Manila Hotels

[Amavida]

Rothman hotel is about 2 k according to the web page. One poorly kept secret is that if you head toward the back of the hotel (or out the restaurant door) there is a passageway that will take you out to the next street right at the Riviera building.

http://www.rothmanhotel.com/index.php

Checked my CC. I paid P2200.00 2 persons including breakfast (including all taxes). For me the room size & included toiletries puts it ahead of others. Good strong hot showers. Elevator works fine but of course during busy periods you will need to be patient.

There are other decent 3 star hotels in the area, just thought I'd mention that this one has improved.

Is it just me or have hotel reception staff improved here in PI?

Check in / out times are fast & requests are quickly honoured without fuss. I asked Rothman for a late checkout & they shyly asked me if P100 charge was 'OK to you sir'. Yeah I think I can afford 2 bucks sweety LOL. Recently I needed a quick venue for an online cutie, I used my phone to book a room at Grand Prix via agoda. Walked in at 11 am & before I could ask they just registered me & gave a room key. No extra charge, no fuss. BTW Grand Prix is like a cheap version of a Tune, OK but there are nicer places for same money.

AV.

[Soapy Smith]

rothman hotel is about 2 k according to the web page. one poorly kept secret is that if you head toward the back of the hotel (or out the restaurant door) there is a passageway that will take you out to the next street right at the riviera building.

http://www.rothmanhotel.com/index.php

x and i have both done our part to undermine the secret in the last couple years. the passageway is a good thing because it's a hassle-free way to escort a companion coming from la cafe back to rothman. coming back from lac you can walk on pedro gil in front of the hyatt casino, take a quick right on mabini, walk in front of las palmas and executive plaza, scoot in through the driveway under riviera mansion, make your way diagonally through the courtyard that's common to five "sister" hotels, come out through a similar driveway under rothman, and you're at the adriatico entrance to rothman. this route avoids touts, beggars, and a strong smell of [CodeWord109] that seem to accumulate on the south side of pedro gil between mabini and adriatico. the only business facing pedro gil in that block is palm plaza hotel, so more than half the block is the blank wall forming the side of las palmas, which seems to attract all the aforementioned residue.

i scooped these two photos from foreign visitors who deposited them on google earth. thanks guys. if you use rothman, in daylight check out the driveway under the hotel, which is clearly visible in the photo right beside the front entrance. proceed through the courtyard to the riviera driveway that opens out onto mabini street. the second photo, which shows the riviera, executive plaza, the 7-11, and las palmas, is about eight years old. but to my knowledge all these businesses are still in tact.

[X Man]

Rothman hotel is about 2 k according to the web page. One poorly kept secret is that if you head toward the back of the hotel (or out the restaurant door) there is a passageway that will take you out to the next street right at the Riviera building.

http://www.rothmanhotel.com/index.php

[Amavida]

I was under the impression that Rothman was always good value for those of us on a budget. The elevator (singular) can be slow. How much did you pay?

Nope, going back 7 years ago the aircons were clapped out & everything was stale. They've replaced them & thrown some paint & general maintenance at the place. For the price their 28 sq m rooms with breakfast (on agoda) are good value now.

I've lost the price out of my head & the agoda voucher does not show it. It will show up on my cc transaction record in a day or two. I do remember it was lowest of any nearby hotels.

AV.

[X Man]

I was under the impression that Rothman was always good value for those of us on a budget. The elevator (singular) can be slow. How much did you pay?

SNIP In addition Rothman Hotel on Adriatico has seen maintenance & I now rate it as good value for people on a budget or just needing a cheap getaway. Their standard 28 sq meter rooms are really spacious compared to anything else in that price range.

AV.

[Amavida]

This is the most upbeat post about Ermita that's appeared in the forum in some time. Obviously some of the more pessimistic reports may be from newbs experiencing Ermita for the first time. It is after all a bit of shock the first time. I sometimes see news stories and off hand remarks from locals suggesting that Erap has been doing some things right in Manila. His record as mayor in San Juan was good, although that period was marked by more reliance on "good governance" advisers than his later time as VP and President. He's now in his late 70's, so maybe he's turned a favorable corner. Unfortunately, it takes much more than a single progressive leader to turn the tide on all the Philippines' problems.

