Just a Hint of Manila

From my latest visit to Cebu, I had to stop over for two nights in Manila before heading home. With a day trip out to a customer in the rugged mountains to the north, my company's local agent suggested I stay in Makati, just south of the city itself. I booked in at St. Giles Hotel for my first proper look at the country's capital.

Arriving to the airport in the early afternoon, I searched for a taxi rank, but the only signs I could find were for Airport Taxi. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place. I tried to ignore the spruikers who inevitably hang around the arrivals area in most Asian airports trying to get your business. I asked a security guard where I could get a taxi and he just hand-balled me to one of the spruikers. Now, you know you're about to get screwed when they ask you "how much did they charge you last time?". That's textbook testing-the-water to see if you know how much the ride is actually worth. Unfortunately, I had no idea exactly how far the hotel was, so I couldn't come up with a conceivable lie - I told him they can just run the meter, but he said the Airport Taxis don't go by meter; that's the second clue you're going to get screwed! The guy knew he had me hook, line and sinker, and he said it would be 900 pesos (about AU$25). Of course, it was only when I came back to the airport on the way out that I found it should actually be about 250 pesos - and THAT was in heavy traffic! Luckily for me, it's my company's money (sorry, boss!).

Anyway, with my wallet unnecessarily lighter, I eventually made it to St. Giles Hotel and checked in. The lobby and service therein was quite good; I do find service in the Philippines to be worth almost full marks every time. My room - a "Superior Room" - was fairly basic. A bit of a downgrade from my previous week in the Radisson, but it was also a bit cheaper!

The room was okay; no major complaints - I have certainly stayed in worse places. However, I did have a few first-world issues: the power cut out about three times during my stay, for no apparent reason; and the WiFi was a bit dodgy. The former was usually rectified within 5 minutes, so it was okay. Regarding the latter, the signal strength was a bit poor in my room, but more annoying was the fact that each room only gets one login profile - only one device can be used. And you can't log out off that device and then in on another. Or at least, it didn't work for me. You can request an additional login from the front desk, but you're likely to only get a total of two. I travel with two phones, an iPad and a laptop, so I found this a bit restrictive. And with regular dropouts of signal strength, this was probably the major downside to my stay.

My fairly cozy room at St. Giles, Makati.

A cozy room needs a cramped bathroom!

Breakfast is served at the Bayleaf restaurant on the second floor, with a buffet available from 6am - 10:30am. There's a decent range of dishes to start your day, and coffee on tap, so I was quite happy with my two mornings here! The same restaurant operates as a la carte 24 hours a day; I'm not sure who might be going in for a meal in the middle of the night, but fair play to the restaurant for catering for them. I had one dinner and one lunch at Bayleaf, and the service and food was great, while the prices were quite reasonable.

On the afternoon of my arrival, after a browse of the area on Google Maps, I took a walk up the main road to A.Venue Mall, only 100m or so away. I had spied a Japanese restaurant (after failing to find any Filipino ones nearby). Just inside the doors to the mall, Oki Oki has a decent menu of noodles, rice and some sushi options. Having missed lunch that day, I opted for a nice, filling Don Buri (rice bowl) with Tonkatsu (fried pork) and some dumplings. Of course, it doesn't compare to what you would get in Japan, but it hit the empty spot in my stomach for the day.

Tonkatsu Donburi at Oki Oki Japanese restaurant.

Gyoza at Oki Oki Japanese restaurant.

On the way back, I stopped in at 7-Eleven for some water and, shortly after leaving, I was lambasted by two young boys - similar to the two who tried to befriend me in Cebu. They hovered around me with the hands outstretched, but I refused to give them any money - they didn't even look homeless, to be honest. They appeared quite well fed and happy! When I refused, one of them grabbed my forearm as if trying to lead me somewhere; I shook him off and told him not to touch me. He replied with a cheeky grin and parroted back my words. After one final attempt for some cash, I pushed them out of my way and they gave up. Oh, the fun of the Philippines!

On my second night, after the visit to our customer, my agent had suggested several local bars where I could get dinner within a short walk. But after being out on the road and working for a total of 12 hours, I just didn't have the energy. I ate at the hotel restaurant and then grabbed my camera and went to the roof to check out the view. The roof-top pool is here, on the 35th floor, but in the grimy Manila atmosphere, it looked a little manky! Maybe that was just because of the low light, but nevertheless, I didn't take a dip. There is also a basic gym up here if you need to work off some of the many ways that Filipinos prepare pork. But, for me, I just took in the city scape of Makati and Manila before heading back to my room to crash.

Pinakbet - crispy fried pork, served with vegetables.

Deep fried ice cream to finish off.

The view over Makati.

I organised to check out late - at 2pm - as my flight wasn't until 8pm. My agent had noted there really wasn't much to see within walking distance, so I just relaxed for the morning before grabbing a taxi to the airport. The ride to Makati had taken about 30 minutes, but the ride back to the airport took almost 90 minutes in heavy traffic. As I mentioned, even this was still only about 250 pesos, so mental note for next time: 900 is not a fair price!

To conclude my experience of Manila - quite fittingly, I'd say - I had a nice mini-confrontation with a fellow passenger at the airport. As I lined up in the Business Class check-in line (only because of my frequent flyer status, I still travel coach!), I couldn't help but overhear a middle-aged woman in the next line over (Qantas Club; the next step down from my line) going on about all the places she's travelled. I hate boasters, to be completely honest. When check-in opened, I gradually progressed up the queue until I was at the front, and she was at the front of her line at the same time, still gabbing away to her friend. She was edging forward and I felt like she was going to try and jump in front of me. When a Business counter became available, she made a move, but I was ready and cut her off. She said to me, "Oi, I'm in Business Class!", implying she is somehow better than me. So I just looked at her and said, "Well, you're in the wrong line," and proceeded to the counter. The look on her face was priceless!

Enjoying the local delicacy at the Qantas First Class Lounge in Manila airport.

Honestly, Manila didn't wow me as a place I'd like to spend any significant length of time. It's noisy and dirty; the air smells of pollution; the traffic jams are insane. Maybe there are some nicer spots to visit, but you know what they say: first impressions last. The same goes for the hotel, unfortunately. If and when I do return, I will probably choose to stay somewhere else.