Going on a mini-vacation

My most recent television project titled My Beloved just aired its final episode last week. That signaled the start of my mini-vacation before I begin shooting for a movie called The Bride and The Lover that is being produced by Regal Films. Thankfully, the break is just what I need given that my body has been going through a lot of physical beating over the past few months of taping for the TV show. With all the late nights and constant sleep deprivation, it is great to have some time to recover and get my body back to its normal rhythm.

As I was looking for my vacation spot, I found it too much of a hassle and quite expensive to just fly out of the country. I also wasn’t up for a big local adventure either so I decided that a little rest and relaxation in a hotel would be the next best thing.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a fan of hotels. Years ago, during our annual family vacation trips, I always looked forward to staying in our hotel more than anything. There isn’t one particular thing that I enjoyed about it but rather, I liked the experience as a whole. Everything in a hotel is just so nice, clean and glammed up. From the furniture to the beds, bathroom and all the amenities, I can always expect everything to be the best in terms of quality. Plus, I have room service and never have to worry about cleaning up after myself. It’s a stress-free and worry-free life in a hotel.

For this particular mini-vacation, The Bellevue Manila was going to be my choice. I had done an event there recently and found their brand-new Tower Wing to be pretty impressive — good enough for me to want to try it out at least!

Now, with hotels, I usually have pretty high standards that they have to meet whenever I critique them. It doesn’t have to leave me in awe; it just has to reach my expectations. After all, I go to a hotel to have a luxurious experience that I can’t get in my own home. I expect the bed to be enormous and comfortable. There should be a million and one extra soft pillows and a super fluffy comforter. The lighting in the room should also be very inviting and not the harsh kind that can leave my eyes tired after awhile. Lastly, the bathroom better be gorgeous. I want to feel like a king when I sit on my throne. That’s a basic overview of what I expect and if you meet them then consider me satisfied.

The Hotel Room

Fast forward to my hotel stay, the first order of business was to unwind in the room. I had the Tower Grand Deluxe Room which was a great choice for me! It is a corner room which looked amazing because two sides were full of windows floor-to-ceiling windows. I’m a natural light kind of guy so this was a big thing for me and definitely an added bonus. However, I did have to close the curtains on one side though because I felt like the adjacent building could see into the room or something but that’s nitpicking already.

The In-Room Dining

Of course, after the room, the next most important aspect of my stay was the food! I immediately called the in-room dining service and ordered as much as I felt I could devour — chicken, steak, soup and dessert. When the food got up, I really liked that they set a portable table in our room. At the same time, the server took his time to announce and reveal each dish as they were served. It was nice extra touch that added to the premium of their service. For me, it’s these little details that really take a hotel experience to the next level.

After that, I absent-mindedly forgot to have my food cleaned up and left the room for a couple of hours. As I headed back, I was worried that the food might have crawling ants or other insects. Surprisingly, there were no ants! Aside from the relief that I felt, I think that says a lot about the cleanliness of the hotel so kudos to The Bellevue Manila on that.

The Buffets and Bar

Getting a good rest at the spa

Over the course of my overnight stay, I also ate in their dinner and breakfast buffet which were excellent. To be honest though, it’s difficult for me to differentiate hotel buffets. I am no food connoisseur so as long as the food is good and tastes like quality ingredients were used then I really can’t complain. What I notice though is the kind of service they offer and, I must say, it was a very pleasant experience. The waiters were always alert and ready to cater to use whenever we needed them. They even offered to serve us our food even if it was a buffet which was a nice touch especially since there weren’t many people during the times that we were eating.

At night, I also had a nice bottle of wine in their penthouse bar. Again, the service was very accommodating because they allowed me to take the wine bottle down to the hotel room along with a wine chiller and everything else we had ordered. I wasn’t really feeling the music of the hotel band so I wanted to cap off my night in bed instead.

The Spa

The next day, I had signed up for the late checkout option so I could enjoy their spa services. I had their two-hour signature massage and it was probably the best I had ever tried here in Manila! Believe me because I’ve tried a lot of spas, from the expensive ones to the cheap ones. Not only were the therapists good but their routine was also impressive. They paid attention to detail and really make sure you are relaxed. It’s difficult to explain the experience but I could easily say that there was no point in the massage that I felt uncomfortable.

All in all, it is pretty obvious that my stay in Bellevue was pretty successful. I came to relax and really just let loose without having to think about anything else and it allowed me to do just that. But, I really have to commend them on what is possibly their standout quality — their service! The whole time, from start to finish, I always felt like they were trying to make my stay as pleasant as possible. It was evident that the employees were properly trained. Every one of them was courteous and knew exactly what they were doing and how to handle different situations with customers. It is a quality that I can really appreciate because not all hotels are able to produce that.

At the end of the day, I go to hotels to experience something I cannot at home. To be able to be worry-free and enjoy luxuries that I otherwise would not have at home are exactly what I pay for. The service quality is also very important and The Bellevue Manila delivered on all of those. Thanks to them, I got a two full days off to fully recharge and I wouldn’t mind doing it all over again.

(Special thanks to Jhen Domingo of The Bellevue Manila because she went out of her way to make sure that my stay there was as good as it was. For any comments/suggestion, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter @mikaeldaez.)