Manila Hotels

[Korkavado]

Hello,

I have been back in Manila for a week now. I had my DIA girl from my previous trip book a room at the same hotel I stayed before. 24H. P14k per week. I was glad I booked there during the typhoon as it was a good place to be.

But after one week I was tired of it, I downgrade it to one star. It is ok if your on a budget or just transiting, as there were many people just there to hop off to Cebu or other destinations.

So Started looking for other accomadations, I really didn't feel like spending 100 dollars per night for an average hotel. Besides they all want the money up front, then if you don't like it your stuck.

I decided to look on the local websites, like Sulit. There I found what I was looking for. A sparkling new condo. 2 bedroom. 2 bath, furnished with everything. P2500 per night. The place is fantastic. And new. The bedrooms are upstairs, so everythig is quite cozy.

Granted it is not close to the strip action, (It is on Shaw blvd.) but that is not a priority for me. My DIA girl is staying with me again, and loves it. And she will bring her friends when we want to play. There is no problem with bringing anyone you want.

Enjoy,

Kork

[Loshereicome]

Anybody stayed at Romans suites in Manila? Is it a nice place to stay?

[Tmnb26]

Staying at the Copacabana at the end of October and wanted to get the lowdown on it and how girl friendly they are?

[Devils 1]

Thanks Devils 1! Of the Tier 2 hotels you listed, do any actually have a functioning kitchen with burners, pots, etc. (more than just a microwave and a counter top) that you can use for actual cooking? While not a chef, I can cook and like to do so. Plus, things can get rather interesting when cute young Filipinas and freshly dipped chocolate covered strawberries are thrown together in the same private room ;)

Hi Irony,

Yes the Somersets have a decent size functioning kitchen completely stocked with most kitchen utensils. I think you would be happier with the Somerset Salcedo in a 1 bedroom unit. It is like a large 1 bedroom apartment, although the kitchen is not a seperate room but it has a stove, fridge and I think even a full oven. Need to book early as the 1 bedrooms are in high demand. I would estimate they are 800 sq ft or 80 sq meters. You can probably get a better answer as well as pics on there website.

Post pics of a lbfm covered in chocolate eating strawberries and I will make sure you are monger of the month!

[Irony Monger]

Tier 2. The Picasso, The Celeste, Somerset Salcedo, Somerset Milennium, (not Somerset Olympia, it is a dump).

These hotels are only slightly less in amenities than the tier 1 but the prices can be significantly less. Most of these hotels are packeged as extended stay or apartments. All this means is they will have a fridge and small kitchen area. $80-120 per night.

Thanks Devils 1! Of the Tier 2 hotels you listed, do any actually have a functioning kitchen with burners, pots, etc. (more than just a microwave and a counter top) that you can use for actual cooking? While not a chef, I can cook and like to do so. Plus, things can get rather interesting when cute young Filipinas and freshly dipped chocolate covered strawberries are thrown together in the same private room ;)

[Devils 1]

i thought i would try to give a comprehensive report for some of the popular hotels in makati. i have not stayed at all of these but based on other reports and the profile and price of the hotel i have made some assumptions to help out a newbie. please feel free to add info and make corrections. it is hard to use the standard star rating system because the service is so good in hotels in the phils. as a general rule i think you take a true star rating from one of the services and add one star to it for the phils.

tier 1. shangri la, peninsula, mandarin oriental, intercontinental, new world, dusit thani.

these hotels are all great. they will be priced anywhere from $100 to $200+ per night. they all have great restaurants and are located in the best locations in makati. in most cases they are near or next to the greenbelt / glorietta / sm shopping complex. if you want to split hairs maybe you rate shang, pen and mandarin as tier 1 and the rest of them as tier 1a. but not exactly sure.

