Dusit & more

CEBU, Philippines - We learned that our good friend for many years Danelle Ruth Palang - Senior Manager of Public Relations & New Media of Dusit Thani Manila was moving to Dusit Dubai so we tried to squeeze some last moments with her by staying at the Dusit recently.

Since we were in the Dusit Club, it was an opportunity to check out the service quality, food and beverage, as well as the exclusivity of the business floors.  Right off, the quiet ambiance invites a good business environment, for document perusal by the top executive or a last minute look-over of an important presentation.

As we checked in past noontime, we decided to skip lunch to prepare for our scheduled 2pm massage in the hotel’s much talked about Devarana Spa. I remember I bought copies of their soothing music some years back for putting my baby grandchildren to sleep.  And sleep they did in the audio blanket of the spa music.

After an hour-long treatment, I was famished and went into the club lounge where I had some delightful sandwiches of beef, tuna and cucumber, along with my hot cup of Earl Grey tea.  The pastry spread was equally interesting. 

Snoozed for a couple of hours and went back to the lounge for some red wine by 6:30 pm sliding smoothly into dinner. No need to get down from the Club floors!

First morning’s breakfast buffet consisted of veggie rice, sausages, hash browns, bacon, French toast with maple syrup (my hotel fare fave!), complete Chinese congee set-up, dimsum baskets, a whole array of sweet breads and steamed lotus bun filled with sweet mongo paste.  The usual cereals with the choice of fresh, soya and skimmed milk, lemon grass infusion juice (yummy!), and other fresh fruit juices.

On the second morning, a lazy Sunday, we discovered a la carte dining when smiling attendant Cherry Ann Hadap gave us a minuscule slip of paper with the menu: eggs – over easy, omelet, sunny side up, poached, boiled or scrambled; other choices – daing na bangus,  beef tapa, chicken tocino, pork and chicken longanisa, and beef steak tagalog with garlic rice, pickled papaya, grilled tomato and egg (any style).

My choice of the Beef Steak Tagalog was a good one, as it has the home-cooked flavor.  My niece Leahliz opted for daing na bangus and she was also delighted with her choice. We forayed earlier the buffet spread, while waiting for our orders.  We spotted a huge bowl of home-made Bircher muesli, then some fruit flavored and plain yoghurt with an array of fresh temperate zone berries among the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Oh yes, we discovered peeled pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds and walnuts that could give a crunch to your yoghurt concoction.

Naturally, with attentive service, refreshing fresh juices, hot delicious dishes and the panorama of Metro Manila through floor to ceiling glass windows, we were enticed to take time and savor each gustatory moment, as muted conversations swirled around in an unobtrusive manner.

Truly, The Dusit Club floors are a haven to stressed business travelers who can seek respite in the lounge, with (minimum of 2 pax) their important clients, during cocktail hours (5:30 – 7pm) when wines and juices are available for free, together with a sumptuous buffet. Or business associates can avail of the private rooms within the lounge for an exclusive meal by themselves.

Since Dusit is ideally located, we went shopping in the adjacent Greenbelt area, enjoying lunch at the gourmet nook of Sentro 1771 and then winding our Saturday evening at the Writers Bar of newly opened Fairmont Hotel.

Walking back to Dusit from Fairmont Hotel, we were just trying to digest all the indulgent intakes we had earlier in the day. The area was secure and safe even for women strolling towards midnight.

A lovely Dusit Thani weekend indeed! (FREEMAN)