Hotel Review: Raffles Makati (Why It's My New Favorite Hotel)

I didn’t get to treat my husband for Father’s Day last year because we were still reeling from all the changes that having a little one brings (for me, breastfeeding was particularly challenging). Since our daughter is bigger, I decided that for his second Father’s Day, we should celebrate in style.

I booked us a Junior Suite at Raffles Hotel. I got this at a 50% discount using my Citibank Premier Miles card. I love the promos in Citibank’s Love To Dine and Love To Travel. Yes, I have a weakness for discounts. Not a paid post, by the way.

The minute I set foot on the hotel, I felt welcome. How can I not when the doorman greeted me, “Mrs. Gallares, welcome to the Raffles Hotel.” Very personalized.

The lobby, though not as elaborate nor grand as Shangrila’s or The Peninsula’s, was tastefully done and so much to my liking. It had all the charm and elegance of a quintessentially British drawing room, separated from the Writer’s Bar with floor to ceiling bookcases. Seeing books instantly made me feel comfortable. The Writer’s Bar is just the perfect venue for an afternoon tea and a date with the girl friends.

When my husband and I saw our suite, we reconsidered the look of our new house, which we are renovating. The room was exquisite, with hardwood flooring, luxurious linens, an intimate parlor, a bath with double sink, and the dreamiest soaking tub.

Each room is assigned a butler. Ours was Carl, who showed us the features of the room and was promptly at our doorstep whenever we needed anything.

Of all the Philippine hotels I have stayed in, Raffles Makati hits the highest mark in terms of service, which is at once attentive yet unobtrusive. All throughout our stay, I received warm smiles and all my requests were promptly attended to.

My husband and I slipped away from our daughter for about two hours to dine at Mireio, which serves our favorite Provençal cuisine. My husband loved his steak while I relished every bit of my clams marinières. The clams came with frites but I opted for the crusty bread to sop up the juices with. We had a fine meal.

The complimentary petit fours

Breakfast was at Spectrum, which the hotel shares with Fairmont Hotel guests. The selection was not extensive but well-curated.

The regular rate includes breakfast, and all-day refreshments, classic afternoon tea, and evening cocktails and canapés at Writer's Bar. Worth every penny.

Raffles Makati is an all-suite hotel that is small and intimate so you receive a proper amount of attention. Upon checkout, I was presented by My, the front office manager, with a box of chocolates from Café Macaron as a parting gift.

This is the kind of hotel I would go back to, again and again. And the great news is, it is now part of the Accor group (together with Sofitel, Novotel, etc.) so I can use my stay to continue racking up Accor loyalty points soon (integration is within 18 months).

Hotel Review: Meranti Hotel, Quezon City

Last week, we received late notice that there was going to be a power interruption in our village. The notice from Admin said it would be from 11:30 p.m. to midnight and 4 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. the following day. I was willing to bear it so I decided to stay at home. At nearly 1 a.m. however, power still wasn't restored. By 2 a.m., I was already uncomfortable from the sweltering heat. It didn't help that I was suffering from severe allergic rhinitis. By 3 a.m.,we decided to pack some clothes and drive to Meranti, the nearest decent hotel from our place.

Meranti Hotel is owned by the Max's Group, the company behind Max's Restaurant, Krispy Kreme and Yellow Cab, among others.

The lobby was a fair size for a small hotel and tastefully furnished. I was a little worried about the room because I had been warned that they were small and had thin walls. The receptionist offered us a deluxe, a higher room category, because all the standards were booked for the night.

When we got to the room, we were pleasantly surprised. It was a good size at 35 sqm. with a king size bed that was very comfortable.

The decor was subdued, even stylish. Every corner was clean. Most importantly, there was no musty smell, which could have made my allergies worse.

I slept very soundly that night, until I was woken up by the phone ringing. There was no bedside phone extension so we had to get up to answer. It was the receptionist reminding us that breakfast was only until 10 a.m., which meant we had 10 minutes to go down and get served. We decided to forego breakfast.

It was a little hard to go back to sleep by then, because the heavy drapes weren't fully blackout. We stayed in bed just the same, maybe even dozed off for a few minutes.



Checkout was painless. The staff were extra helpful, processing everything while we ordered our lunch at Meranti Cafe, also located at the lobby near the check-in counter.

They also offered these graham cookies, which were so good! I wonder if they're available at Max's Corner Bakery, which makes those divine caramel bars that you can order with your Max's fried chicken. This bakeshop churns some fantastic baked goodies and is largely underrated in my belief. I am a fan of their meringues.

I was happy to discover that the Max's Group also owns Maple Restaurant in Shangri-la Plaza whose food I truly enjoy. Some items from Maple are included in the Meranti menu but not the buttermilk pancakes (boohoo). I made do with the French toast, which was also good.

Pros: One of the better hotels in Quezon City (there's not a lot)
         Helpful Staff
         Bread and baked goods        
         Good value

Cons: Rooms are not fully blackout
          Phone has no bedside extension
          Breakfast calls should be upon request
          Some noise from passing cars (we were on the 9th floor)           

Hotel Review: Radisson Blu

I had high expectations with this hotel because it’s rated no. 1 on Tripadvisor.com among Cebu City hotels. All my expectations were met.