HOTEL
lobbies speak a lot about a hotel. They help a guest decide to stay for
a while or go, feel relaxed or stressed out. Hotel lobbies are mute
witnesses to a lot of things — transactions, arguments, sweet nothings.
Photos by Raquel C. Bagnol
Aqua Resort Club in San Roque has my
most favorite lobby on island, but its distance is why I don’t spend
much time there as much as I want to.
The Aqua Resort lobby does not scream
commercialism but offers comfort, bliss and relaxation. It is one place
that seems to portray the message to turn off your cellphones and just
enjoy and let time pass by blissfully. Let your feet sink into the deep
soft carpet and sit in any of the comfortable sets with throw pillows
and have coffee with friends or alone. The best part of the lobby is the
section where lounges are located. You can recline facing clear glass
with a view of greens and colorful flowers outside. The ambiance just
makes you drowsy. Views of blue sky, swimming pool and the ocean add to
the X-factor of this hotel lobby.
The Marianas Resort Spa lobby is one
where you feel at home. It is more of the sporty kind of lobby adorned
with stylish wooden benches, a place where guests feel at ease flopping
down straight from the pool so if you don’t want to get wet, check
before you sit anywhere. The Marianas Resort & Spa lobby offers
guests a killer view of a quaint chapel in the distance, swimming pools,
game tables, restaurant and bar all within the scope of your view. The
front side of the lobby offers views of the golf course and green
jungles.
Hyatt Regency’s lobby has a sofa set
facing the reception area beside lush greenery under a solar roof. It is
just one place where you sit for a few minutes waiting for your car or
for somebody. The Lobby Lounge is one choice to have coffee or meet
someone else but if you are a non-smoker, better look for someplace else
to go to.
But
the Hyatt also has breathtaking scenery: lush green gardens with its
streams and ponds teeming with fish, birds and butterflies that are not
scared of human intrusion, wooden bridges — a prime choice for family
and wedding photo sessions.
The Fiesta Resort & Spa lobby
portrays an island welcome with its huge murals and decorations
depicting Palau, Yap and other islands in the region. Superb views of
the swimming pool and the beach add to the relaxing ambiance. The sofa
sets are comfortable enough but it’s not one place you would want to
stay for the whole day. Too many people just come and go.
If you want to get a whiff of the fresh,
soothing and relaxing breeze that is not sourced from an
air-conditioning unit, spend a few minutes in the Hafa Adai Beach Hotel
lobby in Garapan.
I love sitting in one of the wooden
seats there and having my hair blown away by the breeze but if you want
total relaxation, this lobby is not for you. Visitors talk in voices
with volumes set like they are at home so if you want a quiet lobby,
this one’s not it.
Moving further to Susupe is Saipan World
Resort whose lobby is one, if not the busiest, hotel lobby here. It’s
one place where people sit and watch TV from the huge screens and where
come and go pulling luggage behind them. Entering the massive door of
the hotel is like going into an enchanted kingdom. It is one lobby where
you feel you can mix business with pleasure.
Kanoa Resort (formerly Saipan Grand
Hotel) in Susupe has a lobby with an impersonal touch. The lobby seats,
which are located in the middle of commercial stalls, are comfortable
and ideal to meet friends. It’s one place where you can be on your own
or get lost in a crowd.
The lobby of the Pacific Islands Club in
San Antonio is another busy place where people come, sit and go. The
warm, snug sofa seats with matching throw pillows, open windows and high
vaulted ceilings give an air of spaciousness and make you want to stay
around longer. There are no stores and stalls or coffee shops to give it
a commercial feel.
Moving on to Tinian, the Tinian Dynasty
Hotel & Casino lobby is the most unique compared to the other hotels
here. A circular lobby with a giant chandelier that sheds golden
reflections on the well polished floors, one feels a certain enchantment
in the Tinian Dynasty lobby. It is one place where your voice echoes so
you will talk in whispers but still provides some sort of privacy.
