happy thoughts: Staycation at Acacia Hotel Manila (Alabang, Muntinlupa)

This year, I will be celebrating my first birthday as a wife. I wanted it to be extra special since my husband and I just usually go on a date when we were still boyfriend/girlfriend, plus, I am now into staycation. :) So, after browsing the internet, reading blogs related to “best staycation place”, and finding a great deal online, I’ve finally booked us at Acacia Hotel Manila in Alabang, Muntinlupa for an overnight stay. This 5 star hotel offers not just supreme Filipino hospitality but also world-class hotel service. Its interior has a distinct design that exudes sophistication and style but you would still feel comfy, relaxed, and at home. Or at least that’s what it says on their website. This will be our first time to stay in a five star hotel that’s why I was extremely excited and come to think of it, this will be the grandest celebration of my birthday.

The façade

Lobby entrance

I like the pattern of their carpet at the lobby.

The ceiling in the lobby at night.

This is how it looks in the morning.

Mirror selfie with the Acacia tree. hehehe

We just took public transportation from Bacoor to Alabang Town Center. I called their hotline after arriving in ATC to request for a shuttle service. Their regular check-in time is 3pm but we were allowed to go to our assigned room as soon as we arrived. The check-in process was fast. They gave me our room keys after paying the security deposit of Php3,000 which I was able to refund upon check-out the following day. It could have been better though if someone assisted us going to our room. My shoulder was a bit sore from carrying my bag that has foldable umbrella, tablet, laptop, chargers, and other electronic related stuff. I’ve been to other cheaper hotels and they do have bellboys who would insist on carrying our knapsack, trolley, hand carry, and tripod. Take note, these hotels don’t have elevators so the poor guys had to carry our luggage while climbing the stairs. I’m referring to UKL Hotel in Ilocos, Ponce Suites in Davao, and Island Cove Hotel in Cavite. For a 5 star hotel that supposedly offers Filipino hospitality, they get “needs improvement” rating from me on this aspect.

Our room was at the 14^th floor. I’m not sure if it’s because our room was in front of their service elevator but the hallway smells like someone just fried something. The hallway of other economy hotels that I’ve been to smells like fresh linens so this is another NI for Acacia. We were billeted to an executive suite and I must say, I was happy with our room because it has everything I was looking forward for – a comfortable bed, bathtub, rain shower, and bathrobe. They also have a 15 minute complimentary neck and back massage. Although, I’ve read from other bloggers who stayed in their executive suite that they were given welcome treats and drinks so I was expecting the same but unfortunately, they didn’t offer us anything when we came. Oh well, maybe it was just for their well-known visitors. Unlucky me, I was there because of the discounted voucher I bought. They should be consistent on how they treat their guests. They invited these well-known bloggers to help them promote their hotel but never give the same service to regular guests.

the bedroom area

work table, TV, and foyer

The door beside that mirror is for the bathroom.

(R-L) Entrance door, kitchenette, and the closet.

The Room (1411)

Kitchenette – it has a small rice cooker (can cook 1-2 cups of rice), Samsung refrigerator, American Home microwave, (I think a) 3D oven toaster, and induction cooker. They kept in the cabinets all the kitchen utensils such as, bread knife, kitchen knife, steak knife and another knife (hehehe), plates service for ONE (soup bowl, salad plate, plate for main course, and two serving plates), 2 tall glasses, 2 water goblets, ice bucket with tong, teapot with 2 tea cups, and soy sauce and fish sauce dispenser. Noticed anything missing? Read it again. Have you figured it out? Yes, I didn’t mention spoon and fork because there was none. So I guess Acacia Hotel is expecting their guests to eat in a traditional Filipino way – using their hands. Inside the refrigerator has one bar of Hershey’s Chocolate, ice tray, canned juice, sodas, bottled water, and energy drink. On top of the fridge was Toby Mix nuts, small Pik-Nik, and Shin Cup Noodle Soup. Those are what they have in their mini bar. Not sure if it's considered fully stocked since the choices are few. Unlike in Island Cove, we had one Nissin Yakisoba, biscuit from Tagaytay, Marty’s Chicharon, mix nuts, tart and other delicacies made in Cavite. But I don’t mind if the mini bar in Acacia only offers few items since I don’t have plans of buying anything.

