Manila

I pick up my best friend at the airport around noon and head for the City State Tower Hotel on Mabini St. The Deluxe rooms aren’t bad for $60 a night…large, clean and roomy. I tried the Standard rooms there last year and wasn’t impressed. Too darn small! Felt like I was in a box. After check-in my friend stops by my room and cracks open a bottle JW Green label he bought at the airport Duty Free store. We do several shots and catch up on old times. Halfway plastered, we decide it’s time to take showers and head out for the evening.

We hit LA Café early before the upstairs area opened. Even then there was a nice selection in the bar already. We sit at the bar and order up some beer. It takes me about two hours before I find a girl I’m interested in…girl #8. My friend takes a little longer, but he finally makes his selection. We ply them with drinks for a while and then head for the door.

The disco wasn’t on my agenda that night, but he was feeling it, so I humored him and went anyway since it was his first night in town. Honestly, I was already tired and wanted to get back to the hotel, shag #8 and get some sleep because we had to catch the bus to Batangas port at 8AM to catch the ferry to Puetro Galera. Off to the disco we went.

Being as tired as I was, dancing for several hours really took it out of me. I knew I wasn’t going to be good for two pops with girl # 8 before check-out in the morning. We got back to the rooms near 2AM. I told my friend the bus left at 8AM so he should pack and be ready, then we parted ways. Girl #8 was first in the shower. I was damn near asleep when she came out. After I showered we did the deed. Not my best performance by a long shot. It was down and dirty because I just wanted to bust a nut and then sleep. She seemed to understand this and was ok with it. Ten minutes max and I was snoring!

My alarm rang early…too damn early. Girl #8 and I took showers; I gave her Peso 1000 and said goodbye. My friend and I checked-out and caught the bus to Batangas Port to catch the ferry to Puerto Galera for our next adventure.

Yella Man

I was upstairs in LA Cafe the other night enjoying the band. Have to admit they are pretty good. After they finished, I found some rapport with a decent looker who seemed like a nice person. Got to the negotiation: she wanted 2500 for ST and would not go lower than 2000. Dang price inflation. I said no thanks.

While I saw lookers downstairs, I usually do not like that scene so I moved up the street to Amazonia. Found a doable one there. She wanted 1500 ST and would not budge. Did I say something about price inflation? The kicker is she offered to do the deed in the Amazonia ST room which I think was going to add another 300 to the damage. No thanks.

By this time, it was late, I was tired and facing an early wake up so I returned without to the hotel.

[QUOTE=Finrod]While I saw lookers downstairs, I usually do not like that scene so I moved up the street to Amazonia. Found a doable one there. She wanted 1500 ST and would not budge. Did I say something about price inflation? The kicker is she offered to do the deed in the Amazonia ST room which I think was going to add another 300 to the damage. No thanks.

By this time, it was late, I was tired and facing an early wake up so I returned without to the hotel.[/QUOTE]You mustn't have been too fussed to have a companion then. 1500 php is a standard price now and the better-looking girls will not go below it.

The rooms at Amazonia are 600 for 3 hours, not 300. (I might stand corrected if you mean rooms without A/c; they might be 300 but they will be VERY warm so I have never had them. Always the 600 room)

Hi

I'm staying in the Lotus Garden. As it'll be my first time in PH and I'm arriving late I want to take the safe option and have a taxi waiting for me at the airport. The hotel wants 1500PHP, which seems a bit expensive. Or maybe not, I don't know. Any better suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

A

Seems on par with what i payed recently. I do not recall what i payed, what you can do is go to information desk at the airport, they will arrange taxi for you.

[QUOTE=Artful]I'm staying in the Lotus Garden. As it'll be my first time in PH and I'm arriving late I want to take the safe option and have a taxi waiting for me at the airport. The hotel wants 1500PHP, which seems a bit expensive. Or maybe not, I don't know. Any better suggestions?[/QUOTE]
That's more then expensive, that's outrageous for a 12 km ride!
There are prepaid taxis available for around 450 php to Ermita.
Or better yet grab a yellow cab, should be no more then 250 php including tip!

Enjoy Manila

[QUOTE=Finrod]I was upstairs in LA Cafe the other night enjoying the band. Have to admit they are pretty good. After they finished, I found some rapport with a decent looker who seemed like a nice person. Got to the negotiation: she wanted 2500 for ST and would not go lower than 2000. Dang price inflation. I said no thanks.

While I saw lookers downstairs, I usually do not like that scene so I moved up the street to Amazonia. Found a doable one there. She wanted 1500 ST and would not budge. Did I say something about price inflation? The kicker is she offered to do the deed in the Amazonia ST room which I think was going to add another 300 to the damage. No thanks.

