Rediscovering Manila

GOING away for the weekend’ somehow always gives the impression of heading to the beach, going up the mountains, or driving far off to the countryside—simply to take a quick, quiet breather from fast-paced city life.

After a hectic work week, the last thing on one’s mind would be to get on board the first flight to Manila—a bigger metropolis that’s twice as busy to get that much needed dose of relaxation. But one weekend, Charles Lim, director of Selrahco Management, whisked us away to the big city for that particular purpose, proving to us that despite the mazelike highways and towering buildings, it’s all about knowing where to go.

He took us to Resorts World Manila, an integrated resort just across Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3. From the terminal’s arrival hall, it only took a three-minute drive to reach our destination. And in that sprawling 12-hectare property that sits on the privately-developed Newport City is where we stayed for the entire weekend, getting a glimpse of what makes it the integrated resort (read: all-in-one) it claims to be.

We stayed in the budget-friendly Remington Hotel, one of Resorts World’s three accommodations, where upon check-in, after seeing the brochures, newsletters and event calendars lined up on the counter, we were already overwhelmed. What to do first?

After treating us to lunch in the café of the nearby Maxims Hotel, Charles toured us around the upscale Newport Mall, which basically interconnects the three-floor casino (said to be the largest casino floor in the country), RWM’s dining outlets, the Newport Performing Arts Theater, the Newport Ultra Cinema, the two-floor arcade GameZoo and the trendy RepubliQ Superclub. Charles also gave us our own Resorts World Manila membership cards to prep us for our stay.

There are over 50 dining outlets inside the resort, offering choices ranging from Chinese, French, Filipino, Japanese to Singaporean cuisine as well as fast food for the kiddies. Its cinemas, the only ones in the country to operate 24 hours on weekends, have reclining chairs and a butler service.

As for my personal favorite, GameZoo, features classic arcade games like car racing, air hockey and basketball plus an ultramodern 6D theater simulator.

Opened in 2009, Resorts World is a subsidiary of Malaysian tourism conglomerate Genting Group. The entertainment tourism brand has counterparts in Malaysia, New York and Singapore. And recently, it has been announced that the Philippines will soon have its second Resorts World in Entertainment City, which is within the reclamation area of Manila Bay.

Our two-day stay also happened to be the jumpstart for the resort’s summer parties. Called Epic Summer: Kickoff Pool Party, it was a weekend of wet and wild revelry featuring international guest DJs, mental and art magic by Zlwin Chew, fire dancing exhibitions as well as a fashion show. The event was hosted by KC Montero and Issa Litton, and was a well-attended affair drawing the young bloods of Manila’s social scene.

Lastly, the highlight of the weekend was the lavish and award-winning Resorts World musical production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I in the Newport Performing Arts Theater on Sunday afternoon.

The lovely and heartwarming tale of Siam’s King Mongkut and schoolteacher Anna featured an all-Filipino ensemble: Nonie Buencamino and Bo Cerrudo playing the role of King Mongkut, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Sheila Valderrama playing the role of Anna with stage costumes by Rajo Laurel and music by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Rodel Colmenar. And we were lucky to catch one of its last shows before it wraps up this May!

Following its success will be another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Cinderella, which Resorts World plans to stage this October, with Christian Bautista and Karylle in the lead roles.

Three days of being in Resorts World Manila and we hardly felt cooped up; there was much to do, and plenty more to come back for. It lives up to its name of being an integrated resort a one stop destination that would take more than a ‘weekend getaway’ to truly enjoy all its wonders.

Rediscovering Manila