seda hotel, bgc

The deafening firecrackers and the neighbors’ loud videoke sessions ‘til the wee hours of the morning were the primary motivations behind our decision to check in at a hotel for New Year’s eve. The past couple of years has taught us that staying at home and trying to bear the noise is no fun at all, especially when you have a little kid who’s already tired and would like to sleep (or kami mismo ni Mike yun at excuse lang si Sloan lol).

Mike booked us a room at Seda Hotel in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

I’ve read good reviews about the place and I was really excited about our stay, even if it was only for a single night. Was I satisfied with the experience? Read on and find out.

Well, the first thing I noticed while Mike was checking us in and we were waiting at the lobby was how there was an Asian man in hotel bathrobe and slippers right at the ground floor restaurant Misto :P

In fairness... masyadong kinareer ni kuya ang katagang "feel at home" :D Medyo nakaka-bother hahaha! I wish Seda would impose a rule that guests come properly dressed in their restaurants, as is the policy in other hotels. I remember sa Discovery Hotel in Ortigas, guests coming in for the breakfast buffet are not allowed to come in hotel slippers, much less bathrobes hehe.

Moving on...

PARKING. It seems Seda has a limited parking capacity because when we got there, we were informed that it was already full and were instructed to go to the parking lot right beside the hotel. Not to worry, you can have your ticket validated so you won’t have to pay for anything. I’m not sure how it would be though if that place where we parked is already full – may iba namang malapit na parking areas pero syempre not as convenient na compared to the one right within the hotel, or at least beside it.

CUSTOMER SERVICE. It was excellent! A couple of days before our stay, we received a call from the front desk saying that they would like to minimize traffic during check-in, and so would we be interested in checking in earlier? We said yes to this, because it would be more convenient for us. We were asked to choose among different check-in hours, probably to control the number of people they would be accommodating per schedule. We opted for an 11 am check-in.

During our stay, everyone in the team was very pleasant and courteous – from the front desk staff to the kitchen crew to the pool attendants.

Oh, and I also liked how there were Christmas songs softly playing in the elevator :)

ROOM. We requested for a non-smoking room and, if possible, one on a higher floor. Both were granted; however, upon entering our room on the 11th floor, I immediately sniffed the faint scent of cigarette (my strong sense of smell is both a blessing and a curse hehe). A sign on the desk indicated that it was indeed a non-smoking room, and even warned of a fine for any mess that cigarette-smoking may bring about. My guess is that may isang matigas ang ulo among those who occupied the room before us and violated the rule.

The room was clean, the pillows were soft, and the bed was comfy - but I have to say our Mandaue Foam bed at home is comfier. Baka biased or namamahay lang ako hehe.

As for the bathroom, it was also spic and span. No tub, just a good old shower. A complete set of toiletries were displayed in the bathroom and I loved the packaging so I took it home haha :D I expected that there would be a bidet but there was none.

The room had the usuals: a tv, phone, a media panel, a mini bar, a daybed, a work area, and wifi. We were also given a complimentary banana cake since it was New Year's eve. Sloan gobbled every bit of that so I assume it was good :)

POOL AREA. Mike and I made sure to book a hotel that had a decent pool area because Sloan had been requesting to go swimming. Seda’s pool area is pretty small, but thankfully, it wasn’t very crowded and it was mostly kids using it so Sloan was able to interact with his fellow tiny humans.

The pool attendant was on his toes, keeping watch over the guests and attending to needs like towels and stuff.

One thing about being in the pool area: it works up an appetite. Not because swimming leaves you exhausted and makes you hungry; but because on certain hours, the smell of the food being cooked in the kitchen makes its way to the pool area. There are function rooms on the same floor, and at that time, meals were being served there – probably because there were a lot of guests and the small lobby restaurant Misto could not accommodate everyone at one go. I imagine it’s the same thing whenever there’s an event taking place. One time we were swimming, we smelled salpicao cooking and were immediately reminded that it was time for lunch. Hehe :)

The pool is at the second floor so it doesn't really offer a spectacular view - just that of the construction right beside Seda hehehe. But it didn't matter because we were all happy enough to be wading in the pool.

FOOD. With BGC peperred with lots of restaurants, we didn’t really get to try anything at the hotel apart from those offered in the breakfast buffet – which were good! It had the basics: garlic rice, pasta, a fish fish, chicken and pork adobo, chocolate croissants, cinnamon rolls, fruits (peaches - yum), chocolate porridge, and congee. My favorite was the adobo because it was really yummy :) As for drinks, they have coffee, hot chocolate, and a variety of juices.

From what I’ve read, breakfast buffet is usually served at Misto (with a sushi platter too), though as mentioned, these were served in the function room on the second floor. Since they have huge round tables there, you might find yourself seated with other people.

LOCATION. This was a primary consideration for us mainly because we have a kid in tow so we had to make sure that there would be other forms of leisure available. With Seda conveniently located in BGC, we had access to parks and malls. We enjoyed exploring the Skypark in SM Aura, as well as the open areas of Bonifacio High Street.

Overall, Seda Hotel gets a thumbs up from me and I would definitely recommend staying there. It's isn't super grand but the interiors are lovely (here's a read on that), the basic facilities you would need are available, and again, the customer service is superb. Let's just hope, in case you prefer a non-smoking room, that the previous occupants of the room you will be assigned to adhered to that policy :P