Le Monet Hotel | LAKWATSA

I did not imagine Vigan will ever have a four-storey luxury hotel. And yet Hotel Luna blends with the heritage village perfectly.

An old mansion has been converted into Hotel Luna, complete with a grand staircase leading to a spacious upstairs living room that has been turned into a museum. The rooms, typical of old-world mansions, are big. Mine was a Loft Suite (P11,000 per night) with probably 50+ square meters of floor area. It had a comfortable living room with an L-type soft cushioned lounge set, a desk, the coffee and tea bar, plus the wardrobe that came with a room safe. On the same level is a huge bathroom, the size of a room in budget hotels. It had a bathtub reminiscent of the old days, a bath tub with “feet”. The shower stall is separate from the tub. The lavatory is wide and came with a complete set of amenities. The toilet seat is high-tech, with all those buttons for the various functionalities, including warming the seat cover. They also have regular and de-luxe rooms. Please check the website listed below, where you can make inquiries on room rates.

Breakfast was served at the COMEDOR, a lovely restaurant. The buffet was sumptuous, and the choices were as varied as when I have buffet breakfasts in high-end Makati hotels. And artwork enhanced the setting.

A Ramon Orlina piece at the breakfast/dining area

The Museum

I first saw a hotel that had artwork by masters in a Baguio Hotel, and I found out Hotel Luna is also from the same group that owns and runs Le Monet in Baguio. The museum is at the second floor of the heritage building, from the grand staircase.

La Mandolinera by Juan Luna, Year 1800

Lovers of art and culture will spend good time appreciating paintings and sculpture by national artists. Amorsolo. Vicente Manansala. Federico Alcuaz, Ramon Orlina. BenCab. Eduardo Castrillo. Guillermo Tolentino. Arturo Luz. Abdulmari Asia Imao. Malang. And even 1800s works by Juan Luna, plus a reproduction of his Spoliarium.

Sarimanok series by Abdulmari Imao

an Arturo Luz

Dos Marias by Federico Alcuaz

Guillermo Tolentino, an untitled 1957 work

BenCab

Malang

a reproduction of Juan Luna’s Spoliarium

FOUR-STOREY HOTEL

Surely there were no tall structures in those days. The 4-storey structure must have been a beautiful addition beside the old heritage mansion. At the center of the 4-storey hotel area is a swimming pool with tables around for drinks and casual dining. On top of the fourth-level , accessed via a scenic elevator, is the Azotea, the rooftop deck where my friends and I had drinks and bar chow.

The scenic elevator that leads to the AZOTEA

Truly, Vigan has turned world-class with Hotel Luna.

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portion of the ground floor lobby

Website: http://hotelluna.ph/

Claude Monet (photo from wikipedia)

Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement’s philosophy of expressing one’s perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting (wikipedia)

Many years back, I went to his house in Giverny, now a major tour destination in France. Easily the most memorable images the visitor will have are the many beautiful spots in his garden. The bridge, the lotus pond, water lilies . . . . The garden was his workshop where he taught other aspiring artists, and has become the subject of presumably thousands of paintings by impressionists, including Monet himself.

Such was the influence of Monet to me that when I saw a construction in John Hay that was to be called Le Monet, I told myself that I will stay at least a night in this new hotel once it opens. And so here I am.Le Monet is next door to the Filling Station, a row of restaurants offering burgers, pizzas, Japanese food, and ice cream, among others.

The lobby gives one a preview of what to expect from the hotel rooms. Not grand. Just nice, clean, and impressive.

The famous Dinelli has moved from the Filling Station to the hotel, and is now its coffee shop.

The lobby cafe has a glass window that opens to the pine trees on the road.

And, quite naturally, there is abundance of art, by the masters no less. National Artists all.

Ang Kiukok

Jose Joya

THE ROOMS

There are two types of accommodations. De luxe at P5,500 a night, and Junior Suite at P7,000. I would rate the room 4-star, and I dare say my de luxe room is better than the room I used to stay in at The Manor Hotel.

my de luxe room with a forest view, at P5,500 less 30% (off peak)

there’s cable TV at the bathroom

complimentary coffee and tea – – where’s the other cup?

the other cup was at the veranda, as I had coffee

pine trees all around

the view from my room

The Junior Suite

forest view bath tub in a Junior Suite

Room rates include a sumptuous breakfast for 2 at Dinelli. My breakfast consisted of macaroni salad, greek salad, and quail egg salad and tender beef tapa, longaniza, corned beef and tocino. Whew, I thought I ate more than I should !

Le Monet is also the only hotel I have been to in the Philippines where there is television in the toilet, separate from the plasma on the wall in the bedroom.I also loved having my morning coffee at the veranda with a forest of pine trees and a view of the mountains. I missed having a drink at the Malt Room, the hotel’s bar where smoking is allowed.Le Monet has wifi, a spa, and a swimming pool (soon). The horse riding trail, the butterfly sanctuary, the eco trail, and picnic tables are just outside the property.

There is a Le Monet Garden being created at the side and the back of the hotel.

how I wish Giverny would be re-created here

I only wish they would re-create Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny. And then the hotel and its garden will truly be a destination.Giverny garden or not, I still love this hotel and will surely recommend to friends and fellow travelers.

WHAT I MISSED :

Cotton buds, cotton balls, and a safe in the room.

Contact Details:

Le Monet Hotel

Ordonio Drive, Camp John Hay

Loakan Road, Baguio City

Trunk Line : 074 6610208

Manila Sales Office

Telephone 3765059

http://www.lemonethotel.ph

UPDATE : I received an email from Le Monet announcing the special rate, as follows :

Greetings from the City of Pines and Le Monet Hotel!

We have great news for you, your family, and friends. From
June 15 to October 15, 2012, Le Monet Hotel will offer its “VALUE PLUS
PROMO.”

The following are the details of Le Monet Hotel’s Value Plus
Promo:

*Deluxe accommodation for two (2), for as low as Php3,850
net, inclusive of buffet breakfast
*Free accommodation for children age 12 years and below,
when sharing room and bed with parents
*50% discount for children age 5 to 12 years on buffet
breakfast
*Free breakfast for children age 4 years and below

Prior reservation is highly recommended, to ensure
availability of rooms! (end of mail)

THE FILLING STATION

What an appropriate name. Here is where you fill up when you are hungry. And the whole complex is connected to the hotel.

al fresco dining or coffee at the veranda of the Filling Station, with direct access from Le Monet Hotel

pizzas, Japanese, and ice cream

the roadside al fresco seating

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Tag Archives: Le Monet Hotel

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