Diamond Indulgence

I signed up for the Diamond Indulgence program almost a year ago, this is Diamond Hotel's paid membership program offering several benefits and having had a wonderful experience at Corniche and The Cake Club before, I decided to try and check out what Diamond Hotel has to offer. 

First off, the sales associate, when she was still trying to sell the program to me, specifically mentioned that she will be assisting me with reservations when I'm ready to use any of my vouchers. She also mentioned that vouchers can be combined.  Let me tell you, not true. The following week when I texted her to check on available dates for check-in she replied by giving me the hotel's trunk line. 

Net price: Php 6,500

Inclusions (as of Feb 2016): 

*No free night

• 3 Special Occasion Certificates - voucher entitles holder to a 50% discount on food bill valid for lunch buffet at Corniche when dining in a table of six to twelve persons 

• 2 Complimentary Second Round of Drinks at the Sky Lounge

• Complimentary Bottle of House Wine when dining with a minimum spend of P2000

• 50% Discount at Yurakuen

• Lunch or Dinner buffet at Corniche for 2

• (4) 500 peso cash certificate valid only for dinner at Corniche

• 2 Member for a Meal certificates

• Buy One Night, Get One Night Free (only on Deluxe rooms) certificate

• Buy Two Nights, Get Third Night Free (only on Deluxe rooms) certificate

• 50% off on Rack Rates certificate

• Three Days Trial Workout (must be consecutive)

• Massage at P900 pesos 

• Card also entitles the member to 50% discount when dining with one guest at the hotel restaurants and 20% discount at the Lobby Lounge and The Cake Club at Power Plant Mall. 

The main draw of the program for me was the fact that I was told that I can combine the certificates which would allow me to save on dining or room reservations because of the cash certificates but that is not the case.  I do not care much for the beverage benefits as I'm not much of a drinker.  In order to take full advantage of the benefits, you must be staying pretty close by to the property.  

I also tried to book a room more than a month in advance but I was told that the Deluxe rooms, the only category allowed for members to use, were all fully booked.  I can upgrade to a Premier room but I would have to shell out an additional 11,000 for two nights.  So, no.  The difference by the way is that the Premier rooms are newly renovated rooms.

I had to make do on the only weekend that would work for me and the hotel even if I had no reason to check in just so I can use the voucher before it expires.  I won't write a separate review. 

• Deluxe room is spacious but is very dated.

• Bathroom is luxurious and clean.  Water pressure is strong and the heating consistent. 

• Wifi is limited to three devices but is reliable and very fast. 

• Location is not great.  Robinson's Place Manila is about a 5-minute walk away but it is not a plesant walk.  There are convenience stores nearby and a Pancake House and Starbucks right by the hotel.

• I booked a non-smoking room but was given a smoking one when I was checking in at 1PM as there were no available non-smoking rooms yet.  I was informed that I can transfer later within the day if the smell was too strong.  When I called at around 7PM asking to be transferred, I was told three times that there were no available rooms.  When I told them that I wish to just check-out instead because I was getting a terrible headache, they called me back a few minutes later with my new room keys. 

• The hotel has a smart casual dress code which does not allow you to wear flip flops at any of their restaurants even during breakfast which was very inconvenient.  I would understand dinner but come on, breakfast? 

Overall, I would say that the membership package is not worth it.  If you're looking for a hotel membership, you'd get better value signing up for the AccorPlus membership.  This gives you one free night plus no dress code at the very posh Spiral. 

Conrad Manila

The opening of Conrad Manila makes the re-entry of the Hilton brand back in the Philippines. 

Location

The property is being managed by the SM Group and it has the prime location of being right next to SM Mall of Asia and the SMX Convention Center.  There is a bridgeway (yellow bridge below) that links the mall to SMX and MOA.  If you don’t feel like going to one of the biggest malls in the country, there’s S Maison.  

S Maison is a high-end mall located right in the Conrad property.  The decor and feel of the hotel reminds me of the upscale wing of ION in Singapore.  There are not a lot of stores open yet so for the time being, you can head to MOA for your shopping needs. 

Apart from the Conrad name, one of the biggest draws of the hotel would be its unique architecture. It looks like a ship out to sail.  I wasn't able to take a picture of the facade and just like the facade, the interiors are also beautiful.  

The structure below is the toilet by the lobby.  The inside looks really clean.

Check In / Out

The front desk is located on the 3rd floor and as soon as the elevator door opens you get greeted by a flood of natural lighting because of their floor to ceiling window panels. 

Their standard check-in time is at 3PM and they offered to give me a call as soon as the room is available, I didn’t receive a call back but seeing that it’s all new, the staff are all in training, I didn’t mind.  I had a few things that I needed to do in the mall anyway. 

Room 

I booked the Deluxe Bay View room and was immediately drawn to the windows. I spent a good amount of my time having coffee and staring out. 

I could get used to waking up to this everyday. 