Yeah its definitely improved from 5 or 10 years ago. Yes there are people sleeping on the streets. I'd say there are 5 times as many touts but the are easily ignored now & locals actually stop to buy some of their shit. Tablets (electronic), umbrellas with 100% markup from what you buy in Robinson's supermarket (LOL), shoes, sunglasses etc as well as Viagra / Cialis / women (The finding of CASA's has been documented here by others so no need to repeat, just to say plenty of touts offering them).

Many of the 2 & 3 star hotels in the area are awful but the handful I mentioned are OK. In addition Rothman Hotel on Adriatico has seen maintenance & I now rate it as good value for people on a budget or just needing a cheap getaway. Their standard 28 sq meter rooms are really spacious compared to anything else in that price range.

AV.

[Soapy Smith]

The strrets around Ermita / Malate are not as bad as 5 years ago. Lots of touts about but they are passive whereas in the past they were disgusting arggressive things with hoards of street kids mobbing you. There are some banners up ehorting some kind of push to clean up the area but we all know how long _that_ lasts in PI. At present it seems fairly safe to walk the streets at night as long as you observe normal sensible behavior. AV.

This is the most upbeat post about Ermita that's appeared in the forum in some time. Obviously some of the more pessimistic reports may be from newbs experiencing Ermita for the first time. It is after all a bit of shock the first time. I sometimes see news stories and off hand remarks from locals suggesting that Erap has been doing some things right in Manila. His record as mayor in San Juan was good, although that period was marked by more reliance on "good governance" advisers than his later time as VP and President. He's now in his late 70's, so maybe he's turned a favorable corner. Unfortunately, it takes much more than a single progressive leader to turn the tide on all the Philippines' problems.

[Amavida]

Was at Walter Mart today and saw a banner in front of the Eurotel trumpeting p799 dual occupancy - nothing about restricted to locals on it. I can't speak for the rooms but the location is great. It's beside the skyway so getting to / from NAIA's T3 is a breeze. It's at the corner of Arnaiz (Pasay Rd) and Chino Roces (Pasong Tamo) so you can grab a p8 jeep (look for Pasay Rd on it) on Arnaiz that will take you to the Landmark and Greenbelt Mall (Havana Cafe). For you freely spending millionaires a taxi ought to cost p50-60. It's also close to Osmena highway (South Luzon highway/SLEX) so getting to/from Malate/Ermita shouldn't be much of a hassle (yes, there's construction on the highway). A decent place for those who prefer Makati and want to save a bit of cash.

Got to bge careful with these banners. I'm over in Ermita / Malate area for a few days. There are a few hotels with these kind of promo things up. When you check, its 12 hours, net of taxes etc etc. Agoda is pretty much my go to these days. Saves a lot of time & hassle. I spent one night at Tune in Ermita out of convenience. Its disorienting how identically laid out these Tune hotels rooms are. You wake up and you could be in Tune Angeles for all you know. Booking through agoda is very worthwhile for Tune. Way better than their rack rate. Best Western La Corona is nice for the price. Poor old City State is not too bad but its getting long in the tooth. Needs money spent on it soon. Las Palmas next to Robinsons is not bad value in a cheap 3 star hotel. Eurotel also next to Robinsons is ok if you really want to stay in a windowless hotel room (nudge nuge wink wink). The strrets around Ermita / Malate are not as bad as 5 years ago. Lots of touts about but they are passive whereas in the past they were disgusting arggressive things with hoards of street kids mobbing you. There are some banners up ehorting some kind of push to clean up the area but we all know how long _that_ lasts in PI. At present it seems fairly safe to walk the streets at night as long as you observe normal sensible behavior.

AV.

