February 17, 2010

Good afternoon. Good morning.

The Philippine Plaza's lagoon-shaped swimming pool has been famous in Metro Manila since the 1970s when National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin designed it for the Westin group. In 2005, Sofitel took over its operations and refurbished the entire hotel, including the pool which now has bright blue tiles.

lagoon-shaped swimming pool of Sofitel Manila

Sofitel Manila has every right to boast that it is Metro Manila's only resort hotel. With twelve acres of landscaped gardens beside Manila Bay, it is easy to forget that the big, bustling metropolis is just a kilometer away.

Sofitel Manila's swimming pool and gardens beside Manila Bay

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.
Watery Wednesday

47 comments:

James Mark said...

Much more attractive than the municipal pools here! Impressive shots.

Anonymous said...

One would love to become a bird flying into one of your photographies.
Years now that I last went to swim - thank you for the memories.

A wonderful Wednesday for you.

MurciaDailyPhoto said...

I love the view of the second picture: what peace, what peace of mind.

Martha Z said...

A beautiful place for a relaxing vacation.

Lorac said...

Such a gorgeous pool and the view over the ocean is fantastic! Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

it's really pretty, and in the middle of the metropolis to boot. how convenient to "get away" without going away.

Don and Krise said...

Twelve acres! Wow! What a wonderful place. I'd only need to go into town once in a while for supplies, then I'd be back. Those tiles create such a striking blue color, especially when viewed from above as you've shown us. Very nice Hilda.

Frank said...

What a grogeous hotel and fabulous view.

How did you get up to take the shot. Fantastic vantage point.

Hilda, the pool is so inviting.

Lowell said...

This is a beautiful pool; reminds me a little of the one here at Stone Creek...but we don't have Manila Bay and it's not as big and fancy as this!

I'd guess the Sofitel Manila is a bit pricey!

maritz said...

nice site and very nationalistic... add me pls..

Tara said...

That is so scenic and a great top view shot.

RJ said...

Pool and resorts... seems 'My Manila' can't wait for the start of summer! o",)

(I've been to this hotel once- part of work.)

Momgen said...

Wow this is cool...Happy watery Wednesday. Mine is up too.

Mine is here

Unknown said...

we used to swim on Saturdays at the Westin in the 80's...it was the "in" thing.:p love the new blue--so inviting! looks like you spent the Valentine weekend at Sofitel.:p

Louis la Vache said...

So, did you take a dip after getting the shot?
It looks like it would be hard to resist!

Ebie said...

A very scenic and great location in the the middle of the City!

Love the view from the top!

Unseen Rajasthan said...

Beautiful post and beautiful shots !! Amazing !!

Mirela said...

I can see myself lounging on one of the beach chairs next to the pool........

Jilly said...

Two lovely shots - makes me long for some warmer weather here.

Peter said...

I like Sofitel, member since 2 years ago I think, I'm not sure if they've finished the pool though, last January it was still under construction. ~ Peter, www.mymanila.net

Olivier said...

allez GO je saute dans la piscine ;o) cela donne envie (surtout qu'a Evry c'est pluie et ciel triste)

nuts said...

oh i can't believe of the view and this is from sofitel hotel?
the place looks like in a very private resort away from the manila. very amazing shots!

Anonymous said...

I really love your second photograph, where the sea meets the sky!

Regina said...

How beautiful. Love the view here.

eileeninmd said...

The pool looks beautiful, looks ike a wonderful place to stay in Manila.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Wow! This is quite exotic and such a stunning view of the water and palms!

Anonymous said...

amazing place. very beautiful captures

Hootin Anni said...

That 2nd photo is astounding!!

My Wednesday post is OCEAN TIDE. I'd love you to visit!! Have a great day.

Kim said...

That looks very inviting. Does the resort allow access to the community or does one need to be a hotel guest to swim? Great shots, Hilda!
-Kim

brattcat said...

What a dreamy place to stay.

Joe Todd said...

Love the blue of the pool and what a great design

Zyzzyz said...

A 12-acre hotel sounds massive.

Lois said...

It looks like a tropical paradise!

Verna Luga said...

Was away for two days it was only today that I have updated my blog...

It's a great view from the top.... nice place Hilds, di pa ako nagawi rito...

Halcyon said...

What a fantastic pool! I bet it's a lot of fun to swim in, especially for the kiddies.

Anonymous said...

Now that's what I call 'A Bird's Eye View'! LoL! Cool shots

JTG (Misalyn) said...

Great shots Ms. Hilda, i like the first one. The water looks so inviting and the palm trees makes it more inviting...parang masarap magbakasyon dyan, kaya mahal hahaha.

Deden said...

I definitely wanna jump to that pool.. Its been so hot here lately, Now I know what I want, a giant waterpool to jumped for hours, just like you share here.. thank Hilda..

Müge Tekil said...

Gorgeous pool! I like very much the quality of Sofitel hotels.

VP said...

The angle is everything, but you need a fantastic place like this.

PJ said...

I like that bright blue in the tiles. It's always odd to me to see a pool so close to the ocean, though...

Hilda said...

Paula:
Manila Bay is not safe for swimming. :(

Kim:
I think you have to be a guest of the hotel. But I don't know, they might have pool/spa/gym packages available like some other hotels.

Peter:
It's done and now open.

Luna Miranda:
How'd you guess? :)

Louis:
I'm afraid we didn't. Couldn't, and I'm not writing the reason why here.

Jacob:
Compared to most other hotels, yes it is. But compared to other hotels in its class, it's actually less expensive.

mia said...

I have very fond memories of Sofitel :) My dad's yearly medical conventions were always held there, during the summer, (back then Sofitel was still called Westin Philippine Plaza) so me, my brother and our cousins would get to stay in the hotel for free! We especially loved the big slide in one of the pools. I remember we had this big, yellow bean-shaped inflatable we'd always lug around. Over the years the conventions were transferred to Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, but now we're all a little too big for the slides. :)

Great photos Ma'am Hilda!

FA said...

What a beautiful view. I hope you were able to enjoy it for a few days.

George said...

This does look like a tropical paradise. I'd really like to leave all this snow to spend a few days there.

Leif Hagen said...

46 comments?! You're a CDP goddess! Can I be the president of your fan club?!
: - )

I love the swimming pool - I could spend an afternoon there after applying lots of sunscreen!

Dina said...

It must be fun to make a few laps around that pool!
Wonderful the two different waters in the second photo.

Sorry to hear you too are having a drought.