When I first heard of this hotel, I was reminded of one of the authors whose works I enjoyed in my high school English Literature class, William Sydney Porter, known by his pen name O. Henry. His short stories were famous for their wit and surprise endings. His “The Gift of the Magi” was my all-time favorite in my teenage years.
This hotel’s name also reminded me of Henry VIII, the King of England who, my high school World History class taught me, was the reason why the Church of England broke away from the Catholic Church. He was the king who had his wife, Anne Boleyn, beheaded, primarily because she couldn’t give him a male heir.
But what makes The Henry memorable to me is the first time I had the chance to visit it. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Philippines Chapter, I had to go along with my colleagues who decided to “try out this new hotel” and hold our board meeting there over lunch. That was early last year. I asked for directions and they told me that it is located “in that part of Harrison Street going towards Baclaran.”
Since my office is in Intramuros, my driver took Roxas Blvd. and turned north on Edsa to turn right on Harrison St. going towards the direction of Baclaran. We spent a good 45 minutes going up and down that portion of the street, but couldn’t find the hotel. I asked for help from my colleagues who couldn’t wait for me and had already started their lunch, but they insisted on its location by repeating the same directions they gave me earlier. Already upset and frustrated, I nevertheless asked the driver to check one more time, the entire length of the street, to be sure we didn’t miss it. After more than an hour of wasting gasoline and, by then, very hungry, I decided to head back to the office and skip the board meeting, and swore never to entertain thoughts of ever visiting the hotel again!
But, I probably must have been destined to get to know the hotel because, a few weeks before last Christmas, my former Hyatt Regency colleagues decided to hold our quarterly reunion dinner at the same hotel. I immediately rejected the idea and shared with them my aggravation over its location. They told me that I was given the wrong directions and, instead, they gave me simple instructions – “it is located behind our former hotel, the Hyatt Regency (now the Midas), inside a gated compound diagonally behind it.” Having been with the Hyatt Regency for so many years, I am all too familiar with Midas’ location so, this time, I easily found The Henry… and was immediately mesmerized by it, at first glance. Thank goodness I allowed myself to have that second chance.
The Henry is a 34-room boutique hotel, a little over a year old, which prides itself for being the only one of its kind in the country, and I’m inclined to agree with that. Its adaptive re-use design came to fore as its owner, Henry Lee III, decided to use existing Liberation-style houses inside a compound, and transformed them into attractive guest accommodations with Art deco-inspired Scala grilles and baldoza tiles for that authentic 1940s look.
The hotel has this unique charm that, as I entered the gate of the compound that evening, I was immediately awed by its serene beauty… lush greens all over the place, made more attractive by strategically installed accent garden lights. The luxuriant vegetation served as the perfect frame for the impressive guest accommodations lined up on one side. The elegant white main house at the end of the row serves as the property’s centerpiece where the reception desk and the main dining area are located.
The beautiful garden was designed by National Artist for Landscape Architecture Ildefonso Santos, and it adds to the hotel’s clever mix of old world romance and modern convenience. I’m not surprised that the hotel was declared Winner in the Luxury Boutique Hotel Category of the recent international Luxury Travel Guide Awards.
Interior designer Eric Paras made sure that no two guest rooms are the same in decor and aesthetic furnishings, so that repeat guests will always have something new to look forward to. The spacious rooms are designed to take guests back to the days when life was much simpler, further highlighting its old world charm, Filipino version. Of course, the food, which is supplied by top-notch Food and Beverage concessionaire, Apartment 1B, is of superior quality.
And, I’m happy to know that for those who are ready for a beautiful surprise in Cebu accommodations, The Henry Cebu is there, too, ready to captivate anyone who has the knack for the good things in life!
The Henry’s website describes itself as “a delightful surprise in highly urbanized Metro Manila… providing its guests an entirely unique experience.” Nothing could be closer to the truth than that! Having visited the hotel quite a few times after that first visit, I find myself always looking forward to the next one. I guess its charm grows on people like me who are always easily fascinated by beautiful things in the industry. Will I ever have enough of The Henry? I hope not.
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
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