December - January 2010

 

You need not choose between five-star and grotty these days. Smaller exclusive boutique hotels and local chains can be just as good. Monica De Leon  checks out the new kids on the block

Hotel Celeste
Location
Centrally located. A short walk to the Greenbelt shopping complex with its trendy restaurants and shops and the main Makati business district.

CHARACTER
Euro Chic and swanky modern. The hotel’s rooms are inspired by owner Cely Sarabia’s travels to Europe and Asia.

ROOMS
The hotel, which opened in late 2008, has 30 rooms, either a suite or a deluxe room. Each is decorated differently. The room I was in was a single deluxe room with hardwood floors, white ceiling, and walls painted a light grey, except for one in metallic olive, black and red-orange vertical stripes, the background for my chocolate-colored headboard. My bed was luxuriously comfy and you can’t fault the hotel for lack of storage. There are exquisite cabinets and chest of drawers.

It also ticks the gadget box. Each room has an iPod dock, a 32-inch LCD TV with satellite channels and free wifi access. And you get to borrow three dvd movies a day, free of charge.

The toilet and bath is small but with everything else in this hotel, makes a design statement with handpainted gold leaves on the tangerine walls of the toilet and vanity area and a dramatic black granite sink counter. There’s a hair dryer, magnifying mirror, and there’s no scrimping when it comes to toiletries. You get L’Occitaine bodywash, shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

FOOd
It’s a la carte for breakfast, with free bread and pastries, cold cuts and cheese, salad and fruits. The hotel’s restaurant CiCou specializes in French cuisine. A full course meal costs about P1,700 per person.

WE LIKE
The rooms will not be out of place in an interior design magazine. Fabrics for cushions and bedlinens are rich in texture and color and could have easily come from a European Designers Guild brochure. Service is prompt and efficient and you get your own “personal chamberlain” to assist you during your stay.

NOT SO KEEN
I can’t think of one. While this hotel is not your five-star-hotel-chain-managed outfit and does not have all the facilities of a big hotel, it runs like clockwork and delivers.

ESSENTIALS.
Room rates start from P6,000 (about US $120).

San Lorenzo Drive cor. Arnaiz Ave., Makati City
Tel.: +632/ 887 8080
URL: www.hotelceleste.ph


City Garden Hotel Makati
Location
It’s right on Makati Avenue, a central location in the Makati business district. It’s a few minutes away from Rockwell Center with its posh shops, restaurants and Power Plant shopping mall. Lots of take-away shops and restaurants in the area if you tire of hotel food. The area is also good for flagging down cabs, but parking can sometimes be a problem.

CHARACTER
It looks like your usual budget hotel from outside, but inside its high ceiling and glass walls let in a stream of natural light, giving the reception area an airy and lighthearted feel. The interior design is modern Asian. Most guests in this three-star, 160-room hotel are business travelers.

ROOMS
Clean and cozy. I stayed at the 33sqm executive room on the Penthouse floor. It had a double bed and a single bed with crisp, clean sheets, wood parquet floors, beige walls, light brown furnishings, muted light, and an immaculate toilet and bath decorated with white Spanish tiles, a marble sink counter, separate bath and shower, and hot and cold water. Wi-fi access is free for corporate guests.

FOOd
It’s your typical buffet for breakfast and a la carte for lunch at the second floor hotel restaurant that can seat 70 at a time, and dinner at the roofdeck rastaurant where there’s a breathtaking view of the city. Dishes served are continental and must try are fish Singapore-style with yangchow fried rice and crispy calamares with wasabi mayo dip. The restaurant’s bestsellers are its grills. Try blue marlin steak caprice and grilled tenderloin. A full course meal costs less than P1, 000 per person.

WE LIKE
Housekeeping does a sparkling job of keeping the rooms clean and in order. The rates won’t break the bank either. Location is superb. And don’t miss the room service. Both the sinigang and lechon kawali are good bets. And if you do have time, check out the gym, spa, and rooftop bar with pool. For a little hotel, this one does not do too badly.

NOT SO KEEN
While the staff are warm and accommodating, it took a riveting 40 minutes for our food to get served at the restaurant considering there were few guests onboard. And the hotel has limited parking space although they offer valet service with minimum fee.

ESSENTIALS
Room rates start from $64.

7870, Makati cor. Ayala Ave., Makati City
Tel.: +632/ 899 1111
URL: www.citygardenhotels.com/makati


G Hotel
Location
On Roxas Boulevard with a view of Manila Bay’s golden sunset, and a few minutes away from the shopping malls, the national landmarks including Rizal Park (Luneta), the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Walled City of Intramuros and Manila Bay.


