The face of
my 7-year old son Charles lit up when I told him that we’ll spend Father’s Day
in a hotel. He has always associated hotel with vacation, fun, family bonding,
and a huge soft bed.
My wife and I
both have full-time jobs so we make sure that our weekends are spent with our
one and only child. We usually do food trips, go to the mall, or watch movies
together on our day-offs. Hotel staycation is something we do during
special occasions.
Every time
we book an overnight stay in a hotel, we have a number of things to consider.
More than what we adults want, it’s what will make our kid enjoy the moment
that matters more. Is there a near mall, toy store or play/ activity area? Does
the hotel accepts deliveries from fastfood shops? How big is the “huge soft
bed?”
Many hotels
definitely fits the bill but there is something in Linden Suites in Ortigas that
made us decide that it’s the perfect place to spend Dad’s day this year. Well,
this catchy meme that I saw on Facebook has something to do with it in a way.
And so on
the afternoon of June 18, Saturday, I found myself inside the very comfortable
and big 2-bedroom suites at Linden with the company of my brother-in-law, his
wife and their son Nico. There was a big dining table at the middle of the
room, two sofas, a CD component, a kitchen (with a ref, microwave oven and
electric stoves) and still, we can ask 15 more people to join us and we have
enough space to play tag. I’m not kidding.
One of the
room has a queen-size bed with a comfort room featuring a bath tub (yay!) while
the other one has twin beds with its own bathroom which has a shower cubicle.
Of course,
how can we miss the covered swimming pool of Linden Suites? It’s kid-friendly
because it’s just 4-feet deep plus a hawk-eyed lifeguard on standby anytime of
the day. By the way, there’s Jacuzzi on
the side of the big pool (yay again).
The pool is
located on the 9th floor of Tower 1 of Linden where the gym is also
situated. If you’re a health buff or someone who just want to do some lifting
and stretching, you can stay at the gym where helpful assistants are on duty.
The pool and gym are both open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.
While booked
in Linden, our family decided to go out for a walk. We did not find it as a
hassle to stroll along the busy street of Ortigas at night time because there
are a lot of things to see. It is the
home to shopping malls, office buildings, bars and restaurants, and hotels. We
even have a harder time choosing where to shop: SM Megamall, Podium or St.
Francis Square. In the end, we picked SM, or should I say our kids want it to
be there because of Toy Kingdom.
After our
dinner at the mall, we went back to our hotel room and had a movie night.
Actually two different movie sessions: Disney movie for the children and we
adults got to own the remote and go for HBO. Thank God we have two LED screens
in the room.
When we woke
up in the morning, we marvelled on the great view of Ortigas in a fine Sunday
morning. Since the kids stayed wide awake last night, we agreed to just go by
couple. A breakfast buffet was waiting for us at Mesclun restaurant at the 2nd
floor of Linden. We definitely enjoyed international buffet and new dishes that
were whipped up in the kitchen. I had a blast, especially my stomach, feasting
on the Asian, European, and Mediterranean fusion cuisine that were served.
The staff members
of Mesclun were also accommodating and understanding. When we informed them
that we have kids in the room, they allowed us to bring a plateful of bread and
jam and a glass of orange juice so we don’t need to go down again for their
meals.
As much as
we want to stay longer at Linden, we need to go home by 12 noon because of a
lunch treat that we prepared for my father-in-law. While driving home, we never
got tired discussing about our great hotel experience which we also shared to
other family members. Definitely, we’ll be coming back soon. Indeed, life is
sweet at Linden Suites.
The Linden
Suites is located at 37 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. You may
contact them via tel. no. +63 (02)
638.7878 or you may visit their official website www.lindensuites.com or like
their Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/LindenSuites.