Staycation at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila [Part One]

After an unforgiving work schedule for the past months, I had the pleasure of staying at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila recently for a well-deserved relaxation. Now I am telling you this from the get-go, my stay at Marco Polo Manila is one of the best hotel staycations I have had recently. The stay coincided with my birthday which makes it all the more special.

Good quality service and impeccable experience are to be expected when staying at a five star hotel, I know. However, Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila exceeded that expectation which made this girl right here, really happy. 

No wonder that since Marco Polo Hotel opened its door here in Manila, it already got several recognition under its umbrella. For one, Forbes Travel Guide, known as the global authority on luxury travel since 1958, awarded Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila as one of the finest five star hotel in the world for 2017. Impressive, right?

Not only that, Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila also bagged TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence and Travelers' Choice Award. It is also recognized by EarthCheck, the world's leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, as a perfect example of going green with energy efficiency, power saving, carbon footprint reduction, and waste management while providing a clean, safe, and healthy destination for travelers around the world. 

The above mentioned recognition are reason enough to stay at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila, but there are plenty more reasons why you should consider booking a room at Marco Polo Hotel when visiting the area. 

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is located in the vibrant Ortigas Commercial Business District where famous business organization such Meralco, Asian Development Bank, San Miguel Corporation, and Major Busines Process Outsourcing Companies among many others. Five to Seven Kilometers away are the Central Business District areas of Eastwood City, Bonifacio Global City, and Makati City. 15 Kilometers away is the International Airport. 

Several shopping centers and entertainment areas are within walking distance Marco Polo Hotel Manila such as SM Megamall, Lopez Museum, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Robinsons Galleria. Few minute rides away are Tiendesitas, Eastwood City, and Greenhills Shopping Center.  

One need not to go far when in search for gastronomical experience since Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila is also tagged as one of the best dining destinations in Manila. It houses four specialty dining outlets namely Cucina, an all-day dining restaurant; Lung Hin, a contemporary Chinese restaurant serving traditional and authentic Cantonese cuisine; Cafe Pronto, a coffee house; and VU's a sky bar and lounge located on the topmost floor of the hotel.  

These dining options at Marco Polo Hotel Manila I find impressive to merit its own blog post hence, we will reserve that for the second part of this Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila Staycation series. 

For now, let us talk about my stay at Marco Polo as I explore the hotel and enjoy the room I have stayed in. 

Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila houses 316 luxurious guestrooms including upscale suites and Continental Club floors. I stayed at one of their Deluxe Room which 38-40 sq m. size I find perfect for a couple. 

My room got the city view of Ortigas Central Business District and EDSA area which is a welcome change to my usual view of mountains and valleys since I live in upper side of Antipolo City. I got to enjoy a view of a concrete jungle with its lively beautiful lights during night time even for a little while.

A good friend who has knack for spending her salaries in hotel stays once told me that Marco Polo Manila got one of the most comfortable hotel beds she ever slept in. I agree with her. I am very picky when it comes to bed because I got a very sensitive sleeping pattern. And don't get me started on pillows - my being picky over these things sometimes makes people hate me. But at Marco Polo, I slept like a well-fed baby. 

There is also a divan lounge chair which can double as a single day bed if so desired. This is probably my favorite spot in my room since this was where I spent most of my time in the afternoon and early morning while catching up on the book I am currently tying to finish. 

The room comes with LCD colour TV that features both local and international cable channels affixed to the wall.  The executive desk can be a perfect work station for business travelers as it features multi-docking device with Bluetooth technology and complimentary high-speed WiFi Internet connection. Marco Polo Manila's WiFi connection is one of the fasted hotel WiFi connection I've ever experienced, I must say.

The short hallway that leads from the door to the room itself features closets, Mini-bar and refrigerator, In-room safe, and Nespresso coffee machine and tea making facilities. It also leads the way to a decent size bathroom and an extra counter beautifully designed with a painting and fresh flower.

Inside the closet were the usual stuff one may see when staying in a hotel including laundry bag and request form, decent number of clothes hanger, emergency flash light, and foldable ironing board and iron among others. This is also where the in-room safe is carefully tucked. 

Marco Polo Hotel Manila is said to be the only hotel in Manila that has Nespresso machine in all of its room. Something that coffee-lovers such as myself can extremely appreciate. Of course, the usual tea making facilities is ever present equipped with complimentary tea selections, sugar, and creamer, complimentary bottled water alongside electric kettle, cup and saucer, drinking glasses, etc. The mini bar is packed with variety of goodies guests may consume and pay upon check out. 

The bathroom is of decent size and can be viewed from the bed area through a see-through glass partition. Reason for this is that while one is enjoying the bathtub, they can still view the TV in the bedroom since there is a volume control inside the bathroom as well. When preferred otherwise, one may use the cover blinds. 

I have mentioned in several of my hotel staycation blog posts that I am also very particular when it comes to bathroom. Marco Polo Manila's bathroom, although compact in size, houses marbled bath tub and rain shower. Complimentary bathroom essentials are provided. 

While it is downright tempting to just spend the entire day inside the room, there are other parts of the hotel that are well-worth visiting and spending your time on. So, I went to check out Marco Polo Hotel Manila's facilities to see for myself. 

Located at the 22nd level is Marco Polo Ortigas Manila's Indoor Infinity Pool overlooking the Ortigas cityscape. I am a fan of indoor pool so I enjoyed a time here with my companion. When hungry, guests may order food and enjoy snacks by the pool. 

For fitness buffs, the hotel's gym called Flow Fitness Center offers the beautiful view of Sierra Madre mountin ranges. This gives more zen-like inspiration while you work on that body using modern equipment provided at the gym. Complimentary fruit and citrus-infused water are provided for guests.

Marco Polo Manila's Flow Spa offers variety of treatments and massage services. This is a perfect venue where you can further make for a perfect relaxing staycation. Just like the gym and the indoor pool, the spa is also located at the 22nd level of Marco Polo Hotel. 

With its impressive service and excellent room and facilities, I am well contended with my staycation. The stay however was made all the more enjoyable when I was treated to a gift and a delicious chocolate cake given by the amazing people of Marco Polo Ortigas as a birthday present. Kind gesture such as this is always appreciated. 

Aside from a relaxing stay, the main highlight of this stay was the gastronomical experience I had while trying out the restaurants at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila. But I reserved that for the next post, so please come back here for that. 

Related Post:

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila Staycation Part Two: Dining Options at Marco Polo



Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila
Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street,
Ortigas Centre, Pasig City, 1600,
Philippines
Tel. (+632) 720 7777
Email: manila@marcopolohotels.com
Facebook: @MarcoPoloOrtigasManila
Instagram: @MarcoPoloOrtigasManila