Il Dolce Far Niente at Mandarin Oriental Manila

the art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all cares and worries

sometimes the cure for restlessness is rest

There is no need to go anywhere else to find peace. 

You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, 

your garden or even your bathtub.

During these periods of relaxation, 

the intuitive mind seems to take over 

and can produce the sudden clarifying insights 

which give so much joy and delight.

The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Three - The Food

Whenever we are staying in a hotel, most of the time we are to lazy to get out of the room. If the room package comes with a complimentart buffet breakfast, that's the only time we are compelled to go down to the restaurant to eat. That is why the mini bar and in-room dining menu are very important to us.

I am very much aware that Paseo Uno and Tin Hau serve delectable dishes. I'm a bit disappointed  that there are not much choices available for in-room dining menu for lunch and dinner. Breakfast choices are great though.

I took pictures of some foods we ordered. I was so hungry the Bistek Tagalog and the Corn Soup did not make it :D

I requested my breakfast to be served 630am. And I'm delighted it arrived on time.

croissant, banana bread, muffin and peach tart

butter

Fruit preserves and honey

hashbrown, scrambled eggs and sausages

Hubby's breakfast - cornflakes, fresh milk and chilled orange juice

Complimentary dessert - Pastillas de Yema (How thoughtful!)

My breakfast also includes a generous serving of hot chocolate. BTW, I shared my hearty breakfast with hubby.

Sweet and Sour Pork (Yummy and didn't know it's good for 2)

Club Sandwich 

Trivia: My husband ALWAYS orders club sandwich!

Complimentary dessert - Biko

I love that it's not too sweet :)

I had this by the pool.

I wonder, can I order the food available in the poolside menu for in-room dining? :D

The next time we stay at Mandarin Oriental, we'll spend more time eating at the restaurants :D

Previous posts: The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part One - The Hotel
                          The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Two - The Pool

The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Two - The Pool

Amidst the skyscrapers, the busy people in office clothes walking briskly and the perennial traffic along Ayala Avenue is a sanctuary provided by Mandarin Oriental Manila where the ambience is relaxing.

It was so quiet and very conducive for destressing. I almost forgot we were right in the middle of Makati Business District.

The water in the kidney shaped pool is so refreshing. I was wearing my contact lens while swimming and the water does not hurt.

It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon and the wind was chilling. I only dipped for fifteen minutes. It was my husband who enjoyed swimming. I should have brought my iPad had I known the water's too cold.

I really don't know why my skin looked sunburned. I spent longer time eating the yummy bucket of fries than swimming.

If not for the tall buildings, I'll be convinced I'm at a resort somewhere.

I want a romantic dinner here -- but I want poolside restaurant food served :D


Up next: The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Three - The Food

Previous Post: The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part One - The Hotel

The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part One - The Room

Me and hubby have a very early Monday appointment in Makati and don't want to be caught in traffic. It was already Saturday morning when we finally decided to book a hotel to save ourselves from leaving as early as six in the morning on a Monday and still get caught in traffic.

I booked online at Mandarin Oriental Manila for a 3d2n stay.  Lucky for us to still be able to get a room. The reservation was fuss-free. My booking was confirmed in an instant.

Only upon arrival had I learned that they don't have basement parking. The valet service though is very efficient so no problem. The front desk was also very efficient. We were already in our room in ten minutes.

Fresh fruits on the coffee table

I like the huge mirror on the wall

My husband finds the bed a bit on the hard side. For me, it's very comfortable for my back. He only slept for a night while I slept for two nights so I guess the bed worked well in my favor.

 First thing I do as soon as the door of the room closes, invade the mini bar! We don't order drinks for in-room dining and rely a lot with what's available in the mini bar. That is why I need to check right away what is in there. I also have the tendency of getting hungry in the middle of the night and crave for a chocolate bar. 

 

Second on my checklist, the bathtub. Having a bathtub is a must. I love soaking and relaxing while listening to soft music. I realized later on that there is no music/radio available. SAD. Actually, the mini-bar and the bathtub are the only thing on my checklist that make my stay wonderful.

