Hubs surprised me with a weekend getaway at Acacia Hotel to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. I was really surprised because it's not in his nature to make any kind of gesture (grand, sweet, romantic, or otherwise). Nevertheless, I was very pleased. I double checked if he had some kind of virus or high fever that made him do what he did, by the way. None. Again, I was very pleased.
This five-star luxury hotel has been in operation for a little short of a year now. The first time I heard about Acacia Hotel, the name puzzled me. Why Acacia? Dont get me wrong. I like the name and love the tree. The humungous one we have is still very much alive and standing on my grandmother's backyard.
Very, or should I say, extremely seldom will you hear a five-star hotel in our country named after something that is explicitly our own. The Acacia Confusa, atleast.
I got an answer when I checked their website - "Acacia
Hotel Manila is proudly 100% Filipino." What does that mean? Their staff are 100% Filipino. Mix-free. No 60% blah blah, 40% blah blah. Everybody happy?
The elegant 262-room property is owned by Corporate Holdings Management, Inc. (CHMI), managed by Acacia Grove Hotels, and co-managed by Enderun Colleges.
Upon entering, you'll be greeted by a towering arrangement of Heliconia and Split Leaf Philodendrons.
The Lobby - where Pan-Asian ala carte dishes, cakes, and beverages are served from 6am until 12 midnight.
I forgot to ask what this magnificent stainless steel wall art signifies. My best guess is an Acacia flower. Either that or a cross-wise slice of an Acacia tree trunk.
The golden hue backlit front desk is a sight to behold especially at night.
I like the Chelsea armchairs upholstered in black and white exotic floral pattern a lot! Well, that's a mouthful.
Al Fresco
When we saw the Samanea, my immediate thought was, "I need to save up for our 15th year anniversary." The place is perfect for an intimate gathering. Not too big. Just right. I got it all planned here *points to head* already. Ha!
Hubs and I did a few laps in the pool when night fell. The water was a bit cold, so........
.........we headed over to the Jacuzzi! The scenery's not much in the morning since it's all buildings, roofs, and some trees. It's a totally different experience during the night. Stunning view of the city lights! So romantic! Hubs and I ordered drinks and talked about the latest news on Twitter. Did I mention that we're on our 13th year of marriage already? Yeah.
Gym
We got the Junior Suite which is located at the corner of the building. An FO agent named Andrea (I hope I got that one right), showed us to our room. It's part of giving out a great service and a subtle touch of an I-showed-you-everything-so-don't-ask-about-how-it-works type of service. I know. I used to be in one.
It's an excellent way of providing good customer service by the way. It's been awhile since I've encountered one. The only hospital in the country who does this type of customer service is AHMC (stones throw away from Acacia Hotel), by the way. Still a bit related to the topic so hold your judgement, please. ☺
The rationale? The guest can't say that he/she was not told about the location of the safe, where the bathroom is, or how to flip the light switch. Those kind of things. Plus, it saves the FO and TO agents time in answering calls regarding such trivial matters when they should be attending to more important things. It's a win-win, really.
We got complimentary fruits, coffee, tea, and bottled waters. The housekeeper leaves a bar of pudding right after the make-up room service was done. Nice touch there. Well appreciated by my belly!
The Junior Suite comes with a 40" LCD television with cable, Wi-Fi (pretty fast), electronic safe (you can use your credit card or atm card to lock it - don't try and experiment with your advantage card, ok?), water heater for coffee and tea, executive desk with all the stationaries and pens that we all love to take home, iron and ironing board, mini bar, and all the necessities you can think of. Oh, they have a pretty cool flashlight too. I was so close to taking it home.
Mattress, pillows, and sheets are important to me. Really important. Let me start by expressing my love for Acacia Hotel's bed mattress. I love you, matty! It's sort of like a sprung memory foam mattress. You won't feel any movement from the one beside you even if he/she's doing jumping jacks. You'll sleep like a baby! Guaranteed!
I love to be surrounded by pillows! I have five (excluding my husband's) at home. I like that they didn't scrimp on the goose down pillows. They gave us six. I gave hubs two but pulled one slowly when he was fast asleep.
Happiness is getting a high sheet thread count! So soft, fluffy, smells really good, and its blinding white! Score!
How cute are these bath salt bottles with scoopers?
In all honesty, the ambiance, amenities, and food are all good, but, its Acacia Hotel's excellent service that I will remember most and as a customer, that's very important.
Like I mentioned from my other post, their service is worthy of a praise. They will treat you like a queen and a king! The last time we got treated that way was when we went on a Caribbean Cruise. Very gratuities-worthy. Thank you!
Every staff we met has been really courteous. The hotel staff touches their chest with one hand whenever they greet someone. It's either a gesture that says "I'm of service to you" or "I love you." I'll take both, thanks! I really wouldn't be surprised if their bomb sniffing dog would greet me that way. Freaky but awesome.
Acacia Hotel is very therapeutic. If you're feeling a bit down, head over to Acacia Hotel (even for just an hour) and you'll feel a little better. The people will make you feel like you really matter. Who doesn't need that, right?
Oh, and thanks J2! Vous sera toujours mon grand amour.
Quality: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781
Tel nos.: 720.2000, 588.5888
Facebook: Acacia Hotel Manila
Twitter: @AcaciaHotels
Twitter: @themommist
Facebook: The Mommist
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