Hotel Rembrandt - Quezon City

Quezon City has been nurturing me for thirty years now. It’s been my home, my school, my workplace, my love affair and my life. This is my safe haven, my refuge. You know that feeling when you’re somewhere else and all you could think of is to go home? Quezon City is home for me. I can still remember when some parts of the city were still surrounded with thick grasslands and skyscrapers were still a far-fetched idea. And as far as I can remember, Hotel Rembrandt is one of the longstanding structures in the city.

A few weeks ago, the gang (the same guys I’ve been traveling with for the past year, three are from Quezon City and one is from Malabon City) decided to have a staycation, for a change. We were looking for a place just for the weekend that could harbor us from the hassle of commuting back home after a night of partying (not those banging clubs and stuff but sort of a drinking spree night).

And Hotel Rembrandt just came up, that good old hotel that is so perfectly nearby everything you could think of when you wanna have some good time in Quezon City; spas, restaurants, bars, clubs, giant T.V. networks for celebrity-watching, and the likes (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Metro Manila).

We arrived at the hotel around dinnertime. The hotel’s restaurant, The Lobby, has a dinner buffet every Thursdays and Fridays (6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | 10 years old and below, free of charge) at 600 pesos. The sumptuous spread kept us from checking in so we’ve decided to join the feast and check out our room later.

Fried noodles, kebabs, roasted meat, sushis, chocolate fountain, and some nice dishes were included in the buffet. We stuffed ourselves with the yummy dishes before heading out to party.

We were all so full that we wanted to have some chill time on our room, finally.

Checking in was a breeze. We were assisted by the front desk officers and in no time, we were at the room.

Our Executive Deluxe Room is huge and airy which I love (hotels nowadays tend to have this cramped spaces that feels like you’re inside the elevator and not a hotel room). The two huge beds are comfy. There’s a T.V., mini bar, tea and coffee-making facilities, dining nook and an en suite toilet and bathroom (check here for discounted room rates).

I immediately picked my bed and my territory while the guys didn’t seem to care whether they have to sleep on the rug or the chair. We rested for a while and carried on with the initial plan, to party.

We went out of the hotel and looked out for a place to chill and have some bottles of beer. Just around the corner, some good 2-minute walk from the hotel, were lined up bars and restaurants and the only problem we had at that time was to where we would want to spare our time.

After finally settling in one of the grill restaurants in the area, our own version of party started. Laughters. Stories. Places. Travels. Passion. Romance. Life. Love. It was your typical 30ish, bums (by choice), singles and never-been-married kind of talk. It was totally fun. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere in the world at that time.

We were loaded but not yet smashed. And we needed a change of environment. So you’d think that we would just transfer to a bar eh? But no.

We went back to the hotel and the guys decided to go out for some shopping, beer shopping that is. They went back after a while with loads of snacks and some booze. We requested or some ice cubes and the room attendant gave us a bucketful of ice. Terrific!

The cycle of fun went on again. I was comfortably tucked under the duvets and in an instant I was in dreamland. I didn’t exactly know how or why (well, I’m the most sedated person there is) but I got into deep slumber right away, that was around midnight. I woke up effortlessly at around 4:30 a.m. (my ever trusted body clock) and noticed that everyone was awake and still having the rounds of non-stop sharing of stories; it was as if they haven’t seen each other for decades. And I easily joined them.

Waking up for breakfast during the weekends is always a task, the decision to either get up and make your own meal or just stay in bed and slumber some more is tough. But everything changes when you know that something great is waiting for you downstairs.

A breakfast buffet spread of Filipino favorites and some continental choices greeted us at Hotel Rembrandts’ lobby. It seemed to be a busy day (weddings, pictorials and stuff).

We raided the buffet spread in no time. My plate overflowed with fried rice, tocino, longganisa, hash brown and stir-fried vegetables. It was filling and satisfying.

We waited for the check-out time (12 noon) before we started to move. To where are we going? To the nearby grill restaurant and continue the cycle of fun. Good friends, fun times.