Review: New World Makati

Centrally located in the so-called "Wall Street of the Philippines", New World Makati Hotel is a luxury oasis in the heart of Manila. 

With club rooms, restaurants, lounges, meeting spaces and even a ballroom, New World Makati Hotel is ideal, not just for a perfect night's sleep, but for any event you can imagine. 

All guest rooms are equipped with a marble bathroom, work desk and fast, complimentary internet.  

We spent two nights at New World Makati Hotel and this is what we thought:

Check-in

New World Makati Hotel is extremely easy to find, it's directly opposite Greenbelt Shopping centre - one of the best shopping malls in the city, which has an extensive selection of shops (including M & S!) 

Check-in occurs in an enormous entrance hall filled with light and space. Our check-in went very smoothly and we were swiftly led up to our room. 

They very sweetly greeted us with a fruit platter each:

Our room

New World Makati Hotel offers three categories of room: Superior Room, Deluxe Room and Premier Room. 

We had a deluxe room with access to the Residence Club (more on that in a moment). Our deluxe room had a beautiful king sized bed that was extremely comfy, a fantastic shower, and quite possibly the best bath we've ever had: it was incredibly comfy. We also had a large desk and something we think every hotel should have: a plug that can be used regardless of what kind of plug yours is (i.e. British, American, Europe etc)! 

Residence Club

The Residence Club is located on the 24th floor and features the Residence Club Library and the Living Room. 

The Residence Club Library is a great for anyone who hasn't brought a laptop with them and anyone who needs to use the printer. With flight tickets to print we fell in the latter category, it was a real asset not to have to worry about where we'd find a printer. 

The Living Room was probably our absolute favourite place in New World Makati Hotel. Here, coffee, tea and refreshments are available throughout the day. Combine this with the comfy chairs and it really does feel like the perfect living room, add in the amazing views and it's incredible. 

Snacks and drinks are served between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. 

Anyone who has been watching our daily vlogs will know of my constant search for good cheese in South East Asia, well we finally found some here, along with amazing fresh French bread, delicious soups, fruits, cute little cakes, salads, sliced cold meats. It was all delicious! 

The food was all delectable at the Living Room and the staff were simply incredible!! They were all so lovely and kind and really helped make the Living Room feel like home! They were just so friendly!

To see more of our room and the Residence Club, check out Daily vlog 51: 

Breakfast 

We also had breakfast at the Living Room which, surprise surprise, was delicious. There were all the usual breakfast choices: breads, jams, yoghurt, juices, coffee, tea, but they also had a menu for our 'main'. On the first morning we ordered poached eggs and bacon (and were ecstatic to see baked beans too)! 

On the second morning we had French toast and it was the best we've ever had.

I also tried a Filipino breakfast, which was jelly, tofu and a sweet liquid. It was quite interesting!  

Pool

New World Makati Hotel has a 25 metre long, outdoor swimming pool. We had a great afternoon here, lounging on the uber comfy sun deck, cooling off in the pool and enjoying the refreshing drinks at the Splash Pool Bar. 

We also tried out our SWG Dome for the first time ever: 

Hotel tour

The Communications Executive had afternoon coffee with us and then kindly took us on a tour of the hotel. The tour revealed to us just how well equipped the hotel is to host absolutely every kind of event imaginable. There are 1,800 square metres of multi-functional event venues, including a 675 square metre ballroom, numerous meeting rooms, a beautiful Glasshouse and Gallery - venues with their own residential style kitchen for meetings, conferences, weddings and other events. 

The hotel also has a wide selection of exciting and interesting restaurants including: 

• Cafe 1228, with interactive live cooking stations
• The Lounge, with a relaxed atmosphere in the day and live entertainment in the evenings 
• Jasmine, a Chinese restaurant which also has private dining rooms
• Bar Rouge, a lively but intimate venue which focusses on single malts, cocktails and cigars (including Cuban!)

