Pearl Hampers from Manila Hotel

Giving gifts is really quite tricky. Deciding what to give to whom is definitely a challenge. So, in the end, people resort to conventional gifts such as chocolates, candles, and photo frames which are quite impersonal and rather boring.

This is the reason why gift hampers have become popular. Giving hampers started in the West as an act of sharing food and other home essentials to the needy. The hampers were used so that the recipients could reuse these practical household items.

Through the years, hampers evolved from being gifts of essentials to gifts of luxuries as the clamor to create specialized hampers heightened. Soon, hampers were considered the ideal gifts. They are quite appropriate for any occasion, not just for Christmas, and can be given to different people of all ages, affiliations, social status, and interests.

A gift hamper can be a celebration in itself. Take for example the Manila Hotel’s limited edition Diamond Hampers.

The limited edition hampers (P750,000) include a 1969 Dom Perignon from Yats Wine Cellar, Caspian Sevruga Caviar, and a gift certificate for two nights at the hotel’s Presidential Suite. But instead of a wicker basket, the premium items are placed inside a Louis Vuitton Alzer Anglais suitcase in monogram canvas. There are also Christmas souvenirs such as Belgian chocolates, pastries, and pralines as well as elegant gift sets to choose from.

Mandarin Oriental, Manila presents its holiday hampers in elegant silver baskets brimming with homemade specialties created by the hotel’s master chefs Rene Ottlik and Roberto Molleman.

Guests can choose from four types of hampers: the Gourmet Selections, the Christmas Treats, the Yuletide Treasures, and Christmas Collections. There are also Season’s Giveaways that come in two varieties – both have duck liver pate and bread sticks and paired with either fruit cake or a bottle of Malbee Argentina.

The hampers are filled with the hotel’s signature Christmas items such as duck liver pate, honeycured ham, beef pastrami, gingerbread shield, English fruit cake, knacker bread, and Dresdener stollen.

Vieux Chalet’s Santa Claus and Snowman trimmed holiday baskets contain  homemade Swiss goodies such as Sauerkraut, Ricotta Cheese, Smoked Ham/Bacon/Pork Chop/Turkey,  Smoked Pate de Foie, Fruit Jam, Vinaigrette, dried pasta, and baked goodies like Five-grain Bread, Swiss Quark Cake, Carrot-Walnut  Cake, Blueberry Cheesecake,  Chocolate Cake,  and cookies. Prices range from P500 to P2,500.00.