Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila — Hotel in Pasay

You get more than you pay for! The first Hotel in Manila with a good (very good) Price/Quality ratio. I read some comments here and in Agoda, and check them... Smell in the aisle? No. We visit 3 storey, all clean, all carpets are clean. 30 Minutes for hot Water? No. First warm water after 5 seconds or more early, becomes hot after maybe 10 seconds. The Warm and Cold water is pumping, so the temperature pumps between OK and very warm or between "Little bit cold" and OK, but no problem to take a nice and good shower with good water pressure. The Rooms are very spacious. We are upgraded because our booked room class was under renovation, and the room was great. OK, the style was 60th in germany, the wallpapers needs to be fixed, but thats all. Aircon: Clean. You smell, when a Aircon is not cleaned for long time. No smell here. Split type Aircon, very silent, good for sleep. Real Window, so you can get in fresh ocean air (in the morning, it is Manila...). Location: Sea side of Makati, in front of the Mall of Asia. A lot of shops and restaurants (and Laundry shops, and massage, and...) around the corner or just in front of the hotel, 10 Minutes Walk to the MOA. In the night nice view to the lights of the MOA. You have a nice small rooftop pool, BBQ at the roof, a "more than good enough" Restaurant (Golden Spices) in the Hotel, a spacious Bar/Bistro (Amore) at the 2nd floor. A little bit funny: You need to take the escalators (or elevator) to get to the 2nd floor and then walk to the guest Elevators, maybe not the first choice if you can not/hardly walk. We would always book this Hotel again, the Service is so friendly, rooms are high and spacious, Price is affordable, environment is great... Fast check in: The registration form was already pre-filled, so the whole check in process needs something like 2 Minutes, that's very fast for the Philippines. Room and shower (good for 2) are absolute clean, the bathroom mirror are 95% brilliant clean, the room mirror is 100% brilliant clean. to compare: In average, also in good hotels, the mirrors look like a child played on it with ice cream and a nutella bread... Towels are fluffy, and the bedding and linen are super soft and smooth and silky. In a rainy season you can easy spend 2 Days only at the hotel because everything is wide and bright. I can not understand other complains here, but i am happy to become curious and test it for ourself. Internet could have a bigger capacity, but Ping is very good (191 ms to denic/germany). One of the fastest possible pin gin the Philippines. Download is not that amazing, i think their Bandwidth is short for a lot of customers. But good enough for Video Calls! 6 elevators, but only 2 for the guest, means Apartment renter use their own elevators. Both guest elevators working, short waiting times, access only by keycard. Breakfast is Asian style, no continental breakfast. But good enough for 2 or more days. Skip the "German Frank" or "German Sausage", they are horrible. Everything else was good and eatable, also a good Price/Quality...

First impressions are amazing. From the greeting at the door onward until .. to get to the rooms is a trek. ||Up an escalator, through a security door (key needed), past staff lifts, around a corner and then another to get to guests lifts. Up one floor. Room numbers stop being shown on the wall so guess a corridor and finally at room 3033.||Our accommodation was initially lovely. We overlooked the entrance canopy which is quite ugly. It was dark so we couldn't see that. In the bathroom there is rotten wood around the door. The room is very brown. It all felt quite dated. ||There was an air of faded luxury about the place. ||Setting the safe is annoying. It says enter between 3 to 6 digits then press the hash key (there is no hash key). It also has to be 6 digits. They should have this accurate on the same as we ended up having to get someone up to sort it. ||The TV seems wonky and the wiring is untidy and the signal really isn't very good. ||The free WiFi was so bad we turned it off and used data much of the time especially later in the day. We have an extender in the room but even that signal drops some bars. The connection itself can be painfully slow. I wouldn't want to work from here and have a teams meeting, it will fail. Again, it's sad as the potential is there but the implementation is flawed. ||Bed comfort is a personal preference. For me it was just right, I slept very well. ||Robes and slippers are included and thankfully I'm small enough to use them. I'm 5ft 3in and anyone bigger than that will find them too small. ||Breakfast is weird, it seems to be neither Filipino or western but rather, perhaps, what food was available the previous evening. There is a good choice of food but, perhaps, some westerners might struggle to find what they may be used to. ||Staff are excellent across the board, couldn't be better. Yes, it did seem strange that they get more elevators than the guests and that they can do so from the lobby, why is that? I sometimes use a wheelchair, I'm guessing I would need to ask permission each time to use the commercial elevator as I couldn't do the escalator? Thankfully, I didn't need to use it this trip but worth considering for any guests with disabilities. ||The pool seemed quite basic and overlooked by condos which rise above the 7th floor of the hotel. Again, totally inaccessible with any form of mobility needs. ||I've rated this hotel highly as I've been in much worse. It's gets boosted by the high quality of the staff. ||Location just a short walk from MOA and a short taxi ride to the airport is a bonus. There is occasional aircraft noise past 11pm. Conversations can continue through it though.||The facilities look good around the inside of the hotel. ||For arrivals after 9pm much in the area is closed but the hotel restaurant seems to remain open. ||The pool closes at 7pm which I feel is too early and most of the 7th floor facilities do too. ||We've enjoyed our stay and I do not feel my honest observations should put you off staying here as it remains...

A Stay at the Golden Phoenix: A Tale of Comfort, Chaos, and Contrasts

In the bustling heart of Pasay, just a stone’s throw from the gleaming Mall of Asia, stands the Golden Phoenix Hotel—aged, weathered, yet still holding its head high. Like an old gentleman who has seen better days but keeps his coat pressed and smile warm, the place wears its years with a mix of grace and stubborn wear.

Upon entering, I was greeted with kindness. The welcome staff offered politeness that felt genuine, not forced. Check-in was a breeze, and soon we were stepping into a room that surprised us not with opulence, but with generous space and quiet comfort. The air conditioner hummed a lullaby—strong, but soft—and the bed... oh, the bed. Sleep came fast, deep, and without resistance. That bed could have told its own tale of comfort.

The room was thoughtfully equipped: fridge, ironing board, slippers, a full suite of toiletries including a shave kit and cotton tips. The bathroom, while not luxurious, had proper ventilation, strong hot water, and a toilet flush that could rival Niagara Falls.

Mornings began with the scent of promise. The breakfast buffet—though uneven—served a rainbow of fresh fruits: papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple, all sweet enough to brighten the sleepiest mood. But this joy was soon tempered by the coffee—each cup, a bitter disappointment—and the weekend chaos, where overwhelmed staff struggled to tame the crowd. Plates vanished before you could grab one, and seating became a competitive sport.

Location-wise, Golden Phoenix is a gem. A leisurely 13-minute walk took us to MOA’s vast expanse. For quick snacks or late-night essentials, two Alphamart stores across the street stood like sentinels of convenience.

And yet, behind the comfort, some shadows lingered.

The room next to ours seemed to host a small village—seven guests, children included—well beyond the legal limit. The walls, unable to contain their noise, passed it into our room like unwelcome whispers in the night. Roaches made brief but jarring appearances, reminding us that even well-kept places can have unwelcome guests. The wooden cabinets, tired and worn, told their own story of better days long gone.

Perhaps most unsettling was the radiation scanner guests must walk through each time they enter—a security measure, yes, but one that left us with unease each time we returned.

We didn’t dip into the pool or test the gym—our focus was rest, and for the most part, Golden Phoenix delivered. Still, I left with mixed emotions. Comfort and chaos in equal measure. I would stay again, yes, but with a silent prayer to be placed far from large families who bend the rules.

In sum, the Golden Phoenix lives up to its name: not perfect, not pristine, but rising again and again with value, convenience, and just enough comfort to make you forgive its...