May 11, 2019

Staycation: Barkada Weekend Staycation at City Garden Hotel Makati

When I feel stressed out I often times zone out and day dream of places that I want to teleport myself to. But as much as I want to go on a vacation on a whim, well, I don’t have that type of luxury at my disposal. Good thing that there are alternatives that I can do to ease my stress; like doing a mini vacation or a.k.a. staycation. Doing a staycation gives you a chance to break from work and life pressures. Because, you know, adulting…




A few weeks ago I went on a staycation with my foodie friends at City Garden Hotel Makati in Poblacion. It was planned prior to the date but the days leading to our staycation were quite a hell for me. Days leading to this staycation were probably not the best days of my life. Earlier that week, I experience the scariest earthquake I’ve encountered my entire life and went down from the 33rd floor of our office building with my hands and knees shaking from weariness and fear.




During that week I also experience 2 blackouts leaving me sleepless and you know that it’s hard to function at work without sleep. All that stress almost led to a flu. But the excitement of the idea that I’ll get to do an R&R that weekend took all those woes away. It was a weekend well spent that brought me some energy to face the week ahead. ⁣




I’ve been to City Garden Hotel Makati a couple of times already because of Encima Roofdeck Restaurant, but this is my first time to stay there. CGH Makati is one of the smart accommodations in the center of Makati’s business district and the new hippest place Poblacion. City Garden Hotel in Makati is a confluence of comfort and convenience, perfect for business and leisure travelers alike. CGH Makati started its operations in September 2000. The hotel has 22 floors, has 160 guest rooms and 2 in-house restaurants.


The Hotel Room
We were a barkada group of 7 and we were divided into several rooms. We all availed of the Executive Deluxe Twin Rooms. Each of the Executive Deluxe Twin Room is 35-sqm big with one twin size bed and 1 single bed. I love the spring mattress of the beds (I got dibs on the single bed btw) they’re just the right firmness that I prefer.




The sheets are fresh and clean as well. The pillows aren’t that fluffy for me so I had to use two of them as I want to sleep somehow in a semi-Fowler’s position. I love the rug on the floor just like everyone else (yes, we took notice of the rug).




There’s a working desk inside with some writing materials, hotel pamphlets and menu for room service. There’s also a flat screen cable TV for some entertainment. A PABX phone is available on the side table in between the beds for when you need to contact the front desk or housekeeping. Each room also comes with a hi-speed Wi-Fi access.




Upon entering the room, there’s a small kitchen with a sink, coffee making facility and personal ref with complimentary coffee, tea and bottled water for guest consumption. After that, one will find the closet with full body mirrors as closet doors.




Inside it you will find hangers, robes, a safety deposit box, more drawers, laundry bags and bedroom slippers. Let me just commend CGH for having a readily available ironing set and sewing kit inside the room/closet. Not all hotels offer that and that was definitely a plus point.



The Bathroom
The bathrooms in each of the rooms we availed are the same size and ambiance. It’s not as grand as the ones from other hotels I’ve stayed at but we’ve got everything that we need in there; toiletries, towels, hair dryer and wait for it… a bath tub! The bathroom has a bidet and a telephone too. The comfort room was also clean and no foul odors, good job CGH! I’m quite particular with hotel bathrooms as unkempt ones irk me so that’s the first thing I check in hotel rooms.





The Amenities
City Garden Hotel Makati’s amenities include a business center, a tourist assistance desk, a pool and jacuzzi at the roof deck/SP Floor, a gym, sauna and La Famosa Wellness Spa at the UP Floor. My friends and I didn’t have the chance to visit the amenities at the UP Floor as we spent most of our time inside the room and at the pool. We love the pool because of the nice view of the Makati CBD in the distance. It might not be that big but it is fun to hang out there.




The hotel also has function rooms that are flexible spaces with dedicated catering perfect for business and social events. You can check the photos of those function rooms on their website as we didn’t get to visit them. Parking can be tedious around this area of Makati but the good thing is that CGH offers complimentary valet parking.





Dining Options
City Garden Hotel has two dining options: Bistro Restaurant and Encima Roofdeck Restaurant. Bistro Restaurant is located at the 2nd floor of City Garden Hotel Makati. It offers both local and international dishes. From 5:30 to 10:30 am Bistro offers a decent selection of breakfast buffet and other times of the day ala carte dishes that are mainstays on their menu.