most of these hotels have good bars ranging from small martini type bars to large dance clubs. the best martini bars are located in the peninsula and mandarin oriental. the new world has a very popular dance club called paladium. the intercon has a similar club called icon. the shang has a large and nice club with a live band. some times the band plays typical pinoy love songs other times it plays good rock and roll. make no mistake, it is not a loud, crowded place full of working girls, so only go there if you byog.

for more info on these clubs do a search, there is much written here. as a general rule dance clubs in manila do not get going until midnite and will easily stay busy until 6 am.

tier 2. the picasso, the celeste, somerset salcedo, somerset milennium, (not somerset olympia, it is a dump).

these hotels are only slightly less in amenities than the tier 1 but the prices can be significantly less. most of these hotels are packeged as extended stay or apartments. all this means is they will have a fridge and small kitchen area. $80-120 per night.

the picasso is a very nice, new boutique type hotel. similar to the hard rock hotel in vegas.

somerset salcedo / milennium is more like an apartment. the rooms are very large and always include a sitting area. there are many families staying in the hotel for business. seems they are very popular with arabs and indians. for the size of the rooms and quality one of the best values i have seen in makati. must book early as they fill up quick during peak season. all rooms are large even if its a studio or a 1 bedroom.

the celeste has an excellent location across from greenbelt 3. i haven't stayed there so maybe someone else can give a true report.

tier 3. st giles, a venue, a venue suites. (probably alot more i don't know of) $50-70 per night.

st giles is a new hotel (opened july 2010). the rooms are small but clean and nice. for the price you really cannot ask for more.

a venue is a high rise with small but new and modern apartment style rooms. most people feel it is too basic and too small, but you get what you pay for. the average room is a 1 bedroom of approximately 400 sq ft or 40 sq meters.

a venue suites is next to a venue. the rooms are nice and larger than the neighbor mentioned above. based on the price and higher standard it maybe more like a tier 2 than a tier 3. i was only there once for a few minutes so i may have mirep001egorized it.

tier 4. clipper hotel, citadel inn, oxford suites $30-50 per night.

all of these hotels are on burgos street. i have only walked by them but they seem modern and clean. i know someone who stayed at the clipper and swears it was clean and modern. you just have to understand what you are asking for when you stay on burgos st. there are every kind of scammer and street seller bothering you 24 hrs a day. there is a lot of very loud traffic and all of the pollution that goes along with it. but there are tons of freelancers walking the street as well as 20 or so very good strip type clubs.

the best way to find your perfect hotel is use aogda or asiarooms and see where the best deal falls for you.

[Soapy Smith]

It appears that the site software continues to try to correct the spelling of a street name for the hotel I recommended. It replaces part of the street name with "have" its an annoying and counter productive piece of software. I'm sure that even with numerous misspellings most of us can make these things out. So those interested can simply go to "booking" website and look up the hotel I previously mentioned.

J, I agree it's annoying. Fortunately, in the near future you will pass some magical threshold (perhaps 50 posts?) and become a senior member. At that point you're able to edit a report for about an hour after you upload the report. Editing to the correct spelling seems to override the automatic spell correcting function.

[Danibbler]

Thanks to Mongerer69 and Asiatravel, I stayed at the St. Giles last week in Makati. It's a very new hotel and I really liked the service there. Really good service with the staff hopping to your requests. The room I got was pretty small but it was very clean, in great shape and quiet.

Location was not so good for me but P. Burgos was right behind the building. Taxi drivers had some difficulty with finding the hotel because it's so new but the building is the tallest in its immediate vicinity and there is a huge sign on the side of it.

Food was decent but nothing to write about. Girl-friendly, for sure.

[Pompolino]

Just back from 10 days in Phil meeting my girlfriend so not looking to monger. As we were flying the next early morning after my arrival to Puerto Princessa, Palawan I booked one night at the Heritage because of its proximity to the airport. What a dump! Misdescribed as 5 star this place was dirty, cobwebs on the wall, noisy as you could hear the street traffic, the water pressure non existent, whilst the temperature fluctuated continuously and the service was pathetic. Next time I think I will look to fly on after arriving or try the Microtel at Mall of Asia 3 star but has got to be better than the Heritage.

