EATStaycation at Citadines Bay City Manila

Staycation in the city is the closest thing a family can do when driving out-of-town is not feasible for a weekend bonding. Some families are willing to spend an overnight stay or even longer just to have that quality time together. And in a span of 3 years that we have been back here in Manila, we noticed that there has been a good number of hotels or serviced apartments as options for families, for couples or for friends. In this edition of EATSplorations, we will be sharing about one of our recent EATStaycation EATSperience here in the Metro. Want to know the newest serviced apartment where we had our recent EATStaycation? Keep reading and join us as we talk about our EATStaycation at Citadines Bay City Manila! Enjoy!

EATStaycation at Citadines Bay City Manila!

Serviced apartments are usually located in areas like the cities of Makati, Taguig (BGC) and Ortigas. Mainly because these are the CBD areas. And to our surprise, we found one in Pasay City. Areas like Macapagal Boulevard and the Mall of Asia complex has been up and coming with lots of corporate buildings. Perfect for Citadines to build one of their serviced apartments in this part of the metro. Located at Diosdado Macapagal Blvd cor. Coral Way, Pasay City, Citadines Bay City Manila is just behind W Mall (if you are familiar with it).

We were welcomed by Citadines Bay City’s friendly staff and warm hues of brown and blue. We felt at home right away! Thank you, Citadines Bay City.

Our impression of serviced apartments is, it usually gives that ‘uptight’ feels or condo feels. But when we entered Citadines Bay City, it was different! One wouldn’t think that it is a serviced apartment, because of the interior and the vibe that it gives. Just like how we felt! The ambiance felt so cozy and homey and it was just the lobby area. Imagine our excitement to check out our room when we had that first impression of this serviced apartment!

Now up to the 7th floor to see our room! Of course, the little one was too excited that she went running in the hallway. Haha. We stayed at their 1-bedroom premier room which we think is a perfect fit for families. Complete with dining and living room areas with a separate section for the bedroom. And with a kitchen, so if you are in the mood for whipping up some great meal, you can! 

We loved the consistency in colors Citadines has. From the lobby all the way to the interior of the room. Very warm and homey, that it made us feel like we just wanted to laze around all day!

Onto the bathroom! Very spacious and we must say, really really clean! The little one enjoyed bath time because of the rain shower. Haha.

And to the part where we spent most of our time—bedroom! Staycations are meant for resting and sleeping, right? Haha. The bedroom was spacious too, that our baby kept walking around, exploring every corner. 

Meet Cito the bear and Baby Eats! The moment she saw Cito the bear sitting on the bed, she immediately got it and hugged it like she found a long lost friend of hers. This bear made our baby really happy. Thank you, Citadines! Oh and Cito is wearing a Barong Tagalog! How cute is that?!?

Another thoughtful surprise that welcomed us upon entering the room. A basket of goodies with munchies and drinks to enjoy our family movie time!

Citadines Bay City has an in-house restaurant that is called Bay City Cafe. It is at the ground floor where the lobby area is located.

After checking-in and settling down, we started feeling hungry so we headed to Bay City Cafe for dinner. Casual-dining area lit by white and yellow lights. Since the whole place is fairly new and it started operating last November 2018, the menu at Bay City Cafe is still a work in progress. But pretty much they have a good variety of dishes of different cuisines.

Since we were kind of hungry, we ordered Pork Sinigang! Haha! Their serving style is, the soup is separated from the meat and vegetables. Which helped to keep the vegetables have that crunch in every bite. The soup had a good balance of sour and salty flavors and the pork was so tender. A cup of rice was not missed when we had this!

A famous Indonesian dish, Mee Goreng! Stringy noodles cooked in kecap manis and chili sambal. Topped with chicken, bok choy, carrots, bean sprouts, fried shallots, cilantro, spring onions and fried egg with a serving of prawn crackers on the side. Sounds good? Well, it is good! The heat from the chili sambal was on point and was complemented well by the flavor of the kecap manis that covered the noodles really well. If you love spicy food, this is a must-try!

Kare-Kare is one dish that cannot be out of the menu if a restaurant is serving Filipino food. Bay City Cafe serves up a Kare-Kare dish that is good for 3-4 persons. We loved the creamy texture and the sweet with a strong nutty flavor of this dish. The beef and ox tripe were cooked well too. Happy tummy, belly full! Time to rest and be ready for the next day. 

“Wake up mommy! Wake up daddy! It is morning already!” Yup, she woke up ahead of us! Because she was too excited to swim. One thing she looks forward to when we have staycations is the pool! So we decided to get out of bed and made this little one enjoy splashing in the pool.

The gym, pool and pool bar is located at the 5th floor.

The gym is fully equipped with different exercise machines and tools and it is facing the pool area. That’ll make you want to workout while on a vacation! We only have this one photo because there were guests working out and we respect their privacy.

The pool bar is just next to the gym in front of the pool area. Care for some drinks while taking a break from swimming? This spot right here is for ya!

Despite being a serviced apartment which is usually catered for business travelers, Citadines Bay City Manila has a kiddie pool. So travelers with kids get to enjoy this amenity too!

It also has a huge sunbathing area covered with grass mats and there are daybeds for chilling. It’s IG friendly, too!

Enough of the place, time for swimming! The moment we stepped out from the pool bar, this little girl wanted to jump in the pool right away!

Water was cold and pool is not heated, good thing we decided to swim when the sun was starting to warm up the water. The cold water didn’t stop Baby Eats from enjoying the pool. And of course it took a lot of convincing before she agreed that it was time to shower and be ready for breakfast.

After a morning dip at the pool, everyone was hungry! Time for our complimentary breakfast buffet at the Bay City Cafe.

Bay City Cafe has the breakfast classics covered. From Filipino to Western breakfast staples. They have vegetarian options, too!

Cheese and bread station. Where you can also toast your loaf bread of choice.

Egg station that has omelette, hard-boiled and sunny-side up eggs. The veggie omelette is worth a try!

Crispy bacon? Yes please! And some other dishes were pork tocino, chicken pastel, roasted potatoes (which Mr. Eats really loved). There’s also a pancake station, a selection of cereals, salad and juices.

We enjoyed eating the crispy bacon and the roasted potatoes. The garlic rice, tocino and chicken pastel were a hit too!

While were lounging around after breakfast, we had a room service surprise from Citadines. More food!! We love how they serve their in-room dining food. Plates/bowls placed on a wooden tray with description cards that gives you knowledge about the food that you ordered. Isn’t that cool? Especially for foreigners or first-time eaters alike. You ain’t just gonna eat, you’ll learn too! We were served a big bowl of chocolaty and creamy champorado with crispy tawilis, a set of beef pares and a bowl of tapsilog. We were stuffed from breakfast but these three were irresistible! Really. really tasty and good! Would love to have these again when we stay at Citadines Bay City.