The Peninsula Manila, grandeur and opulence with Christmas decorations in mid-September
One of the criticisms I get very often in hotel reviews is that I am geared solely toward facilities [...]
One of the criticisms I get very often, in the hotel reviews, is to be oriented solely to Marriott or Hilton family properties, and that is true. As the only frequent traveler on the TFC team, I focus on my two reference chains, But I promised that in 2024 I will be a nomad trying to try hotels of other groups as well.
In this article:
So I decided to start right away by booking, on my trip to Manila, one of the historic structures in the capital of the Philippines and one of the most luxurious hotels in the city: The Peninsula, for locals simply "The Pen."
Reservation
The best bonuses
I booked through the American Express travel portal, the reason being. this hotel is part of the Fine Hotels & Resorts collection and so it was the perfect way to maximize benefits, to get the most by spending the least.
The cost of the Deluxe room for one night was 212 euros, not even an exaggerated price for a 5-star hotel, and definitely cheaper than the other FH+R option, the Shangri-Là which cost more than three times as much. I also decided to use the €150 voucher included in the annual fee for Amex Platinum To discount the reservation and in the end so one night cost me 62€.
The benefits at this hotel are the usual, only. 100$ credit to spend on facility is not awarded, but you receive 1h free massage for two people which becomes two 1h massages for one person if you are traveling alone.
In addition to this guests also receive access to the hotel's Club Lounge, which is not a given and that does not happen in similar facilities around the world, translated you eat and drink for free at all hours of the day until late in the evening.
Location
If you have never been to Manila, you should know that it is a huge city., composed of a collection of neighborhoods, each larger than Milan, and moving from one place to another costs hours of traffic and stress. That is why you have to choose the hotel based on what you have to do/see and not based on the price of the room.
In my case, I chose Makati because. Was close to the two places where I had appointments. A historic district in the capital, one of the oldest and has a huge street running through it. Previously this street was the runway of the city airport, and the former control tower/boarding area is now a trendy restaurant and rooftop bar. (Thanks to Michele for the discovery).
Check-in
The traffic nightmare on Sunday, September 17, the date of my visit, did not materialize. I landed at the airport at 6:30 a.m. and by 7:15 a.m. I was already in the room.
Yes at 7 a.m. Upon my arrival the attendant informed me that I had received an upgrade to a suite, but that the room would not be ready until 12 p.m. I then asked if they could give me the room I had reserved, but right away. Said and done, sure enough I waived the upgrade provided among the benefits of Fine Hotels and Resorts reservations, but for one night and alone I needed just a bed and a shower.
The room
The hotel has its years and it shows, Let's say she is an elderly Gentlemen accustomed to high society. You can sense that it was designed in the 1980s, especially in the rooms that could probably use a refresh.
I'm not saying they're old, lived-in, or ugly. i'm just saying that in 2023 the rooms at these category and brand levels are better, although that's a constant I've seen even in similar hotels like the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur or the St. Regis Singapore.
Renovating such a cathedral is a multi-million dollar investment, not peanuts.
The room has everything you would expect from a basic room in a facility of this level, king bed and plenty of space. Space that is filled here with a bar cabinet that hides everything inside.
A 2-meter long desk, an armchair under the large window. Window overlooking the Manila skyline, or perhaps it would be better to say one of the many skylines of the Philippine capital.
The bathroom is also large, with tub and shower, all marble and all without plastic. But aluminum tubes and bamboo amenities. For privacy lovers (and the shy) there are no windows or doors on the room, as is so fashionable today.
The room is all managed in home automation, and you can see that when it was installed it was state of the art; today it is like comparing an iPhone 15 with a Star Tac (if you are under 35, google images to see what I mean).
Here the detail of everything in the room, impossible to die of thirst and in case you need to file papers there is also the stapler.
Late-afternoon room turndown is a disappearing custom, even in the 5-star hotels. Here, however, it is done the old-fashioned way. Bed prepared, water bottle and ice bucket full, slippers ready at the side of the bed. Chapeaux.
The structure
The ground floor is something spatial, it feels like entering a royal palace, two marble staircases surround the reception area and lead to the reception floor.
There is a special island here for orchestras who take turns playing every night to entertain guests at the various restaurants.
The ground floor houses 4 different restaurants, as well as the hotel bar. I as a good bum/scrooge gobbled for free in the lounge, but it was confirmed to me that the food offerings of the different restaurants are of the highest quality.
The exterior is also very impactful between fountains, statues and the classic Jeeps turned into buses that are called jeepneys here..
The lounge
Normally I would not have had access to the club lounge, but it is one of the benefits that the hotel includes in FH+R reservations.
Of course it won't give the 100$ of creidto spend, but on balance, the savings here are significantly greater, because with the option of having breakfast (but that would still be included) afternoon tea snack and evening cocktail dinner the savings are considerably higher.
The room is located on the third floor of the hotel and is a terrace overlooking the central square of the hotel with a spectacular view of everything below, one of those situations where you are reminded of the old Rai commercial, "A subscriber always has a front row seat."
I had dinner while waiting to go out with some friends; there was pretty much everything. The bartender for cocktails, or wine and champagne. From sushi to oysters, from local flavors to the show cooking station with chefs available to prepare different express dishes, I opted for salmon.
Swimming pool and gymnasium
On the outside, a small park hides a pagoda with the hotel's Oriental restaurant inside. Here there is also the pool, definitely small and not very wow for a hotel of this size.
From here you can also access the gym and spa, I only went in to book the two complimentary treatments included in the reservation, the nicest thing is that it is proposed, and so I did, to have the treatments directly in the room at no extra charge.
Food & Beverage
As mentioned there are many restaurants inside this hotel all with different cuisine. The main location is where breakfast is offered, and in the evening it turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet available to outside guests and visitors.
There is a bar in the center of the lobby that doubles as a restaurant, and then there are 3 other restaurants scattered around the hotel in addition to the pool bar in the outdoor area.
Of the lounge I mentioned the other test was the breakfast. Classic buffet, elegant, with several stations where chefs prepare local dishes such as noodles, eggs to taste, and other local delicacies.
There is also the coconut attendant, who prepares one for each guest upon request.
If the eye was satisfied the same I cannot say about the belly. Product level definitely lower than what was offered in the lounge the night before, nothing wrong with that, but I expected much more. Also because the benchmark is not only the 5 stars, but breakfasts in Asia in general. At the very least, I expected a menu from which to choose special dishes like the lobster and caviar at the St Regis Singapore.
In conclusion
FH+R reservations are one of the main reasons I am an American Express Platinum customer, with two/three stays a year in facilities like these, which are also in Italy and the rest of Europe, I easily pay back the card fee and I get treated like a VIP even though underneath I'm just a freeloading bum. Oh I forgot, it was September but here they are crazy about Christmas so there were already all the decorations and music and they were going to install the tree.
Pro
- The lobby
- The lounge
- In-room massages
Against
- The room
- Breakfast
- The swimming pool