Luxurious yet affordable Stay at MERANTI Hotel (Staycation for our 16th year B day)

So we're able to grab the best deal in Travelbook.PH for Meranti hotel. I have booked around January but we stayed for June 5-7, 2018. We stayed for 2 nights for only 4,890 pesos, when the regular price for 1 night would cost 3500++ exclusive of tax. When their published rate was 7500 for a night. What a deal right? And take note that I also received a commission for using my FriendCode in Travelbook. This already includes buffet breakfast for the 4 of us for 2 days (children below 12years old is free of the buffet breakfast), Super Sulit!

We didn't experience any hassle upon checking in, they just ask for my name and printed the form and that's it. Our booking was confirmed. Not like our previous booking with Travelbook for SMDC in Tagaytay, (check out my blog for that soon). One downside is that no one assisted us to our room.
After checking in, we've paid for the incidental fee of 2000 which is refundable upon check out if you haven't consumed anything while your staying at the hotel, they gave us our room key and we are already asked to go to our room, and yes, they don't have any bell boys or girls who will assist you to your room. Though they have baggage carts visible in the area maybe that is only for guests who have a lot of things brought to the hotel.

Upon checking into our room, all that we have loved about this hotel has started (but actually from their lobby, it was love at first sight already). When the elevator doors open that's it! Your attraction starts to go deeper as you will be welcome by the refreshing scent from their humidifiers/diffusers? not actually sure but it smells really, really good.  Once you opened the doors room you will feel really calm and relax from the lights, till you see there beds, until you seat and lie down to their comfy beds, the big windows, the super clean floors, and everything's neatly arranged, the NO dirty smell rooms, the relaxing ambiance, to their personalized and adorable toiletries and everything in between. It was love at first sight😍😍😍.

I've got really carried away, apologies for that. It was because when I remember our first stay at Meranti it was wonderful. (We actually forgot that no one assisted us to our rooms! Hahahaha🤣🤣🤣)

Anyways, before I get too carried away I am sharing our photos below so you could absorb all the excitement I have while telling the story.

The bed that prevents my kids and my husband to go home. They just wanted to lie down and hug the pillows and feel the comfort that bed/s provide.

Super duper comfy beds.

Bed photos the other side around, cause we can't get enough of it.

They also have a desk if in case you will need to work from the hotel just like me when we check in. And take note that their wifi access is incredibly fast. Btw, this desk is larger than it looks here, I have to crop it up as the welcome drinks is a different story.

work desk @ Meranti hotel

This is also an extension of the work desk. Now showing the complimentary H2O, coffee and tea.

complimentary H2O, coffee and tea at Meranti Hotel

Now showing the sink and the toilet and bath facilities. 

Sink beside the T&B

Oh, how I love this vanity mirror!

See how colorful and inviting these toiletries and vanity kits are. 

And this personalized toiletries are a plus, plus, plus.

The cleanest toilet and bath we've ever been so far since we started our Staycation journey.

T&B. Hot & cold shower. Rain shower. 

A mini fridge with readily available soda's, beers, and juices for you to consume in case you feel lazy calling the front desk or cafe or buy your drinks outside. Oh but please take note that it's not for free and will be deducted in your incidental fee of 2000, so don't be surprise guys.

Those were the amenities and facilities in the room assigned to us for our 2days Staycation.

For the add-ons, you will be served a welcome drink on your arrival, some will be served on the lobby while waiting. But for us, since we don't need to wait for our check-in, they just had it sent to our room. By the way, we were provided 4 glasses of their welcome drinks even though the room is only for 2. But it makes me wonder, maybe because we were checked in for 2 days then they just have the welcome drinks for our next day served on our first day (cause when we checked in just this week we were only given 2 glasses.

Refreshing SAGO drinks upon check-in. 

Things to do:

MASSAGE. Since this day was for our 16th-year celebration of being partners this is all for us two to enjoy and have a relaxing stay at the hotel. Good thing Meranti offers massage service to be done in your room, so no hassle going out somewhere or other place or room to have a relaxing massage. And since we wanted to have a superior relaxation, then we've had it for 2 consecutive nights.

Massage101/Selfie101

Ventosa Massage

CHILL. Unwinding and de-stressing 101.

Chill while sipping a light beer right from the mini fridge.

