Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila: A Young Family's Staycation Destination

I first heard of the word staycation while searching for hotel accommodation in Singapore a few years back; hotels were touting special staycation rates for local residents to enjoy. Through the years, I saw friends' photos posted on Facebook, of their stay at a hotel in the city and think, good for them... but a staycation is not for me, a penny-pinching Chinese girl. Okay, so me saying I'm a penny-pinching person could be a pronouncement that I'm delusional, but why should I spend money staying at a hotel in the city where I live in when I have a perfectly cozy home to go home to where I can spend the night, completely free! Then, THIS happened and gave me a different perspective on what a staycation could be like, especially for a young family.

What is THIS thing that happened, you ask?

I subscribed to a hotel membership two years ago that granted me a "complimentary night" at one of its hotels in the Asia Pacific. I was under the impression that I could extend the deadline of my stay by another year, so I didn't use it in any of my travels in the past months (in hindsight, I probably should have, given that I did stayed in Tokyo and hotels don't come cheap out there). I was only told that I needed to use the "free night" before the deadline one week before said deadline so with no trip planned for that week, I chose to give a stay at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila a chance.

We arrived after 8PM and were checked into our room within 10 minutes. While the original reservation was for a Superior Room with one king-sized bed (valued at US$ 176/night), we were upgraded to a Luxury Room with one king-sized bed (valued at US$ 218/night). I checked the hotel website but wasn't able to figure out the difference between these two types of rooms.

The Room
Despite renovations in recent years, the classic interiors allow one to feel the history of the establishment along its hallways and within its rooms. The room is spacious with a resting area and an office desk to one side, and the king-sized bed to the other. The mini-bar is well-stocked with complimentary water by Viva, free coffee sachets/tea bags and pay-as-you-go snacks and drinks. The shower/toilet was also very spacious, probably taking up a third of the entire room size. Toiletries by Les Notes de Lanvin in the relaxing Orange Amber scent contain no parabens, no phthalates and no artificial color, perfect for the entire family.

The View - City View
The view from our room's balcony is that of the driveway from the road leading to Sofitel's entrance (up close) and of the City of Manila (far away). Lights from the Port of Manila twinkled against the dark sky, the perfect backdrop to a restful evening. The same balcony captured a completely different picture in the morning, that of green trees, a peaceful Manila bay and buildings under white clouds in light blue skies.

Nighttime City View

Daytime City View

Dining at Sofitel

SPIRAL is well-known as the best buffet in Manila. For those with a stomach for a hearty meal, SPIRAL boasts of a wide selection of cuisines and dishes that meet every discerning palate, it is my opinion that despite the complexity needed to offer such a spread, SPIRAL does not compensate on quality. A previous experience dining at SPIRAL had me make an attempt at trying a small piece of all the available dishes; I was stuffed to the brim with good food after going through three quarters of their selections and failed at my attempt. Rest assured, if you have a different buffet tasting philosophy from mine and just choose what you really want, you'll end up with a happy sated tummy.

Knowing my food tasting philosophy and with that lesson learned from my past experience, I decided that I wanted to go ala carte. SPIRAL was full for the evening and this led to my discovery of a hidden gem in Le Bar, the bistro/patisserie located on the lobby floor of the hotel. Le Bar serves dishes from both the SPIRAL ala carte menu, as well as its own menu. After poring through both establishment's menu, my companion and I decided to share the Seared Scallop Salad and the Onglet Beef Steak. Le Bar has a more private atmosphere compared to the SPIRAL's bells and whistles (or at least people getting up for another round of food, and the loud chitchat of bigger group), the live band entertained with soothing music while guests enjoyed and interacted with low voices. Both dishes were superbly done "just right".

Seared Scallop Salad

Onglet Beef Steak

In-room dining was also very tasty, my dimsum basket arrived within 30-minutes of my call (efficient) and the courteous waiter brought me some desserts for after the meal too! The preparation of the perfect dimsum balls and pastries is something that a lot of people take for granted (siomai is supposedly siomai how-ever it's prepared), but my discerning palate found Sofitel's room service dimsum to be at par with dimsum I have in Hong Kong.

Activities and Child-friendly Facilities

The Pool

View from the Pool Side

A stroll through open grounds leads to "island-encircling" pool/lagoon with 2 slides for children to experience the thrills, and sufficient space for adults to swim around. Around the pool are lush greens, coconut trees, hammocks, wooden furniture (on sand) and further down, a board walk, reminding me of relaxing beach destinations. There's a mini-golf area and a straight 200-meter path for runners to sprint at. Sofitel has a tent for children's activities outdoors, and a Gymboree indoors, perfect for when mom & dad want to work out at the gym, or relax at the spa.

So the next time you're thinking about spending quality time traveling with your kids, a staycation at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila may just be the thing to save you time, money and sanity.

This review of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila is on a stay in October 2014, all views in this post are the author's own. More photos here.