One unique feature of the room is its ability to sense if someone is in the room. This means that you don't need a separate key card inserted into a slot by the door for things to work.  

They have a Nespresso with a lot of pods. 

There's also a pillow menu with detailed description of each pillow.

The In-Room dining menu is very thick.  Plenty of options to make sure you don't go hungry.

There were plenty of sockets and the light switches by the bed were also properly labeled.  Wifi is also strong and stable. 

The wardrobes are well lighted from within instead of just having one overhead light. 

The bathrobe at Conrad trumps all hotel bathrobes I've ever tried.  It feels really luxurious and soft (the bathrobes in New World comes a close second).

The bathroom has huge sliding mirror as its door and you get separate toilet and shower stalls. 

Sadly, there's no bidet and the water pressure of the rainshower is not strong so I ended up using just the handheld shower.  Also, due to the shower knob that they have, there's no way to adjust how hot you want your shower to be. There's just one heat setting so no long hot showers for me. 

Hotel Amenities

They have a couple of elevator banks but only one is operating at the moment which is located at the far end of the hotel while my room is on the other end. If I had a Fitbit, its numbers would have been over the roof from all the walking that I did. Make sure to request for a room near the lifts unless you don’t mind all the walking. 

The red dot below is where my room is and you don't even see where the working elevator banks are from the below evacuation plan.

The pool and the gym are both on the 4th floor and true to its theme, swimming there feels as if you're in a ship deck.  They also have a sauna and a steam room but there's no jacuzzi. 

The hotel also has a lot of restaurants but I didn't get to try any of them.  I did have my morning coffee at C Lounge and it's just a nice place to relax. 

The cup of coffee comes with a small biscotti stick and things that you might need for your drink.

Staff Courtesy

I have to commend their front desk staff, Genevie (I think, I’m not certain) as she was very helpful during the check-in process and gave me a birthday cake when she found out I was close to celebrating my birthday. 

Also to Ricky from the front desk and Bobby from the concierge who made an effort to engage and converse with guests and make them feel welcome. 

Conrad Manila

Seaside Blvd. Cor Coral Way

Mall of Asia Complex

Pasay City, Philippines

Solaire Resort and Casino

Location

Solaire Resort and Casino is located near Manila Bay and Mall of Asia.  It is a gaming and entertainment complex by itself so there are things to do to pass away the time.  Mall of Asia is also quite close by but unfortunately, the hotel no longer provides shuttle service to the mall.

Check In / Out

The lobby is located right in front of the casino so it feels busy but the Solaire staff was prompt and efficient.  There also appears to be a queue supervisor to ensure that the next guest waiting in line is attended to in a timely manner.

Room Size

I booked the cheapest available room I could find and I didn't do much research.  The hotel was my friend's choice as he doesn't want to be hassled by traffic going to The Theatre at Solaire to catch Les Misérables.

We were surprised with the size of the Bay Tower Deluxe Room.  A total of 43 sq meters of space for the basic room.

Room View

We especially loved that we have the garden view.  The garden is actually inaccessible but looking out to all that space creates the illusion having it all to ourselves.

Room Amenities

Standard room amenities such as a writing desk, upholstered bench by the foot of the bed, and a lounge chair are available.

I liked that the light switches are available on both sides of the bed and are properly labeled to avoid guess work.

There are no sockets by the bed so I had to use the socket for the dock.

You also need to request for an iron and ironing board if you need one.

Wifi is consistent and pretty good.  You also don't need any username and password to connect so it's hassle free.

The minibar only has drinks and there are no snacks.

Sleep Quality

The sheets are divine at 350-thread count, it was hard to stay away from the bed.  The foam pillows are one of a kind, they feel like Tempur pillows and were very comfortable.

Bathroom

The bathroom, much like the room, is big on space.  It is a little warm, unlike other hotel rooms, as it is not air-conditioned.  This turned out to be perfect because you don't get the shock of stepping into a cold marble floor late at night when you forget to put on your slippers.  The bathroom door also has two door hooks, a small thing but is really helpful so you don't end up placing your wet towels on backs of chairs.

I do have one small suggestion, it would be great if they have a vanity mirror as the bathroom mirror is a bit far from the sink.

Hotel Amenities

The hotel has a large inviting pool with cabanas.  The cabanas with your own small dipping pool are chargeable.

They have a decent sized gym with jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.  They also have a shower room where a mist envelopes you.  I don't know what it's called but it feels wonderful.

Staff Courtesy

Service was exceptional, everyone went out of their way to ensure that our stay was comfortable. When we asked for a bottle of water, we were provided with 6 small ones.

When we went to the pool, a lounge chair was set up for us and we were given two towels each, one to put on the chair and one for our own use.  Turn down service was also great, when we got back to the room, our stuff in the bathroom was neatly arranged and we were provided with a couple of sweets to make our dreams sweet. 

Solaire provides exceptional value for your money and is pulls out all the stops to make each guest feel special.  

Solaire Resort and Casino

Aseana Avenue, Paranaque

Manila