Meaningful voyages at Marco Polo Ortigas

Every voyage in a Marco Polo Hotel is a tale to tell. It is a first-rate opportunity, a golden memoir, a diamond polished more brilliantly through time. Being the intrepid traveller that I am, I have always looked up to the Italian explorer Marco Polo after whom the hotel brand is named after.

Marco Polo (1254-1324), a confidant of Kublai Khan, is probably the most famous Westerner who traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his passion, determination, his writing and his influence. According to many researches, he traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue. Today, topographers have called his work the precursor of scientific geography.

The Marco Polo Hotel in Suzhou, for instance, is a testament to the willpower of the Italian voyager.  My stay there a few years back was unforgettable because of the fact that the hotel property in Suzhou sits in a city that dates back to 2,500 years ago, making it to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Marco Polo Suzhou is stylishly designed in traditional Chinese style to reflect and harmonize with the culture of the city of Suzhou. 

On the other hand, the Marco Polo Parkside in Beijing, located in the Yayuncun commercial area of the city, is a “tourist’s delight” because of its proximity to the Beijing International Conference Centre, the Olympic Park and the Bird’s Nest stadium. The hotel even arranged for my friends and me a game of golf because the Marco Polo Parkside is very close to the best golf courses in Beijing like the Hong Hua and Bayhood No. 9.

Every stay in a Marco Polo hotel is a treasured experience, to some extent a way of life — convenient, luxurious. But nothing beats the comfort and hospitality of a Marco Polo hotel than experiencing it in your own backyard. The Marco Polo in Ortigas, the newest jewel of the city, is a testament to what beautiful journeys are. It was formally launched last month with no less than President Noynoy Aquino gracing its opening.

Walking into the Marco Polo Ortigas is a stunning experience as you are  met with neutral classy tones of warm shades, intricate wood and exquisite adornments. As you enter the lobby, the hotel’s gracious staff greets you with the typical Filipino warmth. The cordial graciousness inherent in our culture is exhibited profusely here and a sense of excitement is propelled as you decide which among the  food and beverage outlets you wish to indulge in. Or if you intend to do a staycation at the hotel, excitement prevails as to what awaits you in your chosen suite.

Nestled in the progressive city of Pasig, the Marco Polo Ortigas offers 316 spacious and well-designed rooms and suites, including two Continental Club floors that render unrivalled views the bustling Ortigas skyline and panoramic valley and mountain views.

All rooms are spacious, stylishly appointed and done in elegant earth tones, with provisions for plush goose down bed toppers for an overall relaxing sleep experience. In each room, there are also Nespresso coffee machine, dual-docking device with Bluetooth technology for personal gadgets and complimentary high-speed WiFi access. The rooms have large custom-fitted bathrooms with high-pressure rain showers and marble bathtubs.

The suites are located on the higher floors of the hotel while the The Continental Club Rooms of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila are situated on two levels at the topmost floors of the hotel tower. The Signature Suite, on the other hand, is characterized by luxury at its finest with its lush amenities fit for a VIP.

The discerning palate will find its match at the hotel’s food outlets. My best friend Bum Tenorio found a gustatory haven at Cucina, the all-day dining restaurant that features live show kitchens. At Cucina, we had a field day enjoying lobsters, prawns and crabs as we had them cooked in garlic, butter and chilies. The meat lovers will also salivate as lamb cutlets, US sirloin, rib eye and tenderloin are grilled to their heart’s desire. I must also say that this is the only buffet restaurant in the city that has its own “sacred” alcove for cheeses.

On our way out of Cucina, we bumped into my childhood friend Pearl Maclang, the sales and marketing director of Marco Polo Ortigas. Pearl and I spent many childhood adventures together and we are simply looking forward to spending many more milestones in this jewel-of-a-hotel whether birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, renewal of vows, golden anniversaries or simple parties and sit-down dinners.

On another occasion, my sisters enjoyed their dinner at Lung Hin, the contemporary Chinese restaurant serving traditional and authentic Cantonese cuisine on the 44th floor of the hotel tower. Marco Polo Ortigas director of public relations is correct: if it is authentic Cantonese cuisine you are craving for, look no farther than Lung Hin. I was told the seafood specialties here are superb and bear the sweet tang of the sea, prepared by the expert hands of the hotel’s chefs from Hong Kong. It certainly helps that the sleek  interiors  and expansive layout of the restaurant blend in perfect symmetry. My whole family is gearing our appetite next for this outlet, the newest venue of our future board meetings. 

The hotel is also proud of its Café Pronto, the relaxed and friendly coffee venue; and VU’s, the first of its kind sky bar and lounge located on the topmost 45th floor of Marco Polo Ortigas.

If Marco Polo the great traveler was still alive, he would definitely enjoy his stay at the Ortigas hotel named after him. His voyage to this hotel would definitely be an insightful entry in his journal. The newest jewel of the city would have pampered him. And for the best accommodation it could offer, Marco Polo would surely stay for good in the hotel.

After all, Marco Polo’s best achievement is best said with his own words in his own book: “I believe it was God’s will that we should come back, so that men might know the things that are in the world, since, as we have said…no other man, Christian or Saracen, Mongol or pagan, has explored so much of the world as Messer Marco, son of Messer Niccolo Polo, great and noble citizen of the city of Venice.”

I believe it is God’s will for Marco Polo to share his repositories of knowledge with the world so that a great hotel could be built in his honor — the Marco Polo Hotel that we all enjoy luxuriously today.

See you at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas where meaningful voyages take place, one indulgence at a time.

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Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is located on Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City. For inquiries, call 720-7777)

E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.