Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers: City of Dreams Manila Series 3

Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers 
City of Dreams Manila Series 3 

Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers lobby is

where the breakfast buffet is served for those

who are staying at the Crown Towers, Manila.

It was meant to be a lounge so having a full dinner

in the restaurant is uncomfortable and unpleasant,

…as the tables were very small that if you put four

plates altogether, their edges would touch and

would leave no space for extra food anymore.

 

They have chairs that are so low, which are meant

for lounging and lazing, and definitely not for dining.

 

Despite these shortcomings, Crystal Lounge is a great 
restaurant that serves delicious food, and we got to dine 
there several times during our  four days stay in the hotel.

 

Aside from the classy breakfast buffet,

 

…that for a hotel this standard had

really limited and very few choices,

Crystal Lounge is also open all day

and guests can order a’la carte meals,

…yes, including their delicious breakfast fares.

Despite of the buffet, we always order Beef Tapa

a’ la carte as it was made of 100% US Angus beef.

It was tender and tasty but wasn’t as salty like most

local Pinoy tapa versions that are reeking in soy sauce.

The Pork Tocino was also delicious as unlike most

Pinoy versions that are sickeningly sweet and taste

like repulsive candied pork. This one had a perfect degree

of sweetness with a delightfully mild vinegary aftertaste.

For those wanting a heavy breakfast, one could never go wrong

ordering Continental Breakfast Platter as it had two perfectly

cooked sunny side up egg, crispy thick cut bacon and sausages,

…and served with assorted breads and pastries,

…and what is probably the yummiest

Buttermilk Pancakes in the world.

 

Crystal Lounge’s Egg Benedict is deliciously addicting.

There was a generous layer of smoked salmon with bits

and pieces of asparagus bathed with Hollandaise Sauce.

Something that should not be missed by anyone dining here.

Shrimp Wonton and Char Sui Noodle Soup is a must

try dish. The savory soup makes you feel delightfully warm and

makes you crave for more. It is a delicious comfort food.

 

Stir Fried Egg Noodles with Chicken Shrimps

and Vegetables, was so good and deserves another

serving as everyone would be asking for more.

Chinese Steamed Dimsum Basket with Sweet Bean and

Chili Sauce is perfect for an instant snack or as an appetizer.

 

Despite the discomfort of dining is a terribly small table

and low uncomfortable chairs meant for lazing and not for

dining, just for the delicious food alone, it is worthwhile to

dine in Crown Tower’s Crystal Lounge any time of the day.

 

Its a great place for a cookie milk dunking snack too. 

Read my other City of Dreams Manila blog series

Crown Towers City of Dreams 

City of DreamsManila Series 1 

Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant

City of Dreams Manila Series 2

Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers

City of Dreams Manila Series 3 

Dream Play Manila

City of Dreams Manila Series 4

Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant: City of Dreams Manila Series 2

Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant 
City of Dreams Manila Series 2 

Our room was not ready yet when we

checked- in at the Crown Towers Manila.

 

It was noontime, so we decided to eat lunch first and scouted

for a restaurant at the adjoining upscale mall,  the Boulevard, 

also located within the new City of Dreams Manila complex.

We chose Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant.

The restaurant had an ancestral Filipino ambiance,

…and when we asked what is meant by Apu, we were told

by the waiter that it was a term of endearment for an elderly

in Pampanga and they are serving Kapampangan cuisine.

 

We were taken aback for a while since my family was never a fan 
of Kapampangan cuisine. We find most of their dishes either too 
greasy or too sweet as they use a lot of sugar in their cooking.

 

They initially served us a complimentary shrimp flavored chips and 
surprisingly, it was tasty and unlike most local koropek, it wasn’t salty. 



They served the Brown Rice in  polished coconut shell.

Apu’s Sinigang na Baboy is the most perfectly cooked sinigang

that we have ever tried. It has the right degree of sourness and

one could sip the soup without having to wrinkle your face in

acerbic revulsion. The veggies were perfectly firm and crunchy,

and yet, they were neither underdone nor they were overcooked.

The pork was tender and had a very minimal subcutaneous fat.

We always order Bulanglang in any Filipino restaurant and this one

was one of the best.  Just like the sinigang, Apu has a way of cooking

their vegetables in a way that they’re not  overcooked but also not grossly

raw. The veggies retained the freshness and firmness. It also had just the

right hint of bagoong that it does not repulsively overwhelm the dish.

