Bayview Park Hotel Manila — Hotel in Manila

We were looking for a hotel near the US Embassy for an appointment, and Bayview Park Hotel Manila came up. The hotel is right across the US Embassy and has been there for many years.||• Room|— Our room I think was a Standard room with two single beds and city view. It is quite spacious with usual amenities such as cable TV, tea and coffee-making appliance, mini refrigerator with fridge, phone, work desk with chair, blackout curtains, and safe. The design is quite dated though. I don't remember any power outlets near the beds. There was one socket by the desk. The USB part of the socket did not work. There were 4 more next to the mini fridge, 2 of which were already used by the TV and the fridge. And not sure about other rooms, but the closet in ours has about half-an-inch elevated flooring, which will make rolling wheeled luggage a little hard.|— Ironically, the view is quite bad considering the hotel's name is Bayview. The windows had some tint maybe to keep the sunlight out, but it made the windows translucent. While you could see the outside, it isn't as clear due to the tint. You couldn't have a decent view of the bay. |— The bathroom is pretty huge with toiletries available. Toilet has bidet. Shampoo is Palmolive brand that comes from their dispenser. The water pressure and heater work perfectly, and showering is easily one of the best parts of our stay. The bathroom flooring is, however, elevated and not accessible to wheelchairs.||• Dining|— Our stay came with buffet breakfast, which you can have at the ground floor in front of the lobby. You have to be early to secure seats because it fills up fast. There is a second floor though which is much more spacious. There are limited choices, but I enjoyed the coffee machine upstairs though. And this might be a downside for some travelers but they only allow smart casual wear to the breakfast. I know some enjoy dining with their pajamas or comfy clothes on.|— You can dine in as well for lunch or dinner with their meals. We ordered some of their bento meals. If they had Japanese guests, they would disapprove of the bento meals. You're better off eating Japanese food elsewhere at a proper Japanese resto.||• Service|The staff were friendly. I couldn't say the same with the personnel by the entrance though. They just chat with one another and not show some care. They ignore when cars drop off passengers and don't help at all. One time it was even raining hard. They did not bother helping guests alighting cars. (Staff from other hotels do.) But then during one lunchtime on a sunny day when there were guests who were government officials who came in for an event (these weren't even mid or top government officials, mind you), they were all out assisting them. Sigh.||• Hotel Facilities/Amenities/Atmosphere|You'll notice 2 computers by the lobby for free internet. The roof deck has the swimming pool, fitness gym, and the Sunset bar. There are also function rooms. The pool was 4 feet deep, had no heating, plus there were a few dead bugs and leaves floating. I just stayed on the parts of the pool that looked clean.||• WiFi|There was free WiFi, but I don't think I used it because I had mobile data.||• Parking, Drop-off/Pick-up Area|There is limited parking space, just the row of space at the front of the hotel, which is shared by all establishments in the area. There is a drop-off/pick-up space, but I don't think there was an awning or something when rain poured. Staff weren't helpful even.||• Location and Shopping|— Like I said earlier, we needed a place to stay near the US Embassy. While the hotel is indeed exactly opposite the embassy, you'd still need to walk quite far to get to the footbridge you need to cross that is closer to the line to the entrance of the embassy. If your purpose for staying by Roxas Blvd / Manila Bay is be near the US Embassy, there are hotels nearer said footbridge.|— Historical sites are quite accessible starting from Rizal Park which is very walkable. The hotel is also near Manila City Hall, the National Museum, and the Walled City of Intramuros which is rich in history and landmarks. Intramuros has heritage buildings that will take you back to the Spanish occupation era.|— The nearest mall is Robinson's Place Manila. It is a huge shopping mall with lots of restaurants and shops. I'm not sure but I think the tricycles are still allowed in the area to and fro the mall.|||• Vicinity|At street level, there is a Starbucks outside in the same building as the hotel. Across the hotel building is a Burger King and a 7-Eleven. I think there are a few more restaurants around the area, but nothing special. If you need a money changer, I didn't notice any. There must be foreign exchange at the mall. I also don't remember any pharmacies nearby. Your best bet is the mall too.||• Security|The hotel is well-secured with security personnel and cameras.||• Reservation, Check-in, Deposit, Check-out, Luggage Storage|My mom made the reservation via the phone. Check-in and check-out went fine. There isn't enough seating while waiting though, and guests are all over the lobby standing wherever. I think there is luggage storage by the lobby, but we didn't need/use it.||• Value|I forgot how much the rooms cost us. I know it's much cheaper to use Agoda, with the price there much for value for money considering the inclusions.||• Overall|The hotel is comfy but dated. It's near historical landmarks that are tourist spots. The nearest mall isn't walkable. Not kidding when I say we really enjoyed the shower, but we would consider other hotels that are at better locations and aren't as dated, and with an actual view from an untinted transparent...

