Cesar Lavina

Review of The Manila Hotel

Recently went there for a weekend. You are there f...

Recently went there for a weekend. You are there for the bragging rights of having stayed at "The Manila Hotel", a place of history. History aside, the hotel has nothing exceptional to offer. Other 5 star hotels may offer better value for money.

IMO, the place is old and haven't really coped up well with other hotels. I must mention though that the staff are friendly. Location is good but suffers from the congestion of being near the city center. View from the 7F room will show case the pollution of Manila and Manila bay. You can sometimes smell the stink of Manila bay from the swimming pool. Our room showed signs of age.

Parking is terrible. There were empty slots inside the hotel premises but we were told those are reserved for officers and employees, and they will leave it empty when not in use. Paying guests (checked in) will have to risk parking at the area outside the hotel premises which are very public and has lots vehicular and foot traffic.

Valet parking is very risky. They park your car like sardines in a can. Side mirrors are almost in contact. I saw valet attendants not really mind hitting the adjacent car are as the get in or out of cars they park. Then they pretend to be courteous when they hand over the car to the owner.
Valet services in other establishments/hotels have well designated and safe areas.

Food in Cafe Ilang-ilang is ok but pricey, that's the reason we decide to have dinner in another resto outside. The Red Jade Chinese resto in the hotel has better price range and tastes authentic (was there for our lunch).

Key take away is the parking issue and the value for money. You'll be worried if your parked car is safe and you may want to consider other hotels for your money.