The hotel also has a 24 hour fitness centre, a spa and an on-site doctor. 

If you are worried about having traveller's diarrhoea, then having a on-site hotel doctor is an incredibly valuable asset. Antibiotics have to be prescribed to you in the Philippines by a doctor (same as in the UK), and attempting to go to a clinic when you're ill would probably be a nightmare. The onsite doctor will actually come up to your hotel room though, so no worries!

To see more of the hotel and the pool, check out Daily Vlog 52:

Conclusion

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay at New World Makati and highly recommend it. The location is ideal, and the lovely staff and awesome Living Room concept make for a perfect stay. 

Booking can be done on New World Makati's website: manila.newworldhotels.com or on their Agoda page or through TripAdvisor.

Make sure to also follow New World Makati on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

And to keep up with our own adventures, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. 

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of New World Makati, however all opinions are our own as always.

Review: The Linden Suites

The Linden Suites offer world class accommodation. They have twelve types of suite fully equipped with dining and kitchen facilities, perfect for business, couple and solo travellers, families, groups and long-term guests. 

The Linden Suites won Tripadvisor's Certificate of Excellence 2015 and boasts all-day dining, an indoor pool, fully equipped gym and saunas!

We stayed for two nights and this is what we thought:

Pick-up and check-in

Our pick-up was punctual and our driver was very polite. The RV was air-conditioned and super comfy. 

Check-in was swift and we received a warm welcome. Note: you must walk through a metal detector before entering the lobby, which kind of surprised us, but made us feel that the hotel takes the guests' safety very seriously. 

Suite

Our suite can be described in one word: GIGANTIC! There was a kitchen, living room, bedroom, two massive closets and a bathroom with shower and bath (most Filipino hotels don't come with a bath). 

The kitchen was fully equipped and trust us, that's a BIG luxury. Having been away from House Sitting for over 50 days, we are really starting to appreciate having a kitchen on the road. Especially in Asia where the basics to make sandwiches and pastas are available, but not possible to assemble in a hotel or a hostel (usually). 

The sitting room had a gigantic TV with all the good cable channels (i.e. HBO). It also had a super comfy sofa, two comfy chairs and a super suave desk. 

Our bedroom also had a TV and a desk, and was somehow soundproofed from the living room. The bedroom was connected to a corridor with two of the biggest closets I've ever seen in a hotel.



Which were then connected to a spacious bathroom. As mentioned before, this bathroom came with a bath which really surprised us (three weeks in the Philippines and this was the first bath we'd seen). 

Lunch

We were really pleased to have lunch with the Director of Sales & Marketing and the Sales Manager. They were both lovely and they taught us a lot about the hotel: it was opened in 2000, and some of the long-term residents have been living at the Linden Suites ever since! 

There are two presidential suites, one of which has had a long-term guest for over a year. 

The Linden Suites is mainly used for business clients and long-term stays. 

We had the lunch meeting at the Linden Suites' very own Mesclun Restaurant & Cafe. The food was incredible, by far our favourite meal that we had in the Philippines.

We started with a Power Shake (lettuce, apple) which was divine:



Next up was an amazing smoked salmon salad:



Then came the main: we had guava pork Philippine adobo. 



Adobo is kind of the unofficial dish of the Philippines, and is basically meat/seafood/veg (in this case pork and guava) marinated in soy sauce and garlic and then browned in oil. It was even more delicious than it sounds, the pork melted in our mouths and the guava gave it a great tangy edge.

Next up was a Bangose Sisig:



Sizzling sisig is another great Filipino dish made from pig's head and liver, seasoned in calamansi and chilli and topped with an egg. The sisig we had came with a bit of a twist - it was with bangose fish instead of pig. 

All in all, the lunch was delectable and the best meal we had in the Philippines. 

Massage

Another thing we recommend you do when at the Linden Suites is to have a full body massage, because we did and it was the best massage we had in South East Asia! 

