered if LGBTs are allowed there?
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