Christmas & New Year in the Philippines flying Turkish Airlines Business Class
For the second time after three years, I celebrated Christmas and New Year in the Philippines, together with the Singelresor group. We were a group of 16 although I guess it could have been more. Our program started in Manila, the capital city and after that, we flew to Cebu to explore the oldest city in the country. Then we had four nights in Panglao where we visited the famous Chocolate Hills, the Philippine tarsier, and did the Loboc River Cruise among others and of course enjoyed the white sand beaches of the island. Then, we flew to Boracay, the world's best island for 2016 according to the readers of the Condé Nast Traveler where we celebrated New Year 😍 From there, we flew back to Manila and took the long bus ride to Banaue to visit the 2000 year old Banaue Rice Terraces. Finally, on our last day in Manila, we visited the famous Pagsanjan Falls before taking our evening flight back to Stockholm. Unfortunately, the snow chaos in Istanbul Airport caused us to have an extra three nights in Manila where we were accommodated in the Belmont Hotel Manila. No doubt, it was one of the best Christmas and New Year celebrations I've had lately and would celebrate it here every year if only I could 😉
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Exploring the Philippines
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Date of stay: January 2-3, 2017
Address: Seaside Boulevard corner Coral Way Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, 1300
Nightly Rate: 7,959 Pesos, Booked Twin Premier Room and upgraded to a One Bedroom Suite 😍
Hotel Exterior
Conrad Manila exterior
Lobby
Hotel Reception
Hallway, 5th floor
One Bedroom Suite, 5035
Conrad Manila Stuffed Toy
Executive Lounge, 7th floor (6:30am to 11pm)
Evening Cocktails with Canapés (5pm to 7pm)
Refreshments served throughout the day
There's also the "afternoon treats with our chef's temptation" from 2pm to 4pm although I was not able to check it out.
View from the Executive Lounge
Brasserie on 3 (Breakfast Buffet Restaurant)
Washroom
Swimming Pool
The hotel also has a fitness center although I was not able to visit it. Interestingly, there is no business center although I guess most guests are using the complimentary wifi in the room and that one could always ask the help of the concierge/reception for printing services.
Last November, I decided I'd book a hotel for a stay in January and since I have Diamond status with Hilton, the choice became easy: I booked the Conrad Manila without any hesitation. I've read a lot of nice reviews of this new hotel so I was really looking forward to visiting it myself. We arrived at the hotel around 4pm and headed directly to the reception and was greeted warmly by John, one of the associates working that day. He welcomed me as a Diamond member and asked if I wanted to do the check-in at the Executive Lounge, and which I gladly accepted. He escorted us to the lounge located on the 7th floor and once there, he continued with the check-in process as we admire the beautiful lounge and the wonderful view of the Manila Bay that comes with it. If there's one place you would rather be while watching the sunset, that would be at the Conrad Manila Executive Lounge! Moments later, John was back to inform us that we had been upgraded to a one bedroom suite 😍 Thank you so much, John! Everything went smoothly, after which we took the elevator to the 5th floor where our suite was waiting for us. And yes, it was one of the most beautiful rooms we have stayed at 😉 I've had suite upgrades at Hilton Panama and Hilton Tallinn Park in the past and this one was just as wonderful (if not better). The living room was spacious with a flat screen TV and a huge work desk. In the bedroom, there is another flat screen TV and the bathroom was lovely with a separate shower room and bathtub. Lastly, the view of the pool and the Manila bay was just fantastic. As a Diamond member, there was also a welcome gift waiting for us, as is the norm in all Hilton hotels. After our short stay in the suite, we headed back to the Executive Lounge where I politely asked the staff if I could take pictures of the buffet before it opened, and which was granted. Everything looked tempting and nicely presented and I really wished we could stay much longer but we really had to leave for our family dinner. For the price we paid and the service (and room upgrade) we got, I would highly recommend staying in this hotel when in Manila. To all the staff of Conrad Manila, Maraming Salamat Po 😊
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