Quick staycation in Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza

Bonjour! Mabuhay! That is how the courteous and hospitable staff members of Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza greets everyone from the entrance door, to the elevator up to the room hallways. A hotel in Manila (technically, located in Pasay City at the CCP Complex), the property will give you some feel and taste of French service with infusion of course of local (Philippine culture). Most establishments inside even are named with a touch of French (i.e.the dining outlet Le Bar). We had a quick stay at this hotel for a couple of days, checking out just earlier today.

 

flowers display at main lobby

 

My mom, Roshie and I, together with Ethan, booked for a Superior Room, 2 Single Beds and this is what we got. A 42sqm of space overlooking the city and Manila bay, spacious enough for all of us. You can see the beds here were combined (side-by-side) and we actually thought we had King Bed in the room at first. I seldom stay in an Accor Hotels on my travels so this is definitely a Welcome. There's another property Imperial Palace Suites in Quezon City but not as luxurious as this Sofitel. This property however is a bit old (built in 1976) and has been passed over different managements and most recently by Starwood Hotels (formerly as a Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel).

Each room has a balcony and ours is facing Manila bay and SM Mall of Asia complex. It is a great sight to see during evenings.

I felt however that the room we stayed has been aging and would need more touch of refurbishment to cope up with standards, but then again it may just be me. To reach our room however is a bit of walk from the elevator but I should say it's well worth it.

 

 

This is the view from our balcony in the morning. It has been gloomy these past two days but nevertheless it's still worth seeing. I realized that our room is facing Manila Film Center too.

For one time, we had a try on their buffet lunch at Le Bar. It was full due to an event this week so we were literally seated at the bar.

 

Ethan, enjoying his food

Yes, it is not as good as Spiral restaurant, which is currently being renovated after the devastating event that put it under water. But the buffet selections can rival that while it's still unavailable. Seafood items like crabs, French cuisine, western and American food, Chinese and Asian selections and of course, ample desert items are sure to delight diners.

 

 

 my initial plate

 

Buffet costs between PHP1800-1900 net of taxes and service charge for that lunch. It is okay I should say, but not as extravagant like the usual buffet selection in Makati Shangri-La's Circles or EDSA Shangri-La Hotel's Heat.

 

The pool area of the hotel looks very resort-like and inviting. Too bad we didn't have swimming gear so we didn't had a chance to take a dip. The play ground however and area leading to the seaside are all closed due to renovation so we haven't had a chance to get to those places.

 

Question for sure if is it worth it? Probably, probably not. If you're looking for a quick getaway but in the metro, then I would say this is it as it is located in a bit remote area inside CCP Complex (a bit far from things just by walking) but everything is still accessible or just minutes away by car. It's also pricey being a luxury hotel (well the room is sponsored by my mom) but still, if I would spend that much, probably I would just get out of town. The hotel may cater though foreigners or transit passengers as it is very near and accessible from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL).

Gluttony at Vikings

Had a chance to finally try out Vikings tonight with my mom, Roshie and Ethan. I've heard a lot of raves from others who have tried dining here so we gave it a shot tonight as we are staying just nearby for a couple of nights.

 

It is just around 6PM but the restaurant is already full. In fact we were number 32 (they were serving 10 when we listed) and there really were groups in front of us. They even had a waiting area, serving popcorn, to appease the diners from long waiting time. They even have waiters serve beverages from time to time, or I believe you can get inside too as the small sign at the waiting area states that beverages are inside.

 

It took us around 80 minutes before we were finally seated. My mom was actually bored and wanted to backed out earlier but I thought since we were already seated and waited for some time already, might as well push it. There were lots of areas for dining inside. As their website states, the restaurant can seat 600 comfortably inside.

 

True to the testimonies of other diners, there were lots of sections for food selection to everyone's delight. Japanese, steaks, ribs, seafood, pasta, pizza, Filipino, Chinese, etc. Not to mention beverages, deserts, ice cream, shakes and whole lot more that it was actually confusing for me as I wanted to try a lot of things. I bet in can rival (in terms of number of food) Makati Shangri-La's Circles restaurant.

 

my first plate

 

In the end, I think I had at least 3 plate servings before I surrendered. Quality of food is okay for the price (can rival those in hotels), it's just that the place is so packed and food areas are a bit cramped and separated that it may take time to get food and back to your table.

 

Currently, adult diners of the buffet restaurant would set you back PHP688+ for weekday lunch, PHP888 for weekday dinner or PHP1088+ for weekend lunch or dinner.