Television, ESPN or Starsports..

 

a cup of coffee to wake him up and an afternoon tea make him happy.

Afternoon tea and Dutch Mini Waffles from Carla

The Office Desk that has silently witnessed good news from the bank and from the broker. (I'm awaiting another good news in a week's time.)

Other details I love:

ruler, paper clips, staple wires and stapler

bathrobes, chair, bathroom scale

the toiletries

I love that there is a bottle of mouthwash

cotton balls, bath salt (nail file and loofah not in picture)

The iron and ironing board are also neatly kept in the closet. There is no need to request for them from housekeeping. 

Up next... 

The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Two - The Pool

The Mandarin Oriental Experience Part Three - The Food

Karate Kid

Karate Kid is a Japanese-American fastfood restaurant. I have passed by their Robinson's Metro East a couple of times but would always decide to eat somewhere else (read: Tokyo Tokyo). This afternoon, the families decided to meet up for dinner after grocery. We were supposed to eat at Tamagoya (postponed for the nth time) but because it's already very late and I'm afraid we won't make it, my sister suggested Karate Kid.

The prices of the food are way cheaper compared to other Japanese fastfood restaurants. A wide variety of food choices are available. They also offer "rice all you can" and bottomless punch tea.

6 pcs SashiMaki

Gyoza

Ebi Tempura

Beef Gyudon

Chicken Teriyaki

I was really very disappointed with the Chicken Teriyaki. The chicken meat was dry and looked like they got it from Mang Inasal then garnished with some sesame seeds. I find it very salty too. Now imagine a chicken inasal, how on earth am I gonna eat that with chopsticks?

Breakfast Delight

I'm such a regular at St Luke's Quezon City which makes me a regular of Cafe France for breakfast. I usually order the breakfast tray. I've been browsing the food menu last night and decided it's about time I try something different every visit.

Today I had..

Vegetarian Pizza

and Potato Salad.

Husband only wants breakfast food for breakfast. Aside from his usual order of croissant, strawberry jam and butter, bowl of fresh fruits, brewed coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice..

Frankfurters and Eggs

Lucky Dragon

I won P20 in a 6/42 lotto draw. As I was waiting for my turn to claim the prize, I noticed they sell scratch cards worth P20 each. I really don't have much luck on those stuff but decided to give it a try. I chose the Lucky Dragon scratch card because I believe I will be lucky considering I was born in the year of the Dragon.

And yeah, lucky me!

The P20 won P40...

And the P40 won P90...

And so on...

I Love Lacoste But...

Factory overrun. Class A.

Classic Lacoste polo shirts being sold here in the Philippines via multiply, ebay and even facebook.
The price could go as cheap as P350 and as expensive as P1,500.

I've also came across someone from eBay buying Lacoste paper bags for P100 each. What for? So that they can sell fake Lacoste and claim that it's original.

I really find it insulting because me and hubby invest on our clothes.

We love Lacoste because of Rene Lacoste. Because of tennis. We are even proud owners of the 2011 Roland Garros Collection.

Aside from the fake Lacoste clothes, fake Lacoste shoes and bags are also widely sold here.  The reason why I am not so eager to buy a pair of Lacoste shoes and why it took me years to finally purchase my first Lacoste bag. 

I remember back in College, fake Lacoste bags were very popular in the Philippines. In the recent years, Filipinos are eager to own fake Louis Vuitton bags and last year fake Longchamps Le Pliage bag was a big hit.

So I finally decided to buy my first ever Lacoste bag. I wanted the Shopper's Bag but ended purchasing the Bowler's bag.

Two weeks ago, I noticed that something is wrong with the handle. The edge is starting to chip off.

And continues to chip off...

By the way, I found out that this bag was made in China.

Quality issues??

I sent a letter to Lacoste France this afternoon. I'm glad they responded right away.