Saturday, April 8, 2017

Astoria Greenbelt; Big Things Come In Small Packages

Astoria Greenbelt 
Big Things Come In Small Packages

We came to Manila for a visa appointment for our Lisbon trip
 this coming May  and we arrived at almost noontime at the  
Astoria Greenbelt after a  short plane ride from Naga City. 

 

We were expecting a skyscraper for a building like their original hotel
 in Ortigas, the Astoria Plaza, which we had a chance to stay about a
decade ago, but what we saw is an unimpressive box- like structure.

 

Astoria Greenbelt had a beautiful, modern but tiny lobby,




…that had multi- layered shelves on the lobby wall,

  

 

...and reminded us of a similar concept
at Midas Hotel in Roxas Boulevard,

 

…and at the Hotel Indigo in Berlin,


 …and looked like a smaller version of the latter two hotels.


Check in was a breeze, as the people 
at the front desk were efficient friendly,


...and we were immediately on our
way to our room at the 4th floor.




Stay

Ours was a Prestige Room, it was moderately sized 
and apparently one of their largest available guest rooms.


It had two firm and very comfortable   
twin beds, enough for a family of four,

 

It had a huge flat screen TV,


..a working and reading desk.


…a closet that had two thick and fluffy bathrobes,
two pairs slippers, and an electronic safe.

 



It had microwave and a kettle for 
a coffee maker at the minibar,

 



…and a small refrigerator.


It had a moderately sized toilet,
with a nice shower area,


…provided with basic amenities,


….and sufficient toiletries.





The room had frosted- glass windows that was
shut down as it apparently didn’t have a view.


The room had only one land line phone at the bedside,



The Wi Fi connection was very fast and complimentary.


The kids loved the room’s trendy room ambiance,
and adored the chic artworks on the wall.


Stray

The Astoria Greenbelt is centrally locatedat Makati’s
 Ayala Center Business Disrtrict.It is directly across the posh
Greenbelt Mall and a short walk away from Glorietta.

Source LINK

…and just few blocks away from the Greek Embassy,
where we have a visa appointment for our Lisbon trip.
There is no Portuguese Embassy in the Philippines, so
it is the former that issues visas for them at the moment.

Play

The Astoria Greenbelt is a small hotel and doesn’t have a
pool or a gym, but its close proximity to some of the most
 upscale malls in the country compensates for everything. 

 

Guests will never run out of things to do in
when it comes to leisure and entertainment,.

Feast
Tableu

The breakfast buffet is served at the hotel’s a beautiful
in- house restaurant located near the lobby called Tableu.






It serves a decent spread in the breakfast buffet,

 




…and also serves delicious meals all day.

 

 

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Astoria Greenbelt is a small yet beautiful hotel;
and centrally located at the bustling Ayala Center.

 

The rooms a clean, comfortable- not as spacious 
compared to the hotels we have stayed in the past,


… but this lovely hotel proves that the classic adage that
says;‘big things come in small packages’- is for real.


The service rendered of the staff was utterly rave- worthy.
From the time the hotel’s transport service fetched my
family at the airport by a very courteous and helpful driver,
who again took us back to the airport upon checking out,


…to the front desk staff who offered us a room when we
unexpectedly checked- in too early, and even accompanied
us to inspect the new room as it was not the one we reserved.


From the door men who goes out of their way to  stop 
the traffic and guide us whenever we cross the street,

 

…to the ever attentive restaurant staff who always provide
us what we need before we could ask for it. It made us ponder
if they have been trained how to read other people’s  minds.

 

We got to meet the gracious hotel manager Ethel, when she greeted my family 
while we were dining at the Tableu. She was very hands on and always visible 
at the lobby, very welcoming and treats everyone like her personal guests. She 
was very warm,friendly and never intimidating, despite being the hotel manager.


The Astoria Greenbelt is small and doesn’t look impressive on the outside, but
 what you see is not necessarily what you get. Once you stay here one would come 
to a realization that it’s not the big things that count, but the small ones that matter

 

The smallest attention to details in hospitality service by a competent  and 
friendly hotel staff, determines how awesome and exceptional  our stay 
would turn out to be.   This is what makes this hotel a cut above the rest.  

 

A David among the Goliaths.



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