Hotels in Manila

[infoarmor]

I plan to visit the Philippines by the end of May and was wondering if what's the hotels' guest policy in the Phils like?
Is it like in Bangkok where in a lot of places your guests don't have to check in and you won't be charged extra, or more like in Vietnam, where pretty much all hotels would make the local boys you invite over to check-in and in some places, you will end up paying extra for each visitor that spends the night with you?
Do you guys think it's better to book an Airbnb if, as I expect and hope, there will be a bit of traffic in and out of my room?

[GWMinUS]

I would recommend booking a Condo with airBNB. There are many in the Malate area or in Makati if you want to go upscale.
Rates still seem much lower. And if you want something more like a hotel room, then book a Studio.
The only disadvantage of a Condo is no Buffet Breakfast. HAHAHA
But there is always McD, Jollybee, or Bo's Coffee Shop.
CHEERS

[infoarmor]

I would recommend booking a Condo with airBNB. There are many in the Malate area or in Makati if you want to go upscale.
Rates still seem much lower. And if you want something more like a hotel room, then book a Studio.
The only disadvantage of a Condo is no Buffet Breakfast. HAHAHA
But there is always McD, Jollybee, or Bo's Coffee Shop.
CHEERS

Thanks for your reply, GWMinUS. I've only been to the Philippines once. This was around 15 years ago. I was still in college and stayed in a hostel, so didn't get to experience having people over. My only concern with getting an Airbnb is that I might run through same problem with the apartment doorman/security, which I'm sure all the places in the more upscale areas like Makati have. I remember security in front of every business in Manila and having to go through metal detectors at malls.

I was hoping for some first-hand experience from the members of this forum and maybe even some concrete suggestions of places of where to lodge.

[GWMinUS]

For years I have been visiting Cebu City. There I book a Condo and have never had a problem with the front desk.
If my friend arrived alone, I just have the desk call me and I confirm I have someone visiting.
And give him my Condo Unit number so he can come up.

But before I did visit Manila, however I always booked a hotel.
In Malate I stayed at the PanPacific. Not cheap and no free breakfast. But great location!!
In Makati I stayed at the Best Western. Moderate rates and breakfast included.
Most recently I enjoy staying outside of Central, at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang. 5 Star and great foods.
I was meeting a long time friend from Dumaguete and he loves that Hotel and its Gym!!!
Anyway, enjoy your trip.

[infoarmor]

But before I did visit Manila, however I always booked a hotel.
In Malate I stayed at the PanPacific. Not cheap and no free breakfast. But great location!!
In Makati I stayed at the Best Western. Moderate rates and breakfast included.
Most recently I enjoy staying outside of Central, at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang. 5 Star and great foods.
I was meeting a long time friend from Dumaguete and he loves that Hotel and its Gym!!!
Anyway, enjoy your trip.

Thanks again, GWMinUS.
Have you ever had any issue with bringing guests at those hotels in Manila? Can guys just go straight to your room or they have to go through the frontdesk? What about if I go down and pick them up, do they still have to go through check-in?

I actually remember the PanPacific in Malate. Stayed in that area before.

[GWMinUS]

None of my "guests" had to Sign-In at the hotel.
But the elevators at the PanPacific would not operate without a Key Card.
So if you had a guy coming to visit you would need to go meet him in the Lobby.
Probably the same with most Condos.
However the one where I stayed in Cebu City had elevators that operated without a Key Card.
But the Crown Regency Hotel in the Towers did require a Key Card.
NO REAL PROBLEMS...

[DrewSpz]

Hey all,
I’ve been to Phil several times over the last few (pre covid) years. I actually find a lot of the high rise condos (ex: sea and shore condos at MOA) have very strict guest policies. I’ve had better luck at hotels believe it or not.

I’m going back to Phil in mid May and am looking for an air bnb or hotel that’s akin to Mosaic in Pattaya… key fob access only. If anyone knows please advise.

Also if anyone knows if there’s anywhere to off guys in Manila… didn’t think so but thought I’d check.

[infoarmor]

Hey all,
I’ve been to Phil several times over the last few (pre covid) years. I actually find a lot of the high rise condos (ex: sea and shore condos at MOA) have very strict guest policies. I’ve had better luck at hotels believe it or not.

I’m going back to Phil in mid May and am looking for an air bnb or hotel that’s akin to Mosaic in Pattaya… key fob access only. If anyone knows please advise.

Also if anyone knows if there’s anywhere to off guys in Manila… didn’t think so but thought I’d check.

Looks like we will be in Manila at the same time. I decided to go with hotels instead of condos. Booked a couple in Makati with free cancellations and will make a decision at the end of the month. So before Covid, you could bring a guy at your room in the hotels you stayed?

[DrewSpz]

For sure, no registering or anything. Like Sofitel.. only problem is it’s not walkable to anything. Actually I had great experiences at Microtel at MOA so that’s where I’m staying again. Let’s see!!!

[infoarmor]

For sure, no registering or anything. Like Sofitel.. only problem is it’s not walkable to anything. Actually I had great experiences at Microtel at MOA so that’s where I’m staying again. Let’s see!!!

Do you recommend more the MOA area or Makati around Glorietta and the Greenbelt? also, is there any good sauna in Manila worth visiting?

[infoarmor]

I got back from the Philippines a couple of days ago and would like to write a quick follow-up post.
In Manila, I stayed at a small boutique hotel near Greenbelt in Makati. Didn't have any problem with the numerous guests in my room. During the day, guys could walk just straight into my room. At later hours, I would get a call from reception asking me if I was expecting any guest and it would let them up.

To my disdain the hotel in El Nido explicitly old me: "No visitors". Luckily I was in there for just two days and busy doing tours anyway.
In Puerto Princessa I stayed at the Hue Resort. A place I definitely recommend. Great hotel and pretty much guests can go straight into a room.
It was a bit of hookup central in that town. I got hit on Grindr by three people staying there and some of the guys I met in there told they had already hooked up in that hotel.

I met all the guys through Grindr which was super busy in there for me. I opened other apps, ex: Hornet and Blued but they are not really popular in the Philippines.
The guys are mostly nice and tend to be submissive. Really trying to please. The only thing is, they end up coming out a bit clingy at the end. So after the first 3-4 guys, I would always say I had some work to do after we were done with sex.

My only bad experience in the Philippines was with Grab. It's not as reliable as in some other Asian countries. First, it wasn't accepting my credit card, even though I've used that same card with Grab in Thailand and Vietnam. So I had to order Grab using Cash. Even then, there were not many cars available. Few times I waited around 5-7 minutes, just to get a message from Grab that all their cars are busy. Forget about getting it fro the airport. So I ended up using more taxis than Grab.

Said that, it should be noted that Philippines is actually cheaper than Thailand, both in high-end places like spa and restaurants and in lower-end food halls and taxi rides. It's probably more in par with Vietnam, though it might slightly. ore expensive in some things.
Though I didn't need to use myself, I think guys are also cheaper. The slang for paid sex is: "For hire" and you will see it in some Grindr profiles, less though than in BKK. From the 2-3 profiles I inquired the price was around 1000 - 2000 PHP, which would be 20-40USD.