F1 Hotel Manila, the first hotel that opened at Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, generously opened their doors for us and gave us the chance to experience what it is like to be a guest of F1 Hotel. It was one weekend of living in a hotel with nothing else to do other than eat, relax and sleep. In other words, bum! Bumming alone isn’t my thing. I couldn’t last spending my time all alone. I brought with me my sister Reine and O to keep me company for that weekend.

Bonifacio Global City isn’t a foreign land to me. For about 30-45 mins from where I live, I’m already at the front desk of F1 Hotel. Staying in F1 Hotel is somehow a relaxing time for me and more like a “staycation” for me and my weekend.

F1 Hotel’s good sweet morning treats welcomed me with sugar treats to start off my F1 Hotel staycation weekend. Instead of regular breakfast bread, they fed me sweets to be energized during my stay.

Chef Sau, together with F1 Hotel Manila team, welcomed us at the Premier Lounge.

Another sweet moment before checking-in was meeting F1’s resident master chef, Chef Sau Del Rosario.

That morning, Chef Sau gave us a picture of what’s on the menu of F All Day Dining, F1 Hotel’s all-day dining signature restaurant. He hyped up the morning by explaining and introducing his specialty dishes to us, particularly Luzviminda (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao). Just by the way he described the concept including dishes on the menu, he made my mind hunger for food and I started to ponder and daydream about those food.

Joan of The Food Alphabet was there to spend the weekend with me, O and my sister.

F1 Hotel Manila has 243 chic rooms including 99 suites and 3 loft suites. Guests can choose between Deluxe Room, City Suite, Fort Suite and Premier Suite.

After orientation from F1 Hotel Manila’s team, I went straight to the room and unpacked my goodies treating my room like my weekend home.

Every room includes king-size or double bed, controlled airconditioning systems, 32″ flat screen LCT TV, Ipod docking station, personal electronic safe, high speed wireless internet (WiFi) and rain shower.

I personally prefer king-sized beds. Maybe because I’m used to sleeping on big beds in my home and my sister tells me that I roll and move around the bed when I’m sound asleep. A double bed appears to be too small for me. Not for my size, but for my sleeping movements. 🙂

I love that my suite has 2 TVs inside – one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The whole time I was at the living room, all I did was to watch Asian Food Channel! My mind is still infused with so much food even if I’m off the dining area.

I didn’t feel dissatisfied that there wasn’t a tub in the bathroom. There was a little expectation though.

To point out the good parts, I like that the bathroom appeared washed and clean.

Cozy bed to lie around and “bum” the whole afternoon!

The perfect spot for blogging. My working desk inside the living room near the television. It was blogging while watching Lifestyle Channel & Asian Food Channel. 🙂

The lunch buffet was all about bringing out the best in every Filipino dish. The traditional Filipino cuisine from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were prepared by F1 Hotel’s notable chefs, headed by Chef Sau Del Rosario.

Judge by how it looks. What can you say?

From my point of view, this bagnet made sure every Filipino who sees this bagnet gets a piece and be hooked to its fatty goodness. Don’t ever think of losing weight if this is what you keep on eating.

The most sossy sisig I’ve ever tasted. Add some foie gras and it becomes ‘sosyal’ instantly.

Hanging kebabs to decorate the buffet station. I was April fooled and thought it was real.

Chicken Pastel wasn’t appealing if you talk about how it looks. But as I tasted it, the appeal turned upside down. Really a must-try if you are into soft, baked and creamy meat plates!

Seafood is mandatory in a buffet table! Without it, I don’t see any value for money.

White chocolate fondue, on the side of the dessert station. The verdict, it’s ultimately sweet for my sweet-tooth.

One of the desserts I went back for. Round 1 didn’t satisfy me. I had to go back for another round to have more taste of that fruity flavor of mango in a rich custard texture.

I also don’t get tired of Panna Cotta as dessert. This was the first time I tried Durian Panna Cotta, a tropical fruity flavor that gave a sharp zest to the sensation of the panna cotta. Honestly, not the kind of panna cotta flavor I long for. I still go for the traditional fruits used for a panna cotta dessert – mango, strawberry or mixed berries.

I customized my dessert – 2 pcs. of banana fritters and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

Part of my staycation bum life was to get a massage at anytime of the day. Before that, I roamed around and explored what else to do at F1 aside from eating and sleeping.

Three pools available to cool down the guests. One lap pool for adults, one square-sized pool for the kids and one small circular pool for the toddlers.

I say goodbye to traditional pools of using white tiles, making the water look aqua blue with chlorine. I love that F1 Hotel’s lap pool look sleek in clear water, using stones to make it appear more modern and elegant. Rectangular shaped and elongated for those who require morning lap swims.

Turned out, Baby Rain and Richie were swimming there too! Hello cutie Baby Rain! 🙂

Beside the pool is the Canary Lounge that offers Unlimited Drinks from 5:00pm to 8:00pm for only Php 530.

Choice of Beverages: sodas, chilled juices, local beers, house-pouring wines, in-house cocktails, mocktails and signature iced tea. Some drinks are subject to availability.

Spotted Abet and Joan of The Food Alphabet who looked very relaxed after their massage treat.

An hour of spa to ease all tension and stress in our bodies.

2 massage beds in the room, ideally for couples. The room includes a jacuzzi, which wasn’t functioning when I visited.

From March 1-May 31, 2014, take a splash into F1 Hotel’s soothing sensation of swimming pool plus a thirst-quenching drink of your choice from the Canary Lounge. End the day with a spa treat to remove those remaining stress in your bodies. In the morning, a buffet breakfast for two will complete the getaway. This summer staycation package costs Php 7,650 net.

I indulged with some suman delicacies. Different kinds of sticky rice or suman from various regions of the country. Only available from 3-5pm until April 30, 2014.

Spotted a little girl who matched my outfit’s color scheme! She’s such a cutie! Oh, I love kids (only when they’re cute and disciplined) Haha! Kidding!

Lunch buffet offering local Filipino dishes from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is a way of patronizing our very own cuisine by elevating each dish like one dish I couldn’t forget, Sisig with Foie Gras. I like the idea of engaging guests to indulge in Filipino flavors more than promoting foreign cuisines in our very own land. Executive chef of F1, Chef Sau Del Rosario, adds plus points to the complete package of the restaurant. His ideas and love for Filipino food bring heart to every dish served.

Fully airconditioned rooms with a lounge to let your hair down is the ideal set-up for a staycation at Bonifacio Global City. Kids will be disappointed without a tub in it. But if you ask me, I don’t mind at all. There’s a pool anyway if you want to take a dip and keep your body cool in the water. The room I stayed in was generally a cozy feel of real home. I wish to go back and just blog and bum inside the freezing room of F1 Hotel.

I didn’t find any of their amenities a stand out. Size of pools aren’t huge enough to encourage more guests to swim. It’s good that they maintain the cleanliness of each facility though. That matters when I score a hotel I stay in. As a general comment for their amenities, what’s important is, they have pools, spa services, a gym and lounges to cool off a rough week.

F1 Hotel Manila is not only suitable for businessmen who wants a location accessible to the city. With F1 Hotel’s numerous promos this summer, families are encouraged to come together for a staycation like no other.

For more information, visit F1 Hotel Manila’s website – http://f1hotelmanila.com/

Cheers,

Location: 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Website: http://f1hotelmanila.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/F1HotelManila

Instagram: @F1HotelManila