“Good evening, ma’m.”, the guard eloquently greeted as he held the door open.
Breathless and flushed and famished and nursing a ballet show hangover, fellow travel blogger Darwin of Tracking Treasure and I stumbled (not literally, though it felt like so after striding/pirouetting all the way from Makati’s Little Tokyo) into Red Planet’s ground floor lobby. I woozily scanned the gleaming floor tiles and the silhouette railing with glass infills fencing the steps that led to the reception. I looked up at the plain-spoken red walls — now that one’s literal.
Twas quite a splendid impression, especially knowing I was to bunk in a value hotel.
My roomie for the two-night staycation, Julius of Lakwatserong Tsinelas, met us downstairs. He and the others had already checked in earlier and were planning to assemble by the entrance for a nightcap. Before joining them, Darwin and I had to dump our luggage in our respective rooms.
The lifts require key card access, and that Julius gave. Quite flashy I reckon, again, for a value hotel. And prolly quite annoying for guests planning to sneak in their whole clan/baranggay.
Our twin room’s (priced at about US$39 without breakfast) floor space may seem a little tight with heaps of luggage. Since I only brought an overnight tote, it was no biggie. There’s a flat-screen cable telly on the wall, a fold out desk, a safe box, free high speed WiFi (up to three devices) and a tiny bedside table. No phone in room but I believe there’s one in the hallway.
The bathroom didn’t feel as cramped. Our shower worked great. And there’s a hair dryer!
After that quick survey of our room, I headed back downstairs to see everyone else I missed during my half-a-year-gone-backpacking absence. The 189-room Red Planet Amorsolo is centrally located in the Makati commercial and business district. There’s a 7-11 and a burger restaurant on the ground floor of the building, convenient for guests who don’t feel like venturing out for munchies.
Urban Avenue, where Red Planet Amorsolo is located, is safe at night. The neighborhood is surrounded by BPOs, so the streets are graced by call center agents searching for a karaoke fix. This means there are a bunch of 24-hour food/karaoke joints nearby. And our group that night parked our arses in a karaoke-slash-resto with the intention of sisig, without the intention of singing. But we did end up singing. Surprise, surprise.
With a body clock of UTC-08:00, I lasted ’til around 5:00 AM. Back at the hotel I dropped like an axed log on me bed. The doona’s so heavenly, I wanted to bury myself in it for days. Red Planet was the respite I needed after flying five times, through different time zones the week prior. Also, it was the ideal venue to reconnect with me sole mates/travel blogger friends.
Red Planet has indeed REDefined the value hotel experience. For the price of P1,800 (no hidden costs in the published room rates), which is almost the same price of a private double room with shared bath in a Makati hostel, what the hotel offers is luxury. The overall feel of the common areas, plus the staff’s top service is rather upmarket.
“It’s all about value,” Tim Hansing, Chief Executive Officer of Red Planet said. And they proved this right during our short stay.
Red Planet Amorsolo
99 Urban Avenue, Brgy. Pio Del Pilar
Makati City, Philippines
Tel No. +63 2519-0888
www.redplanethotels.com