 

Vikings is located at Building B, By The Bay in Seaside Boulevard, just behind SM Mall of Asia. It is one of those restaurants on the far end (right side when you are facing Manila bay), near Esplanade. This is not a paid advertisement of any sort as we paid for the meal :)

Weekend Hotel Staycation in Midas Hotel and Casino

Just checked out today from a 2-night stay in Midas Hotel and Casino with my wife, son and mom. The hotel, opened for over a year already, is a boutique type and is one of a kind among the hotels in the metro. Previously, the building housed Hyatt Regency until around 2007.

There is an in-house casino for guests of legal age. As we have a toddler in tow, we didn't even bother coming in as for sure he won't be allowed inside.

The lobby was very inviting and on display are  furniture and ornaments that are very classy and stylish and they do look like designer items to me. The chandelier is made of fiber optic lighting. The waiting areas at the hotel lobby were furnished with comfy stools, chairs and sofas that we didn't mind waiting for my mom for half an hour before we checked-in last Friday.

Ethan having fun running around and lounging at the lobby

Checking in was a breeze, for there weren't a lot of guest at that time (12PM). The concierge staff who took our things and the front desk were very eager and accommodating, ready to answer our questions and happy to take us in as guests.

It's cute to see an adobe wall display in an enclosure in the lobby. It is said to be restored and being protected.

We were given a deluxe room facing the Japanese Embassy. The room had twin beds and its own balcony where we were able to watch a bit of sunset these couple of days although it was raining a bit during late afternoons. Room rates for the hotel starts PHP6000 net, inclusive of breakfast. Internet is provided hotel wide for free (via wifi).

 

I'm not sure what to say about the room as it was comfy and spacious, but the twin beds were really twin beds in size, unlike other hotels who provide double-sized or sometimes queen-sized bed. Because we have Ethan in tow, we had to lay the comforter at the floor so he won't fall off while sleeping.  Good thing there was extra space although I find the room a bit dull because of this. Some of the furniture like closet and desk are starting to age and hope they do some refurbishment soon.

 

The toiletries provided in the bathroom were high grade (O London) and the containers were cute. Just look at the square bottle in the middle for lotion). Same shape for shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

 

Of course, one of my favorite aspect to look at on every hotel room is it's view outside. Since we have a balcony en suite, we have a place to chill out at night just sitting around doing nothing, and also a place to hang some wet clothes too (discretely of course). The hotel is just beside Japanese Embassy in Manila and that is mostly the view from our balcony.

 

view from the balcony

I'm not sure I get theme of the hotel, specially as to why it is named as "Midas". Well, there were a few things with touches of god

 

There were at least a couple in-house restaurants and one lounge bar (2702 located at the penthouse). We had dinner one night at Yanagi located at the mezzanine floor. Yanagi is a Japanese restaurant, catering mostly to the guest who perhaps had business at the embassy. They serve buffet food (PHP699/pax) and a-la carte. We opted the former. There weren't a lot of food offerings though. There were sukiyaki beef, miso soup, croquettes, chicken teriyaki and a few others. They serve temporary very fresh (and hot off from the kitchen) in the tables (had hefty servings of it!) and I'd say that despite not being very fanatic of ebi temporary (prawns), I loved theirs as it is very fresh and the meat was very tasty! On one serving they included vegetable tempura too (squash and potato), as well as kani (crab meat), but went back to ebi tempura on the next ones. As it is served on the table, you have to ask the staff for it.

There were sushi on display too and you will see a chef prepare one on the spot if you have special request.

my bowls and plates

 

There were a few items for desert too. There was coffee jelly (which I liked very much), some beans with cream, and 3 fruit varieties (melon, papaya and pineapple). Coffee and tea (hot/cold) were also included on the buffet price.

For breakfast, it is serverd buffet style in Midas Café, located at the 2nd floor. They had a lot of variety for their breakfast items which is a big plus, specially for those who take time for their morning meal. The café also serve meals during lunch and dinner (mostly a la carte, on some occasions buffet).

I would have rated the stay in this hotel as one of the best I had in Metro Manila as it is near a lot of establishments (a few minutes cab or drive away). SM Mall of Asia was on sale this weekend and it is very convenient to go there. The hotel also provide complimentary scheduled shuttle services to the mall for guests. What I don't like though is parking was very scarce, even for in-house guests. They do provide free valet parking but they park the car at the back and you wouldn't have access to it specially if you do get some things from your vehicle from time to time (like in our case for Ethan's stuffs) and prefer not to bring everything to your room. Other than that, the stay overall has been great.