We just had the most wonderful staycation during the Holy Week! We had the best deals and carefully planned but flexible schedule at the Crimson Hotel Filinvest City. We have booked our accommodations ahead of time and was blessed to have gotten a promo rate. We paid Php3,500 for an overnight stay at a deluxe king room with breakfast buffet for two! That includes complimentary use of the pool and gym.
Booking was easy at Crimson Hotel Filinvest City. I consider their booking process as the safest compared to the other hotels that we have transacted with in the past. The Crimson staff did not ask for my credit card details over the phone. She sent me a booking confirmation via email with an attached credit card authorization form which guaranteed a secured transaction for both parties. My only complaint was that I had to follow up on my confirmation email which I have not received after 24 hours (as the staff has promised). I had the option to pay for our accommodations at East West Bank or make a partial payment at the hotel three days after receiving the email. I opted to pay for the whole amount in person as we were just within the area during the designated date. I was assisted by Mary from the reception who also gave us a tour of the hotel and answered more of our inquiries.
As we were informed by Mary previously that we can have an early check-in at 11 AM provided that a deluxe king room is already available, my family and I arrived at 10:30 AM hoping to settle in and hit the pool. How can we have not foreseen it! The hotel is fully booked because it was Holy Week and the standard check-out time is 12 NN. It’s a good thing that Louiji loved walking around and that’s we did for a while. We left our bags at the concierge who kept them safe at the storage. We then decided to hang out by the pool. It was jam-packed with guests, too. We just had to contain ourselves with people watching to pass the time. Our toddler got excited seeing all the kids playing and swimming inside the pool. He was giggling and wanted to go near the pool side.
Louiji was so happy walking in a wide open space!
While waiting for our room, we went inside the hotel and chance upon the film showing at one part of the grand ballroom. Toy Story was on. I applaud Crimson for this! They provided entertainment and comfortable seats for guests who are waiting. Though there were food crumbs on some spots of the ballroom, it was way better than having to wander around and do nothing. We watched the movie for a while until my husband asked me to have lunch outside. When we got back, there was already a long queue in front of the reception. My husband quickly lined up while my sleepy toddler and I went back to the ballroom so our baby could breastfeed and take a nap. After 15 minutes, my husband went in and told us that we already have a room. I beamed because it was only 12:30 PM. Still an early check-in!
When we got to our room at the 17th floor, I quickly laid my sleeping toddler on the king-size, soft yet firm bed. I inspected the sheets (OC mom!) and they’re oh so white and stain-free unlike the one in the hotel in which we stayed in last year. They have plenty of pillows for the three of us. I love having plenty of pillows around the bed when I sleep. It assures me that my baby, whom we co-sleep, won’t fall from the bed while my husband and I are snoring through the night. The bed also has a nice and cushioned headboard which protected my son from bumps whenever he played on the bed.
Louiji was happy watching TV on the king-size bed. That headboard was an added protection for our active toddler.
As what I am used to do upon settling in, I opened the cabinets, drawers, mini bar and checked out the bathroom. The cotton bathrobes inside the closet are spotless and they looked like new. No holes or any damage of some sort (I’m referring to a previous experience from another hotel). Beside the bathrobes are the steam iron and the ironing board. There are a few hangers, too. On the other side of the closet is a safe which is big enough to fit in a laptop.
I like the bathroom’s layout but I hope that Crimson would get bathtubs for their deluxe rooms in the future. Also, it would be better if there are two sets of shampoo and conditioner and bath gel. One set of those bath products are just not enough especially at this season when most of the guests are families. The best feature of that bathroom (for my husband, at least) is that it has a bidet. The hotels that we have visited in the past are not equipped with this handy helper.
Right outside the bathroom is a small cabinet which has an electric kettle, cups and saucers and complimentary coffee and tea packets. We had those coffee late in the afternoon and we like how they tasted. Also, inside that cabinet is a small basket of mixed nuts, dried mangoes and chips for sale. Bottled water, energy drinks, soda, bottled juices and a bar of chocolate, all for sale, are placed inside the small ref found inside another cabinet at the bottom of the table.
Our room has a 40″ wall-mounted LED TV with cable network. My toddler enjoyed watching his favorite Disney Junior show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He giggled when he saw Mickey Mouse and was mesmerized for the entire show. My husband was another happy TV viewer at that time because he got to watch UFC fights. Our son was either sleeping or was busy playing when his Daddy was so engrossed with that kind of entertainment.
Our toddler loved walking in this hallway
Since our room is located at the 17th floor, we had a nice view of the Alabang night sky. While waiting for Daddy to come back from buying distilled water for us, we sat together by the window and told him stories of some of the spots found in our view.
I couldn’t stop raving about the swimming pool, situated at the 8th floor of Crimson Filinvest, because I love how the it was designed with the family in mind. It looked like one big swimming pool which has concrete dividers that separate the kiddie (2 feet high) and adult (4 feet deep) sections. It’s a good thing that Louiji was wearing a rashguard because the water was cold and it was a bit windy during our swim. I was glad that towels are available at the bar which makes it convenient for swimmers. At least two life guards were manning the area ensuring the safety of everyone in the pool. There were also security guards stationed near the tables and lounge area of the deck.
My handsome loves just finished their morning swim. Get a glimpse of the pool deck area on the background.
We woke up early to enjoy a good breakfast at Cafe 8 downstairs. When we got there before 7 AM, the place was already packed with diners. It looked like they have the same plan as ours, that is, to be the first at the cafe and avoid the long lines at the buffet. After we have all settled in our seats, my husband and I took turns in getting our plates full. The cafe’s buffet menu was so good it was filled with different kinds of food that would suit even the pickiest palate. Even my toddler enjoyed his breakfast. I’d say that it was the best and most tummy-filled breakfast that we had!
Clockwise from left: Our little boy munching on cereals; French toast with butter and jams; my plateful of breakfast staples
The salad and cold cuts section at Café 8
Salad and various kinds of cold cuts. Spot the glass of fresh mango juice and yummy omelette at the background
Since we had an early breakfast, we had more time to spare before check out. What do we have to do? Of course, off to the pool (again)! Our morning swim was better than the afternoon before because the sun was shining and kept us a bit warm. I think we just swam for a little over an hour because Louiji’s lips were turning blue again because of the cold water in the pool. We went back to our room to rest for a bit and pack our bags.
Check-out was a breeze. Though there was a long line by the time we got to the lobby, the staff were so efficient that the transaction with every guest went by quickly.
My family and I enjoyed our stay at Crimson Filinvest so much! We are definitely going back. Next time, we will bring our running shoes and workout clothes so we could also use the gym.
