I wanted to give my daughter something special for her birthday and instead of celebrating her birthday at home, I booked a family staycation at Edsa Shangri-la. I wanted her birthday to be memorable and a one-day luxurious stay there was the perfect present I could give her since she wanted it that way also.
I booked a Garden Premier Suite in Edsa Shangri-la, with the room rate of P13,200 plus P3,012.24 for taxes and charges via Booking.com (I paid a total of P16,000). So, what was my impression? Since it’s a five-star hotel and the room rates are exorbitant, the service must be exceptional.
The check-in time is 2 pm, but we were able to reach the hotel at around 3pm. I did not experience any inconvenience in the check-in process because all the staff in the reception area from the usherettes to the front desk staff are very friendly and professional.
I didn’t fill out any registration forms– the staff just asked for my ID. The funny and partly embarrassing part was that my IDs were missing in my bag! Oh, well! I was confident that my IDs were in my bag because I just used those in the airport a day ago. Since I couldn’t find my PRC ID and company ID, I just handed the Philhealth ID and thankfully, she just asked about the date of my birth to verify the information. I was also asked to present the credit card that I used to settle the payment and after few minutes, she asked me to sign in the tablet and ta-da! Everything was already set– I got 3 keycards and a piece of paper wherein our benefits as guests were written.
Even without asking, we were offered a luggage assistance and were ushered into our suite in the 7th floor of the Garden Wing. While we were following him, we thought that we might get lost and that we really had to explore the hotel that night.
luggage assistance
We were able to get in the suite at past 3 pm. Instead of having an afternoon swim, we decided to rest for a while and unpack our things. Though the hotel is kinda old, it has remained to be a favorite especially to business travelers because of its elegant furnishings and first-class amenities. We were impressed with our assigned suite though I was expecting a bigger one with a dining table (a separate post will be written for the review of Edsa Shangri-la Hotel with an exclusive tour of our suite and a review of HEAT, where we had our breakfast buffet).
- Upon entering, we had welcome treats such as native cakes, a plate of fresh fruits and a slice of cake for Shane.
When I have spoken to the customer service representative of the hotel when I called to confirm if they have received my payment, I mentioned that Shane will be spending her 11th birthday there. They took note of that and prepared a slice of cake saying “Happy Birthday!” which we really appreciated.
After the short inspection in our suite, I ordered pizza for Shane’s visitors so they won’t get bored. Hubby, Shane and I went to the Horizon Club Lounge, which is located in the 14th floor because they serve free cocktails and canapes at 5-7 pm.
Our stomachs were already full when we came back to the room, but we still managed of course to have a simple dinner with the visitors. We brought spaghetti, chicken and cake with us when we checked in.
Family picture
By the way, Shane had only 3 visitors: her two brothers Kyle and Bruce and her grandpa. Before they leave, I called the concierge service and requested to borrow a board game and an X-Box so the kids won’t get bored. Actually, the guests can borrow those without any charges. Aside from that, I arranged to borrow a mermaid tail for Shane to fit and use for her morning swim the following day.
After we escorted them outside the hotel entrance to wait for their transpo service, we went to check out the gym at the Health Club and dipped in the jacuzzi.
After loosening up in the jacuzzi, we checked the swimming pool and we went back to the suite to fetch Shane who was still playing with the X-box that we borrowed.
One thing that I loved about our staycation is our Horizon Club priveleges and one of these is having coffee and having VIP treatment. It’s open for 24 hours so you can drop by anytime to have coffee or soda. Before we went back to the suite, we dropped by there for a drink then we had a good night sleep.
In the photo above, the photo shows the extra bed for Shane. Actually, I didn’t expect that and I was very thankful that they included this. I think we have made her feel special because she has her own space in the living room area and was very comfortable because it was airconditioned, has its own flat screen TV and has easy access to the bathroom.
The following day, we headed to HEAT, where the guests have their FREE buffet breakfast; unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding. I will elaborate on this in my review about HEAT. Anyway, we were able to have our FREE breakfast and after that we went back to our suite to get ready for Shane’s favorite- the morning swim! We dropped by to the Health Club to remind about the mermaid tail that we would borrow for the swimming session and short pictorial.
After the morning swim, I decided to go to the Front desk because I was really confused with the information I was receiving from their staff and I had to clarify everything before we check out. Fortunately, Ms. Len of the front desk was very accommodating and she apologized about what happened. (Details will be in the hotel and restaurant review). I appreciated also when she agreed to have a late check-out at 3 pm which I believe was also part of our privelege as a Horizon Club guest if there is room availability.
After the clarification, we went back to the suite and started to pack our things. At 2pm we went to the scheduled High Tea at the Horizon Club lounge.
Overall, Shane’s birthday celebration was a blast. It may not be perfect, but it is something that she can never forget.
Shane2 Shangri-la
EDSA SHANGRI-LA MANILA
1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre, Mandaluyong City
Telephone: 633-8888
Beautiful place for living. Rooms with good scenario and services.