My temporary haven

Fortunately, I was not around when Ondoy unleashed his wrath and left our cities and its citizenry drowning in despair. Water, water everywhere with relief nowhere in sight initially. When it happened in the last week of September last year, I was scheduled to take a KLM flight to Manila from Paris via Amsterdam and my flight got cancelled. Thankfully, Tess Zulueta, the industrious marketing and communications executive of Air France/KLM, notified me that my flight was cancelled till further notice. 

I was frantically calling my assistant as I was so worried about the state of affairs in my apartment. Because I live on the top floor of our building, I expected some flooding to occur. True to my expectations, some of my rooms got flooded a foot high. When I finally arrived in Manila, the water had subsided and my apartment was livable but the engineering department of my building recommended major repairs for the leaks that caused the flooding.

The repairs were more extensive than I expected and I knew I wouldn’t be able to live in my apartment during the construction stage. Being a hyper-allergic person (to dust, paint, fumes, oysters, etc.), I get asthma attacks at the slightest whiff of dust, cigarette smoke, and paint odor. Where to stay during the construction period posed a problem for me. Well-meaning siblings and close friends offered me a room in their spacious homes but I always remember the saying “Having a house guest is like buying fish. No matter how fresh, after a few days, the fish starts to stink.” And I was not staying only a few days. A few weeks was more likely the case.

I looked around for a serviced apartment close enough to my residence as I wanted to do daily inspections. My glamorous friend Linda Ley gave me the perfect solution. She brought me to the Joy-Nostalg Building in Ortigas Center where the Oakwood Premier Service Apartment had just opened then. She introduced me to the owner, Jack Ng — an architect/interior designer/businessman by profession — who assigned someone to take me to view the different apartments.

Jack took a personal hand in the construction and interior design of the hotel/serviced apartments. He combined contemporary with an Oriental flavor, as evidenced in the custom-designed furnishings executed by international and local sources. The theme is manifested in every detail of the public spaces and set against the rich backdrop of the interior finishes — the lobby’s travertine walls and the active pattern of the stone floor. Art pieces by Carlo Magno frame the walls of the lobby. Jack’s elegant but minimalist taste is obvious in all the residences.

After seeing enough model apartments to satisfy my curiosity, I opted to rent an 89-sqm. one-bedroom Superior. They also have a 41-sqm. Studio Executive but I thought that would be too claustrophobic for me if I were to stay a few weeks. They also have bigger units (182-sqm.) for those with big families. The Superior was perfect for my needs. It is elegantly minimalist, very Zen-like, providing a calming and peaceful effect on me at the end of the day.

My temporary haven was well-equipped with a king-size bed covered in luxurious linens, an elegant dining area, a fully equipped gourmet kitchen (where my helper whipped up some delicious meals for me), marble bathrooms with deluxe amenities, laundry and ironing facilities, a 40-inch, high-definition home entertainment system with surround-sound speakers, built-in DVD and multi-media interface, IDD with voice mail, electronic safe and hi broadband Internet access.

My favorite area was the well-equipped fitness center with personal trainers and an aerobics room. I am a gym fanatic and it really is so convenient to have a gym in one’s residence.

The Oakroom serves the most delicious cuisine under French chef Jerome Cartailler’s expertise. He uses only natural and fresh ingredients. Because I am always counting my calorie intake, I succumbed to temptation only twice in the two weeks that I stayed in Oakwood.

For those who are in the same predicament as I was and require a temporary residence like I did, for more information, call Genny Pun, public relations and marketing communications manager, at 719-1132, 706-7777.