Saturday, October 31, 2015

The Henry Hotel Manila

I have this huge fascination with Manila's old world charm. Behind those towering walls and gates, I dreamt of the 19th century aristocratic "alta de sociedad" families born in wealth accustomed to elegant mansion living.

The Henry Hotel Manila is a dream come true for heritage lovers who appreciate the aesthetics and architecture of the 1950s.

A 34 room boutique hotel spread across 5 clusters of heritage houses including its own White House Mansion and Apartment 1B in-house restaurant.

Kudos to Hanky Lee, Chairman of Innovoterra Properties for "evoking the old yet not-loosing-its-feel" theme. The Henry has every imaginable comforts found in any modern hotel.

Venture into the realms of sensuality. Approach is gentle, with a nostalgic touch of old world charm

Only the National Artist for Landscape Architecture Ildefonso Santos can truly understand how a 1950s garden looks like.

Think tall acacia tree lined driveway with popular indigenous old plants down memory lane: palmeras, santana, lampana and champaca.

There are 6 classic rooms with 1 suite room per cluster. These houses are interconnected by a pathway from the brilliant minds of architect Justin Basco.

Musings of an old soul. Do you seem to have a special connection to eras long before you were born?

In love with these 1900s rustic Baldozzas ( now Machuca ) Mediterranean tiles with sophisticated border motifs.

Food by renowned Apartment 1B. House salad. Walnuts, grapes, blue cheese and raspberry vinaigrette.

Spaghetti Vongole. Manila clams, basil, white wine, tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. Still dreaming of this wonderful pasta til now.

Grilled porkchop in Apple Sauce with veggies. You may opt for rice or mashed potato.

Another surprise awaits! Inside the compound is fashion designer Jojie Lloren's atelier and Albert Avellana's gallery of extraordinary art.

Eric Paras, the designer behind The Henry Hotel has its own furniture gallery inside the compound. That's a total of 3 clusters of houses full of creative juices flowing.

Come nighttime, a splendid grandiose awaits!

Entering the portal to another time, one can't help but be romanced by the vibe the scene evokes.

A peak of the classic room. Think old wooden aparadors with modern lighting fixtures. Mesmerized. My eyes are craving for more!

Iron window grills? another check for this highly intriguing boutique hotel.

Corporate social responsibility comes in through handmade items from Kamay Kraft, an NGO Group. Mini bar with carefully sourced exciting Filipino delicacies like dried mangoes in chocolate, biscocho, casuy and banana chips.