I'm in love with the
Sofitel Philippine Plaza. Yes, I'll admit it. I am. But I have to say, it wasn't always so. Once upon a time, I hated every hotel in Manila. Truth be told, up until recently, when it came to recommending luxury accomodations in our ever loyal and noble city, I was at a total loss. All hotels near the heritage districts were either too boring, too gross, or too anonymous. There was no hotel that offered a luxury experience distinct to the City of Manila. The Manila Hotel had gone to hell, the Manila Hilton and Sheraton both left the country, the aesthetics of the Hyatt went totally 21st century anywhere-in-Asia, and all the hotels in Makati, were, well - in Makati, and not downtown. It seemed like Manila lost all it's thunder when it came to looking for any luxurious "Filipino" accomodations - until the Sofitel.
Originally built for the Westin group, The Philippine Plaza (top photo, upper left) was one of seven scandalously sumptuous hotels that Imelda Marcos commissioned for Asia's first IMF World Bank Meeting, hosted by Manila back in 1977. Built at a cost of U$20 million dollars, it was designed by Leandro Locsin, National Artist and architect of our national theater, the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. And aside from being the regions first Westin Resort, The Philippine Plaza boasted of having Manila's largest hotel rooms (above), the country's most elaborate swimming pool, an indoor garden with fountain, and modernist public art done by another National Artist, the painter and sculptor, Arturo Luz - all set amidst 12 acres of landscaped greens fronting the Manila Bay.
The hotel was a casual mix of Philippine hospitality and cutting edge design, truly Manila's most chic hotel/resort (original lobby above). No wonder it became Imelda Marcos' favorite hotel. Apparently, the former first lady preferred their Imperial Suite over the Manila Hotel's MacArthur Suite. Unfortunately though, by 1996, in a ham-fisted effort to standardize their hotel image, The Westin Hotel management ripped out all the hardwood from the lobby, chopped down all the indoor Dapdap trees, removed the lobby fountains, capiz chandeliers, dumped the Arturo Luz sculptures in an empty lot, and replaced it all with a jarringly inappropriate faux Italian piazza, complete with fiberglass streetlamps and a cheezy central fountain. The Philippine Plaza had denied it's modernist lineage, tried to go classical, and lost it's edge.
And there The Philippine Plaza stood - right by the Manila Bay in all it's drab neo-Italianate blandness until 2005, when the Sofitel group took over operations. And now, thanks to a multi-million peso refurbishment and a touch of French flair, The Sofitel Philippine Plaza has dropped its' schizophrenic design scheme and returned to it's rightful place as the city's most stylish hotel (refurbished lobby restaurant Spiral, above).
And why do I like this place so much? Well, first of all. Their rooms are huge. Their corner suite, where I stayed for a weekend last month (note: on my own bill - so this is NOT a biased article) is bigger than most apartments in Manila at 100 square meters. And with a view like this outside your window (below), the room seems even bigger.
Secondly, the Sofitel believes in the necessity of minding the details. Things like having all items in the gift shop arranged by color, having a library full of art and fashion books/magazines in the lobby, and having different iPod music selections for your massage (Lounge, Nat King Cole, Nature, among others) show you that this is a hotel that tries to think out of the box .
But most of all, I really like the Sofitel because they respected the architectural heritage of the building. Done by my favorite Filipino architect, Leandro V. Locsin, the building is one among many historically relevant sites within Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex. It is the perfect jumping point for checking out other Locsin masterpieces like the Philippine International Convention Center (above), The Cultural Center of the Philippines (below), and Folk Arts Theatre.
And being the art freak that I am, The Philippine Plaza is also perfect for any culture vultures out there looking to make a kill. One is only walking distance from the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, The GSIS Museum, the Coconut Palace, and a few minutes drive to Intramuros, the National Museum, Quiapo, or art galleries like Galeria Duemila or Albert Avellana Arts in Pasay City. The Philippine Plaza is so embedded in Manila's art and cultural identity, it's like staying in a Spanish Parador, except that it isn't the Alhambra outside your window, but a compound of brutalist structures dedicated to a disco era Sun God named Ferdinand Marcos.
