Staycation nation

It’s 46 days till Christmas and the malls are all decked out for the season. In our house, the Christmas tree is already up and blinking. My better half, Twink, believes in starting early to avoid the rush. And a great rush it will be, traffic-wise, as we get closer to December.

Philippine Christmas season now starts with Undas. To get a jump on everyone else (and as we visit our dearly departed on other days), we decided on a staycation-cum-shopping spree. Last year we did it in Chinatown, Manila. This year we decided on someplace closer, Bonifacio Global City.

We found a lovely place to stay, the new Seda Hotel, right at the East end of Bonifacio High Street. We had first gotten acquainted with the hotel over a month ago, at a cocktail event held at their Straight Up bar, at the penthouse of the hotel. Straight Up offers really cool panoramic views of BGC and Makati beyond from 16 stories above ground.

Seda is a new chain of hotels that’s part of the Ayala Hotels and Resorts family. Apparently, their mother conglomerate is investing seriously in hospitality and tourism. I haven’t tried their resort offerings but judging by the amenities and quality of the Seda Bonifacio, it looks like they’re off to a good start.

The hotel reminds me of similar contemporary hotels in Europe and some cities in Asia. The spaces are straightforward, minimalist and practical. For this hotel they used the services of architect Conrad Onglao, whose strength is in hospitality design. He kept the contemporary feel consistent throughout, using accents by Kenneth Cobonpue, Ann Pamintuan and art photography by Jaime Zobel de Ayala. The tones, textures and color schemes were also warm and inviting without being too trendy or in-your-face unlike some other boutique hotels.

The reception is right there, where you get into the hotel. No need to hunt for it. The nearby waiting area is blessed with free use of Mac desktops with free Internet connections. The only restaurant, Misto, is but a few steps away. The menu is good but limited, but is no problem in an urban location like Seda BGC as choices abound within walking distance.

The pedestrian friendliness of Seda’s location is what attracted us to stay there. Crossing the street brings you to the start of one kilometer of shopping and eating, two activities Filipino families love. Favorites Fully Booked, Muji and Gap are the first shops across from the hotel. A left brings you to Serendra and Market Market beyond, while the right takes you to the linear outdoor shopping mall and park that is High Street. You could even walk all the way to the Mind Museum.

Back at the hotel, we checked into our room at the 15th floor. Get this floor as it has access to the Club Lounge, a requisite of Twink and the boys when we do a staycation. Seda’s club lounge offers all-day comforts of (again) Mac desktops with Internet access, breakfast and evening cocktail buffets, lots of reading material and room to treat as one’s extended sala. The hospitality of the staff, of course, makes a difference.

The rooms themselves are not large but they are comfortable in their appointments. I liked the consolidated power and connectors panel at the desk. This is another must for gadget geeks and families with a handful of tablets and laptops to charge. The views, of course are great. We could see all the way to Laguna de Bae and Makiling (it was a clear weekend).

We spent the weekend with daily jaunts to High Street and Serendra for food and shopping. Early mornings were for the gym and a dip in the lap pool. If you’re into running, BGC is perfect and has a number of pocket parks around for variety and calisthenics (sorry to use this archaic term).

We didn’t get to do much shopping as we enjoyed the hotel and the restaurant hopping too much. We made a note to come back to try new restaurants that we saw and to have that yummy gelato on the Serendra side.

The Seda experience is as smooth as its name. We are now a staycation nation. The options offered by the likes of Seda make it a practical way to enjoy a weekend without losing time traveling half a day to get to your destination. Of course, Seda’s location is its biggest draw. This seems to be the brand’s calling card, checking on their other hotels’ locations in Davao, CDO and Nuvali.

Remember, you’ve got six weeks of shopping left. Make your list and check it twice. But also check out holiday staycations like this to make the holidays more interesting.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.