HOTEL JEN in MANILA: Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover.

 A staycation is something that works well if you don't want to get out of town and just leave all the problems somewhere else. With all the traffic happening right now, staying nearby seems to be the best way to go for the Holidays. Hello HOTEL JEN MANILA.

 HOTEL JEN in Manila is located in front of the CCP. Along Roxas Blvd., the facade isn't something that would make you look towards it. You might see it as an old building and disregard it at first glance. Believe me though, I was pleasantly surprised when I went in. For guests they have available valet parking, so it wasn't a problem. Since I stayed in a club room, I went straight to the club lounge for an easy and stress free check-in. Just sign on the dotted line and you're good to go.

 While waiting for my friends, I looked around. The room had a 180 degree view of the Manila Bay. Excellent place to check out the sunset and relax. All day non alcoholic drinks are served here.  They also had fast wifi access all around the hotel so it was perfect for those who can't live without being online.

One thing I noticed was that they had a small box that is actually a charging station for the guests. I later found out that they had this around the hotel. Just charge up your gadget and lock it up. 

I was pleasantly surprised with the welcome drink. This is the Coffee Halo-Halo. Who would knew that halo halo and coffee would work well together. It wasn't too sweet and I liked it!

I was billeted in a club room. Located on the 18th floor, it was perfect for me. Granted that I stayed alone again, but at least I was able to relax.

 There's a "chill area" on the side so that you could look at the Manila Bay while in your room.

The washroom is all right. I was happy that they have a bidet installed. Although, the shower is located in a bathtub. I would have preferred to be in a separate area but it does serve its purpose.

 Aside from the welcome fruit cups in the mini ref, I was pleasantly surprise that they have an optional "minibar" on the go. You could pick it up in the lobby for just 400Php Nett. It has a bunch of snacks and drinks that everyone would love. Also, their entertainment system is top notch. From an IPOD DOCK, they have a television that could compute your bill, give other information, show video on demand, and has a bunch of cable channels that would make you happy.

  Aside from staying in the room all day, they have a functional gym area.

and a pool. I went back later that night and worked on a few laps. See those mini coolers? They have a chilled mineral water perfect for a hot and sunny day. Thankfully, I was able to float to the other side and by float I mean walk.

 At around 5pm, I went on over to the CLUB LOUNGE. During this time, they serve some cocktails and snacks with alcohol and non alcoholic drinks. I was surprised because the spread was actually good for dinner.

 This was the perfect time to watch the famous MANILA sunset.

 Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy that day, so this was the view.

 After a long day, I went back to the room and relaxed. The bed was exceptional. It was amazing for my sleep. The pillows were soft and would make you go to dreamland in an instant. Don't mind the wrinkles on the bed, I sat down before I took a picture.

For breakfast, you had the option of having it in their in-house restaurant LATITUDE. The choices were vast and perfect for a busy day ahead. Aside from the usual morning goodies, they had salads, cereals, yogurt, and other dishes to tickle your fancy. Since, I was too full from the previous day, I just had an omelette made.

 For guys that needed to go quickly and had no time for a sit down breakfast, they could just have breakfast to go. A box would be given to you and you could pick some goodies to bring with you and a cup of coffee too.

 Since I stayed in a club room, I had access to the breakfast buffet in the club lounge. Here it was perfect bliss. The place wasn't as crowded nor was it as fast paced as LATITUDE. Granted that there were a lot of choices in LATITUDE, here you could go about in your own pace and have a relaxed time.

From soups, to rice porridge and other breakfast choices. It was all there.

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Let's be honest here, from the outside you might see HOTEL JEN with an old facade. Something that you would overlook and just disregard. But, I believe in the quote "don't judge a book by it's cover". Once I entered my room and felt the hospitality of the staff, I could say that HOTEL JEN MANILA is a must visit. The view of the Manila Bay Sunset is enough for me to go back. That and everyone is just lovely and genuine with their smiles. I would love to meet JEN and give her a huge thank you hug. She definitely knows how to treat her guests.

Wait for: My experience at LATITUDE: In house dining of HOTEL JEN MANILA

HOTEL JEN MANILA
Under Shangri-la Group
3001 Roxas Boulevard., Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Facebook
(632) 795 8888
They also offer free shuttle rides on a first come first serve basis to the MALL OF ASIA.




Disclaimer: Wrote this based on my experience. Was invited to have this staycation.