SWIM. Meranti has a simple but very nice swimming pool and because of its simplicity, it makes it more beautiful compared to other hotels nearby. Oh and how we love the glass panel of this pool.

our Kuya Erky enjoying the see-through pool

baby shark and Kuya shark mode at Meranti Hotel.

our very own shokoy

#TeamRYCE enjoying the outdoors at Meranti hotel

BUFFET BREAKFAST. And who wouldn't love a buffet breakfast? Inclusive in the hotels overnight package is their buffet breakfast. From fried rice to omelet, to dangit, tocino, and longganisa. Overflowing coffee and fruit juices. To cereals for the kids to freshly baked slices of bread. To fresh fruits and of course our well-loved fresh vegetable salad /slashed/ create your own salad with two types of sauces for you to love. And I swear I will keep on coming back for breakfast for their fresh S-A-L-A-D. Promise, soon I will have a separate post for Meranti hotels buffet breakfast.

1st morning at Meranti, 1st Buffet breakfast.

Cheese over omelet.

probably my 3rd cup? because I am so sleepy from the previous night shift on work

our Kuya Erky's plate. So picky!

Put your own, add your own, create your own salad. #LoveSalad #MerantiSalad

2nd-day buffet breakfast #TeamRYCE

To wrap it up, we've had the best staycation so far. 2 days is too short for this kind of relaxation. 

To check out more of Meranti Hotel. 

Visit their Facebook page at this link: Meranti Hotel FB page

Website: Meranti Hotel website

To book: Meranti Hotel Booking

You may also book at Meranti Hotel at Travelbook and use my Friendcode: 3928

Hotel Location:

82 Scout Castor, Diliman, Quezon City, 1100 Metro Manila

This hotel is superb! We will definitely come back for more. 

Soon I will have more blogs for Meranti hotel as we've just celebrated my husband's 35th Birthday here last October 19, 2018. You see, we keep on coming back for more.

Enjoy Reading. Travel more. For questions, clarifications and suggestions just comment below. 

Thank you for dropping by.

Photo Vlog: Bing's Beach Resort Bolinao Pangasinan

Photo Vlog: MC Hotel Novaliches Quezon City

TACAY Lodge Drive Inn Hotel (Baguio City)

So it was the 2nd day of our Baguio Road Trip 2015.

The previous day was a bit tiring from finding PKNY to the steep parking area of Hill Station at Casa Vallejo, from driving here and forth at Leonard to Luna Road.

From having a super full brunch at 50's Diner to being blessed at Baguio Cathedral. Dropping by at SM Baguio to waiting for my husband's best friend at Tacay Road and then finally a couple of hours waiting for my husband to finish their "Inuman session" at Erky's Ninong Edwin's house.

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Since we are already at Tacay Road and the place where we are is already in front of Tacay Lodge, we decided to stay there and take a rest for the night before going to Manaoag church and finally going home to Manila.



Honestly, at first, we thought that the place was really for couples who would want to just have a one night you know?!? hihi☺

Why? Because as we inquire on the receptionist, they mentioned that the price of their room is 1000/night, same check in and check out time as other hotels, but since it's already past 12am of March 15 and we're also planning to leave by 9am we asked for a discount, guess what they have told us?

"Ma'am, Sir mag short time nalang po kayo."


Huwatt?!? as in short time!


Well, my husband just says "I am with my wife and son."


We've had 2nd thoughts on staying at Tacay Lodge at first, but then after my husband's reunion with his best friend since he is already "almost" drunk should I say, we decided to stay at this Lodge for safety purposes and for the excitement of lying in bed to rest.


Once you enter the vicinity, you would be asked, what's the enclosed gate'S with Letter and Numbers all about?


Guess what my husband thought at that time?

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Since its name implies DRIVE INN, the couples who'd want to have a "short time" as the staffs would say, couples will just get their cars inside and that's it!

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Hahahaha! Silly husband!


They've got us a room in the basement. I thought for the meantime that they'll give us their smallest room since we haggle for a discount.


But this lodge surprised us! I think a thousand peso will be worth your stay here, especially if you have your own precious cars.


1st the enclosed gates we thought of something else is way more different than we thought. Gladly, the enclosed gate will be for each guest's cars.


Surprise! Surprise!

Absolutely! This spacious parking lot is all yours while you stay here.

It's like your renting your own space!

Own parking lot at B2

The Bathroom

The stairs connecting to our room from the parking

So we've had an up and down room/lodge, 2nd floor is the parking lot, the 1st floor is our room.

Nothing special with the room itself, it's just a simple but clean room. It has drawers, well a comfortable bed, a table, cable TV, but sorry they don't have WiFi access, I believe the signal is really bad at their area cause even our cellphones can't find a good signal, given also that we are at the basement.

The bedroom

Tacay Lodging House Bath Towel; after use. 

Would like to note, that compared to our previous post (Prince Plaza Hotel), this simple lodge has a complete complimentary soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, a plus points for that.

