Makati Shangri-La Manila: Discover Eden Amidst Makati’s Business District

Makati Shangri-La Hotel Frank Ruaya Mae Ilagan When in Manila (13 of 88)

the grand lobby will greet you with a lasting great impression. Upon seeing this apparition, I knew we were in for an extraordinary weekend!

Makati Shangri-La Hotel Manila

 

Frank and I are on a roll once again and we can’t wait to tell you stories about our latest weekend staycation! This time, we decided to spend the weekend over at the famous Makati Shangri-La Hotel to experience how it’s like to stay at one of Manila’s sought after hotels and I bet I will once again run out of adjectives  to give justice to its grandeur.

It was once again another tiring weekend and I’m glad we didn’t need to travel far to reach our chosen destination for this weekend. I arrived 1st in the hotel and I remember feeling mesmerized by the Makati Shangri-La‘s magnificent lobby with its larger than life grand chandelier and staircase. I felt like entering into another realm, a world far different from the outside. We got us a superior room on the 9th floor and I immediately started taking photos while I waited for Frank.

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i was sooo excited I immediately took photos and posted them on instagram!

I always look forward to our weekly bondings and misadventures and this time, I brought our favorite wine and partnered it with some cave aged Gruyere cheese  to complement our usual all night chatting spree. We may be staying at one of Manila’s most famous 5 Star Hotels this weekend, but we decided not to be too stiff and formal with this feature. Having loads of fun and enjoying life has always been Frank and Mae’s trademark so for this, let us show you how fun it is to stay at Makati Shangri-La.

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it was once again a night filled with endless chatting fueled with our favorite wine and cheese

 

The next morning, both of us were super excited to explore the hotel and take photos. We got the whole day to relax and truly experience  Makati Shangri-La‘s majesty….

Before going out, first I made us each a cup of coffee and tea to awaken the senses. 

Makati Shangri-La Hotel Frank Ruaya Mae Ilagan When in Manila (48 of 88)

we often use the complimentary coffee and teas provided with each hotel stay

 

The Room

By merely looking at this lavish looking room, who would ever think that Makati Shangri-La has been around for 20 years? The intimidating larger than-life bed (which we believe is the largest we’ve ever seen) surely left a lasting impression on us. Personally for me, it gave me a somewhat subliminal message about the image which Makati Shangri-La imposes. Words such as “massive,” “luxurious” “extravagant,” “majestic” were some of the many terms I thought of, the 1st time I entered the room.

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definitely not your ordinary 5 star hotel room

 

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our “mammoth” size bed which I think can fit 5 people

Being certified frequent OC hotel stayers, we just had to check if everything was there.

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the lavishly decorated mini-bar

 

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safety deposit box, bath robes, bedroom slippers, ironing board etc.. seems more than complete!

 

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take a look at our spacious elegant bathroom. It also had a tub!

 

 

The Downright Delicious Edibles

 I’ve heard quite a number of raves about the food in Makati Shangri-La and I was so eager to try them out myself. For this staycation, we were fortunate to try 3 distinct places each serving spectacular gastronomical delights!

 

The Bountiful Buffets at Circles…

Makati Shangri-La Hotel Frank Ruaya Mae Ilagan When in Manila (44 of 88)

we were surprised by the huge number of people flocking the place. good thing we made a reservation

 

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oh the desserts came first!

 

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We were surprised to see a lot more extras in the desserts station as they also served native delicacies such as “bibingka” and an array of “sumans”

 

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being inside Circles felt like strolling on a highway of edible pleasures. It was like hopping from one culture to another. We loved how each station’s menu was prepared with notable staple dishes of a particular culture.

 

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My most favorite would be their smoothies station. I found it to be nice because most buffets I’ve tried did not include fresh smoothies

I just couldn’t resist the items I saw. They had streaky and crispy bacon! I had difficulty in deciding which one to choose so I settled for both! hihihihi We once again gave into our cravings and filled our plates with our favorites and ate to our heart’s content.

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I remember telling myself and Frank that I WILL NOT EAT MUCH! (yeah right!)

Circles is definitely one of the most filling and impressive buffets we’ve ever been to. To me it is more of a FOOD Spa where you get to be pampered with great food and a lot of it!

 

The Oriental Grandeur of the Shang Palace

Frank and I heard about this Dimsum Plus Eat All You Can (11:30-2:30pm Mon-Sat) for only P888++ at Makati Shangri-La’s well celebrated Chinese restaurant- the SHANG PALACE. No matter how full we may be, we would always reserve extra space for fine dimsum!

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entering the palace of edible gems

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So here’s the deal…

You’ll be given a menu sheet and all you have to do is check on all the things you fancy. All is cooked and served fresh so be sure to only ask for small quantities as you can always order a fresh batch anytime. I believe they also have a no left over policy so only order what you can consume.

The Dimsum Plus Eat All You Can offers a wide variety of well-loved Chinese favorites. It ain’t limited to only dimsum. They got soups, knock-out appetizers, fried rice, noodles and desserts!

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the “fall-to-your-knees-awesome” dimsum at Shang Palace

 

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saying “Hello” to my Hot and Sour soup! As expected, it was indeed hot and sour!

 

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the savory cold cuts and homemade eggs

 

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these mouth-size morsels of happiness were simply heavenly!

 

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we tried their block-buster hit Hot Prawn Salad. I’d say it was an orchestra of different flavors and textures colliding inside your mouth, creating a symphony to remember

 

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Their Pork Barbecue Pie surprisingly finished 1st place. Who would ever thought this simple looking pastry would be loaded with beyond-delicious fillings? We could actually eat ONLY this for days!

 

 

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