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The Peninsula Manila – a tranquil oasis in the heart of Makati CBD

When most people think of vacations, they usually imagine far-flung places where they can laze in the sun and be waited on hand and foot. Unfortunately, traveling to said far-flung place means time spent on the road and if you’ve only got the weekend to spare, that’s time you can’t afford to lose. The popularity of the “staycation” has increased over the years and there’s no better place to retreat to than The Peninsula Manila in Makati.

Opened in 1976 to coincide with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Conference in Manila, the Peninsula Manila is the first Peninsula hotel outside of Chinese territory. It’s located on the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues in the heart of the Makati Central Business District, just across the street from the Glorietta and Greenbelt malls. This makes it perfect for both business and leisure travelers, as well as Manila residents looking for a quick and convenient escape. There are 497 rooms and suites in the two towers – the Ayala and Makati towers, respectively – including the 372 sq m Peninsula Suite (it’s bigger than my house!). The Peninsula Manila is home to five restaurants and two bars, including their iconic lobby area simply called The Lobby.

When your lobby is this grand, there’s no need to think of a separate name for it. The Lobby says it all.

I entered the Pen’s lobby after a 15-minute walk from the bus stop across Glorietta. It was raining and my fold-up umbrella could only protect me for so long. Confession time: this was only my second time to visit the Pen, the first being years ago during my grandparents’ 50th anniversary reception in one of the function rooms. It was nerve-wracking to go inside knowing that I was only a couple of steps above “bedraggled”. The nervousness disappeared once I got a good look around the Pen’s famed lobby. The place really does deserve to be called The Lobby as no other hotel lobby I’ve been in so far can compare to it. I found the Front Desk quickly enough, where I met the friendly Rowi who escorted me to the elevators and took me up to the room. Nothing if not efficient!

The Deluxe Rooms are the room category above the Superior Rooms, measuring 41 sq m and with a view of the park. The king-sized bed and the heavy yet soft pillows are the perfect place to rest while watching movies on the 40″ LCD TV with cable TV. Just lying on the bed made me want to fall asleep right there and then, cuddling the pillows. I marveled at the bedside panel used to control practically everything in the room: the lights, air-conditioning, TV, radio, plus the “Do Not Disturb” on the door. You can also use it to call the Front Desk and Room Service! (Yes, I’m a newbie when it comes to stuff like this.) There’s also free wired and wireless Internet access (a must!) and a kick-ass executive work desk. There’s also a coffee and tea-making unit in the room. Then there’s the matter of the bathroom. It is possible to fall in love with a bathroom? A tub, separate toilet and shower stalls, a huge mirror, and large, white, and fluffy towels and bathrobes? I’m sold! The standard room amenities include a daily fruit platter and newspaper.

I wouldn’t mind waking up in a bed like this day after day. And the executive work desk is boss.

Have I mentioned how divine the food at the Peninsula is? Escolta is home to their delectable buffet breakfast (included in the standard room rate). I consider breakfast the most important meal of the day and Escolta’s spread did not disappoint. From miso soup, dumplings, and mini siopao to eggs, sausages, bacon, and waffles, to pastries, cereal, and fruit, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The food was so yummy that I filled up two plates. Not my finest moment to be sure, but I can’t the regret savoring those bites of blueberry danish as they melted in my mouth. One tip from me: leave room for their ice cream!

The entrance to Escolta
My second breakfast plate. I regret nothing.

Walking around and exploring the pool area was a must after eating such a heavy breakfast. It was warm and humid – practically how yesterday was except that it wasn’t raining. Part of me envied the people lounging on their chairs and soaking up the sun but another part welcomed being in the shade. My bid to start digesting breakfast failed when the pool bar staff offered fresh fruit skewers. Curse the fruits for looking so good!

I left the Peninsula counting the days until I come back. There were so may other places to explore: Old Manila for modern European food, Spices for Asian cuisine, and The Peninsula Spa to reward myself after long days at work. Now I know where I’ll be spending my birthday!

Many, many thanks to Meet Manila and The Peninsula Manila for making this experience possible. As one of Meet Manila’s Empowered Travelers, The Peninsula Manila sponsored my Peninsula experience, including the room and breakfast buffet at Escolta. Please note that while my experience was sponsored, The Peninsula Manila had no editorial control over the content of this post. I raved because I was impressed by everything they had to offer, including excellent rooms, good service, and mouth-watering food.

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What is an experience worth?

I may not mention it outright or link to the company’s official website, but I think most people here know that I work for a high-end resort in El Nido, Palawan. My official job title is “Environmental Officer” but because of my fondness for blogging and social media, I tend to keep track and update the company’s official social media accounts even though it isn’t technically part of my job. I post photos, tweet, edit videos, and answer questions from potential guests. Now, I don’t mind answering basic questions like “How do I get there?” (even though you totally could have Googled the question yourself and gotten an answer faster than waiting for me to reply) or “What activities do you offer?”. What annoys me to no end are people commenting “You’re too expensive! Your rates are un-Filipino!”, “Do you have promos for Christmas?”, “It’s cheaper to go to Hong Kong than to Palawan!”, or some variant thereof. As a fellow traveler on a limited budget, I absolutely understand why you want to get the lowest possible rate at the best time to visit and experience the best holiday you’ve had to date. But as someone who works in the tourism industry, have you ever considered what goes into your experience?

  • Exclusivity. Each property only has 50 rooms, so the maximum capacity is 100-120 people. This means that if you stay with us, you’ll have approximately 1.5 staff (or more!) taking care of your needs and wants throughout your stay. This also means that we’re quieter compared to other places. A guest from New York once said that he paid top dollar for silence.
What is this room worth?
  • The luxury of being taken cared of. We have fewer guests and more staff compared to other hotels, which helps us give you a level of service that will make you cry in happiness. Seriously. Guests have cried during the goodbye song. Some of them also didn’t want to leave. We had a couple over Christmas who willingly paid to stay in the Manager’s Quarters because they wanted to extend their stay but all the guest rooms were taken. We greet you by name (unless you don’t want us to, of course) and strive to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Please note that there’s nothing we can do about the weather, the jellyfish, or the birds that sing really loudly in the early morning.
  • Increased costs. We operate island resorts in northern Palawan. We prioritize local suppliers but there are still some things that we need to bring over from Manila. That means moving them via cargo ship or plane, which cost money. We also operate our own diesel generators, desalination plants, sewage treatment plants, and a materials recovery facility. These also cost money.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I am NOT saying that it’s not possible to have an equally good time while on a limited budget. Our barkada trip to Antique-Guimaras-Iloilo only set us back around P5,000 each and we had a blast, but it was a very different experience compared to a luxury resort. We relied on the hospitality of local friends and their relatives (thank you Mike and Kuya Nonoy!), bought groceries and cooked our own food, slept on mattresses in one big room, and arranged everything ourselves. Though equally fun, it was worlds away from sleeping with down pillows, having someone else arrange our activities for the day, and eating food prepared by someone who used to be the personal chef to one of the richest families in the Philippines.

The heart of every travel decision should be getting the most bang for your buck, whether that’s AUD 31.50 per night in a hostel (did this in Australia) or the presidential suite of a five-star hotel (got to take a peek inside – not stay! – in the Hilton Hotel in Sanya, China). The bottom line is that the property I work for is worth it. Yes, staying with us might mean saving up for several months but we make it worth your while.