Dala po namin yang Yan-Yan. :)

Closet – this is where they keep the robes, flashlight, flat iron, ironing table, safety box, slippers, hangers, and an extra pillow.

In case you are interested to buy...

Bathroom – I was again expecting a big bathroom based on how other guests described it but the one in our room was just okay. It’s was twice the size of the bathroom of Hotel 45 in Baguio. It has enough space to move around, but unlike what I have read, I don’t think it could fit 4 persons at the same time and could still move freely inside. It doesn’t bother me that the bathroom was not as big as I was expecting because what’s important for me is it has a bathtub, hehehe. My husband and I have never been to an expensive hotel, we don’t have a bathtub at home either so soaking in a warm bubble bath is really part of my checklist. It has a separate shower and bath, a bidet, lavatory, and the water pressure was good considering that we are at the 14^th floor. The toiletries consist of 2 bottles of Pure Herbs shower gel, 2 bottles of Pure Herbs shampoo, 2 bottles of Pure Herbs conditioner, 1 Pure Herbs body lotion, 3 round bar soaps, vanity kit (cotton buds, cotton balls), 2 toothbrushes with small Colgate each, 2 dental glasses, shower cap with leash hair, shaving kit (dull razor and a shaving cream), 2 tissue rolls, 1 face towel, 1 hand towel, 2 rug towels, 3 bath towels, 2 bath mats, vanity mirror, and wall mount hair dryer. Whoooahh! Let me catch my breath for a second. All Pure Herbs product are in Rosemary Melissa Thyme scent which has a calming scent. The shampoo and conditioner is really soft on my hair, the lotion doesn’t have a greasy feel and the shower gel leaves smooth feeling on my skin. That’s what I used for my bubble bath since I forgot to bring the bath soap I bought from Lush. Toink!! I was expecting to have 2 more bottled water inside the bathroom just like what I’ve seen from other reviews. It would also be nice if they have a bubble bath soap/gel but nevertheless, I’m still impressed with their bathroom necessities.

Rain shower head! Yipee!!

There is a phone extension inside the bathroom so you can answer calls without having to go out in case you are in an "emergency" situation. :)

Bedroom – there is a 40” LED TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed with Sky Cable channels. Below the television is a cabinet (which I think is supposedly the mini bar). On top it has electric kettle, two bottled water, 2 set of coffee cups and saucers, 2 teaspoons, sachet sugar, Lipton Teabags, and their fruit platter (with apple and orange). You’ve probably noticed that I did researched and read other reviews about this hotel prior to coming here, so, I know for a fact that other guests had more than 2 fruits in their room. Baka nagmahal ang prutas kaya sige na lang. The first expensive hotel that I’ve been to (and it’s not even a five star hotel) is the Boutique Bed and Breakfast. There, we had an apple, orange, and ripe mango so I was really expecting more from Acacia Hotel. There is an office table beside the television and a socket for your electronic gadget. It has king size bed that is very comfortable and relaxing which they call “Dream Bed”. We were watching episode 3 of the Walking Dead season 6 through online streaming using the hotel wifi – good connection everywhere BTW) but I fell asleep halfway the series. I was forcing myself to stay awake but in the battle between man vs dream bed, the dream bed won! I woke up around 3 in the morning because I had to pee then I went back to sleep in no time after lying back on that bed. Geez! Why do you have to be so comfortable!? :) The electronic “do not disturb” button is in one of the bedside table but they still have the good old door tags if you prepare to hang the signage at your door.

That's the electronic "do not disturb" button. COOL!!

Amenities

Lurra Wellness Spa – Our experience here was just okay. I’ll have a separate review on this spa on my next story.

