I chose Ascott primarily because it is the most lenient among the other hotels that I inquired. I sent an email to around three hotels. All of them either did not allow us to have a shoot outside the hotel room or they were requiring us to pay an additional fee. WTH, right? I then remembered that Ascott Makati was the hotel my younger brother booked for their wedding. I sent an email to Ascott to ask about their rules in having a photo shoot in the hotel premises. I immediately made an online reservation as soon as I received a reply from them.
Ascott is right at the heart of the Glorietta complex so parking space was not a problem for us. Checking-in was very fast and efficient considering that we arrived around 2PM. Their grand and pristine reception area gave us a glimpse of what our staycation would be like.
We booked a 1-Bedroom Deluxe Suite since we needed ample space for the shoot. We immediately started shooting so the photos of our room, except for the bed, were taken the following day. I really tried my best to have everything look as decent as possible. In case you noticed something displaced, that’s not Ascott’s fault! Hahaha! To put it quite simply, our suite was spotless!
I was endlessly exclaiming ooohhh’s and ahhhhhhhh’s as I admire every nook and cranny of our suite. I think it would have doubled, probably tripled, if I were not too busy running around chasing my baby daughter while trying to make her smile in front of the camera! Hahaha!
The first thing I noticed was this plate that welcomed us. I took a photo of it, promised to eat it after the shoot, and I totally forgot about it! Haha! Sorry, Ascott, but I truly appreciate your thoughtful gesture. =)
Our suite has a fully-equipped kitchen. I believe it’s because Ascott is actually meant for longer stays. Gaaaaahhhh! I hope my company will send me to some sort of a seminar and will let me stay here for days! Oh, shoot! I totally forgot that I just live half an hour away from Ayala! :p
I’m a big fan of nice kitchens. I loved the fact that Ascott was able to maximize the little space they have to provide their guests with a classy and efficient kitchen. I remembered that our suite’s kitchen was initially the design that I was eyeing for our home. I wanted to at least have a U-shaped countertop because I want the feeling of being “enclosed” while I prepare our meals. (Sorry, I’m weird like that.) It didn’t work out due to the restrictions of our house’s layout that’s why I was so glad to have spent more or less 24 hours in my semi-dream kitchen. Haha!
The kitchen has all the basics you’ll ever need to prepare a meal – a stove, pots, ladles, can opener. They even have a whisk! We don’t have a whisk at home!!! Hahaha! The hotel also provided manuals on how to operate the kitchen appliances. Our suite also has a complete set of utensils. Aba, may wine glass pa nga e!
Our suite also has a very simple yet elegant dining area. It’s adjacent to the kitchen. Hanging above the dining table is a simple yet chic lamp. My photos may not give justice to my claim, but the dining area somehow exudes a romantic vibe.
Parallel to the kitchen is a large closet that is camouflaged in the wall. Hidden behind what I thought was a simple cabinet is a washing machine. If I remember it correctly, I saw a small bottle of liquid detergent inside the cabinet.
The living room of our suite is very nice. The couch perfectly blends with the monochromatic theme of the room. The pillows gave a perfect contrast to the subtle colors of the living area.
Zayne enjoyed running like a crazy duck in the living room! She was literally going from one point to another in a speed of light! It’s that spacious, my dear friends. I borrowed one of the photos of Frames Perfect Studios to prove my point. We just moved the accent table and the chair on the side so Zayne could move around freely.
I also loved that the living room is carpeted, and the accent table is foamed. I somehow felt relieved that Zayne wouldn’t be bumping her head with all her running. The living room has cable TV, but the signal was lost when we were about to checkout. I thought they automatically cut the signal upon checkout, but the receptionist told me that even the nearby hotels experienced signal interruption that day. Hihi. But just allow me to point out that their internet connection is seamlessly fast!
The Makati skyline is also visible from our suite. We stayed in Ascott around mid-October so the Christmas lights from the nearby buildings kept Zayne entertained by nighttime. The following morning, I could not help but be amazed at the sight of the same buildings that I’ve been seeing almost every day for years. I really don’t give a sh*t seeing these things on a stressful work day, but when you’re on a staycation, you sometimes appreciate some things by merely shifting perspectives. #hugot
Now, let’s go to our bedroom! Our room has another TV so Tatay didn’t get to fight with Zayne over Disney channel! Hihi. The bedroom is also carpeted so we literally didn’t mind Zayne running in and out of the room.