I love catfish and was I glad to see one in the menu- 
so I ordered a Fried Hito. It was coated with a layer
of thin breading making the skin firm and crispy,

but still tender, juicy, moist and tasty on the inside.

My son also ordered his favorite- Fried Tilapia.

Just like the catfish, the skin was crispy due to the

thin layer of breading,  and just as  juicy and tasty.

Since this was a Kapampangan restaurant we ordered Sisig,

as this dish originated from this region. It did not disappoint.

The crunchy bits of pieces of meat turns deliciously gummy

when chewed, and had a mild delightfully sour aftertaste. 

 

The Dessert Platter was a hit.

 

There was a delicious Maja Blanca,

classic an unadulterated version,

 

…creamy Leche Flan, topped with the usual caramel

but they also added whipped cream  and strawberry jam,

…the native Biko, a suman like rice cake was served

piping hot and bathed in rich, creamy chocolate sauce

lava cake style, and it was, o, soooo divinely delicious.

This lunch Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant is our most

worthwhile dining experience at the City Of Dreams Manila.

Read my other City of Dreams Manila blog series

Crown Towers City of Dreams 

City of DreamsManila Series 1 

Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant

City of Dreams Manila Series 2

Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers

City of Dreams Manila Series 3 

Dream Play Manila

City of Dreams Manila Series 4

Crown Towers City of Dreams: City of Dreams Manila Series 1

Crown Towers City of Dreams 
City of Dreams Manila Series 1

We arrived early at the Crown Towers, 

 

...one of the three hotels at the City of Dreams Manila,

 

…that would serve as our home for the Christmas Season,

where we were booked for four days and three nights.

 

The lobby of the only 6 star hotel in

the Philippines took our breaths away.

 

It was grand and opulent, and 
shone  brightly in a golden splendor.

The lobby was huge, and had several pocket lounges with
 lots comfortable lobby seats where guests could laze and relax.

 

The staff at the check in counter

was friendly and accommodating.

It took time for them to prepare our room, 
 so we decided to eat lunch at the Apu Restaurant

located at the Boulevard shopping complex,

 

…also located at the City of Dreams,

where we strolled for a while,

…until the front desk called me on my cellphone 
that our room was ready. Check- in was easy.

We however noticed that for a hotel this grand-

the hallway leading to our room was rather narrow.

We were booked on a suite called Resort King Room, 
which was located at the far end of the narrow corridor

 

Stay

Our room opens to a small foyer at the entrance, 

 

....and goes to a  floor to ceiling mirrored short
hallway that  also  serves as a walk in closet,

….leading to the bed chamber.

Our room was the standard Resort Suite and we were

 pleasantly surprised to see that it was  very spacious.

It has a gigantic king sized beds, and this is one of 
the most comfortable beds that we had as compared

to any other hotels that we stayed in the past.

 

It had a comfortable seating area, with a

comfy sofa that could be used as an extra bed.

 

It also had a round corner table that could serve as a

  dining area or could even be used as a working table,

 

...that had a welcome fruit tray when we arrived.

They also provided us with yummy holiday pastries
everyday that had a candy cane gingerbread,



...and assorted cookies.

 

It had huge flat screen TV,

…and spacious closet.

 

I had a high end coffee maker,

....a complete minibar,

 

 

…and a well stocked refrigerator.

It had a beautiful and spacious toilet,

…a nice shower area,

…provided with luxurious amenities,

….and high- end toiletries.

The room had panoramic floor to ceiling windows.

 

... with a nice view of  the awesome resort garden, 

 

… swimming pools,

 

…and the distant Manila Bay, that unfortunately

did not show the famed sunset but only the dismal

sight of the smog the covers Mania every morning.

The iconic City of Dreams Manila’s egg

dome was also visible from our window,

…and becomes a multicolored festive sight at night.

A room had three landline phones-

the first one at the bedside,

...the second one on the table,

…and a third one in the toilet.

We were very happy with the very fast

and complimentary Wi Fi connection.

Stray

The Crown Towers is one of the three high end hotels

(the other two- Nobu and Hyatt)  located at the  massive

entertainment complex, the City of Dreams Manila.  

It has it’s own exclusive casino- the Signature,

…and also has an as access to a vast casino

within the City of Dreams Manila complex.

The hotel provides a direct access to the Boulevard, a high

end shopping mall which is also a part of the complex,

…and to the awesome indoor theme park, the Dream Play,

…owned by Dreamworks and apparently,

the only one of its kind in the world.

