MANILA, Philippines - Going on a long drive to your vacation destination has its drawbacks. The amount of time you take to get there must be proportional to the duration of your stay. Longer trips mean longer stays — and that’s why I often find sitting in a bus for six hours has me wanting to stay at least a week at the place I’m going to. Unless it’s the province of Batangas we are talking about. For citizens of Manila, this nearby province is practically an hour-and-a-half away. It has “weekend staycation†written all over it. And enabling you to enjoy what the province has to offer is Microtel by Wyndham-Batangas.
Located inside the 350-hectare First Philippine Industrial Park and a short walk from the national highway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Microtel provides accommodations for small groups, couples and families who don’t want to spend a whole lot of time traveling on their holiday or weekend vacation. It also has one of the best views of the majestic Mt. Makiling.
Microtel Batangas has the perfect facilities and amenities for anyone who just wants to relax and get away from the city. Take a dip in the small outdoor pool or have a quiet time meditating by the koi pond. Company employees can take advantage of the meeting room or go out and enjoy some activities at the tennis, badminton and basketball courts. Then there are the famous chiropractor-approved mattresses. Microtel’s signature beds guarantee the best night’s sleep for anyone. Combined with an in-room massage service, your stay will be the relaxing you will ever have.
When it comes to dining, you only need look right beside the hotel. Millie’s Restaurant provides all-day dining with a wide selection of local and international dishes. The pride of Microtel, Millie’s can also be found at Microtel Mall of Asia, which makes this one in Microtel Batangas only the second throughout the hotel’s network. Named after the wife of former Ambassador Ramon del Rosario and mother to Jose Mari del Rosario, president and CEO of Microtel, Millie’s entertains hotel guests with daily buffet breakfast in a modern and classy atmosphere. Throughout the day, the restaurant serves a selection of local, continental and Asian dishes using imported ingredients to present the finest in dining experience.
Millie’s benefits from food and beverage consultant Enzo Cilliani who along with Chef Melchor Lopez oversees the authenticity and quality of the international menu. One of the restaurant’s bestsellers is the tender and smoky Baby Back Ribs, succulent and flavorful using Millie’s own secret marinade.
However, for you to truly savor the dining experience at Millie’s you should take advantage of its buffet lunch offer at P350 per person. From Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., guests get to enjoy a great selection of dishes plus a specialty meat dish carving depending on the day. On Mondays, it’s US Beef Brisket; Tuesdays are for the Pinoy favorite Lechon Kawali; Wednesdays are for Chicken Roulade Stuffed; on Thursdays it’s Roast Pork Loin; and on Fridays, it’s Steamed Whole Fish. And since it’s the restaurant’s anniversary month, Millie’s adds a halo-halo station to quench the hot summer season away.
Microtel offers a special family Weekend Getaway promo that includes dining at Millie’s. For P3,888 a night valid on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 31, two adults and two children (aged 11 and below) can avail themselves of an overnight stay in a double room with breakfast and lunch at Millie’s Restaurant. The lunch serving may include one of three different servings from the Filipino Platter, Millie’s Platter, and International Platter depending on how many days your family stays. These lunch platters contain a combination of plentiful servings consisting of Lechon Kawali, Chicken Adobo, and Seafood Sinigang to Fresh Green Salads, Pancit Guisado, soups, rice, Baby Back Ribs, and a selection of desserts.
Dining is just half the fun you can have at Microtel Batangas. Guests can enjoy going to Mt. Makiling, Manabu Peak, Padre Pio Church, the General Miguel Malvar monument, shopping destinations SM and Robinsons, and the Malarayat Golf and Country Club.
Why go far when relaxation and fine dining outside the city is so near? Millie’s at Microtel Batangas completes the perfect “staycation†you, your friends or family can have over the short weekend.
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Microtel by Wyndham-Batangas is located at the First Philippine Industrial Park, Sto. Tomas, Batangas City, Batangas. For more information, call (6343) 405-6957 to 58 or e-mail at sto.tomas@microtel.ph. Visit its website at http://www.microtel-batangas.com.Photos by FERNAN NEBRES