CHARACTER
The seven-storey, 50-room G Hotel presents a white, modern, well-lit exterior. Inside, its public areas lean towards minimalist contemporary design using black and white and metallic, reflective surfaces like its mirrored pillars in the reception room. Two elevators lead up to the seventh floor where there’s a roof deck, a bar and a pool. All very James Bondish.

ROOMS
The fifth floor was another matter. Chic and modern turned into tropical homey, with rooms like the one I stayed in pretty box standard. Mine was a 30sqm deluxe king (Room 503), with beige walls, yellow ceiling and pin lights, wood laminate flooring, bamboo coffee table and chairs, banig or basket weave mats lining the desk drawers, and pine-colored furniture. The bed is king size with immaculate white sheets. The bathroom is in all-white granite, with a separate bathtub and shower and usual toiletries. The best feature of the room is its sliding doors that lead to a verandah with views of Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay. I like the idea of being able to let natural light in and get some air.

FOOd
Continental buffet for breakfast and a la carte for lunch and dinner, although Thursdays and Fridays offer buffet lunch. Try the java barbecued chicken, which is quite good. House specialties are boursin cheese ravioli, poached prawn fettucini, kare-kare or ox tail with vegetables in peanut sauce, Balinese fried fish and crispy pata or deep fried pork knuckle served with soy-vinegar sauce. Non-alcoholic drinks start at P135. A whole course meal here will cost from P1,200-P1,500 per person.

WE LIKE
The ground floor décor is a welcome break from the norm. The service is quite prompt and friendly. My food was served in my room in 20 minutes, exactly what the staff promised. Location is another plus.

NOT SO KEEN
Room rate and food prices are a little steep. My room airconditioner chose to act up like a blow dryer. Apparently, its filter needed attention but the staff fixed this quickly. 

ESSENTIALS
Room rates start from P6,000.

2090, Roxas Boulvard, Malate, Manila
Tel.: +632/ 525 0888 
URL: www.g-hotel..com.ph


Makati Crown Regency Hotel
Location
Centrally located in the Makati business district. Across the hotel is Park Square 1, close to the Glorietta shopping malls and ShoeMart shopping center. It is also a few minutes walk to Greenbelt, another shopping area.

CHARACTER
This 61-room hotel opened in December 2008 and is one of the newest properties of Crown Regency. It’s a four-storey modern building catering mostly to business travelers. During my stay the reception area was clogged up three times a day with luggages and guests struggling to check in and out.

ROOMS
No-frills modern rooms. I was initially booked in a deluxe room, but was upgraded to a superior. The only difference between the two is that the latter has a view of the road and the commercial neighborhood. The 28sqm superior room is mostly in inoffensive beige, with dark brown furnishings. The floor is wood laminate with a small tiled area near the door. There’s a toilet and enclosed shower. Only high-speed internet access is available. Wi-fi is available in selected areas of the hotel.

fOOd
Buffet for breakfast and a la carte for lunch and dinner at Lobby Lounge on the ground floor. The restaurant seats 42. Dishes served are continental and house specialties are anything beef – beef with onions, beef rib-eye steak with herbal butter and beef with mushrooms. The seafood medley served with sautéed bell peppers, onions and stewed tomatoes is a must try. Price per dish is about P200-P500.
 
WE LIKE
The central location. Service is prompt and pleasant. It took the house electrician one minute after my phone call to arrive and sort out some power outage. It took two minutes for a bucket of ice to arrive after I’ve requested it. The dining staff of Lobby Lounge in particular are a cheerful group, happy to chat with you.

NOT SO KEEN
Some attention to detail with regard the room lay-out and function would have been good. You can’t watch TV from your bed by the window because a monolith pillar blocks it from view. There’s no notepad or pen by the bedside table. There’s a coffee-like stain on the airconditioner’s remote. And lighting in certain areas is inadequate.

ESSENTIALS
Room rates start from $150.

1026 A, Arnaiz Ave., Makati City
Tel.: +632/ 845 0211 15
URL: www.crownregencyhotels.com/makati

HOW TO GET THERE
SEAIR flies daily from Caticlan to Manila, four times weekly from Batanes, thrice weekly from Tablas, and twice weekly from Cebu via Caticlan. To book, visit www.FlySeair.com or call +632/ 849 0100. From the domestic airport, Hotel Celeste and Makati Crown Regency are about 20 minutes away; City Garden is about 30 minutes away; and G Hotel is only about 15 minutes away, depending on traffic. From Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Hotel Celeste and Makati Crown Regency are about 30 minutes away; City Garden is about 40 minutes away; and G Hotel is only about 20-25 minutes away, again, depending on traffic.