I came upon this very good Metrodeal offer comprising an overnight stay in a Deluxe
Villa in Casa Ibiza Antipolo for 5 persons with breakfasts for only PHP 3,200 per night. It
was perfect for a quick out of town get away and a quiet birthday celebration
that I was planning. With my heart pounding with barely contained excitement, I
immediately checked Casa Ibiza’s official website. I wanted to check what the
resort looks like and see if it will be perfect for the event I envisioned. Lo
and behold! The pictures were gorgeous! It boasts of having the ambience of the
Mexican warmth and passion. For a deal costing only PHP 3,200, I figured, why
not?
The reservation process was quick enough. We were really
pleased with the fact that they accommodated a special request of serving vegetarian
breakfast meal instead of their usual offering. At that time, we felt that it
said much about Casa Ibiza’s desire in satisfying its customers.
On the way to the resort, we almost got lost as the directions
provided in their website were a bit confusing. We were not familiar with the place
so it took a lot longer getting there than we expected. We actually almost
missed it as their gate was slanted and faced the opposite side of where the
road was heading for.
Contrary to my expectations, the resort size was actually
smaller. I guess I was so enthralled with the beautiful pictures in their
website that I expected more. Still, the architectural design of their resort
villas was something else. Although it doesn’t look new, it really looks quite
charming from the outside because of its attractive facade and colors.
The staff was warm and attentive. They also did not fine us
for the birthday cake that we brought along as we intended to have a quiet
birthday celebration in the evening. Since we find their corkage fee quite exorbitant (that’s PHP
2,000 per full meal dish), we did not bring our own meals. We also asked if we can request for serving of our
chosen fare or 'off the menu' dishes for dinner, as most of us are on vegetarian diet. They agreed and we breathed a sigh of relief. Besides, we just
wanted to stay in the resort and really enjoy and relax. Nobody wanted to go
out to dine out.
Inside the villa, there’s a small living room with TV and
the dining room looks quaint. It has a big fridge and a sink where we can wash
utensils. We found a spacious master’s bedroom and two smaller bedrooms fitting
single sized beds in the second floor. The air conditioners were fully
functional. The master’s bedroom has a separate bathroom. A small communal
bathroom is also located in the second floor. However, the flush was broken. I
wish they had it repaired as it was most inconvenient for us. The rest of the rooms were all clean.
They have two pools. The kiddie pool was quite littered with
leaves. I was hoping that they would have taken more effort with making sure
that leaves were taken out. I wasn’t comfortable having my daughter swim in
that despite all her pleadings. We used the big pool instead as the water looks
more pristine. The cabanas look attractive.
It actually is the perfect place if you need quiet and
relaxation as the place is serene. The fresh air is priceless! We went there on
a weekday so there was only one other occupied villa. We enjoyed the freedom of
having the place almost to ourselves. The kids enjoyed their frolic in the pool. We
took lots of pictures as the resort looks better in pictures than in reality. Casa
Ibiza also has an attractive gazebo.
The food served was just moderately palatable. There certainly
is a need for improvement there but still, we were glad about the accommodation
of our requests.
I also want to specifically mention that my daughter was
thrilled at being offered a free ride on a (retired) champion horse. It was very
generous of them and my daughter truly loved the experience.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Certainly not grand but it was ok, if you are not expecting too much out of a low-priced
deal. Having said that, I’d still like
to sum up some of the areas for improvement that we felt should be put into
place by Casa Ibiza:
- On Resort Signage – despite their Google map and website map directions, it is still a little difficult to get to the resort. A well placed and clear sign on the main road before turning to their secondary road will help a lot. Putting up a sign in the resort wall that is visible to guests arriving. As previously mentioned, Casa Ibiza’s gate is positioned in a reverse almost 120-degree angle so we almost missed getting to the place. We actually passed it. We had to make a difficult U-turn on the very narrow 2-lane road.
- The Restaurant look and feel
- Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like a functional restaurant. It appears closed down as the staff always tilt up the chairs. We understand that this is procedure to help keep the chairs clean BUT they always put them to ‘night mode’ even during the afternoons. It gives the impression that they do not want guests to use them or that the resto is so dead that no guests ever bother to go there.
- Additional items will be good on the tables and bar counter to make it look like an active resto. Putting condiments on the counters, table decors, menus on the bar. A desk bell on the bar counter also wouldn’t hurt. Since it was obvious that they do not have full time staff manning the place, the bell makes it easy for guests to call and make orders. More orders equate to more profit and sales.
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| The Resto, view from the pool |
- The Villa – nice and comfortable. Here’s how they can further maximize them:
- Stock up the fridge with some goodies. Put canned drinks and bottled water. They can put a clear and welcoming sign on the door of the ref showing prices and contents. These are items that need not always be ordered in the resto (considering we had to spend considerable time looking for the staff manning it all the time anyway). This will make it easy for the guests to spend.
- Room preparation – lack of extra bed. The staff confirmed the headcount and should have realized beforehand that we needed an extra mattress. We actually requested for one but it was not prepared. We had to hunt down the stay-in staff and ask for the extra mattress.
- Other services and amenities – one of the staff mentioned that guests may also request for massages. Casa Ibiza should put up signs and information easily seen. This will tell the guests about what other services they can avail.
- Punctuality and timeliness of meals – we properly coordinated what time we wanted our meals to be served since we were asked. Unfortunately, dinner and breakfast were 30-40 minutes late. Since we have kids with us, we hated having them wait for food.
If there was one thing that we were greatly disappointed
with, it was that Casa Ibiza never bothered to acknowledge our comments. We
received an email from them thanking us for choosing Casa Ibiza as our choice
of accommodation and asking us to email them back for comments, suggestions or
concerns. We did. But they never acknowledged the email. Failing to respond to
customers’ comments, suggestions or concerns may leave an impression of
indifference on their part or lack of desire to communicate. Coming from the
BPO industry, I highly respect and recognize the value of customer relationship
in any business or enterprise. Sadly, I it seems that this is something that
Casa Ibiza has yet to learn. :-(
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