In an endless city you need a safe haven: review Conrad Manila

Yes I know, I am not a typical traveler. I often end up in places around the world without even knowing how I got there, without knowing anything about where I am. My first time in Manila was so, I had never put on my radar the capital of the Philippines.

Then one day TFC came along and one of my former classmates moved in. and so I had popped in for a beer with him. Those 36 hours had made me discover how Manila was a megalopolis completely different from all Asian cities. It's called Manila, but it's many cities, one attached to the other, and the commute here takes hours. Always.

As usual, When I return to a city I have already visited, I look for a different neighborhood, but here it is not a question of neighborhoods they are really different cities and this time I chose Pasay.

Location

This Conrad is at the center of the mall of Asia, which even from its name should give away what it is. Beyond that there is everything from the mega convention center, to the imax, to the Ferris wheel overlooking the bay.

Here's the Conrad is right in front of what we would call the waterfront, and if you get there on a Saturday night at the end of the Christmas holiday season you'll feel like you've ended up in a parallel universe.

Reservation

Conrad is the 5-star sign of the Hilton family and it is one of the most expensive and it was particularly expensive here. The cost was €200 per night, almost two months' work for an average Filipino.

I also could have used 50k Hilton Honors points, but. would have been a very bad conversion mainly because at this time there was the double points promo, so in the end with all the expenses I generated, the X2 rate I put a mountain of points in my pocket, enough to get two free nights at a lot of Hilton hotels.

Check-in

I arrived that they were shooting off the last fireworks and the waterfront was a flood of people and as a result the traffic was hellish and it took me about 60 minutes to make the approximately 3 km from the airport to the hotel.

The lobby is located on the 3rd floor. I checked in very quickly and the attendant, although the hotel was almost sold out, confirmed an upgrade from basic room to Executive with the best view. The first upgrade was a given, given the status, the view was not.

The Conrad Manila Room

My room was on the 6th floor, of 7, overlooking the bay and with a view of the millstone of the promenade below, complete with merry-go-rounds and screams of youtubers frightened by the pirate's vessel. At these levels you expect perfection, and here I did not find it, but maybe I was just unlucky.

King bed, mattress always impeccable. Desk for working, sofa under huge window (but with glass all but clean outside, but being on the sea it is normal that way). Mobile bar, very poorly stocked. Little attention to details such as the Nespresso capsules that were all of the same type or the low quality of the products in the minibar.

Minimalist bathroom, without any stroke of style, not even the smart toilet seat that the Japanese and others like so much.

There was not even a mega TV, in fact for the type of room it was really "small." The thing I appreciated the buttons to operate the curtains near the bed, the "master" button that turned off all the lights and multiple outlets so that each guest can recharge their personal items even without an adapter.

Also waiting for me in the room was a sweet thought, but most of all the Conrad's trademark puppet, a tradition that finally after covid is returning. Here in Manila the symbol is a buffalo, an animal very much present in the local culture.

Everything that didn't work in the room

The TV in these hotels when you arrive is always on, too bad the first problem was turning it off. They had to come and change the remote control.

The temperature in the room was illegal. I love air conditioning, but there is a limit to everything. I walked in and the climate read 16°, even the attendant who escorted me to my room let a "chilly" slip out. I was unable to raise the temperature above 19°, a stuff I needed the hot water bottle to warm the bed. All I could do was turn it off completely and hope for a lousy energy rating.

The worst thing was the lack of hot water in the shower, maintenance workers were needed morning to solve the problem.

Outside the Conrad Hotel

There is everything, of the mall I said, of the dozens of places to eat, including the Hard Rock I add it now. The most interesting thing though was walking along the promenade, or what I thought was a seaside promenade. A river of people, the rides, the party, the many restaurants of all kinds.

Too bad that then you wake up in the morning and the sunlight let the magic escape.

The "most beautiful view of the hotel" is a view of a bay, with an artificial island in the middle where I don't know what they are building.

The structure

The hotel was opened in late 2016, is part as mentioned of this mega commercial complex. As mentioned these are many cities that coexist under the name Metro Manila. The shapes are reminiscent of the creations of Archistar Zaha Hadid, but I don't think her hand is in it.

That care is lacking can be seen in small details, such as. the dull letter on the two mega signs that camp at the apex of the structure.

The heart is floor 3, here is the main restaurant, the one that hosts breakfast. Here is the hotel bar, the conference rooms, and from here there is access to the outdoor pool.

The hotel is a wedding destination. On Saturday evening there were, scattered around the hotel as many as 3 weddings and the next day 2 more. Obviously those who get married here definitely earn more than 10$ per day.

The lounge

On the seventh floor is the Executive Lounge. Breakfast, classic afternoon tea and evening happy hour are served here.

It is also a perfect environment to work, there are also meeting rooms available for guests and it is open from 6:30 am to 11 pm.

Access only with Diamond status or if you book an Executive room. My advice is never to do this unless the cost difference is only a few euros.

On the other hand, if you have status, it is a place to take advantage of at 100%, not for breakfast, which is always very small compared to the main restaurant, but for other times.

The swimming pool

The hotel, from above, looks like a 9. In the center houses the swimming pool, which is sheltered from the outside, but in contrast is within sight of all those with rooms facing the inside.

On the opposite side is a kind of garden that is nothing more than the ceiling of the shopping center below.

As always for the size of the hotel, the pool would not be adequate to accommodate all the guests, but I think the percentage of people who book here to go to the pool is low. The setting is nice, but being enclosed on all sides it is often shaded, which depending on the time of year can be good in these latitudes.

There are not many loungers, there are a few cabanas, but the most interesting thing is definitely the (almost) floating bar.

The SPA

On the 4th floor of the hotel is the hotel spa, I I had nothing to do in Manila but spend 36h so I treated myself to 90 minutes of massage.

The thing that amazed me is that the lounge area where you are seated is sea view, while the treatment rooms either have no window or, mine, overlooked apartment buildings , let's say little wow. The prices are moderate, admittedly high compared to the outside, but I remember that every euro spent at the hotel turns into points.

The bar at the Conrad Hotel in Manila

The nice thing about Saturday night was seeing this stream of people dressed up for the wedding walking around the hotel. There was also a band playing live here in a really nice, well-kept and very elegant setting.

There were also those who escaped from the restricted areas and took refuge on the bar's beachfront terrace.

Breakfast at the Conrad Hotel in Manila

Having breakfast at 930 on Sunday morning with the hotel practically sold out was a real experience.

The first room, the one with the view, was full of screaming children so I escaped closer to the buffet, but mostly further from the mess. The next morning, however, I had breakfast at 6:15 and was practically alone.

There is a lot on offer, lots of local flavors, a sign that predominantly the guests are the Filipino upper class, e.g. there was no nodle station, which surprised me greatly.

Open kitchen, lots of dishes prepared on the spot. Then the homeless man arrives and sends the egg station into crisis because he asks for an omelet with onions and cheese.

Juices that did not taste like a fresh product, but rather like an industrial, but quality product.

In conclusion

After the Peninsula in Makati, I moved to Conrad this time. The facility is beautiful, but it looks poorly maintained. The temperature management then is really crazy, since it was not an issue in my room, but even in the spa the attendant when I asked to raise the temperature told me that above 19° was not good.

Would I recommend it? I definitely recommend Pasay, of course you are not in Makati and that means having to spend a lot of time on grab if you want to move, but at least if you want you can take a walk away from the concrete, smog and crowds (assuming it's not Saturday night).

• Hilton Honors