IGHT IN the heart of the business bustle, the Raffles Makati elegantly transports all comers to a time of colonial grace - with a reassuring hint of the contemporary. This intimate hotel, diminutive and sleek, offers just 32 plush suites with smart-stepping butlers to help with travel impedimenta. It is not a heritage icon but very much a modern construct with detailed styling and dollops of whimsy. Think crystal shower chandeliers, playful metal artworks, the resolutely old world Long Bar, and long timber-floor corridors that appear to vanish into a distant dream sequence.

Expect service on rails. It is seamless, assured, intuitive, and quick. The double height ceilings and tall white doors make for an impressive entrance to your room. Step into a hushed foyer with a flat-screen TV, sofa, and a tea table with saucy red apples. The Gone With the Wind DNA is evident in the bedroom too, separated from the foyer by white louvred windows that provide a nostalgically decadent country manor touch.

The space is simple and unsullied with a plump virginal white bed that dominates with sheer heft and simple understatement. It sleeps as good as it looks. Find homey lampshades, the old round dial clock and another 46-inch flat-screen TV with an arsenal of channels. Spot a DVD player and a ZVOX box for further audio thrills. Colours are pale pastel with gold tassel cushions, red runners and olive carpets. Expect Lanvin toiletries, a notebook-size safe and a powerful hairdryer.

A small alfresco pool is perched overlooking the shopping malls on the ninth floor. While very much a posh escape for the privileged few, shared facilities with the linked 280-room tower block Fairmont Makati (and the Raffles Residences with 237 apartments for long stay guests) ensures there is no dearth of choice when it comes to small corporate meetings, glitzy soirees, or wedding events. Now, high above the city, welcome Mirèio, with inspired Provencale menus - think beef tartare with goat cheese and herbed sea bass - in elegant surrounds with sweeping vistas.