And their bed! Wooohooo! I’m co-sleeping with Zayne. She usually nurses once or twice in the middle of the night so imagine how sleep-deprived I’ve been. But Zayne and I both slept through the night! It must be the bed. I bet it is. It’s so comfy! The comforter and the pillows are so fluffy. My back thanked me the following day! The sheets smell so nice, too!
The bedroom has a spacious closet. It’s so spacious that we literally turned it into a storage room when we needed to “hide” anything during the shoot. And yeah, we brought a suitcase for an overnight stay! We have a baby, people. Haha! Housed in the closet are the laundry bin, safety deposit box, umbrella, extra hangers, complimentary slippers and hair dryer.
Next to the closet is the bathroom. The size of the bathroom is just okay considering that I’ve been to other hotels with bigger bathrooms. I just felt that its size is not “proportional” with the size of the entire suite. I’ve stayed in a smaller deluxe room in other hotels where I could do a cartwheel inside the bathroom.
The bathroom has a bathtub. It’s also equipped with both handheld shower and rainfall shower head. They also provided crisp towels and an impressively complete set of toiletries.
L’Occitane is ♥
One of the very rare times that a hotel actually provided a razor kit!
But if you know me or you’ve been an avid follower of this blog, then you probably know that I specifically look for one thing in all hotel bathrooms. Unfortunately, Ascott failed in this aspect. They don’t have a bidet installed in our bathroom! Why, oh why?! I seriously hope they install bidets. Human rights violation ang kakulangan ng bidet, e. Haha! :p
Our stay includes buffet breakfast for 2 at Myron’s. We had a very good night sleep so we woke up a bit late. I didn’t get to take photos of the buffet spread because the restaurant was already in full swing when we came down for breakfast.
The spread may be a bit limited, but Myron’s certainly compensated it with the taste of the food. I specifically loved the sausages and the bacon, of course. Haha. I also noticed that Ascott tried to make the spread as diverse as possible. I’m not sure if it was a deliberate attempt to cater to the needs of the expats who are staying in the hotel.
After breakfast, we then went outside to check out the pool area. There was an ongoing construction in the area during our stay, but it didn’t erase the fact that their swimming pool is still an eye-catcher. And it is really huge! I saw how the kids and kids-at-heart were enjoying. I still don’t allow Zayne to swim in public pools, but our little one surely enjoyed waving and saying HI to the older kids.
Because we skipped swimming in the pool, we decided to spend the remaining hours of our stay in their kiddie area. It was also another reason that I booked Ascott for our photo shoot. It was the first place we visited as soon as we checked-in.
My husband and I purposely do not give Zayne lots of toys so imagine how overwhelmed she was when she first saw the playroom! Haha! I was LOLing as I saw the perfect mix of excitement and confusion in her eyes!
We all enjoyed our stay in Ascott Makati. If I were to rate it from 1-10, I would give it a 9. The missed 0.5 is for the lack of bidet in our bathroom. While we were checking out, I asked the receptionist if they have a breastfeeding/lactation room so I could nurse Zayne. She said they don’t have one so I ended up nursing Zayne in the reception area. There goes the other 0.5. But apart from these glitches, we still had a wonderful time at Ascott Makati!
UPDATE: We went back on September 2019 to celebrate Papa's 60th birthday. Check out our vlog!
P.S. May bidet na sila!!! :p
Ascott Makati
Glorietta 4
Ayala Center
Makati City
* All photos were taken with an Asus Zenfone Selfie
ASUS Zenphone \m/!!! Ganda ng pictures moo!!! And dyan na din kaya kami mag shoot nina Kakay? Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteVery nice sis! Parang ang homey homey ng room :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, ang ganda ng quality ng photos from your phone. Ang sharp at clear ng images! Pareho tayo ng hinahanap sa hotel... must have ang bidet.. non negotiable un!!! Patingen ng final pics ha :)
ReplyDelete