An added bonus was that they actually did the massage in our room, so we could go straight to sleep afterwards! 

Pool and sauna

The pool and sauna were great. The pool is temperature controlled, really long and has a beautiful faux waterfall. 

There are two saunas (men and women go separately). We usually have a problem here, because we go in our separate saunas and then don't know how long we've been in there and one of us invariably leaves earlier than the other, and has to wait. But this was not the case at the Linden Suites, they'd very cleverly thought to put clocks outside the saunas, so you could see them through the door. 

Breakfast
Breakfast at the Linden Suites is buffet style and extensive in it's selection.



Fresh eggs can be ordered in any style you fancy, we went for an omelette and it was delicious. We also tried the fruit, juices, coffee, cereals, toasts, bacon and the macaroni which were all great. They also offer Filipino options. 

The presents

The Linden Suites went above and beyond to welcome us and far exceeded our expectations. 

When we arrived we were presented with two complimentary massages, which was very kind. 

About 30 minutes after we'd checked in, our doorbell rung (yes these places are so big they have doorbells) and a cake arrived with a bottle of sauvignon blanc!



The cake read 'Welcome to the Linden Suites Travelling Weasels' and was a creme brulee cake! Sauvignon blanc also happens to be my favourite white wine. This was incredible!

At breakfast we were served fruit platters which were amazingly set out.



If that all wasn't enough (which it was) we also got a card directly from the General Manager, with a very thoughtful present: two traditional mugs and two models of traditional Filipino transport! 

The Linden Suites knew that it was our 10 year anniversary and they did everything possible to celebrate with us. 

More information
We did two vlog posts when we were at the Linden Suites: 






Conclusion
As you can probably tell, we LOVED our stay at the Linden Suites. The suites are luxurious and equipped with everything you need, the restaurant serves the best food in the Philippines, and above all the staff went above and beyond our expectations. We highly recommend that you stay here. 

Find the Linden Suites on Tripadvisor, Agoda and on their own website: lindensuites.com

Also make sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

And to keep up with our own adventures, make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. 

Pure luxury: Shangri-La, Singapore's Valley Wing Suite

The Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, is a luxury 5 star hotel which has consistently been voted as one of the best hotels, not just in Singapore, but in the whole world!

Set amidst fifteen acres, Shangri-La Singapore is known as Singapore's second Botanical Gardens, and is perfect for tranquil exploration. The hotel also offers exceptional dining options at their award winning restaurants. 

We spent one opulent day and night at the Valley Wing of the Shangri-La and this is what we thought: 

Pick-up

Before we'd even entered the Shangri-La, Singapore, we felt their luxury and superiority to other hotels, because they sent a Mercedes to pick us up. This car was equipped with internet and an iPad for our use.

Personalised check-in

Our driver rang ahead to inform the Shangri-La that we were on our way, so when we arrived at the Valley Wing's private lobby, we were met immediately, given an orchid(!) and taken straight up to our room. 

Check-in occurred in our room, which made it personal, efficient and private.

Our room

Our room was perfect. The Shangri-La had contacted us in advance to ask our preference in pillows (contour, foam, bolster or buckwheat). Hence the bed was the comfiest we could have imagined. We also had a chandelier and another orchid. 

Our bathroom was equipped with a gigantic shower (including a seat), a gigantic bathtub (with a tv at the end) and mood lighting! 

There was also a ginormous closet and safe. Our luggage was also there, I'm not sure how it got up there before us, but it was wonderful not to have to wait around for it.  

There were complimentary fruit and chocolates in our room, along with everything non-alcoholic in the mini-fridge (i.e. the juices, cokes, sprites, teas, coffees). 

The desk in our room was grand and we even had our own printer. 

Lunch at the Waterfall

We were lucky enough to get to try out the Shangri-La's Italian restaurant: The Waterfall.

This was by far the best meal we had in Asia, and actually one of the best meals we've ever had!

