Astrotel is a small hotel in Avenida that has a futurustic theme.
It's actually more a motel than a hotel, but since there's no parking space whatsoever, it calls itself a hotel, one where couples can spend a few hours together for a small fee.
I am one of the very few who can claim to have checked into this hotel by myself, which may seem weird but it's not. I was working in a newspaper in Intramuros up until last year when a typhoon hit Manila. The streets were flooded but I made it to the office anyway.
Since the rains didn't stop, I had to spend the night at the office. The next day, the floods receded slightly, but I couldn't go home because I still had to work that next day. Since I was feeling tired and dirty, I decided to head for nearby Sta Cruz and check in to the nearest hotel that had a decent air-conditioned room with a hot shower.
This is just about all that Astrotel has to offer. It was cheap back then, and remains so up to now. The rate these days is roughly P100 per hour although they do hand out discount cards for regular customers.
One big downer about Astrotel is the lack of room service. This must be the only hotel of its kind that has no food or drink available. This is not too smart because all hoteliers know that food and beverage is a solid source of income, even for short-time motels and hotels.
The rooms at Astrotel are also very small. Worst of all, it has no windows, which can be pretty claustrophobic.
Yes, the rooms are clean and cool but this hotel offers little else in terms of amenities. read more