The Farm at San Benito (blog)
- by Ivi Travels
- •
- 24 Jun, 2018
Spend some time in Makati, Manila. It is safe,
modern, stylish and will offer you a guaranteed
good time.
Stay at the Shangri-La Makati and be blown away by the Sunday afternoon tea accompanied by a full orchestra in the Lobby Lounge, indulge in the larger than life fresh buffet covering all corners of the world at Circles restaurant, or have a good long swim in the outdoor swimming pool whilst an icy cocktail awaits. It is a good 5* hotel, though more of a business style - which is not surprising as Makati is Manila’s business district.
Go for a proper shopping session at the Greenbelt shopping mall at the Ayala centre, containing all stores from the very high end to high street brands, and conveniently located next to the contemporary art museum. Do not miss out on an amazing Thai meal at People’s Palace restaurant on the ground floor of Greenbelt 3. Sip a cocktail or a cold beer on the outdoor terrace and indulge in excellent quality Thai food.
And ladies, for the best mani-pedi in town, you head outside of the mall for a 4 minute stroll to this beautiful bohemian luxury boutique Nail Spa on Gamboa Street. You can’t beat the quality and gorgeous setting of this place.
Huge and comfortable bed. Nice japanese restaurant. Good and plentiful breakfast buffet. The location is excellent with the MRT station across the street. Overall quality of the food, facilities and accommodation is very good!
However, the delivery of services by hotel staff clearly needs improvement.
- Cleaning by housekeeping is done seemingly rushed and clearly overlooking details with stains left behind where you don't want to see them.
- Swimmingpool area was deserted of service and lounge chairs lacking cushions and just overall uncomfortable.
- Bell service took forever to show up when I wanted to leave and the bill at checkout had to be recalculated manually due to the promised IHG discounts on food not having been processed, thus also took way too long (over 30 mins).
Amazing grounds, gorgeous lounge rooms for afternoon tea and Champagne aperitif with canapés, an exquisite spa, some beautiful suites in the Mansion and the pièce de résistence: an exquisite spa containing a beautiful black tiled 22m indoor pool.
If only, ......
- If only investments in interior decoration, such as carpets and furniture, hadn't stopped, then you wouldn't be walking on murky beige-brown-ish floors, looking at scratches and faded plexiglass side tables or sitting on stained white sofas.
- If only, the claimed 5* quality resulted in similar quality, discipline and professionalism of waiting staff, rather than those that prefer chatting with each other.
- If only, they hadn't sold out to becoming a hotel focused on attracting conference groups that can't be kept apart from regular guests, then you might actually be treated well and feel special, which makes forking out a hefty sum to treat yourself to a special weekend actually worth it.
It saddens me to say that besides the spa, the Grove actually doesn't meet expectations anymore. I first came to The Grove when it had just opened and it was such a fabulous experience. Unfortunately that is no longer possible, I felt like an invisible and unimportant guest during my stay, and no matter how beautiful the surroundings are, that just really makes it not worth it. Too bad, as I had really wanted to try that gorgeous junior suite in the mansion. Ah well....