It started with an extensive choice of salads, cheeses and breads:

Next up was the Waterfall's 'Stufato di Pesce' a.k.a their Signature Seafood Stew. This is a tomato based stew with lobster, prawns, clams, mussels and fish. It was the best we've ever tasted. 

After that was the Tagliata di Manzo Rucola e Grana - i.e. premium beef cuts marinated with peppers, served with rocket and parmesan. It was the most tender, delicious beef I think we've ever had. We loved it!

If we weren't spoilt enough, next up was dessert:

There was a lot of choice, but we decided on some cute little cheesecakes, of course they were delicious too. 

We had lunch with the Director of Communications and the Assistant Communications Manager, who were completely lovely. 

After lunch they gave us a tour of the Shangri-La:

The Garden Wing

Our tour started with the Garden Wing, which was very lush and serene. 

The Garden Wing has a koi pond, complete with koi fish and three turtles!  

It truly was a tropical sanctuary. 

Each Garden Wing room comes with a private balcony and a marble clad bathroom. 

 The Tower Wing

Next on our tour was The Tower Wing, which, built in 1971, was the original section of the building. It has the most beautiful chandeliers, a grand sweeping staircase and massive columns of marble.

The Orchids

On our tour we noticed more and more orchids. Shangri-La celebrate orchids by dotting them all over the hotel. They have even bred unique orchids! 

The one we were presented on arrival is known as 'Dendrobium by Shangri-La'. It's a long-lasting speciality orchid whose mother plant is Dendrobium by Paolo Sunshine and whose father plant is Dendrobium Pink Spider - a Singaporean hybrid. The Dendrobium by Shangri-La Singapore was named in commemoration of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore's 35th anniversary. We were honoured to have been given something so special. 

The swimming pool

After our tour we tried out the swimming pool which has something that no other pool we've come across in Asia has: a deep end. Adjacent to it was a hot jacuzzi. We spent a good hour and a half here, it was wonderful. 

The Valley Wing 

We were staying in the Valley Wing and on our tour we learnt that this was the last to be built (in 1985). There were many privileges to be had by staying here; Valley Wing guests can enjoy:

• Complimentary breakfast in the summit wing
• Complimentary champagne, cocktails, wines, tea and coffee at the Champagne Bar
• Professional butlers who provide assistance to Valley Wing guests 

High tea 

High tea is served daily between 2pm and 5pm. We decided to be a bit unconventional and go for a herbal tea, which was served from the most beautiful tea pot.

It was accompanied by a darling plate of sandwiches and cakes. It was the perfect afternoon snack.

Champagne and canapés 

Served between 5pm and 7pm, the canapés were another delectable highlight. Each canapé was a little bite of heaven and the champagne that was served with them was divine. This was the highlight of our stay at the Shangri-La, it was a real delight to sit in the grand lobby, sip champagne and listen to the incredible harp player - she played a mixture of classics and current chart toppers, including what I am pretty sure was 'Timber'! 

Nearby attractions

Shangri-La Singapore is situated in close proximity to the infamous Orchard Road. However, it rained an awful lot when we were at the Shangri-La so we spent a whole 24 hours on site. We were secretly very pleased about this. 

Conclusion

All in all, this was the absolute highlight of our first month in South East Asia. Everything, from the food, to the service, to the rooms was incredible and we had an unforgettable experience. We highly recommend that you visit Shangri-La when you're in Singapore, it's absolutely perfect. 

This is where the legend of Shangri-La was born, and we hope to visit many more of their wonderful hotels in the future. 

For more information, make sure to visit Shangri-La's own website, in particular their page on the Valley Wing (where we stayed). Also check out their Facebook page, Instagram and Google+. 

For more information on our stay, check out our daily Vlog, number 28:

And follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with our world wide adventures! 

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Shangri-La, Singapore, but as always all opinions are our own. Staying at the Shangri-La is one of our favourite travel highlights and we hope you enjoy your stay there as much as we did.