I LIKE staying over at The Bellevue Manila. The hotel has a homey and welcoming feel that makes me feel instantly at home. So, invitations from corporate director for marketing and communications Ryan Chan, through Jehn Domingo and publicist Suzette Morelos, to stay overnight before or after a coverage at the hotel are almost always graciously accepted. My latest stay at The Bellevue was a couple of weekends ago. The heat of the summer season, despite the fact that it’s supposed to be almost over, was just still too much, and I was sweating it out every day, so I looked forward to enjoying the air-con in the room – which I absolutely did.
The rooms of The Bellevue Manila are very spacious, and they have a creatively different layout than most hotels, to which space is very precious. At Bellevue, you get all the space you need, especially in a corner Deluxe Room, which affords you a two-sided view of the cityscape outside. From the usual narrow corridor when you step inside the room, there is a walk-in closet that leads to the bathroom. Even the bathroom is spacious, treating guests to a separate glass-enclosed shower room from the bathtub. There is also a small receiving area in the room next to the writing table before you actually find the bed. What’s more: There’s free WiFi in the room, so I spent most of my free time that weekend working on articles for FLAVORS Magazine, emailing them to my artist for layout, writing a story for this blog/website of mine, and uploading the story without much hassle. And if you happen to be staying in a Signature Club floor, you can even go up to the Signature Club Lounge on the 21st floor and enjoy drinks, cocktails, snacks, even breakfast, on the house.
But one thing that my husband Raff and I really look forward to whenever we check in to a hotel is the buffet breakfast that comes the morning after. At The Bellevue Manila, which is located at the North Bridgeway of Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa, buffet breakfast is served at Café d’Asie on the second floor of the Main Wing of the hotel. Always modest in its claim that its buffet breakfast spread is just reasonably wide, this was the only breakfast buffet where I actually found freshly made taho during previous stays. Well, there was no taho this time, but no matter, it still had a relatively extensive buffet spread that offers in-house guests all the breakfast options that they can possibly look for – a salad bar, cold cuts, smoked tanigue, cheese, yogurt, cereals and muesli, pancakes, soups, sushis and makis, an egg station, bowls of freshly prepared hot noodle soups, hot dishes on chafing dishes, fruit juices and milk, assorted breads and jams, fresh fruits, pastries and desserts.
And, oh, there was also the lovely couple of Oyo Boy Sotto and Kristine Hermosa with their two kids seated at the table right next to us.
Raff and I first went for fresh fruits, then whole wheat bread slices with strawberry jam, after which I assembled a platter of all the little bites that I love (so did Raff), and ended a lovely breakfast with fresh fruits again. Perfect! The only thing missing was the taho.
Spent the rest of our stay in the room, enjoying the air-con while watching TV and working on stories using my tried and tested Twinhead laptop and taking advantage of the free WiFi that The Bellevue Manila so generously offers guests. Checked out and had late lunch with Suzette before finally heading home. With the car parked in the basement, where it was nice and cool, I didn’t feel the scorching summer heat at all during the ride back home. Mission accomplished. Beat the heat and got to finish a lot before returning to the daily grind. Great staycation South of the metro.
(The Bellevue Manila is located at the North Bridgeway, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. For inquiries, call 771-8181.)
