Anniversary Staycation: Holiday Inn Yanbu, KSA

Our original plan was to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary at Astoria Palawan. Everything was perfectly planned a year ahead until something came up… and baaammm! All the excitement was shattered. My dream romantic wedding anniversary getaway was ruined just like that! Even our supposed 6 weeks long summer vacation in the Philippines was cut short. Instead of crying over the spilled milk, my husband and I moved on and made some adjustments so we can still enjoy our wedding anniversary. So we both agreed to book a hotel for our anniversary staycation in Yanbu.

Honestly Holiday Inn Hotel Yanbu was my second choice for this anniversary celebration. If I had to choose I would love to enjoy the day lounging by the pool and have a romantic dinner with my husband while watching the beautiful sunset by the sea. Unfortunately the reservation officer of the resort which we were about to book was very inefficient. His lack of knowledge and the way he handle our inquiries were very disappointing. To cut the long story short… who would book and waste time on such a lousy customer service? Definitely not me!

Moving on, right at the last minute I booked Holiday Inn Hotel Yanbu without thinking twice. For the second time, we celebrated our wedding anniversary in this hotel. Our first stay was in 2009 during our 2nd wedding anniversary. Since then the hotel has changed a lot. It was well maintained, recently renovated and many areas were improved.

Reception Area and Hotel Lobby

The newly renovated lobby has a spacious and open layout with modern and well appointed furniture that provide guests with aesthetic enjoyment.

As one of IHG (InterContenintal Hotels Group) Hotels, Holiday Inn really valued their IHG Reward Club Member like me. Upon check in, the staff warmly welcomed us. Our check-in was a breeze. I just showed them my membership card in my IHG mobile app and without a fuss they handed us our room keys, welcome note, WiFi passwords and welcome drinks vouchers. Everything was prepared before our arrival. Our assigned room was ready even if we arrived earlier than the hotel’s standard check-in time.

Room with King Size Bed

What I love about Holiday Inn hotels is the cleanliness. The room, the bed and linens, including the towels were spotlessly clean, white and smelled fresh. Also their high standards of providing their guest with good sleep quality and comfort was their top priority. That’s why they provide their guests with a pillow menu. Guests have a choice of requesting their pillow preference whether they want their pillows soft or firm. Isn’t it nice having  options such as this? Little things, yet it provides great comforts.

Room Amenities

I was surprised to see a fruit platter when we entered our room. This is because welcome fruits are usually given to VIP  class and suite rooms guests only. I can’t remember if it was included with the room package I booked since I only booked a standard room. Nevertheless we appreciated the hospitality extended to us.

Standard room amenities includes In-Room Heating and A/C Controls, Iron/Ironing Board, Bathroom Amenities (toiletries and hair dryer), Mini Bar, Complimentary bottles water, Coffee & Tea Maker with complimentary coffee and tea supplies, Flat-screen TV with premium channels, In-room Safe and Work Desk with Lamp.

Arabic Night Buffet Dinner @ Jasmin Restaurant

We had our anniversary dinner at Jasmin Restaurant. The themed buffet dinner that night was Arabic. Actually we were kind of hesitant to avail of their Arabic Buffet since It was not our choice of buffet in the first place. Surely, lamb was the main star of the buffet and unfortunately we are not lamb aficionados. Of course, roasted lamb was present. However their wide selection of dishes was quite impressive. Aside from lamb dishes there were other hot dishes to choose from.  It’s definitely worth a try.

The fresh meat and seafood corner was a hit for us. Here you can choose 3 different fresh proteins to be grilled or barbecued. I had hamour fish fillet, calamari and beef tenderloin strips. My husband, on the other hand, had prawns, salmon steak and chicken barbecue.

My husband and I both enjoyed our freshly grilled meat and seafood seasoned with arabic spices. It was cooked just the way we liked it and served with tartare sauce. Aside from that, we also sampled other hot dishes like chicken, pasta, falafel and a lot more. The abundance of desserts was something to look forward to at the end of every hearty dinner. Surely the Arabic Buffet spread was not only meant to satiate the palate the locals but also other nationalities.

The highlight of the night which completed our anniversary dinner was of course the complimentary anniversary cake. One of their staff, Mr. Lokendra, took the lead in preparing our 9th anniversary wedding cake.

Breakfast Buffet

The following morning we had our breakfast in the same restaurant. Their breakfast buffet spread was quite similar to most of Holiday Inn Hotels we’ve visited within the Kingdom. It has a complete set of breakfast selections from freshly baked breads, salad and dairy bar to hot meals, cereals and fresh fruits. The Danish pastry was actually our favorite.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. A hearty breakfast is my way of starting the day right. I had baked beans, beef franks, spring rolls and meat balls paired with delicious croissants. All the hot meals were delicious. It was a perfect breakfast for me.

Swimming Pool

After breakfast we wanted to lounge by the pool unfortunately the sweltering summer heat was intolerable. I just took a few snaps and headed back to our room to snooze and enjoy our comfortable bed. Oh how I love staycation!

We’re glad we booked Holiday Inn Hotel Yanbu. For the second time we were not disappointed. My husband and I had a relaxing and wonderful time during our entire stay. Truly Holiday Inn Hotel Yanbu delivers exceptional service to their guests. They provide comfort and great experience. I would love to come back again and try their other themed dinner buffets. Hopefully soon!