EATStaycation Weekend at Clark Marriott Hotel

Once in a while it is good to veer away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Amidst the busy schedule and fast paced life in the city, a quick getaway is usually an option to relax and rejuvenate before starting a new week. And just last weekend, together with our friends, we had our share of enjoying an overnight trip outside the city. Have you heard of the newly opened Marriott Hotel in Clark? If so, then good for you. If not, then this post of ours hopefully might interest you or better yet, get you going. In this edition of EATSplorations, join us as we share about our EATStaycation Weekend at Clark Marriott Hotel! Enjoy!

EATStaycation Weekend at Clark Marriott Hotel!

All of us in the trip reside at different parts of the Metro, so we have decided to meet at Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong City. Our meeting time was at 7:30 a.m. and with just one stop over, we arrived Clark at almost 10:00 a.m. That makes our trip more or less 2 and a half hours. Which wasn’t pretty bad because the flow of the traffic was quite good at that time. Clark Marriott is located at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

Clark Marriott is the first 5-star hotel in the Clark Freeport Zone and we were excited to explore what it has to offer. Upon entering the lobby, the chandelier caught our attention. We were told that it was inspired by the ash fall when Mt. Pinatubo erupted. And you know what is more interesting? Some of the decors of the hotel were made from lahar. It’s great that an international chain that still managed to put some local touches to accentuate the hotel.

The Lounge

The Lounge is one of the in-house restaurants of the hotel. It is just located in the lobby right next to the reception area. It is perfect for those who are there early before check-in and for those who are waiting for check-out. The lounge has comfortable sofas that’ll make you want to just laze around while enjoying some snack or drink.

As we made our way inside we saw that the hotel’s structure is pretty straightforward. Front desks and lounge right upon entering, which we think is convenient for guests not having to walk far or look for the reception area for checking-in. We loved that they have full windows that makes the lobby area bright and welcoming. The staff were all so friendly and accommodating that gave us an impression that we were in for a good weekend.

Urban Coffee

Urban Coffee is Clark Marriott’s in-house coffee shop. If you love coffee and want some cakes or pastries to go with it, Urban Coffee is a good spot for you to unwind or catch up on some work.

They have a variety of cakes, cookies and pastries. They also have different types of caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks. By the way, we learned that they use local coffee beans for their coffee, and they are selling it too. For the non-coffee drinkers, they have other beverages as well.

We tried one of their best sellers, the Italian Cafe Mocha and we got Strawberries & Cream for Baby Eats. We loved the strong coffee flavor of the Italian Cafe Mocha. It wasn’t overwhelming because the mocha flavor gave a good balance to it. And of course, Baby Eats enjoyed her drink. She finished the whipped cream as she alternately sipped the creamy strawberry.

Our Room – Deluxe King

After having some drinks at Urban Coffee, we headed up to our room as soon as we were told that it was ready. A note, a fruit platter and some polvoron was what welcomed us in our cozy and spacious Deluxe King room.

The room itself was really spacious, and so is the bathroom. We liked that it gives an option of using a handheld shower head or the rain shower. Complete with all the necessities, guests can just come without having to worry about toiletries.

Our Deluxe King room has a lovely view of Mt. Arayat which we enjoyed looking at while we sat on the daybed. And we also enjoyed the sunrise view the following day which caught the attention of our little one because the colors of the sky was lovely.

Goji Kitchen + Bar

Goji Kitchen + Bar is the all-day dining restaurant of Clark Marriott. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet here and they also have a la carte menu.

Hues of brown, black and gray with yellow dimmed lights made our EATSperience warm and cozy. Nothing so intricate with the decors but it indeed gave us a good time chatting with our friends while enjoying the food.

Goji + Kitchen Bar has quite a number of live cooking stations and the kitchen staff accommodated requests really well. The wait staff on the other hand were very attentive to our needs. All in all, a memorable lunch EATSperience because of them!

