Having never been to the Philippines before I wasn't sure what to expect, not just from this hotel but from Manila in general. It also didn't help that my father, (who left the Philippines as a child in the 1960's), and my mother, (who hadn't been back home since the Marcos administration) did a pretty thorough job at painting a scary and exaggerated picture the of the Manila they remembered, or at least imagined as children- one rife with crime and poverty where roving gangs of criminals were ready to cut the earrings straight from my ears and, unless I wanted to part with large sums of money at a luxury hotel, I might come home with a bed bug infestation.I'm happy to say though, that for the most part, that I realized that my parents are big fat liars :) and I couldn't have been more pleased with this hotel.
First off, to my fellow Americans (especially to the American Filipinos with parents that like to scare them into extreme caution) who maybe reading this review and have never visited Manila- area and the hotel feel very safe and secure. We went out late at night several times and didn't think twice about our security.
The hotel is rather new and the rooms are basically serviced apartments complete with a full kitchen, spacious living room, and washer and dryer (in our one bedroom suite at least). The beds were very comfortable , the sheets were a good thread count, the pillows aware firm yet fluffy and everything is CLEAN. While I didn't personally use the gym, my husband did and remarked that while it wasn't large, it was more than adequately equipped and well maintained.
Although located a little farther away from the wealth of dining, shopping, and nightlife options that you'll find in the center of Makati, Power Plant Mall is literally across the street and is complete with a few restaurants, a grocery store, movie theater and plenty of mid level shopping. If Power Plant isn't meeting your shopping needs an Uber driver always seemed to be less than 3 minutes away from the hotel when we needed it.
By US standards (i.e. based on the cost of a comparable hotel in San Francisco or even Seattle) it was a GREAT value and I would definitely stay there again. read more