Back to woManila

Ironically enough, I just read The Star, the local Philippines newspaper, and one of the article caught my eye; that of Philippines being ranked 6th in gender equality. Perhaps if they renamed their capital to Womanila, they just might move one notch higher and dislodge New Zealand from the 5th place. Sweden ranked 1st, Norway 2nd, Finland 3rd, and I can't remember the 4th place. But Singapore ranked 77th! Hm...I don't think renaming our CDB is going to help any!

Well, I had to stay in the Traders Hotel this time, and this merchant inn from the Shangri La group certainly needed much sprucing up. Considering the rate they were charging, it was certainly not value for money. I was even given an upgrade to the Club Floor, and paid USD180/night for that. The view from my 18th floor room was not bad indeed, and the Club floor lounge at the 19th floor afforded a better vantage point to take in the ocean view.

Unfortunately, the view did not compensate for the deplorable, dilapidated condition of the fixtures and finishings in the room. This hotel must be more than 20 years old, or older. Having stayed at the Traders in KL, methinks the hotel better start their refurbishment program.

Pictures do lie. The room looked a lot worse for wear than what you see.

Yes, the toilets were old too. And what was a greater disappointment was the hotel's unwillingness to improve on their shower facility. That, to me, is the least of what any hotel should do. All other amenities are not as important to a weary traveller than a good bed, and a good shower!

When I first checked in, the showerhead holder was incorrect for the showerhead, and the showerhead almost hit me on the head when I turned on the shower. After my complaint, the maintenance crew replaced the holder, but neglected to do anything about the leaky showerhead. Sigh...a bad shower makes for a grouchy guest!

Yes, this it how the entrance walkway to the bed. Even the lighting couldn't hide this ancient finishing.

Ok, so after that poor experience in Traders, I opted to try a newer hotel - a boutique hotel that opened in Sept 2006 and fully Filipino-owned. It's called the G Hotel.

The lobby is Panda-like; black and white. It's chic, and reminded me a lot of the Hangout Place in Singapore in its quaintness. The room key is something else though, somewhat of a nuisance to lug around with this heavy plastic encasement. I suppose the quest for uniqueness has its price.

The bedroom was pleasant enough, but for a one-year old hotel, it sure hasn't been too well maintained. The locking device has a homely feel. Remember not to forget to lock up before leaving the room because the door wasn't self-locking. It does remind me of home, of Mercure Hotel in Pattaya, and reeks of budget hotel offering. The rate was hardly budget hotel, though I'm not too sure if that's really the going rate for most hotels in Manila. Accustommed to KL and the low hotel room rates for quality standards, I guess Manila hotels rival Singapore hotels in terms of rates, but the city is certainly older than Singapore, thus, even the established hotel chains have seen better days.

The bathroom is rather sparsely furnished, minimalistic you might choose to describe it. I long for the Asian showers, with their detachable showerheads. Sure would love a good powerful shower with reliable hot water, and detachable showerheads! I narrowly escaped a nasty fall with the "anti-slip mat" provided in the bathtub/shower. They could really be in for a terrible lawsuit by other less forgiving guests. Awfully poor anti-slip property!

The hotel is not very conveniently located for a single woman traveller. There are no safe and closeby amenity or decent restaurant. Thus, one is left with only the hotel's own Cafe Noir. The price of the food is not reflective of an apparent budget-type hotel for sure. But the quality of food was commendable. My full 3 course dinner cost me 1,130pesos; Capuccino mushroom soup, with 2 pretty nice hot buns, grilled grouper fish with olive oil and vegetables, hot chocolate cake ala-mode. Oh yes, I had a glass of calamansi juice. The presentation was worth a mention.

Verdict - I'm heading for Renaissance Makati the next time round. At USD145/night, I think that would have been a much better value for money and more suited for the business traveller.