Denise’s Hotel Guide
Since I love staycations (#workhardplayhard) and have visited a number of hotels in Metro Manila, I thought I could record my honest feedback on these hotels.
Marco Polo, Ortigas- I would only stay here for the Continental Club, which they have not brought back yet, post-pandemic. Their Club feeds you three meals a day and free cocktails at night; you can be absolutely lazy and never have to leave the hotel. Only thing we didn't like here were the pillows we initially had, which barely had any head support. We were able to exchange them for other pillows which we weren't sure were better. We gave up on the pillow menu and just propped up towels underneath the pillows. The bathtub was somewhat small but still nice. The pool is nice; it's heated.
Edsa Shangri-La, Ortigas- I would only stay here for the Club Lounge, also, because IMO this is the only way to make the price worth it. Same as Marco Polo, they will serve you free meals and drinks 3 times a day. They stopped these offerings during the pandemic and I am waiting for them to bring it back. Beds are nice, the tub is small but still nice, and I appreciate that their separate shower has a ledge where you can sit on (I spent a long time just sitting in the shower, lol). Rooms are small but nice. IMPORTANT TIP: If no one has booked your room after your stay, they might allow you to have late check-out, which they did for me during one Club stay, which meant I got to avail of two more meals, free of charge.
Discovery Suites, Ortigas- my favorite less expensive hotel. Great beds and pillows. Nice breakfast. Decent bathtub. They never forget to serve bacon in the morning, it always has its own space there. The small studio rooms are great for alone-time, and their 2 BRs are great for families. IMPORTANT TIP: They're lenient with guests staying over/sleeping over- they don't keep track. Great for families or barkadas who want to cook food together.
Joy Nostalg, Ortigas- my second favorite less expensive hotel. Their selling points are the spaciousness of their rooms, especially their 2-bedrooms, and that they have dishwashers in their kitchenettes. Also great for families who want to cook food together. The only low points are the outdated furniture and sometimes there are issues with the drain not working or the dishwasher being broken (understandable for an older hotel). Breakfast buffet always has bacon, as well. Their free-standing tubs are nice. IMPORTANT TIP: You have to firmly grip the bathtub showerhead, else it'll fly away from your hand, dousing water everywhere.
Ascott, BGC- great bathtub with high quality fixtures. Spacious rooms, though still a bit smaller than those of Joy Nostalg's. Nice shiny wood flooring and other furnishings. Cozy and high-quality, overall. Also great for families or couples who want to cook together. Great if you want to shop and dine at BGC during the day.
Ascott, Makati- STAY AWAY. NO BACON IN THE BUFFET FOR THREE MORNINGS. TUB WAS HORRIBLE- had a frightful glass partition I thought was hazardous.
Bacon unavailability in breakfast buffets is such a deal breaker.
Okada Manila, Pasay- I think, worth every penny, just for the view the rooms offer, and their outstanding spa. EVERYTHING is high-quality. This is "mahal, pero sulit." Even more so if you gamble- this is The Disneyland for Gamblers. As for me I don't gamble and I extremely enjoyed the spa. IMPORTANT TIP: the LAST SHOWER ROOM in the row of shower rooms in the women's spa has several shower nozzles with water rushing at you in all directions and different styles of coming at you, which you can control. The other shower rooms don't have this feature.
I'M Hotel, Makati- I would pay only for the room we got, their 2-bedroom corner room which has a nice balcony that surrounds it. You might get one of their bathtubs that has an annoying glass partition, though (though it's less frightful-looking than the one in Ascott Makati). But OK overall. Neighborhood outside is interesting.
Bedsheets are somewhat thin, though.
Dusit Thani, Makati- OK overall, for an old hotel. We stayed just one night here and the room we got had a really strange layout. Bathtub setup also looked strange. (Maybe we didn't get one of the better rooms. I rushed this booking for the Makati Miting De Avance.) The restaurants have nice interiors and we spent a while lounging by the koi pond. It's a well-maintained old hotel.
Looking forward to trying out others like Solaire, Conrad and Discovery Primea. Especially Primea, which seems less expensive also but still really nice.
Will book Conrad for my mother next time so she can enjoy shopping at IKEA during the day.
There you go, I hope this is I link I can give that contains useful information for others, especially if they're planning a post-pandemic staycation with friends or family.
