City Garden Grand Hotel, Manila

Tucked in what could be the busiest city in Metro Manila, The City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City has claimed a title that a lot of hotels have been intimidated to use. Has it lived to it?

Standing beside sky high buildings and hotels in the neighborhood, one might easily overlook how beaming City Garden Grand Hotel, the hotel has been easily wrapped in such a hyperactive surrounding that it makes you ask, what do they have to offer? After all, Makati is a host to the most number of high end hotels in the country.

It didn't take long for me to figure out the answers. As soon as I entered the lobby, greeted by their staff and awed in a classic but regal choice of interiors that were telling of the Philippines’s identity. Palms were nested between couches, a grandiose Kapis (Mother of Pearls) chandelier, a wooden ceiling with intricate smooth edges as if depicting waves and an energetic staff behind the front office. This was pure Filipino elegance and hospitality.

This remarkable visual pleasure is continued when you enter the room. You instantly get that blissful feeling of excitement in an unconventional design where floors were carpeted in lumber in its 32sqm space, head boards were framed with local rattan, door and jams built of hard wood and a marbled bath and toilet, the City Garden Grand Hotel has lived up to its name by taking inspiration from the unique heritage of the Philippines paired with a minimalist yet sophisticated eye for design.

Bed linens are of smooth as silk with the option for two double beds or a king size bed.

But City Garden Grand Hotel's crowning glory will definitely be the stunning view of Makati skyline from the rooms and a breathtaking sight at the hotel's rooftop. With an infinity pool that gives you a chance to relax up in the sky, wind creating ripples, dining al fresco with a 360 degree view of the city and an afternoon yoga session next to the clouds, the experience was quite exquisite.

Dining in City Garden Grand Hotel is one not to be missed as well. Firefly Restaurant at the 32nd floor offers a fancy way to enjoy Mongolian and Spanish delights or a booze at the sky bar, this could easily become my favourite hideaway.

The food selection in their Spanish buffet menu was top notch, but should you crave for a Mongolian dinner, you can treat yourself by filling up your bowl and having them cooked by the Chef right in front of you.

Meanwhile, a wide variety of Filipino and International cuisine await the early birds for breakfast at the Spice Cafe at the 7th floor. Spice offers quite a long list of breakfast buffet choices.

I had limited expectations about City Garden Grand Hotel when I first heard about it and it wasn't until I finally experienced it that I realise how worthy of it was of the title it claims.