After a great time in Palawan. Really worth the trip, I had booked at Linden Suites in Ortigas which is the business district so a long way from Makati or Ermita. We were there because we were meeting a number of friends and family from Mandaluyong which is a neighbouring suburb. This place was fantastic. Described as 4 star it was less than 2/3rds the price of the Heritage and it was immaculately clean, very large really nice rooms with a small kitchen, service was very professional and personable, breakfast was pretty good (not nearly up to Hotel Celeste in Makati) , water pressure and temperature good and overall an excellent well run hotel. Good shopping and restaurants close by helpful security guys to let you know where to go.

For those not needing to be close to the action of Ermita or Makati this is a perfect alternative. I have used Agoda often but using trip advisor gave me some better rates from Hotels. Com and Bookings. Com. Also my girlfriend booked through an agent transport, accomodation and tours for Puerto Princessa at unbelievable prices. Certainly a fraction of what I would have paid and the Legend Hotel (3 star) was clean and everthing worked so we were happy.

P

[Jbiz979]

It appears that the site software continues to try to correct the spelling of a street name for the hotel I recommended. It replaces part of the street name with "have" its an annoying and counter productive piece of software. I'm sure that even with numerous misspellings most of us can make these things out. So those interested can simply go to "booking" website and look up the hotel I previously mentioned.

[Jbiz979]

If anyone is looking for an inexpensive, great location and girl friendly hotel in Makati try Q Residences Salcedo. Its extremly inexpensive I paid about 45 dollars a night and I was 5 minute taxi ride from the Greenbelt. Now the hotel is within another hotel so it maybe difficult to find. The hotel is actually located inside the Somerset hotel, the upper 3 floors are Q residences the rest Somerset. You get free breakfast and internet their is a 711 and a mini stop directly outside your hotel. The manager Ari is a great help he's a Filipino that has worked in the hotel business in San Diego, Ca so he has an idea on American tastes. There are 2 Somersets so you want the one that is off of have Dela Costa and the Corner of Lp Leviste.

have Dela Costa and LP Leviste

[Jbiz979]

If anyone is looking for an inexpensive, great location and girl friendly hotel in Makati try Q Residences Salcedo. Its extremly inexpensive I paid about 45 dollars a night and I was 5 minute taxi ride from the Greenbelt. Now the hotel is within another hotel so it maybe difficult to find. The hotel is actually located inside the Somerset hotel, the upper 3 floors are Q residences the rest Somerset. You get free breakfast and internet their is a 711 and a mini stop directly outside your hotel. The manager Ari is a great help he's a Filipino that has worked in the hotel business in San Diego, Ca so he has an idea on American tastes. There are 2 Somersets so you want the one that is off of have Dela Costa and the Corner of Lp Leviste.

[FreebieFan]

Unless you want / need a specific hotel and can risk non availability, very often the price will drop closer to your travel date.

Http://www.lastminute.com/site/travel/hotels/. Works when hotels are in low demand periods. When theres high demand, as expected, the price increase.

[Mongerer69]

Hey Guys. I am by no means a Shill for this website, however their normal web prices are comparable or better than other travel sites. I used to use Agoda. Asiatravel.com's Crazy Rates are alot better ($94US New World) and if you book a Manila / Makati hotel you get a P3, 000 RESORTS WORLD CASINO match play voucher for each booking. I got 2 for this trip equaling $147US. Not bad. Also, on my way in and out I booked with them for Wanchai in HK Wesley Hotel and they blew away everybody else's price.

[Bonker04]

Unless you want / need a specific hotel and can risk non availability, very often the price will drop closer to your travel date.

If I know when I am returning I just book my next stay direct with the hotel. Invariably that gets a better rate than booking through the online sites.

B04