Encima Roofdeck Restaurant on the otherhand is a Tex-Mex roofdeck restaurant overlooking the Makati cityscape at City Garden Hotel Makati's top most floor. Encima can be your perfect go-to place for a night cap, weekend chilling or for a romantic date. I have separate blogs for these two restaurants which you can read here: Bistro Restaurant and Encima Roofdeck Restaurant.



The Service
Most of the time you can only experience a great and heartfelt service when you stay at a high-end hotel. Sometimes, even service at the latter might not be that good. Good thing that what we experienced at City Garden Hotel Makati was exemplary. When we arrived, we were able to check-in fast and ahead of the usual check-in time since the rooms are already available. Moreover, the check in process was explained and delivered efficiently.




The hotel staff attended to us in a timely manner whenever we request for something. I swear since we were a large group we had one too many requests and sometimes we just called housekeeping and one of us would forget something  the first time we called them up; so we have to ring the housekeeping again, and every time they deliver whatever we needed with a smile on their faces. The staff anywhere in the hotel always greeted us genuinely.





Overall Experience
All in all we had a great time. We enjoyed the food that we tried at Bistro and Encima, we appreciated the great service all-around plus we got to we got to do some much needed R&R. It was a good mini-vacation, swimming, hanging by the pool, having a couple drinks, having a couple of your close buddies around, and just having a blast. I can’t wait for my next staycation with this set of friends of mine.



Read more of my staycation at City Garden Hotel Makati:
- Barkada Weekend Staycation at City Garden Hotel Makati
Buffet Breakfast at Bistro Restaurant - City Garden Hotel Makati
- Encima Roofdeck Restaurant at City Garden Hotel Makati



CITY GARDEN HOTEL MAKATI 
7870 Durban Street Corner Makati Avenue,
Poblacion, Makati City 1210
Contact No: 02 899-1111 / 02 835-3554
Email: makatisales@citygardenhotels.com
Website: www.citygardenhotelmakati.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CityGardenMakati
Instagram: instagram.com/citygardenhotelmakati



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16 comments:

  1. I have read a lot of good reviews and recommendations about City Garden Hotel from bloggers and I am convinced. I might just consider it for our next family staycation.

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  2. I have read a lot of good reviews and recommendations about City Garden Hotel from bloggers and I am convinced. I might just consider it for our next family staycation.

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  3. Wow. Ang ganda pala dyan! Agree, it’s a cool place to hangout with friends.

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  4. I love staycation! Gusto kong maglibot kung saan-saan tapos staycation lang. Sobrang nakakarelax. Mas masaya pa pag may pool!

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  5. The place looks clean and complete with everything you need for a complete staycation getaway. Why does it feel like I already went there..

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  6. Ang saya ng barkada staycation nyo! Looks like all you need for a fun time are already there. :-)

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  7. I also experienced staycation at City Garden Grand Hotel two years ago. I totally agree that it's a perfect place to bond with family and friends!

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  8. Wow! Hope we can try that with my barkadas when we are all successful someday! Since we are only students, our trip was to eat on our favorite restaurants etc. I love the view and ambiance though

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  9. I want to try staycation with my friends too but our schedules never meet huhu. I only do staycations with my blogger friends but I enjoy it too

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  10. This looks fun and literal na pang barkada talaga 😄

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  11. I used to always pass by that place when i went to school everyday. Was always curious how it was inside. Maybe i should try booking there!

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  12. This place is nice as well. Hey you should try the City Garden Grand Hotel just across of this hotel. I bet you will like it too.

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  13. When I became a mom, staycation has been my alternative to travels. It's so difficult to carry a toddler, especially now with a newborn. But of course, I wouldn't exchange it for the world. Would like to know the rates here if you won't mind.

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  14. So sorry to hear about your week prior to your staycation. But glad to know you enjoyed your time and had been invigorated after.

    Wendy
    http://wendyflor.com

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  15. Wow! Ang ganda ng interior and exterior design ng hotel. nag-book kaba directly sa website nila? or you use app.? feeling ko mahal siya. hehe

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  16. I want to visit the place. There are lots of good staycation deals now in the metro. My friend recommend Cocoon Boutique Hotel in Quezon City. I don't know where should I go now LOL

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