The Pinoy spirit is alive at the Manor

Ever heard of a balikbayan hotel?

In case you haven’t, then the Mabuhay Manor should give you an idea. As the first balikbayan hotel in the country, the Mabuhay Manor brings back all the great Filipino traditions for the balikbayan to enjoy.

Since they have been away from the country for so long, they would definitely want to relive those practices and culinary delights that they have missed. The Manor is so designed as to be as balikbayan-friendly as it can, from its cuisine to its rooms.

No new guest can get past the door without a welcome drink in the form of sago’t gulaman. As soon as he enters the festive Manor, everything Filipino is displayed and ready to be enjoyed. There are sungka and dama boards at the lobby, games seldom played nowadays. From here on, the balikbayan guest can choose from the Manor’s abundant list of things to do.

“Usually, a balikbayan can afford to stay in a five-star hotel but the thing is, they are all the same. At the Mabuhay Manor, we celebrate the Filipino spirit. We offer stuff you won’t find in any other hotel,” says Dennis Sebastian, the hotel’s property manager.

Sebastian is referring to, among others, the hotel’s unique menu that includes balut and ice candy. Yes, balut, that love-it-or-hate-it delicacy made of fertilized duck egg. He explains, “We have a resident balut vendor — actually a staff dressed up as one — who goes around the hallways shouting ‘Balut!’ every 30 minutes, from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s a big hit among our balikbayan and foreign guests,” he says.

Another unique Manor feature: the big rooms. Every room is designed to be spacious so as to accommodate the balikbayan boxes that guests carry with them.

“We found out that they bring an average of eight to 15 balikbayan boxes, so the rooms have ample space for these. We also noticed that the balikbayan usually arrives by himself or with his travel companions on the first day. On the next day, the number of occupants has increased due to the arrival of their relatives,” he laughs. ”“We are always ready for these sudden increases in numbers.”

True enough, guests can choose from the Mabuhay Manor’s 115 well-appointed rooms. There are the Manor, Executive, Junior, and Team suites, as well as the Deluxe, Premium, and Superior rooms.

The Manor has three restaurants that offer Pinoy cuisine. Lola’s, found at the second floor, showcases traditional Filipino breakfast fare as dried fish and kakanin. Sutukil is a Manor favorite and brings to the fore the merry mix of sugba (grilled), tula (simmered in broth), and kilaw (drenched in vinegar). Guests can choose their seafood and have it cooked the way they want it. Or they can hie off to Sala at the lobby where light Pinoy snacks and lunches such as bibingka, beef steak, binakol, pancit guisado, and the hotel’s signature banana chocolate chip cake.

“Our foreign guests love our breakfast spread because it comes with our specialty rice cakes and a puto vendor. At night, we have the harana by the poolside. Balikbayans love to sing along to kundiman songs,” Sebastian says.

The Mabuhay Manor continues the Pinoy way with even more traditional favorites. How about playing piko (hopscotch)? The hotel has areas for this game, with the staff willing to moderate the round.

Guests will soon be able to check out the Manor’s shelves for their fill of classic Filipino movies. They can borrow these discs and watch them in the comfort of their own rooms.

Since it’s all about coming back together at the Manor, the hotel is offering a reunion package for homecoming parties. Sebastian adds, “We will be the one to organize your class reunion for you. We will do your invites, we will ask for the database. We will do the calls and even set up the videoke. We are going to take the pictures and put them together in an album. Once they take their leave, we’ll hand them the album. Just tell us how you want it and we will customize your budget.”

“We are on the right track,” he declares. “We take the concept of value for money very seriously. The Manor has a lot more in store in the coming year, and we are confident that balikbayans, foreigners, and locals will be proud of what they will experience here.”

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The Mabuhay Manor is located at 2933 F.B. Harrison cor. Ortigas sts., Pasay City. For more information, call 831-4641 to 45 or log on to”www.mabuhaymanor.com.ph.