The Gym – Located at the 3^rd floor, this tiny room has variety of gym equipment enough to satisfy a few routine while on vacation. Don’t expect to find everything there is at Fitness First or Gold’s Gym because that’s not their specialization. There main business is accommodation and the gym is just an added perk for their guests.

Got tired of walking around ;)

Hubby concentrating in lifting this barbell using ONLY his index finger.

Swimming Pool – Open from 6am to 10pm daily also located at the 3^rd floor. The 5ft lap pool is narrow and could easily get crowded. You wouldn’t be able to swim back and forth without tripping to someone. There’s a kiddie pool but those who have floating device attached to their arms prepare to swim at the adult pool, hence, a teeming constricted pool. The kiddie pool is situated in front of the mini bar/lifeguard area and there is a bench where the parents or the yaya’s could seat while the kids are enjoying the water. No need to bring the bath towel from your room. You just need to ask the lifeguard on duty to give you a beach towel. There’s also a Jacuzzi hidden at the corner waiting for lovebirds or friends to take a dip while watching the sunset and the traffic in Alabang, hahaha. Since it’s an outdoor pool, the water could get chilly on a windy day so be sure to be there probably between 10am to 4pm. I did enjoy the Jacuzzi as well as the pool but I was waiting for the complimentary bottled water. One of the reviews I’ve read says they were given a bottled water each after a few minutes of staying at the pool area. Where’s mine?!

Kiddie pool is just knee deep.

That's your view around the pool area.

There is also free wifi everywhere in the hotel. To access, you must login using your room number and your last name. The internet speed was commendable. My husband was able to access online streaming of season 3 of The Walking Dead in a breeze. We were still at the lobby waiting for the shuttle service going to ATC when I’ve noticed that I lost my wifi access. I’ve tried logging in but my password stopped working.

Of course a staycation is not complete without having dinner or breakfast buffet. In our case, since I have another staycation after this, I decided to bring food for our lunch and dinner. I cooked spaghetti and made egg sandwich and just reheated it at the hotel. Before having dinner, I asked my husband if we could check the food at the dinner buffet so I could also take some photos. When we got there, I almost asked my husband if we could try their food because it looks sooo appetizing but who’s going to eat the food we brought? :) After taking a few pictures we decided to go back to our room. Tinakam lang namin mga sarili namin, hehe.

Our lunch.

Our dinner. Bon a petite!

The voucher I bought includes breakfast buffet so the following morning, we went back to Acaci at the CS floor to have breakfast. The buffet starts from 6am to 10am. Some say the options on their menu are few but I didn’t mind it since I am not very audacious when it comes to food. As long as they have the basic breakfast options then I’m happy. We were assisted by one of the hotel staff to our table and offered us coffee but we both declined as we are not coffee drinkers. Afterwards, we went straight to get our food. I’d say they still have more choices compared to the breakfast buffet at Bayview Hotel. I actually like almost everything they served except the mango cake which was a little dry for me. Maybe because it’s been exposed to air for a few hours. It probably tastes good when it’s fresh from the oven. My favorite was the chicken peccadillo, ham with pineapple glazed sauce, and taho. After 1 ½ hours, hubby and I left the restaurant feeling full, happy, and satisfied.

Mga busog na. lol

Click here to read more about our Acaci food adventure.

My stay at Acacia Hotel Manila is definitely a memorable one. Despite the lack in service I was expecting, I still have happy moments in this hotel. First, we were welcomed with a “happy birthday” tarpaulin with balloons upon entering our room. That’s two thumbs up from me because it gives personalized vibe seeing that greeting in our room. Second, after returning from our late afternoon swim, we found a slice of cake inside our room with happy birthday design on the plate. This time, they didn’t forget to give us our cupcake as part of their turndown service. I had to call to request for spoon and fork, and for dishwashing assistance but it’s nice that they responded quickly. My husband requested for a pitcher of water and when they returned, they gave us two pitchers of water with ice, now that’s an extra mile.