duffer

Have a 3 day stopover in Manila at the end of the month, looking for hotel recommendations and tips for getting from the airport into town.

Thanks

yvrcnx

I have recently stayed at the Hyatt Manila Casino.
http://manila.casino.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
The rate was very good and the hotel wonderful. The location is great especially if you can get a room with Manila Bay view. Very close to the old town and just a short cab ride to the new Mall of Asia.
I am not sure what you are interested in. Manila is not necessary a sightseeing town but there are quite a few things to do and to see and I found the Hyatt very good to start from.
Best way from the airport to the hotel is to arrange a hotel car which will cost about $ 10.00. You can also arrange a taxi when you arrive at the airport as they have booths where you prepay and they take you straight to the hotel.

If you want to be in the financial district area, Makati or Ortigas the Mandarin Oriental is a great hotel to stay in.
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/manila/
I have stayed there a few times when I needed to be close to the financial district.
If you want to spend time by the pool and be more in a resort like setting the Edsa Shangri-La might be a place to stay.
http://www.shangri-la.com/manila/eds.../en/index.aspx

christep

And if you want to be close to Greenbelt and the shopping then I quite like the Renaissance, which has good deals, particularly if you can get Club Level access to the lounge...

Captain Schmidt

Manila's great for getting good hotels at very reasonable prices. I thoroughly recommend the Peninsula in the heart of Makati. Excellent service and a good pool for lazing at if you can't be bothered going out. Cabs from the airport are fine and about 1/5th of the price of the hotel car.
Also I know you didn't ask for restaurant recommendations but I ate recently at the strangely named Lolo Dad's which really exceeded my expectations.

J_Hawk

I highly reccomend the Makati Shangri-La. I have stayed at the Renaissance, the Pen and Shangri-La Edsa and hands down the Makati Shang wins out. The Ayala mall across the street has many dining options from Hard Rock Cafe to Tony Roma's to local Filipino establishments. Although, the dining options within the Shang are first class. Also, the Shang utilizes Avis to operate a car service. This is the most reliable car service that I have found in Manila. Car options range from Camrys to BMW 7 series and the drivers are top notch. I have found that other hotels, specifically the Renaissance, do not have drivers that are familiar enough with the Manila metro to ensure that I arrive on time and unscathed. I am a Marriott Platinum so not staying at the Renaissance is a tough decision for me. I go for the Shang every time.

christep

Persoanlly I have always found the Manila standard taxis to be adequate.

shine73

I recommend Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila. Stay at the Regency Club floor with additional $30, you get Continental Breakfast, complimentary tea/ coffee or soda , also avail of complimentary cocktails where you can enjoy drinking wine or other basic alcoholic drinks.It's manned with very friendly and competent staff. Look for the staff named Sabrina, very nice and professional.

Riot6

I second this.

I've also InterContinental Hotel in Makati. While the Manila Peninsula is across the street from Ayala's Glorietta mall, the InterContinental is next to it.

For a 3 day stay in Manila, there lot's to see and do in Makati. There's also lots of transportation options from there.

Aircoco

The Peninsula Manila is a nice hotel...

viking407rob

WAS nice. They blasted the living hell out of it during the last uprising a few months ago. The political situation in Philippines is very turbulent, with opposing parties calling for the presidents resignation. they even have a Wiki page about the rebellion and what happened to Manila Peninsula:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Peninsula_Mutiny


I got a live play by play as a close friend of mine has an office a block or so away from the Peninsula. They evacuated Makati and filled the streets with tanks and soldiers. It's a shame too. The Pen was such a nice hotel. The best in Philippines IMO.

viking407rob

I just wanted to add that Manila Peninsula is open for business again. I'm not sure if the "renovations" have improved the hotel or not, but its hard to believe they were able to fix it so quick. Here's hoping it doesn't get destroyed again...

Captain Schmidt

I had lunch in the lobby two weeks ago. Was slightly disappointed that there was absoultely no sign of the army having driven a tank through the front of the building.

RichardInSF

This is an alarmist reaction IMO.

I was across the street and watched the event live, which I posted on FT in TravelBuzz. The Peninsula re-opened less than 10 days after the event and has stayed open continuously since then. All guests at the time were re-accommodated.

I never felt I was in any danger and I continue to feel comfortable returning to Manila. I will be back there again in a few days, in fact.

pvs001d

In Peninsula it was just an entrance that was damaged and their repaired it over the weekend. I don't think it was closed for more then 5 days.

As for dangerous to visist or not - it depends on what places you are visiting. If you are just staying in Makati - you should be ok.

sammyglobal

About five years back , I was booked at the Club Level of the Intercon , and somehow I was upgraded to a presidential suite. For $150 or so a night, I have a 2000 sf palace equipped with its own sauna, full blown jacuzzi, three bedrooms, boardroom and lots of other toys

Spent the time with a friend, and did not leave the room much, and much fun it was