M O R E
T H A N
S T O P O V E R S
Hotels are more than just stopovers for iconoclastic solo travelers. It's also more than just secret rendezvous hideaways for the romantic. In Metro Manila, they are becoming solid staycation venues for friends and family members that converge from different locations. The pulsating grid of the metropolis is filled with luxury-driven guests that are always on the lookout for hotels to book
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| Vivere Hotel's 5-star lobby |
Vivere Hotel (Muntinlupa City)
As the former farming district of Alabang pumps out a new urban elite with its business and commercial centers, Vivere Hotel has managed to find its pioneering spot in the landscape of Muntinlupa City. The sought-after 5-star deluxe hotel, with its towering posture of 31 storeys, seems to dwarf its neighbors. At its roof deck restaurant, The Nest, the view is a stellar confirmation. The movers and shakers of the area opine that you have not experienced the luxurious ascent in life if you haven't stepped into the elegant lobby of the 200-room establishment and scaled its height.
Read more here.
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| KL Tower Serviced Residences' indoor swimming pool |
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| KL Tower Serviced Residences' One Bedroom Loft |
KL Tower Serviced Residences (Makati City)
KL Tower Serviced Residences can be a storied landmark in the high-end business district of Makati City’s Legazpi Village. A 10-minute stroll away from the corporate expanse of Ayala Avenue and surrounded by an uneven skyline of attractive skyscrapers, the modern contemporary residence-hotel can tell tales to make you listen intently. With a park fronting the stretch of the establishment’s Gamboa Street entrance, the area is fortunate to be a suite-filled serenity within a bustling grid of business, boardroom meetings, and banquets.
Read more here.
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| Hotel Durban's indoor courtyard |
To be in the middle of everything is one pursuit of travelers in the urban jungle that is Metro Manila. However, the fine line between good taste and convenience is as thin as one's dental floss. Fortunately, Makati City has one such location that exudes exceptional accommodation. Smack dab at the center of Makati Avenue's stretch of amusement establishments, Hotel Durban confidently stands as a foreigner-favorite crib. It is still where it first became a reliable home-away-from-home for foreign tourists in the eclectic night life of the city. After necessary renovations, it's now newly-dressed up to appeal to the refined sensibilities of modern living sans the decadence of opulent decors and pretentious amenities.
Read more here.
Microtel By Wyndham
Microtel By Wyndham is no stranger to the Philippine landscape. As of this writing, the global chain of hotel brand has a total of 13 consistently well-designed facilities in the country. Access to its reliable amenities can be had in all three regions, mostly in mainland Luzon where I reside.
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| Microtel By Wyndham-Mall of Asia roof deck |
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| Microtel By Wyndham-Mall of Asia |
Microtel By Wyndham-Mall of Asia (Pasay City)
Unlike in other branches, this SM Mall of Asia complex-based hotel has more modern facilities that include touch screen elevator panels and nifty flash light-ready rooms. The rest of the room features show proof of the Microtel standard which is about none of the unnecessary and useless frills. Everything inside the hotel has meaning and purpose for the benefit of the guest.
Read more here.
Microtel By Wyndham-UP Technohub (Quezon City)
Quezon City is officially a served spot, hospitality-wise. The mere presence of a few hotels in recent years at the entertainment district of the city was not enough to boost the interest of local and foreign tourists to even consider the largest city in the country as a stopover accommodation. The latest property to raise the cool quotient, Microtel By Wyndham, simply had to open last 2014 and the rest was history.
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| Microtel By Wyndham-UP Technohub |
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| Microtel By Wynham-UP Technohub's roof deck pool |
The urban oasis to be had at this new addition to the chain of hotels is its central courtyard. Having stayed there for a few days, I found that almost ethereal gem of a spot is what makes this branch unique, a breathable space of lush greenery where some of the 120 rooms have a good view of. Rather ironic but essential is its design because the hotel's smack dab in the middle of the booming IT and commercial development of UP-Ayala Land Technohub in the city. The dynamic PEZA-listed area is where one can find technology and business incubators, research firms, BPOs, restaurants, and numerous commercial establishments.
Read more here.
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| Microtel By Wyndham-Acropolis' hotel lobby |
Nestled just across the perpendicular junction of E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue and the entrance to Eastwood City, Microtel By Wyndham-Acropolis is quite accessible for overnight stays by travelers in transit to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from neighboring cities, professionals on business in the area or families on so-called staycation mode like mine.
Read more here.
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| The Henry Hotel |
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| The Henry Hotel |
The Henry Hotel (Pasay City)
It was not hard feeling pleasant inside the compound of The Henry Hotel in old F.B. Harrison. Outside, though, the highly urbanized area was toxic Manila. Within the premises of the Henry Hotel, the experience was completely different. I was welcomed by age-old trees. The surrounding was surprisingly breezy, luxurious, and quite interesting. The vintage elegance was palpable everywhere from the two-storey houses that reminded me of my grandparents to the showroom of eclectic and artsy finds.
Read more here.
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| Remington Hotel |
Remington Hotel (Pasay City)
I've stayed in countless number of standard class hotels in Metro Manila for various reasons as a city dweller. There was a time when I checked in for a month at a San Juan City-based hotel to lend my room to a visiting relative. I've celebrated two of my birthdays at a Mandaluyong-based hotel because it was near a favorite mall of mine where I met friends for extended celebrations.
If there was a value-for-stay hotel that can serve as an overnight respite from the hustle-and-bustle of the city and the demands of being at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Remington Hotel would be on the top of the list.
Read more here.
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| The Exchange Regency |
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| The Exchange Regency |
I had luxurious hours to meander up the Ortigas Center from my native Kapasigan one weekend this year. Being on business at The Exchange Regency, I succumbed to the idea that I could unwind after the grueling ritual of digging into my corporate past. I figured that such a rendition of spontaneity in the bustling district of Pasig City would inspire me to have a relaxing staycation. The Exchange Regency is part hotel and part condominium. The room windows from two sides of the building can offer guests unobstructed views of the city's residential scene.
Read more here.
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| Privato Hotel's swimming pool |
Privato Hotel (Pasig City)
Privato Hotel is designed to appeal to guests who are doing business or any related activity in Pasig City. Its business-meets-leisure credo sure appealed to me as I was also in a schedule to check out nearby condominiums and bungalows in the residential area that span its rear.
Read more here.
City Garden Suites (Manila)
Ermita in Manila is no place for a beachgoer or a Francophile. It always seems to be humid in the streets even on a temperate weather what with the congestion of peddlers and people who are always on business. One look at the dizzying corners of junctions shrouded by decade-old buildings is enough to convince a visitor of the district to flee once a transaction is done.
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| City Garden Suites Manila |
Visitors are willing to be locals for more than a few hours just to avoid the early morning rush hour. This gives credence to the presence of more than a dozen of affordable accommodations in the area. An overnight stay at a value hotel such as the City Garden Suites is the best decision to make for an early processing of any document either at the US Embassy or other work-related destinations.
Read more here.
Thrilled to schedule your next staycation in Metro Manila? Plan your next getaway to be a quick one and choose from this list of essential hotels that I highly recommend. Expect the next set of tested hotels to staycation in soon (part 2) on this blog.
Check out my Blog Series Tours.