The Bayview Park Hotel is one of Manila's older hotels. But as a place to stay for a short stay or visit, it is quite adequate. The staff are friendly and engaging, and work quickly to take care of your reservation. Bear in mind that the hotel does ask for a deposit of 3000 pesos that they will reimburse you for (make sure you keep the receipt) upon your departure. The room that I had had a refrigerator, two beds, and a desk, even though I had asked for a single bed. But I guess the other bed was there in case I decided to get a massage (I did not, but the hotel had those services). The room was very clean, with no smoke smell, so that was very good. The shower/bathroom was fine, and there was plenty of space in that area to place my belongings if I wanted to keep them out of sight.Eating at the Bayview is pretty good. To their credit, they have a decent kitchen staff, and the native dishes they make there are very tasty and filling. Price wise, they may seem a little high, but it's a quality hotel, so that is to be expected. Since my reservation also covered two breakfasts, I ate breakfast almost every morning, and did enjoy both conventional and native foods, as well as a salad bar and desserts (skipped that, but they looked delicious).Room service was a little hit and miss, but to their credit, I was called regularly and asked if I needed service. Since I was out a lot, I opted not to have the guys come in too often. But if I needed something, all I had to do was dial 5, and they'd provide it for me.The location is excellent if you are conducting any kind of meeting with the US Embassy or VA medical facilities, which is one of the reasons I chose it. There is also a Starbucks, a Burger King, and a 7-11 all within 50 meters of the hotel. The 7-11 is a good place to recharge your phone minutes. It is also walking distance from a huge mall called Robinson's, where you can find all kinds of Western style stores and services. If you need to ship something back home, there is a DHL near the mall. I visited there a couple of times. It was nice. However, there was one downside to this that sort of reflected on the Bayview. One of their employees met me while I was in Robinson's and scammed me, claiming that he was on his day off and having a birthday celebration with his kids. The guy actually knew my name, calling it out. I saw him later at the hotel, and he did his best to avoid eye contact. Panhandlers and scammers are a bit of a problem at Robinson's.Another negative on the hotel is the 'fitness center.' None of the treadmills work, and the weight machine they have in their is in awful shape. And it appeared that the swimming pool was not usable. These were two of the selling points that convinced me to select this hotel. If you are a bit of fitness person, however, there is an Anytime Fitness gym next to the hotel. There are also some medical facilities of different types nearby.I was in need of printing some items there, and the staff helped me use their printers. You will get charged for this, but again, it was not a big deal. But there are other printing shops nearby.Leaving the hotel was a mixed bag. Once the clerk had finished conducting business with me, I felt she'd closed the door on her hospitality. I was not expecting that. She was a very polite person during our transaction (returning my deposit and checking me out), so I do not know what happened.The bellmen were very helpful in getting my bags into the rental vehicle. And to their credit, they were polite and professional at all times, even helping me find some things that I could not identify right away.Overall, I would recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a real value for their money. it is one of the best...

Dated but stately hotel with 10 floors of rooms. Cash & credit cards accepted. Staff is friendly and efficient.

Although the lobby gives off an aura of contemporary elegance, as soon as you step off onto one of the floors of rooms you know the updating stopped there by and large. Although kept in excellent condition it does show it's age. For some this will be fun and enjoyable while others won't. Know who you are and book accordingly.

Rooms are large and comfortable. In-room safe, mini-fridge, flat screen wall-mounted TV (across from the queen bed but not the single bed, hmmm). Curtains are not black-out, but even though only three floors up there was no real street noise to speak of, which is good as this hotel sits near a very busy street. Unfortunately the third floor isn't high enough to give you a view of the bay!

There's a table suitable for laptop work. Not many power outlets in the room, but at least the one I could find is next to the table! But only a single plug plus a USB charging port. Beds are comfortable. Firm but not uncomfortably so. Bedding is well-used but crisp and cool. AC is adequate to cool the room nicely in about 15 minutes or so. Your electronic room key goes into the master control slot near the door to activate AC and electricity to the room. Tere's a flashlight located on your way out of the room in case of emergency.

Armoire with hangers, a full-length wall mirror and a table in between the two beds rounds out the amenities, other than a hot-water pot and tea/coffee service. There's a hair dryer on the table in the bedroom that makes more sense in the bathroom.

Bathroom provides plenty of space. A large tub designed for relaxing in plus a shower and shower curtain. Hot water was quick and plentiful. Toiletries such as a bubble bath, shower cap, tooth brush/paste and small bar soaps are provided. Shampoo is dispensed from a pump in the shower. Water drains well in both the shower and sink. Everything is clean but again, dated (especially the toilet!).

They have an on-site restaurant an a buffet breakfast from 6am to 10am. Room service is available. Bags are provided in the room for laundry service so I assume that's an option.

I don't know Manila very well yet. This hotel is located well if you want to be near the bay. The neighborhood surrounding it is a little rough. Not unsafe, but definitely rougher than the comparative opulence inside the hotel. McDonald's, Burger King, 7-11 and a variety of small local restaurants within easy walking distance. Assume an hour to get to the airport, depending on traffic (which is always bad!).

Overall I was satisfied (single-night stay), would stay here again and recommend it to others, particularly if you know Manila and know this is the area of Manila you want to...