[Britisher]

I spend a little more, usually around 120/ night and stay at the Crowne plaza. Connected to galleria mall, next to holiday inn. At EDSA and Ortegas. Staff loves to bring girls up to your room just tell them when they are coming. Or ask them to bring a girl up. Tell them your size shape age skin tone. Tip them a bit, they will help you even. Very clean, quiet, and easy. Especially with the connected Robinsons galleria mall. You'll see.

PM.

Hi Poolmool,

What about the WIFI the room (crown plaza Manila)? I believe its charged separately and is not so good?

Thanks

[Kabul Guy]

I spend a little more, usually around 120/ night and stay at the Crowne plaza. Connected to galleria mall, next to holiday inn. At EDSA and Ortegas. Staff loves to bring girls up to your room just tell them when they are coming. Or ask them to bring a girl up. Tell them your size shape age skin tone. Tip them a bit, they will help you even. Very clean, quiet, and easy. Especially with the connected Robinsons galleria mall. You'll see.

PM.

Good to know, I am booked in there next week for a couple nights.

Will check out the action. Would the mall spot be active on Sunday late afternoon / early evening or is it a night spot only?

[D Cups]

Additional tip. There's a hot whirlpool, and two big pools, one being a pool for swimming laps, and the other for just fooling around, RG.

Thanks, Radical. Good to know. Ya, I reserved through agoda. I think it was around $100/ night. Lucky for me the university will reimburse me for it.

[D Cups]

It is a nice hotel though getting a little long in the tooth. By all means scope out the location of elevators, escalator, and clubs before you go out hunting.

Oh good to know, thanks, Skip. I would raise holy hell if I couldn't bring any babes to my room.

[Radical Guy]

Hi Guys, has anyone stayed here? I went back 10 pages and didn't see any reports on it. I'll be staying there in November for a conference. Then off to Cebu, Dumaguete and AC. Thanks for any replies.

Additional tip. The regular "Superior" rooms are fairly nice, but a bit old and run down. However, they have a grouping of "New Deluxe" rooms that are about $20-25 more per night that have been recently renovated, and much nicer.

One thing I like about the Century Park is the pool area. There's a hot whirlpool, and two big pools, one being a pool for swimming laps, and the other for just fooling around, which has a deep end about 12 feet deep. Although there are much more luxurious hotels out there, the CP is offered on Agoda and other sites at bargain rates.

RG.

[Soapy Smith]

Hi Guys, has anyone stayed here? I went back 10 pages and didn't see any reports on it. I'll be staying there in November for a conference. Then off to Cebu, Dumaguete and AC. Thanks for any replies.

DC, check out "Harrison Plaza Action," which is maintained by one of the board's regulars, down in the blogs section. Since Century Park is next to HP, it is featured in a number of FRs there.

It is a nice hotel though getting a little long in the tooth. It's often priced more competitively than other 5-star hotels, especially by comparison to Makati. This may suggest that consumers know what they're getting for their money--and that it's in a less desirable location.

One of the regular board contributors recently pointed out to me that there's a sign inside Century Park that says "no guests allowed after 10 pm. " It's hard to know exactly what they mean by this and how diligently they enforce it. I suggested to him that entering at the lower entrance facing Harrison Plaza; a few well-placed tips in advance with doormen and security at this door; if necessary, providing a ruse that you and your companion are going to the lower-level lounge café or KTV; and then slipping circuitously in behind the escalator to the elevators that go all the way to this lower floor, ought to solve the problem in case things get sticky. By all means scope out the location of elevators, escalator, and clubs before you go out hunting.

BTW, the hotel and the property underneath it are owned by Lucio Tan, owner of Philippine Airlines. It was formerly a Sheraton Hotel, and there's an interesting back story that may illustrate how business among the Philippines' political leaders and powerful families is carried out—during the Marcos regime and even up to the present:

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.ph...ury_Park_Hotel

[D Cups]

Hi Guys, has anyone stayed here? I went back 10 pages and didn't see any reports on it. I'll be staying there in November for a conference. Then off to Cebu, Dumaguete and AC. Thanks for any replies.