Must-see hotels in Manila

  • Raffles Makati

    Manila

    Two five-star hotels in one skyscraper. The Raffles consists of 32 stunning suites on the 9th and 10th floors. They feature high ceilings, wooden…

  • Manila Hotel

    Manila

    One of Asia’s grand and regal hotels, where everyone from General MacArthur to the Beatles to JFK has spent the night. It’s more than 100 years old, yet…

  • Hive Hotel

    Manila

    The lower-budget sister of Cocoon is hardly a downgrade. Rooms are slightly smaller, but efficiently designed with open closets and lovely room dividers…

  • Makati Shangri-La

    Manila

    With a soaring lobby lounge punctuated by floor-to-ceiling bay windows and sequoia-sized columns, the Shangri-La wins the award for Makati’s most stunning…

  • Red Carabao

    Manila

    With its innovative program of cultural immersion, Red Carabao Manila treads the line between hostel and tour. If you want in, you must commit to a multi…

  • Makabata Guesthouse & Cafe

    Manila

    This training hotel provides at-risk youth with a chance to get a start in the hospitality industry. But it's more than just a feel-good story. Rooms…

  • Henry Hotel

    Manila

    We run out of superlatives when describing the two Henry Philippine properties – first the stunningly creative original in Cebu, and now this: a leafy…

  • Element Boutique Hotel

    Manila

    This functional and fashionable new French–run hotel adds another splash of originality to Makati's up-and-coming Poblacion area. The 14 rooms come in a…

  • Cocoon Boutique Hotel

    Manila

    This is QC's most chic address for the wannabe hipster in you. The rooms are fit for the pages of Wallpaper*, with beautiful 3m-long recycled-hardwood…

  • Sofitel Philippine Plaza

    Manila

    This five-star masterpiece, with its meandering pool area right on Manila Bay, is the closest you’ll get to a resort holiday in Manila. It’s the same…

  • Picasso

    Manila

    Exuding rock-and-roll chic, this suave art hotel has serviced apartments and studios with mounted beds, floating staircases, space-age chairs and bright…

  • Peninsula Manila

    Manila

    With rooms that highlight the best of Philippine design, the Peninsula is a Makati veteran that nevertheless appears brand new. The cafe in the soaring…

  • La Casita Mercedes

    Manila

    This sophisticated addition to Poblacion occupies a beautifully restored 1930s house. Step into an Old World lobby of antique mirrors, filigreed transoms…

  • New World Manila Bay

    Manila

    The New World offers five-star amenities at a lower price (usually) than the competition. You can get a haircut, buy gourmet chocolate, play a game of…

  • Seda

    Manila

    One of the few hotel options in The Fort, this classy business hotel has large, stylish rooms with jumbo plasma TVs and bench seating. There's a gym, pool…

  • Luneta Hotel

    Manila

    The French Renaissance–style Luneta Hotel is symbolic of Manila's intent to return to its pre-war glory. Originally opened in 1918, the hotel survived…

  • Shangri-La at the Fort

    Manila

    This gleaming luxury hotel signals The Fort's ambitions to become Manila's new epicentre of business and commerce. It rises 60 storeys high, with condos…

  • Edsa Shangri-La Hotel

    Manila

    Slightly less impressive than Shangri-La’s Makati branch, yet still five-star by all rights. The gardens here are truly a sight to behold and the MRT is…

  • City Garden Grand Hotel

    Manila

    This 32-storey high-rise is the smartest choice in Poblacion. Even the cheaper rooms have desks, sleek TVs, polished wood floors, shag rugs and floor-to…

  • Pan Pacific Hotel

    Manila

    This luxurious five-star business hotel is Malate’s solitary choice for travellers requiring British–trained butler service. The particulars of each stay…

  • Discovery Primea

    Manila

    This 68-floor tower is Manila's second-tallest building, but don't expect crazy views: the hotel rooms stop at the 17th floor. Still, this is one of the…

  • I'm Hotel

    Manila

    With 34 floors and a soaring glass-enclosed lobby, this Singapore import is hard to miss. Six floors are given over to the impressive I'm Onsen Spa. The…

  • Hop Inn Hotel Ermita

    Manila

    This is a big (170-room), bright, no-nonsense hotel with cheery service to match the decor. The colourful rooms are somewhat bare-bones but blissfully…

  • Clipper Hotel

    Manila

    The Clipper keeps it classy despite being steps away from seedy P Burgos St. The two quirky, windowless singles resemble boat cabins, with flat-screens…

  • Amélie Hotel

    Manila

    A shot in the arm for Malate's hopeful revival, Amélie's grey-stone minimalism is the perfect antidote to the sweaty, steamy metropolis. The throwback art…

  • Tambayan Capsule Hostel

    Manila

    The dorms are the highlight here. Picture beds (capsules) with roll-up privacy blinds, personal charging stations, private safety boxes, bright reading…

  • 1775 Adriatico Suites

    Manila

    Down a side street near Remedios Circle, this is your best bet for a quiet yet central midranger in Malate. There's a brand-new wing with snazzy doubles…

  • Fairmont Makati

    Manila

    The slightly less swanky sister of the Raffles Makati, the Fairmont nonetheless impresses with downy-soft bathrobes, futuristic bedside control panels and…

  • Bahay Kubo Hostel

    Manila

    Helpful owners and homey if busy common spaces are the hallmarks of this popular Malate crash pad. The downstairs common area, open to the street, lends…

  • Z Hostel

    Manila

    Manila's number-one party address for backpackers thanks to its rocking rooftop bar and chic ground-floor cafe. It's a huge space, with 130 beds over…

  • B Hotel

    Manila

    The T Morato area of Quezon City has suddenly become a mecca for Manila boutique hotels. Ian Schrager himself would admire the B's vintage industrial…

  • Ola! Hostel Manila

    Manila

    The best downtown hostel is in an up-and-coming area on the border of Pasay and Malate, and is equally convenient for Makati. The highlight is the rooftop…

  • Best Western Hotel La Corona

    Manila

    Everything about this place is in direct contrast to the disorder of the streets outside. Rooms possess all mod-cons and border on boutique, with touches…

  • Wanderers Guest House

    Manila

    In the heart of Malate, Wanderers knows precisely what backpackers want and delivers beautifully with a mix of clean dorms and private rooms (some with…

  • Oasis Paco Park

    Manila

    You come here mainly because it’s relatively quiet and isolated, and because it’s a rare Manila midranger with a decent pool – perfect after a sweltering…

  • Bayleaf

    Manila

    While a boutique hotel within Intramuros' old walls may not suit the area, the Bayleaf is rightfully popular for its rooms decked out in vibrant colour…

  • Junction Hostel

    Manila

    Junction is an 111-bed poshtel with a distinctively urban feel. There are murals on the walls, industrial fixtures and boutique dorm rooms in a mix of…

  • Guijo Suites

    Manila

    Well removed from the busier parts of Makati, Guijo Suites is good value in a quiet location. Rooms are not fancy but are smart, with light-wood panelling…

  • Zula Hostel

    Manila

    This upscale, Israeli-run hostel sets an urbane tone with a sleek lobby bistro serving hummus and the like, a rooftop bar and walls throughout painted…

  • Pension Natividad

    Manila

    Inside a beautiful art-deco building, this quiet, long-running pension is popular with Peace Corps volunteers and families. Consider staying elsewhere if…