PhilFAQS

Recently we attended a trade show and also had a dinner and drinks meeting with an old friend in Manila.  Rather than fight the traffic (and what turned out to be some significant flash flooding), we decided to put up at a minor Manila landmark, the Bayview Park hotel.  On Roxas (row-has) Boulevard, directly across the street from the US Embassy, the Bayview is familiar to many Americans.  I’ve even sent a few people there myself, but I’ve never stayed there.  It was time to check it out.

The hotel is a 9 story low-rise with a 14 story tower on the end (that’s where the better suites and the Bayview Club facilities are).  It’s worth getting a bay view room, because the view across the bay toward Corregidor is very nice, both at sunset and easily worth getting up at six am to see the light change as the sun comes above the horizon.

The hotel is actually quite close to the airport. When coming from the south, watch for the US Embassy compound on your left and turn right into the last exit to the parallel service road east of Roxas, it runs right under the hotel’s portico.  Reasonable valet parking is right there at the front door, free to guests, 50 pesos if you want to use the parking while visiting the Embassy … you didn’t expect the Embassy to provide any parking for US citizens, now did you? .

Coming from the north, watch for the Manila hotel on the right, then immediately get in the very left hand lane to take a left into UN Avenue, making an immediate right into the hotel grounds.

This hotel, I see, is rated 2 star in most guides, it’s certainly a cut or more above most two star hotels OI have stayed in, I’d rate them a solid three myself.

“Superior” rooms are solid and comfy, they will be small to US taste, but huge compared to Hong Kong or Tokyo hotel facilities.  There are elevator bank son each end of the building and a nifty enclosed roof top pool for guests, a nice touch.

There’s a wide variety hot and cold food buffet breakfast.  The restaurant serves about 13 hours a day, a Starbucks (yes, remember them, we still have them in Manila … recession?  What recession) is attached to the hotel and there are literally dozens of restaurants within a few minutes walk.

United Nations Avenue, the cross street where the hotel is located, leads to the heart of the Ermita tourist district and to a station of the LRT rapid transit system that can get you around a lot of the city.  There’s a large (legal) casino on UN avenue and another a few blocks south on Roxas Blvd, part of the Philippine government (PAGCOR) casino system … they aren’t just for gambling, they have dinner and shows as well, sort of in the class of an ‘off the Strip” casino in Las Vegas.

Also a few blocks south is the BSP (Philippine Central Bank) where you can exchange money and buy commemorative coin sets and other numismatic treasures. 

The staff is helpful, the location is great (it’s on the “Hop on Hop Off” Busina tour van route, so you can go all around the city for one flat daily rate.  In in addition to the commercial taxies at the door the hotel has cars and drivers for hire from the bellman’s desk at reasonable, fixed in advance rates.

View Bayview in a larger map

Overall rating: Very satisfied.  Good value for the money.  (but do read the rest of the review for my tips on how to make that money quite a bit less).

I give the Bayview full marks for their website.  They actually have prominent button for booking that leads directly to a screen that shows room availability and prices …none of that submit the days you want and then wait for the system to come back and tell you those days won’t work. This is not only frustrating to potential guests, but a huge was of time and machine cycles for the hotel booking servers.  Think about it … when the server/web site is busy cranking out negative replies to inquiring visitors, the same server can’t be booking any money-making rooms … surprising how many hoteliers and website developers can’t get their head around this simple business building block.

But I saved several dollars a night by using my old reliable friends at Asia Travel.  These  folks have a huge inventory of Manila hotels, a slick online booking interface, special discount promos for long stays, they Answer Emails! and they have a US (and a UK) toll free number.  We paid $60 USD, Nett (Asian hotel abbreviation for inclusive of service fees and VAT … or as we say here in the Philippines, “all in”).  The travel agent emails or faxes a voucher, you pay a PhP 1.000 deposit upon check in to cover minibar or other incidentals, this was returned to us (in small bills, thank you, Front Desk folks, thank you) and so aside from voluntary tips, that $60 was the entire total for our stay.

Very satisfactory indeed, I’ll be back.  Recommended.

Popularity: 3% [?]