Green and gorgeous hotel
Last Thursday was Earth Day. With the realities of climate change today, we now must strive to minimize our impact on the environment. For us to be able to sustain and improve our increasing urban lives, we should consciously rethink what we do, where and how we live, work and play.
In terms of play, or leisure, one of the ways to minimize your carbon footprint is to travel less. That’s what my family and I did last Easter. We eschewed any long or short motor trek north or south of the city for a leisure option just down the street from where we live.
Twink and I packed the kids in the car for a short jump to the end of C-5 across to the Resorts World Complex in Megaworld’s Newport City. Just adjacent to NAIA III, the enclave is being developed in the template of the developer’s super-successful Eastwood enclave down the other side of C-5.
At the heart of the complex is the 342-room Marriott Hotel Manila, set in the heart of this new entertainment and gaming complex. This is where we checked in for a few days during Holy Week. I thought the proximity to the airport was going to be a problem, but with the hotel’s double-glazed windows, I hardly heard any planes. Even outside in the swimming pool and several gardens, I did not hear a single plane in the three days we were there. It must be the orientation of the hotel deep inside the enclave.
The hotel, and most importantly its amenities, are also oriented away from the airport and overlook its best-kept secret — a wonderful green panorama of the adjoining 18-hole Villamor Golf Course and the skylines of Bonifacio Global City and the Makati CBD just beyond it. It is amazing to find such a view and such an angle of the metropolis that belies its reputation of being blighted and gray. The hotel’s viewpoint must be the one of the few green views left.
What is also right about the Marriott is that it is a few steps from the gaming halls of Resorts World and for those more inclined towards shopping, the hotel, in fact, is just minutes from Bonifacio High Street and Market! Market! to the east as well as the Mall of Asia.
The hotel and the complex are beginning to become a favorite destination for out-of-towners along with balikbayans. They head straight from the airport, which is all of two minutes away. In fact, there is an hourly shuttle between the complex and the airport.
After settling in, we acquainted ourselves with the hotel’s offerings. Staying on the eighth floor we had all-day access to the executive lounge on the same floor. Here they offer breakfast in the morning and cocktails at dusk. Being on the top floor, the green views of Bonifacio and Makati are even more appreciated. The kids, however, appreciated the nooks, free Wi-Fi, board games and all-day snacks and drinks. Weekday business guests will appreciate the same things. The rooms themselves were not bad, either, with 40-inch flat-panel IPTVs with remote Jack Pack plug-and-play systems.
The first place we all visited, though, was the pool. I always rate hotel’s family-friendliness by its swimming pool. This one passes with flying colors. The changing rooms and toilets are nearby and spacious. The pool bar is just steps away and behind it is the gym, with picture windows overlooking the pool. Twink was able to keep an eye on the boys as they swam (and I escaped to check out the hotel’s other features, which include a five-star spa called Quan and F&B outlets on the ground floor.
We enjoyed the food at Marriott Café with its extensive international buffet. Our favorite was the oriental section and the roast duck. Our second favorite was seafood, while our sons enjoyed the pizza and pasta, as well as the well-stocked dessert spread (try the old-style bread pudding with ice cream on top). We also enjoyed the juicy steaks at Cru Steakhouse. Twink and I loved the steaks, but the boys, not being steak lovers, devoured really good grilled beef burgers).
Being Holy Week, it was convenient that there is a church nearby, actually right in the same compound — The Shrine of St. Therese. We were surprised at the size of the shrine and the fact that it is fully air-conditioned! There were many who did their visita iglesia there that Good Friday. We found out later that the church and its proximity to the hotel were starting to make both a popular wedding destination. The generous parking of the complex also adds to the attraction; with the ballroom and events accommodation at the Marriott, the complex is proving to be a choice location for conferences, functions and celebrations.
Our stay in the hotel was comfortable. The staff was attentive and friendly, especially to the kids. It’s not often you find such warm treatment. We ended our stay with a sumptuous Champagne brunch, which is a weekly offering even past Easter. Free-flowing champagne with free-flowing food is just the way to end a great weekend without having to suffer a long journey home.
So do your bit this summer. Travel less; enjoy more. At options like the Marriott Manila, urbanites can get a green getaway without hours lost in travel, great fuel savings, and a less guilty conscience about the environment.
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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.
For more information on the Marriott, visit www.marriott.com/mnlap.
