Lakwatserong Tsinelas

Situated at the Central Business District of Makati City, an art-deco hotel stood. I honestly don’t know how to describe an art-deco architecture, more so distinguish the same from other types of architecture. But this hotel claims and is tagged by many to be an art-deco inspired hotel.

An exquisite craftsmanship put into modern details is how I describe the architectural façade and interiors of Herald Suites in Makati. Maybe that is how we define an art-deco hotel I said to myself.

We are frequents of the Poblacion District of Makati and the restaurants that surround. Herald Suites Polaris takes as an advantage its prime location. Centrally situated at the Makati Business District and tagged to be a heritage district as well, being the location where first settlement in Makati was, the Herald Suites Polaris stands as a mansion on a quiet neighborhood.

STANDARD SINGLE ROOM

Checking in was swift and I was assigned to a Standard Single Room. The room comes with a card lock system, refrigerator with mini-bar, cable TV, NDD/IDD Telephones, WIFI internet access, coffee/tea making facilities, room service and safety deposit boxes.

The standard room is spacious, with an assigned work space that I was able to finish some reports for work even on a weekend. It was raining for two days. And we were fortunate that the hotel has provided all the basic needs without having to go out at the neighborhood. It was a total comfort and relaxation, despite the fact that the vicinity is surrounded by bars and night clubs. The silence that we need was attained.

AURORA LOBBY CAFÉ AND THE INTERIORS

The distinct geometric multi-colored patterns of cement tiles adorn the floorings of the hotel and easily noticeable as soon as we entered. These are the machuca tiles, known to be the oldest tile manufacturing business in the Philippines and usually used on colonial houses that dates back centuries ago.

The hotel could actually pass as a museum hotel (in my opinion). It has the resemblance of the Hotel Luna of Vigan City but in a more intricate and modern design without any wall decors. Paintings and wall decors though are not that needed as the ambiance and styling are more than sufficient to convey its elegance and luxury to guests.

After being mesmerized by the interior design and the atrium of the hotel, like any other guests, our main concern is location of the dining area. We were lead to the Aurora Lobby Café, the hotel’s in-house restaurant, situated at the ground floor of the hotel.

Complimentary breakfast and our welcome dinner and cocktails were served at the café. The Aurora Lobby Café is open from 6AM to 12 midnight featuring continental and Filipino dishes. We were glad to have sampled a few and all are indeed delectable.

The happy hour drinking session became an instant part of our itinerary as well due to heavy downpour in an attempt to visit the bars and night clubs that surround the hotel. It was a good decision though to stay at the Aurora Lobby Café for a more relaxed and enjoyable drinking spree.

Herald Suites Polaris is indeed about comfort and a relaxing ambiance. I truly recommend a stay at the said hotel even for a just a weekend to spend quality time with friends and family and even for business meetings at their lounges and café.

HERALD SUITES POLARIS

Book Online for discounted rates

45 Polaris Street Bel-Air, Makati City

Telephone No.: (02) 816-7994

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Tokyo City, Japan has the most complicated subway lines and connections when viewed from map illustrations. But through constant commuting and familiarization, transfer from one point to another within the metro becomes easy. It becomes an advantage and marred with uncertainty to go home late night when one is familiar with the routes and timetable of the Tokyo Metro Pass.

In a lot of times, one has to catch up the last train ride with drunk salarymen nearly lying on trains as a common sight. Because taxi fares in Tokyo City are quite expensive, a night life and an uninterrupted drinking spree becomes almost impossible or a risk to be taken.

Like the pitched tents outside the streets of Seoul, I have always imagined drinking together with the Japanese salarymen on the same set-up in Tokyo. But there was nothing of the same sort as we wandered. The alleys though and the neon light signage along the streets were the marks of how I envision night life in Tokyo will be.

The ramen shops are the usual go-to places at night. But along with the ramen shops are the yakinikus on cramped spaces and mostly near the metro stations. It is not easy to wander at night though for the simple reason that we are not used to the coldness of the night.

This is the early autumn night at Tokyo, Japan.

ODAIBA

Odaiba is a man-made island, known for shopping and as an entertainment district. The Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo’s harbor and waterfront area illuminates at night, which is one of the top tourist attractions in the City. Their version of the Statue of Liberty is also picturesque and a popular backdrop for self-portraits.

The life-sized Gundam statue, related to the anime series, which stands in front of the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is also an added attraction for Odaiba.

Tokyo Metro: Yurikamome Line connected thru the Shimbashi Station of the Tokyo Metro on the Yamanote Line. Disembark at the Daiba Station (15-minutes travel time).

SHIBUYA CROSSING

The Shibuya is known as the major nightlife area of Tokyo and a fashion center of Japan. The Shibuya station of the Tokyo Metro is one the busiest railway stations and the Hachiko Exit is the access to the famed Shibuya Crossing. The statue of Hachiko, a dog, between the station and the intersection is a common rendezvous.

There is one particular ramen shop that we frequent on a street adjacent to the building where the famous Starbucks Shibuya is – the Ichiryu Ramen. The combo of ramen and fried chicken complemented by the bottle of Kirin beer is perfect for the chilly night.

SHIMBASHI

Underneath the railways of the Shimbashi station of Tokyo Metro are aligned izakaya (Japanese style pub), yakiniku (barbeque) and ramen shops. The cramped spaces almost discouraged us from dining. But with the thought of limited time and that there would be no other way to explore the area but to dine and drink, we were lead to an izakaya named Torahachi. And it was a good choice we stayed and dine in.

It was the typical nightlife for a Japanese salarymen. Almost all seated around us came from work and they all came to unwind, while us – to experience dining the locals’ ways.

SHINJUKU

The first time I came to Tokyo, I was treated by a friend to yakiniku (grilled meat) and bottles of beer. I was drunk and my memory was not clear as to where we had our drinking spree. It was somewhere in Shinjuku near the Robot Restaurant as a friend recalls and reminded me.

On my third visit to Japan for this early autumn trip, a friend of ours (Carla) lead us to another alley in Shinjuku, which as locals name “the Piss Alley”. The alley is home to small bars, yakitori grills and food stalls, which claims to have its history dating back as post-war Japan. I don’t know why they should call it piss alley.

Welcome to Tokyo's ultra narrow Piss Alley. Do people actually piss anywhere? Well, back in the day, they used to! #LakadPilipinas #CebTravels #CebFliesTokyo

A post shared by Christian L. Sangoyo 🇵🇭 (@lakadpilipinas) on Nov 6, 2017 at 1:02am PST

But with cramped space, narrow pathways (not really the main reason) and the fact that credit card is not accepted, we opted for a more spacious Japanese restaurant on an adjacent street. But it appears a good choice as well. We dined at Horumon Jonetsu (a barbecue restaurant), where I noticed that most servers are Vietnamese. The skewered meat, bottles of beer and even a rice bowl set for a late night dinner was the best way to end our autumn trip in Tokyo.

These are just but a few of the many places to spend the autumn nights while in Tokyo, Japan. The reasonable fares from Cebu Pacific Air is one the reasons which made this vacation possible.

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