Manila Marriott

Now this hotel surprised me. It was near the Manila airport, in fact you could walk to it via a dedicated bridgeway from terminal 3.

But what surprised me was how nice the hotel was. Normally hotels near the airport aren't as nice as this one. I was thoroughly impressed with it.

I only spent one night there as it was a layover on my trip back home to the USA. But I arrived at noon, and was not going to fly out until 10 AM the next morning so it gave me plenty of time to explore the premises.

My stay started with a walk down the hallway to the elevator. Along the way, I was treated to this art. My grandson would especially like this next piece of art.

On to the room. With my Platinum Elite status from staying 75 nights at the Marriott brand last year, I was awarded an upgrade. Now Marriott, unlike Hyatt, is very cheap when handing out those suite upgrades. I can't remember the last time I got a suite upgrade from Marriott. But I was upgraded to this very nice premium room with an excellent view and plenty of room for one person.

In addition to the room, I had this very nice balcony that had a beautiful view over the city of Manila:

The club lounge was complimentary due to my status with the hotel and offered breakfast, hot dinner, free drinks during dinner hour from 5:30 to 7;30 pm, and afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea and snacks time:

As you can see, I did not find the place very crowded in the afternoon. But for breakfast and dinner that was a different story.

In the morning, I visited the exercise room as I normally do at hotels. This one had an excellent one. Not many people using it either.

Most hotels set up the fitness center with a good view. Either over the pool or a good view of the city.

After visiting the fitness center, which was on the top floor, I went out to take pictures by the pool. It was a rooftop pool with great views, and the guy managing the fitness center encouraged me to go out there to take pictures, even though I wasn't going to swim. I'm glad he made the suggestion.

I had an international flight out the next morning, and it was so nice to not have to depend on a taxi ride. especially since the traffic in Manila can be brutal and you never know how long it will take I was able to take the short walk to the Bridgeway and in 10 minutes I was inside terminal three of the airport.

This is one of the better Marriotts I have stayed at. Too bad they waste a beautiful piece of property so close to the airport. This would be a good resort hotel in a more scenic area. But the outside surrounding areas were nothing worth visiting. I walked the streets for a little bit that evening, but not much as I thought it looked a little scary in places.

Most people using airport hotels are simply looking for a place to spend the night. I know for myself, I'm not looking for an exotic property with many amenities. I just want a place to stay the night. This hotel was more expensive than most places I normally stay at near an airport, even with points, But I really had no choice. There weren't a lot of other good alternatives.