When we moved to Singapore, we stayed at a serviced apartment for two whole months. Two whole months!
As much as I loved living so close to Orchard Road then, it was driving me nuts. It just didn't feel like "home". It could have been the weather (humid), the noise (another luxury apartment was being built on Cairnhill Road), missing New York, the tiny cramped feel of the place, or all of the above.
Maybe it would have been a different story if we were staying in a serviced apartment like Ascott Makati. Just take a look at the lobby.
It feels like that of a grand hotel. With thick pillars, brass accents and black & white marble flooring.
When we got to our room, these greeted us at the table. Ripe and dried Philippine mangoes, and local artisanal chocolate from Theo & Philo. Nice, welcoming touch.
While an impressive lobby and thoughtful touches are fantastic as is, let me tell you about the space of our 2 bedroom suite: all 113 square meters of it.
The living and dining rooms are generously sized. Let's say you have six full grown adults seated at the dining table, or watching TV in the living room, there's still plenty of space left over.
The kitchen is workable. I can imagine cooking here everyday, and it won't be a problem.
As with all serviced apartments, it comes fully stocked with plates, and other kitchen essentials like a baking dish, a cheese grater, a measuring cup, tea pots, the works. They've really thought ahead to have everything a guest needs to feel right at home.
Including the dish washing liquid and kitchen sponge.
The great thing about serviced apartments is that you have the comfort
of staying in a place that has the amenities of an apartment, but with room service and
housekeeping.
I remember in Singapore, I unintentionally left some dirty
dishes as I had to rush out to bring Berry to her Kindermusik class in
Tanglin Mall, and when I returned, the cleaning lady had already washed
the dishes for me. I like washing my own dishes though, and I ended up washing them again, just to be sure, but it feels nice to come home to a clean apartment, ya know what I mean?
The rooms are nothing to sniff at either. They're quite, errrr roomy. Here's the main bedroom, with a King sized bed.
And here's Bedroom #2, with a Queen sized bed.
The rooms have their own toilet and bath, and yes, look a bit dated, but they are clean and cozy nonetheless.
Niza Forschler of Ascott Makati mentioned that they are in fact due for renovation, and I did manage to get a sneak peek of how it will look. I would have to say, it will be a pleasant stay for future residents. Wink. Wink.
It was also nice to see that Ascott Makati takes resource conservation seriously. They give guests the option to keep their linens or have it changed daily. They also offer vouchers for food/drinks in exchange for days when they want to opt out of cleaning services (guests who stay a week or more need to have their rooms cleaned at least once a week of course).
For pack rats, I've counted five closets in our room alone to store belongings in. It's no fun living in a suitcase, and having all these space to hang stuff in? Major plus points.
Our suite also came with a maid's room, and one of our yayas excitedly volunteered to stay there. I think she wanted have a room to herself, as it was her first time to stay in a serviced apartment.
Her room was right across the laundry area, right beside her own toilet and bath. There's a service entrance/exit here too, which makes it convenient to bring in groceries straight to the kitchen without having to pass through the main door, if we are talking a long term stay at the Ascott.
I promise to tell you more about the amenities and food in my next post!
Meanwhile, you may want to take advantage of these offers:
- From now until July 31, 2015, guests can enjoy a special rate of Php 5,750 nett for a studio deluxe and Php 7,500 nett for a one-bedroom classic, inclusive of breakfast for 2 pax and internet access. Preferential rates and perks are also offered to long-staying guests.
- Online members, make sure to ask about the Mid-Year Promotion exclusive to you until August 31, 2015. Online members who book and stay during this period can enjoy an exclusive 30% off on prevailing Best Flexible Rates while non-members get 20% off on prevailing Best Flexible Rates.
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