It also offers a free electric car shuttle 
to the City of  Dreams Complex,

 

....and a shuttle bus to major malls in 
Metro Manila, Mall of Asia, included.

Play

Crown Towers Manila had a beautiful

heated outdoor swimming pool,

…and a whirlpool,

….amidst a beautifully landscaped garden.

They have a well equipped Gym which I was able 
to use extensively as we checked- in on a holiday
 and I needed to burn all the extra calories

…consumed from too much eating and

feasting during the Christmas Season.

 

They also have a high end Spa.

The Spa and the Gym had their

own common fabulous lobby,

 

…the leads to the resort poolside nearby.

With the Dream play,

…and the Boulevard just within the complex,

…guests would never run out of places

to play and stray within the hotel. 

Feast

Breakfast Buffet

Crystal Lounge

Crystal Lounge offers a delicious breakfast buffet,

…but dining there is one uncomfortable experience as 
it  was meant to be a lounge, not as a full restaurant.

 

 

The chairs are so uncomfortably low making eating

awkward as you are staring right across your food.

 

The tables were unnervingly tall and so small

that the four dinner plates would fill up the table,

leaving space for extra food and condiments.

The Crystal Lounge is also very small and guests had

to wait for hours before they could get accommodated.

 

Having breakfast in Crystal Lounge is one of the most

unpleasant experience that guests would have in the hotel.

 

The food was excellent though.

 

Tasting Room

Tasting Room is an upscale restaurant where diners

are given a more personal services for a distinctive

dining  experience with their world renown chefs.

We initially reserved for an early Noche Buena dinner there but my
mother- in- law and my sister- in- law’s big family visited us in the hotel,

 

... so we cancelled it and decided to dine at the nearby IHOP instead.

In Room Dining

On the succeeding nights, we were too lazy to dine out

so we took advantage of the all day in- room dining.

 

The food was superb and the service was excellent.

 

 

The Boulevard

The hotel is connected to a high- end shopping center

called the Boulevard the there is a unlimited choices

of excellent upscale bars restaurants and coffee shops.

 

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Crown Towers City of Dreams at City of Dreams Manila is an

upscale but surprisingly affordable hotel  and ideal for families

looking for well-appointed accommodation but traveling on a budget.

It has everything that one would look for a luxury hotel.
It has a, well- designed  comfortable suite rooms,

…the bed was very comfortable,

,,,and the  bathroom was luxurious.

It is a perfect hotel for those who just wanted

to laze around and do nothing at all as they had a

beautifully landscaped European inspired garden,

…fabulous heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi,

….and a fantastic spa.

It also has access the Boulevard,

and the Dream Play theme park,

Despite the topnotch amenities  there are several 
drawbacks that we experienced in the hotel.

First, is the uncomfortable and small breakfast area,

The Crystal Lounge that had really low chairs and

small tables meant for a lounge and not for dining.

 

Second, we found the hallways leading to the room very

narrow, not proportionate to the grandness of the hotel.

 

Third, I had to request for our free newspaper from

the front desk  everyday, when they are supposed to

routinely bring it to our room without being asked.

 

Fourth, the toiletries,  the coffee, coffee creamer packs and the
  sweeteners at the minibar were never automatically  replaced.
We had to request at the front desk  for them to be refilled.



Fifth, the cable TV conked- off during the whole

duration of our stay and failed to restore it but the staff

were courteous and apologetic of the inconvenience.

With these shortcomings albeit minor and correctible,

the hotel’s apparent six star rating is an overstatement.

When we returned to Naga City, I received a call from the manger,

who thanked us for staying in Crown Towers and inquired on how

was our stay. She apologized for the shortcomings and assured me that

they will do everything to improve their service.She promised to give

us a free upgrade to Tower 2 should we decide to stay again next time.

That was sweet. Despite the imperfections, Crown Towers Manila, remains

one of the best hotels that we have ever stayed anywhere else in the world.

I’m excited to return for the free upgrade and luxuriate in their bigger suites.

Read my other City of Dreams Manila blog series

Crown Towers City of Dreams 

City of DreamsManila Series 1 

Apu Authentic Filipino Restaurant

City of Dreams Manila Series 2

Crystal Lounge at Crown Towers

City of Dreams Manila Series 3 

Dream Play Manila

City of Dreams Manila Series 4