Lunch buffet spread had a variety of cuisines. A good selection of Chinese, Western, Japanese and Filipino dishes, a bread and pastry spread, a noodle bar, a pasta station and the dessert station. We personally loved the carving station that served juicy and meaty pork belly. The Japanese station with an array of sushi rolls and the Western dishes including the pasta station that serves pasta that is cooked on the spot. We were just too full that’s why we had to stop eating. If we had more room, we would have eaten more and got more of our personal favorites because we really enjoyed the well-executed and flavorful dishes.

Pool and Pool Bar

After having lunch, we decided to head back to our room to rest first. We needed to let Baby Eats have her afternoon nap to energize. And guess what, we fell asleep too, haha! When we all had our much needed afternoon nap, we were ready to explore more of Clark Marriott. We haven’t seen the pool yet so we went straight there and checked it out. They have a pool area that is perfect for families and for guests who like to have a couple of drinks by the pool.

Kids Club

Another reason to like Clark Marriott is their Kids Club! Baby Eats has been waiting for the time that we would bring her here so that she can play.

We loved the interior of the Kids Club. The colors, pictures, toys, books and structure are all inviting. Kids will surely have a great time while their parents relax. A win-win idea for both parents and kids. However, only children ages 4 and up may be left on their own under the guidance of the Kids Club staff. Children below 4 years old should be accompanied by an adult. Well, this can be a good bonding place for parents who have children that are below 4 years old, right?

Gym and Quan Spa

If they have an area for kids to enjoy, they also have an area for adults to enjoy too. Their health and wellness amenities includes the gym and the Quan Spa.

We didn’t bring any sports wear but we were ready for a relaxing body massage.

The moment we entered Quan Spa, we instantly felt calm. The aroma and the calming music felt so relaxing. After giving us a menu of their services, Mr. Eats went for a full body massage, while Mrs. Eats went for a foot massage. Baby Eats had her own share of a foot massage too. The masseuse was kind enough to grant our request to use a couple minutes of Mrs. Eats’ massage time to Baby Eats. After the services, we were given hot tea and some dried mangoes. Talk about a complete spa EATSperience!

Smoki Moto – Korean Restaurant

And when it was time for dinner, we headed up to the 17th floor to try out Smoki Moto. Smoki Moto is their in-house Korean restaurant with a Japanese fusion. It is also their roof top bar that has an overlooking view of Clark.

Perfect for an intimate dinner or a night cap. A modern yet classy interior with industrial lights adding to its cozy ambiance. Smoki Moto has an outdoor dining area, if guests want an Al fresco dining. They also have tables with grills for those who are into BBQ. And private rooms for their teppanyaki sets that will be cooked right in front of you.

Now onto the food. We had some Korean classics like Bibimbap, Japchae, Bulgogi, Kimchi Stew and some salad. We loved the authenticity in flavor and the serving sizes that is good enough for 2-3 people. Our favorites were the Bulgogi and Bibimbap. The Korean chef and head staff were there to welcome us and the wait staff were very accommodating. After a lovely Korean dinner, it was time to head back to our room and to look forward to breakfast. Haha!

Breakfast at Goji Kitchen+ Bar

Since we loved our lunch buffet at Goji Kitchen+ Bar, we were excited for breakfast. Again, a nice variety of dishes to choose from. From breads, to omelette, to waffles and pancakes, to noodle soups and congees, to Filipino classics and breakfast staples. One will not go hungry.

Our personal favorites in their breakfast spread were the juicy and sweet ham, the crispy bacon, the comforting noodle soup, and their Filipino classics— adobo and garlic rice. We actually tried more and we loved every dish that we chose. There’s more to rave about their buffet spread and if you are a breakfast person, you will surely enjoy their offerings.

Can you tell if Baby Eats had a great weekend at Clark Marriott? Just by looking at her smile, we knew that she definitely had a great weekend. It has been quite some time since we last visited Clark Freeport Zone. And we’re glad that we had the opportunity to re-visit and see what Clark has to offer. Having the newly opened Clark Marriott, tourists and locals alike has gotten a great option of choosing to stay at a 5-star hotel with excellent service. Not sure how many times the word accommodating and friendly came out in this article, but we sure did have a good time and we will definitely plan when to come back. That’s it for this edition of EATSplorations, ’till next time!