And due to the historic nature of the building, the Sofitel's refurbishment had to be both sensitive and sensible. So in keeping with the casual Philippine chic theme, the rooms are devoid of any neo Italianate/Renaissance/Baroque detailing and are quasi-minimalist. The furniture is lined in coconut shell inlay, the beds are flanked by capiz lamps (above), and their legendary swimming pool is lined in real Piedra China (raw granite) (below).
And since I truly believe in this hotel, I am pleased to say that I have collaborated with them to create a luxury package worthy of the area and it's history. So if you are so inclined, come experience Manila my way.
SO COOL...SO CARLOS...SO SUITE LUXURY...Experience Manila's history in ultimate style with The Cool Carlos Cultural Weekend Package, A So Suite Luxury Promotion. For just half a million pesos (Php500,000), you and five of your friends can stay at the Philippine Plaza's Imperial Suite with it's three bedrooms, atrium, music room (above), and library-den (below). Of course, all three bedrooms come complete with balconies and spectacular views of the Manila Bay.
Aside from the accomodations, you and your friends shall also enjoy the following fabulousness:
Chauffeured BMW service from check-in to check-out.An exclusive Imelda Tour or Intramuros Tour with yours truly*
Private helicopter ride to historic Corregidor Island, Taal Volcano or Mount Pinatubo.
Gourmet Picnic on the tours.
Sunset Cruise Champagne cocktails out on Manila Bay with a butler and DJ.
Aromatheraphy and Revitalizer massage at Le Spa.
Breakfast on the Spiral Deck.
Late check-out at 4pm.*Depending on Availability
But of course, if you have a slightly smaller budget or don't know five people that you can call a friend, you can call the Sofitel and ask Ms. Christine Ibarreta-Urbanozo to tailor make A Cool Carlos Cultural Weekend Package just for you. May I recommend a corner suite with confirmed reservations for a Saturday afternoon Imelda tour capped by sunset cocktails? Make sure to catch their nightly traditional dance troupe perform poolside before getting even more tanked over at their 7 Pecados nightclub. And if you are still up to it the next day, catch a Sunday Intramuros Tour or have a Filipino Hilot Massage at the 24-hour Le Spa to complete this magnificent Manila moment.
Take my word for it. It's the only way to experience the city of Man.
So Cool. So Chic. So Sofitel.
So Call Christine now at:
(+63)2/5515555 - (+63)2/5515610
or email: dos@sofitelmanila.com
Sofitel Manila
CCP Complex Roxas Boulevard Pasay City 1300
Thank you
equinox1,
revcruz, and
jagfromspain for the pictures.
Oh. And this offer only lasts until the end of December 2008. Au Revoir et Mabuhay, folks!
Just in case you weren't paying attention, allow me to introduce you all to the new streetlamps of Roxas Boulevard (above and below).
Yes. I know. You don't need to say it. They are hideous. I have no idea what's going on with the flame action above and I really wonder how much energy the one below consumes considering that it has over twelve bulbs. Sigh.. I really thought times had changed over at City Hall now that Mayor Atienza has left office. Thanks to the bad taste of the City Engineers Office during his term, Manila had really taken a tacky turn. Badly proportioned fountains, cheap pavement, and miles and miles of ugly streetlamps were a hallmark of the Atienza administration. I really thought that perhaps good taste might still have a fighting chance over at the purchasing department of the Manila City Engineers Office now that Mayor Lim is in power. I mean, really - Atienza's former gullwing streetlamps (below) - albeit tacky - looked way better than these new ones.
And just when I was about to curse Mayor Lim to all hell, it turns out that it is still the tacky arm of the Atienza-era City Engineers Office reaching out from the grave. According to Mayor Lim's Office, those are not new lamps. Those are surplus lamps left over from the former administration. Apparently, a few years ago, the former administration went on a buying spree and still had all these lamps (all of them ugly) sitting in storage. So instead of wasting them and throwing them away, Mayor Lim decided to install them to add light to a now restaurant-free Baywalk.
But what really struck me about Roxas Boulevard, was that as I was taking these pictures, I was walking by a unusually clean Manila Bay. Believe it or not, these trash/flotsam/jetsom-free beach photos of kids playing in the sea were taken right beside the US Embassy. Wild! Is Manila Bay getting cleaner? Have pigs finally learned to fly? Or is this just a fluke? If so, how did that happen?
I'd really like to know..
