Hotel Juliano — Hotel in Manila

If you're looking for a budget, basic, (emphasis on the basic) place to crash in Ermita, especially for a US embassy interview, or if you'd like to spend a few days exploring the Rizal Park area (Fort Santiago, Baluarte de San Diego, etc.) without spending too much on a hotel, Hotel Juliano does it's job.||There are a few dealbreakers that I'll get into below, but as a tl;dr, (but please give it a read regardless!) there are cockroaches, cobwebs, an uneasy environment outside the hotel, and a room with no windows.||Let's get into it!||The earliest heads up I can give you as you are considering this hotel: just beyond the crossroads on the right side of the hotel, there's a squatter area. ||It’s definitely not the most scenic part of the neighborhood, so it’s wise to stay alert and keep a close eye on your belongings. That said, I’ve walked through the area twice and was totally fine—no issues at all. If you’d rather avoid it, there are alternate routes you can take. This side of Ermita has a rough-around-the-edges vibe, but in my experience, it's more about feeling uneasy than actually encountering any real danger.||Check-in for this hotel is a standard 2pm. They offered an early check-in for 500 pesos, which I passed up on as I figured I'd just wait until 2pm. Funnily enough, when I got my room, it felt like it had been ready for quite... a long while already. It felt like it had been left vacant as cobwebs greeted me at the door, and at my bathroom door.||There was also a tiny cockroach problem, at first, literally as a baby cockroach crawled out from my toilet seat as I was doing my business. I finished my business and asked for an insecticide (Baygon! Go ahead and ask for it, they'll offer. Sometimes it's at the second floor's little phone desk.) To the staff's credit, they were quick and happily offered it. I sprayed the entirety of the bathroom and a bigger cockroach came out from underneath the drain. I killed it and after that, there were no more roaches for the rest of the stay. I'd recommend asking for the insecticide first and foremost before you sit down on the toilet.||The shower heater takes a while to warm up, you have to fiddle around with the temp control a bit by setting it high to warm it as the rest of the settings did nothing to shake away the cold, but then turn it down when it gets too hot. A little bit of balancing and testing the water is required to get a shower that's comfortable.||I stayed in a Standard Solo Room! When booking, you can also choose a variation that includes breakfast. If you prefer the convenience of having your first meal at the hotel, it might be worth it. Otherwise, you can simply pay 200 pesos on the days you want breakfast from them. I’d personally recommend going with that option instead!||But going back to the room, it's very tiny, but decently equipped. It has a pop-up desk with a mirror, a strong air conditioning unit, a comfy bed with two pillows and a nice blanket, some shelves, a place to hang your clothes on (as well as hangers!) and an ancient TV sitting like a relic above the desk. You can watch a few channels on it with really bad quality if you have no other option of entertainment. Perhaps you can hook a device onto it and watch a movie streamed directly from it! One of the things that make me feel a little unhappy with the room was the fact that it had zero windows, however, a reviewer on this site has stated that you could, however, request a room with a window, the standard solo room might not have that feature, but go ahead and shoot your shot anyway!||The bathroom is equipped with a toilet, a bidet, a sink, shower and a heater. It has definitely seen better days, both the bathroom and the room itself, there's wall stains and wear, but everything works, some barely like the plugs on the wall. (Particularly the shelf plug, as your prongs will hang on a bit skewed, and the wall plug underneath the desk is loose if your power adaptor is heavy.||The place is three floors up, and the stairs are steep. You'll also hear a lot, and will be heard if you're too loud. Other guests, within their rooms or in the hallway are easy to hear. Not ideal if you are a light sleeper.||However, with all of that to say, the staff might make your stay worth it, they're accommodating, super friendly, and they're trying their best to balance those things out, and please do remember that this is a budget hotel.||If you're travelling light, short on cash, and just need a spot to rest while you're taking care of business, Hotel Juliano does the job, nothing more, nothing less.||Tips: ||- For Parqal biometric goers: Please book your rides earlier if you are solo and/or have no vehicle. It might take really long for drivers to get to you. It would also be more efficient to be at a better spot where drivers can get to you as well, as that Ermita area might be a bit tricky. (Bonus tip for the Parqal biometrics experience if you are travelling solo. Phones and other items are not allowed, which makes booking travel a bit tricky as you have to have your phone with you. However, you can book a locker in Bounce at Parqal. (30 pesos = 30 minutes, can stack. Also, make sure to have the receipt ready for the lockers as cell reception/data is super weak underground.) You need to have at least 10 to 20 minutes spared as the VAC and the locker room are not only at opposite ends of the Parqal mall, but they're in different levels as well. (The lockers are in the parking lot area, and you have to ride an elevator up from the designated area in the VAC. Ask the guards if you are lost.)||- For US embassy interview goers: Turning right from Hotel Juliano and then right again should lead you to the Roxas Blvd., but as this is a busy street, you'd have to cross the first road, follow the narrow pathway to the left until you reach the pedestrian overpass that will bring you right to where the line for the US Embassy would typically start. This is a fairly long walk, so I would recommend you to start moving 20-30 minutes prior! Be careful of your belongings as sketchy people might be lingering around. (Although, you would typically only carry your wallet, your documents and your passport during this time, as a lot of items are not allowed within the Embassy's area.)||- Do you need anything printed? To the left and straight in the tiny little plaza, there should be a 7-Eleven, and to its left is an eatery, there's a tiny area within it where you are able to have documents printed. It is a little bit expensive, however!||- In Hotel Juliano, there are NO safes to store your gadgets in, if you're not bringing them along. The way I did it was I brought along a padlock and just secured my valuables in my bags with the zipper tabs...

The hotel was clean, budget friendly and has old vibes. The guard will help your luggage upstairs kasi walang elevator. It has free wifi. Can ask for a kettle and a cup kung gusto niyo mag kape or for cup noodles also. Must leave the key on the front desk every time lalabas ka kahit saglit lang. Very accessible ng grab car from airport & vice versa. Good Aircon & well lit rooms. Thick curtains. Hot & cold shower. TV in every room. CR has size of about 1mx2m, is also clean, has exhaust fan, working flush, and bidet. Housekeeping can clean the trash every day and you can request for a new trash bag. Walking distance sa US Embassy (8 minute walk), via footbridge para sa waiting area. Conveniently near 7-eleven (less than 100m away). Near church. Near Robinsons mall. Near Luneta Park. Near museums. Near fastfoods like Mcdonalds, Chowking, Burger King, and local fastfoods. Overall great hotel...

Stayed in this budget-friendly hotel with my family (7 adults, 1 infant). We had three rooms (1 room good for 3, another good for 4 and a solo room). We chose this since it is a walking distance from the US Embassy. I waited by the Dolomite beach until my father’s visa appointment was done. It’s also close to the Rizal Park, National Museum of Fine Arts, and the Manila Ocean Park.

They have towels, tissues, television, and air conditioners.

I really appreciated that they allowed us to leave our luggage at the front when we checked out in the morning and then come by the afternoon to pick it up before we headed to the airport. Would definitely stay here again when I come back to Manila.

There is a 7-11 convenience store by the street. There are homeless people sleeping in the park in front of the Ermita church. It’s an...