The day after our 23rd wedding anniversary, Grace and I decided to further celebrate, this time with our kids and my in-laws, at Clark in Pampanga. We arrived there after lunch and checked in at Hotel Vida. This would be my second stay (the first was during the November 2007 Flavors of Spain) and the first for the rest. We booked ourselves in 2 interconnected junior suites; Grace, the kids and I in one suite and my in-laws at the other.
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| The junior suite |
Our junior suites were each equipped with state-of the-art amenities such as electronic entry lock; IDD/NDD phone; in-room safety box; a king size bed; a spacious living room area with trundle bed, a kitchen and bar with 6 cu. ft. refrigerator, coffee-making facility and a microwave oven; a balcony, toilet & bath with bathtub and 8” ceiling-mounted shower head; and a 32” LCD cable TV.
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| Salt Coffee Shop |
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| Swimming pool area |
The hotel was planned and laid out in such a way that natural ventilation, access to visually-stunning and picture-perfect views and use of space is optimized, thus providing a light and airy environment that exudes total relaxation and comfort, qualities which every guest will always look forward to.
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| Posing at the hotel lobby |
The lobby is naturally lit by a skylight and huge fixed glass windows. Similar windows provide an open and light feeling to the 110-pax restaurant and the 45-pax, open-air veranda pool view area, with its expansive views of the hotel pool and the lush, green surroundings.
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| Hotel Vida facade |
The hotel’s modern but Southeast Asian-inspired façade, conveying both comfort and luxury, is a contrast of structure and nature. Contrast is achieved through the combination of smooth walls against rough wood slate cladding. Aside from its abundant water features and lush vegetation, the unique, modern tropical theme is further emphasized by the exterior’s use of earth tone colors such as beige, brown and gray. Indigenous materials are used to enhance the tropical theme, through modern and innovative means. The interiors also mirror the same tropical and Asian influences of the façade, with its contrast of wall texture (smooth walls complimented by the roughness and hardness of natural stone).