By this time, it was late, I was tired and facing an early wake up so I returned without to the hotel.[/QUOTE]
Finrod, good report, but I am curious, you would not pay 1500ST in Manila? You must of lived in AC for years. I bet some readers think you are crazy, as they are back home paying $150 to $250 and here you are complaining for
$32.

Robb

[QUOTE=Artful]Hi

I'm staying in the Lotus Garden. As it'll be my first time in PH and I'm arriving late I want to take the safe option and have a taxi waiting for me at the airport. The hotel wants 1500PHP, which seems a bit expensive. Or maybe not, I don't know. Any better suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

A[/QUOTE]
If you are flying into Terminal 1 make sure they tell you where the pick up point is. When you arrive if the hotel isn't allowed on the arrival deck, you will have to walk down the ramp to the arrival area.

For a first visit if they are allowed to pick up at the arrival door, it is a good deal.

Robb

[QUOTE=Robbaf]For a first visit if they are allowed to pick up at the arrival door, it is a good deal.

Robb[/QUOTE]

While the airport taxis have a higher price then most taxi's due to their monopoly I find the new system good, safe, efficient, never waiting more then 1 minute to grab a cab. And they are closer to the doors then the hotel pick up area usually.

Artful... right now (and only recently will I say this), after years of flying through Manila, I would not hesitate to tell folks to take an airport cab. I would not be worried about the airport cab system now.

But then again, when my firms are picking up the bills and paying the bills only and not a per diem heck yes get a hotel car and stiff them with the high costs. ;)

[QUOTE=Tansak KTV]... I would not hesitate to tell folks to take an airport cab. I would not be worried about the airport cab system now ...

[/QUOTE]


I second that! In the past I was also carrying my heavy luggage 300 meters to the main street, just to struggle then with the taxi driver to flag the meter! Too upsetting, too exhausting in the heat of the day and too uncomfortable in the dark! Nowadays I simply do not care to pay about 300 pesos more for a ride to Ermita!

Cheers!

Hesekiels

Artful, don't worry about a hotel car. For about half (700php) an aorport taxi will take you to lotus garden just as quickly and safely.if you want to safe more money, they now allow yellow and white texis into the airport as well and those drivers have lower metered rates AND will help you pick up a cutie on the way to the hotel.
As far as inflation goes, PHP1500ST seems high for amazonia/la cafe. She'd have to be something special (or me especially horny)for me to pay that.it's not about what you pay at home, it's what you get for your money once you get to the land of the LBFM's.
:-)

I grab my luggage and go to the money changing station barely to the left when I am exiting, then grab a couple of hundred USD. Another 50 yards at the most from there in a direct line is the taxi office with fares posted. You have to go into the office. Indeed they are more expensive than other alternatives but at 1:00 a.m. in Manila, I have always had great and safe service. To me its worth the extra 200 or 300 pesos. Eight bucks or less.

Hope to be doing the same routine in about six weeks.

[QUOTE=Tansak KTV]While the airport taxis have a higher price then most taxi's due to their monopoly I find the new system good, safe, efficient, never waiting more then 1 minute to grab a cab. And they are closer to the doors then the hotel pick up area usually.

Artful... right now (and only recently will I say this), after years of flying through Manila, I would not hesitate to tell folks to take an airport cab. I would not be worried about the airport cab system now.

But then again, when my firms are picking up the bills and paying the bills only and not a per diem heck yes get a hotel car and stiff them with the high costs. ;)[/QUOTE]
I use the airport taxis when flying into Manila on week ends, when our company cars and drivers aren't available. I like the system. It costs me Php330 to go from the airport to Makati. The cabs are clean, efficient and best of all, available immediately. There's no arguing about the fare and no heated discussion about whether or not to use the meter. The price is posted and fixed.

To me, you should just follow the signs for metered taxi or public taxi, can't remember what it is now. You'll see a line of yellow metered taxis and that's what you want. The meter starts at 70 pesos. I figure from there it'll cost around 220 pesos in one of those, and they are clean relatively new cabs. Just make sure the meter is on and reset to 70 from the start. I have had a few try to run scams, where now I totally make sure the meter is on. I always do that when getting a taxi from the street and was not thinking these official airport taxis would try and scam but for awhile I had a bad streak on them. The last two trips, one now, I haven't had any issues, but I"m also watching it. The ride from there isn't going to be very long late at night. I'd say about 15-25 minutes at most.

Just last November, I was pulling FLs for ST for 1000pp in Ermita, though I never ventured into LA Cafe. I found them in Amazonia, Butterfly Bar, Gpoint or that old mall-trolling standby, Robinson's. Guess inflation sure happened right quick... If the going rate really is 1500 now, I can accept that; I didn't want to be someone who contributes to price inflation by paying too much.