We take birthdays seriously. That’s why on our 3rd birthday, we decided to celebrate it at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Makati City. We only had one mission on our 2-night staycation— ‘Eat. Sleep. Repeat.’ And we think we achieved what we set out to do.

We started our 1st day with an amazing Chocolate Cherry Blossom Bonsai and a bottle of Chardonnay. They were a complete surprise because they came with The King Bed Corner Suite. We couldn’t get enough of the bonsai because everything was made in chocolate— from the bowl holding the tree to the soil to the trunk to the branches to the cherry blossoms. They were made of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. And paired with the chilled Chardonnay, we were undoubtedly welcomed to the good life.

The Corner Suite was perfectly spacious with a sitting area, lounge sofa, work desk, flat-screen television, mini-bar, and our favorite feature in the entire room: king-sized bed with its plush beddings and pillows. As for the bathroom, it comes with a bathtub and full selection of toiletries. Of course, the room has free internet which is always a must-have in staycations because how else can we conveniently Instagram Story our Holiday Inn and Suites Makati experience without a fast wifi?

After putting our bags down and jumping up and down the bed (note: we do this every time because life is short), we went to the Executive Lounge to enjoy their complimentary afternoon tea from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. All guests checked in their Executive Club Rooms and Corner Suites have free Club Access. However, for an additional fee, other guests can also have access to the lounge.

The afternoon was lovely and so was our tea time. The Executive Lounge has ample seating and relaxed atmosphere. Because of its exclusivity, the place wasn’t crowded. The selection of snacks were quite delightful too. They offered fruit tarts, cakes, sandwiches, cookies, coffee, and good selection of Dilmah teas. We’re so happy to see our ultimate favorite cake in the spread— Ube Cheesecake. We swear by this cake!

By the time we’re about to get done with tea time, one of the staff told us that they will open the lounge for a complimentary happy hour from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and asked us if we intend to stay. We looked at each other and all mouthed the words “happy hour” with silly grins on our faces. The answer was a no-brainer. Of course we will stay!

The items in the buffet area suddenly changed to hors d’oeuvres, cheese and cold cuts platters, fruit cups, fish cakes, grilled chicken skewers, maki sushi, salads, and pork tenders amongst others. The selection may not be as extensive as the buffet in Flavors, the hotel’s restaurant, but they were properly curated. Since it’s happy hour and we want to be happy, we got us some wines, cocktails, and shots of tequila. The food kept coming and the drinks kept pouring and we kept smiling. One thing that we noticed the moment we set foot in the Executive Lounge was the staff. They were attentive, courteous, and friendly. We have stayed in various hotels and we must say that the staff of Holiday Inn and Suites Makati is by far one of the most sincere group of people that we’ve encountered.

Happy hour ended and we happily sauntered to our Corner Suite. The king-sized bed looked so inviting especially with the soft duvet and pillows. Speaking of pillows, we’re quite particular about those. So we’re glad when we saw that the hotel provides 2 pillow choices— soft and firm. If you’re not a big fan of soft pillows like us, one call to the housekeeping department will solve the problem. They graciously sent us firm pillows to replace the soft ones.

Buffet breakfast in Flavors Restaurant comes with every stay but since we were on our lazy staycation mood, we opted for their In-Room Breakfast. They provided the room with a breakfast menu specific to in-room dining so we ordered from that list. We got us some Buttermilk Pancakes with Apples and Walnuts, Bacon and Eggs, Longganisa with Garlic Rice and Eggs, Ensaymada, fresh ripe mangoes, rolls, and coffee. The pancakes were a bit crispy on the outside which we prefer, the bacon strips were crispy too, the sunny side up eggs were perfectly cooked, and the longganisa was delicious. From the time our orders were taken, our food arrived in 20 minutes which was impressive. We liked the fact that they kept the dishes in the warmer so they were fresh and hot when they got to us.

Breakfast was lovely but the art of doing nothing was lovelier. We watched the news, watched Netflix on our laptop, and watched the world pass us by from our big corner windows. Then it was time to check out. Since we want to get the staycation experience at the Holiday Inn and Suites Makati, we thought of transferring to their King Leisure Room. It might be a smaller room but the amenities make up for it. The room comes with a sitting area, work desk with multimedia panel, bluetooth speaker, flat-screen television, mini-bar, and still our favorite furniture: the king-sized bed complete with the hotel’s firm and soft pillows. The bathroom might not have a bathtub but it has everything we need.

For the few times we left our room, we found ourselves in Glorietta Mall which is just literally beside the hotel. They even built a special entryway to the mall from just outside the hotel lobby which was very convenient. Since we were still on our Eat. Sleep. Repeat mission, we made sure to comply on our last day at the hotel. Remembering the good food experience we got from our In-Room Breakfast, we decided to try their In-Room Dining at 2 o’ clock in the morning. We woke up hungry and naturally, we called Room Service to take care of us. Holiday Inn and Suites Makati In-Room Dining operates 24/7. That means, they can feed you any time of the day. We decided to get a Club Sandwich, Pasta Bolognese, Thai Red Curry, Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls, Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls, Chocolate Cake With Ice Cream, coffee, and a glass of milk. We’re glad to report that our orders took 20 minutes to arrive and the food were served at the right temperatures.

We took our mission seriously that when breakfast time kicked in, we trooped to Flavors Restaurant to try their buffet breakfast as if we haven’t had our after-midnight snacks.

One thing that we can assure everyone when dining and staying at the Holiday Inn and Suite Makati is that the food is always lovely and delicious. Be it at the restaurant, at the Executive Lounge, or room service, their food doesn’t disappoint.

The rooms were spacious and the beds were comfortable. They can definitely make you want to stay in and sleep in.

One differentiating factor that we think the Holiday Inn and Suites Makati has over other hotels in its category, is their hardworking staff who happily gives impeccable service. We have never seen a group of people who are just glad to serve. We could clearly see that the hotel takes care of their employees very well because it shows how well their employees take care of their hotel guests.

Overall, our 2-night birthday staycation was definitely one to remember.

Here’s a short video of our Holiday Inn and Suites Makati experience. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it for you.

Video created by Ambishen Productions for Manila Eat Up.

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