But wait there's more! They gave us a discount to have our room until 9am for 660pesos only. Since my son is super tired and sleepy at 9am, we decided to extend so my husband could also extend his rest before taking a drive back to Quezon City. And we are happy because an hour extension would only cost us an additional 50pesos per hour.


Budget friendly lodge in Baguio for someone as picky as me.


Rating:

Price & Value of Money - 4.5 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness - 3 out of 5 stars, because the bed sheets when we arrived have footmarks on it! OMG, it seems a "kapre" has put his foot on it.
Service - 2 out of 5 stars, maybe not all, but the receptionist is kinda "masungit". She showed us a room upstairs but after a couple of minutes when we decided already to get the room, she says someone has already taken the room, so she'll just give us the room at the basement. Makes me lose my temper! 
Ambiance - 4 out of 5 stars, cause I love waking up in the morning with the view of the trees and mountains and the sun rising. (which I wasn't able to take a picture, due to the overwhelming happiness of peace ☺.)

the view outside the hotel

If we would try checking in again? YES! We will! Definitely. Especially if we'll drive our own car to Baguio. 

Location: Lt. Tacay Road Baguio City

Prince Plaza Hotel (Baguio City)

It was a Friday the 13th when we decided to go on a road trip with my husband's new MC. It was quite a very longggggggggggggggggggggg trip from Quezon City to BAGUIO City! Given, our son Erky (6 yrs old) is with us for that very long trip.

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We arrived at Baguio City proper at around past 12 in the morning. The breeze with fog was freezing cold already, though my husband's sister is living in San Carlos Baguio and we can stay there as long as we want, we decided to not go any further from the City proper since it is already dark, it is off course very cold + very foggy, our son is with us, my husband's sight is not good in the dark, and the fact that we are all exhausted already from the very long trip since 2 in the afternoon from March 13...

Prince Plaza Hotel 

And so we decided to find a nice place to sleep in through the night, we were dreaming of a room with a very nice bed where we can really rest our backs! We go to a hotel hopping first, the 1st hotel we ask was the Prince Plaza hotel, but first, we thought, "ah! 2k (2000php) will be too expensive for we know that the room has no AC, and there is no breakfast inclusion! and it is almost 1am and were planning to leave at 9am, nah! let's go find another place". Not too far is the Lindi Hotel where we have stayed before but they are fully booked already. My husband is really tired and he wants to take a rest already, and so we decided, OK fine, let's just go back to Prince Plaza.

Lobby

Going back, the receptionist recognized that it's us again. Luckily he offered us to stay until 9am for 1,350 Php, it's not really a big discount but at least.

lovely carpeted stairs with my son 

I really thought that it was just a typical normal room with a normal bed. Judgmental me!

Well, the 2000php from 2pm-12pm, I think is worth for your money.


From the stairs, where every flooring is carpeted, loved the feel of our feet when we stepped in.

The room is complete with a very comfy 2 single beds, big and small drawers, cable TV, they have a strong WiFi connection. What my son loves about this hotel is, of course, his favorite, the bathtub, but since we don't have enough time, he wasn't able to use it, oh well maybe next time.

furniture's 

comfy bed 

closet

the bathtub

Terrace

soap and towel

The room also has a veranda, overlooking Legarda road, the veranda is just good for smokers, but not for viewers, since you will only see the streets and the wire cables.

One thing I don't like about this is that they don't provide a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a shampoo, they only provide you with bath towels and 2 soaps. For us who were able to stay in a couple of hotels, from the cheapest to the grandest, they ALL provide, complimentary soap, bath towels, shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste plus 2 bottles of mineral waters, that's a standard already.

In the morning, I have called their attention to ask whether they provide other items than soap, the girl told me that they ONLY provide soap. OMG!


Thanks to Mercury Drug near the hotel or we'll stroll at Baguio without cleaning our hairs and mouth ew!


Rating:

Price & Value of Money - 3 out 5 stars

Cleanliness - 3 out of 5 stars, because the tub and comfort room seems to have clogged dirt on the tiles.

Service - 3 out of 5 stars, because of unsatisfied complimentary bath essentials, though the hotel staffs are all accommodating 5 stars for them.

Ambiance - 4 out of 5 stars, because it is very relaxing and welcoming from the time you entered their lobby.




Here are more photos:











Overall I could say that our stay is very much comfortable, especially for the beds. Still worth your money and worth the try.


If we would try checking in again? YES of course, definitely, but hopefully next time they'll have much better complimentary bath essentials and with breakfast, please?


Location: #17 Legarda Road 2600 Baguio City

Landline: (074) 442 5082