Anniversary Staycation at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Our family loves staycation so I have a list of hotels and resorts that we wanted to try and Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila is one of them. I’ve been meaning to stay in this hotel but every time I booked, the only available room is Club Room or Sofitel Suite. Waah! Pangmayaman naman!

As early as January, I was looking for a hotel or resort where we could celebrate our wedding anniversary. I saw the Magnifique Getaway Promo on their Facebook Page so I immediately inquired about their rates. Unfortunately, the cheapest room is no longer available so I settled for the next available room which is Luxury Room.

I’ve booked everything within 24 hours, ganun kabilis sila sumagot sa inquiry even through emails. There is nothing special with the promo because the only inclusion is the Breakfast Buffet for 2 adults and 2 children (11 years old – below) at Spiral Restaurant for Superior and Luxury Rooms. But I’m okay with it, at least my son is included in the complimentary buffet breakfast.

Fast forward to our staycation, when we checked in, the room was not available yet so we were advised that they would just call us, once it was ready. It was 10:45AM so we understand that the standard check-in time is 2PM. I paid my reservation in full + I gave P3000 for an incidental deposit. We left our luggage at the concierge, so we didn’t have to bring it anymore.

I asked for a flyer so I would have an idea of the activities for adults and kids but they don’t have any. We just went straight to the Kids Villa so we could check the different activities for the kids. They have Free activities and Paid activities. The Kids Villa is open from 9AM to 9PM

Free Activities: coloring, photo frame, bambike, badminton, kite flying, soccer
Paid Activities: cookie making, color buddy, coin bank painting, nail art, necklace

Kids Villa Rate 

1st hour – free for in-house guests (1 child) and P100 for walk-in guest
Succeeding hour P100 for in-house guests and P150 for walk-in guest
Guardian fee per hour P50 for in-house guests and P100 for walk-in guest

My son tried the coloring activity and color buddy for P200. While he was inside the tent, my husband and I stayed at the playground. We were waiting for the call but we did not receive so we decided to take our lunch first.

When we came back, we just waited in the lobby. We’ve been waiting for so long but patience is a virtue. When I saw the other guests going to their room, I told my husband to ask the receptionist if our room was ready since we had not received any call.  Twenty minutes before 2PM, my husband went back to the reception, only to find out that our room was already ready at 11AM. We were informed that they called us, but no one answered. Waah!

I was just holding my phone and I did not receive any calls and I did not see any missed calls. I don’t know if there is a glitch or what but I would appreciate if they would send a text message if they were not able to reach me so that at least I know that the room is ready. Almost 3 hours din kami naghintay, ready na pala yung room. Next time, I will leave two phone numbers.

Anyway, they gave us the keycard and we went to the concierge but we were advised that they would just deliver our stuff, they just asked for our room number. And off we went to our room. I’ve read some reviews and blogs about Sofitel and I was not impressed with the rooms so I was surprised when we entered the room. The room is beautiful. Watch the video here

Luxury Room 

It measures 42 square meters so we have enough space. We have private balconies with bay and city views. There is a work desk, couch, TV, Mini-Bar, Coffee/Tea making facilities, In-room safe, and free wi-fi.

I like the bed, pillows, duvet, and sheets and to be honest, this is the most comfortable bed that I’ve experienced. Parang ayaw ko na nga umalis, gusto ko na lang matulog. So this is their Sofitel’s signature Mybed TM. I asked my husband, if ganito rin ba yung bed sa Hotel Mulia but he said, medyo pareho pero mas malambot pa rin daw sa Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta Indonesia.

Bathroom 

The bathroom is clean, it has a rain shower and bathtub. Yey! +1 for the bathtub. They provided basic toiletries like dental kit, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, soap, and lotion. Look at the brand of their toiletries, “Les Notes De Lanvin”. Ang sosyal di ba, from Paris, France pa. Ang bango talaga so I took it home.

I love the bath towels, face towels, and bathrobe, it is white, clean, soft, and smells fresh. Mukhang bago and I was thinking my thread count din kaya sa mga ganito. Hehehe! This is the reason why I was so disappointed with Pico Sands Hotel’s towel, kasi ang mahal ng room rate pero ang luma ng towels.

Swimming Pool

When our luggage was delivered, my son immediately changed his clothes so he could swim. My son was so excited because he saw the wet play area of Sofitel Manila. This is one thing that he missed at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, meron din pala sa Sofitel. So if you have kids in tow, add this to your hotel options.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza is indeed a hotel and resort. You won’t feel that you are in the city because of the ambiance. The pool looks like a resort, they have a lot of trees, and you have Manila Bay view.

Once you enter the pool, you are going to sign a form, and they will give you a wrist tag and towels. There are life vests available for kids and adults that you can borrow. Lifeguards are everywhere. They are very strict when it comes to food and drinks, they really check your bag. They have a water dispenser in the pool area just in case you are thirsty. A restaurant is also available, that is the reason why you are not allowed to bring food and drinks.

It was a long weekend so the pool was crowded but my son did not mind, he spent his time in the wet play area. Swim and slide, repeat for the nth. I saw that there are Aqua Zumba and free movie nights at the pool. I hope there is a flyer or note about the different activities that we can join kasi sayang talaga. If we did not go to the pool, hindi naman malalaman na may ganung activity. Konti lang tuloy nagjojoin.

Moving on, we learned that it was the first day of the 9th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition so we decided to eat our dinner at the pool so we could have a glimpse of it. There was a buffet dinner at the bay too and we were able to watch their show for free. Hehehe!

Nainip na ko kakahintay sa fireworks so I went back to our room, I was surprised when I saw the flower and personal card on top of the bed. It was our wedding anniversary and thanks Sofitel for the surprise.

Just in time, I heard the fireworks so I rushed to the balcony to take pictures and videos. It was my first time watching the pyro-musical competition and I’m lucky that we could watch it in our room. In addition, I did not pay an entrance fee. Watch the video here.

Spiral Restaurant

The following day, the diet is off because we’re going to have a buffet breakfast at Spiral Restaurant. I already blogged about this, so read my Spiral buffet experience here. After our hearty breakfast, we went back to the pool to kill time before check-out.

We had a wonderful time at Sofitel Manila. We like the room, amenities, and facilities. We enjoyed the food at Spiral too. Service is good and staff are always smiling and willing to help if we need anything. My son was delighted in their wet play area. It was our wedding anniversary and we received a card and flowers. The rate is not cheap but it is worth the splurge.

Read: Birthday Staycationa at Sofitel Club Millesime Manila

Daily Shuttle Service
Sofitel to SM Mall of Asia Drop off: 10:30AM, 11:30AM, 2PM and 4:30PM SM Mall of Asia to Sofitel Pick-up: 12PM, 2:30PM, 5PM

Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila 
CCP Complex Roxas Blvd Brgy. 76,
Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila