It has been a while since I was in the Ermita-Malate area in Manila. Last I remember, I was in a bar ordering Mule and Subzero (drinks that were soooo popular back when I was...nevermind).

Anyway, thanks to a complimentary overnight stay at Lotus Garden Hotel Manila, I was able to go back to one of the destination spots in Manila. And the experience was a pleasant surprise. Enhanced, perhaps, by a delightful stay at the Lotus Garden.

The Marilo Wing

Check-in was easy and fairly quick. A few necessities, such as signing a form, showing an ID, and waiting for your keycard, were in order. You'll also get your access to the hotel-wide Wi-Fi Internet here. As we--Me and Dompy--were completing all these things, the receptionist told us we've been upgraded from a Deluxe to the Grand Deluxe Room at no extra cost. Wow! Even the foreign family who checked in at the same time as us were upgraded. Talk about service.

Our room was at the new wing, Marilo Wing, which was an old establishment called the Marilou Apartment that was used by the Americans in the 1950s, according to sources online. Sadly, when we asked the staff about the building, no one knew about it.

The new wing felt old and looked "newly" old. It still had that Manila-of-yore vibe with its wooden floors and staircases, narrow hallways filled with black-and-white pictures of old Manila, and accessories that looked liked it time warped into 2014.



Anyway, our room was on the 3rd floor and was large and very nicely decorated. I love the wooden floors even though it creaks. The mini-bar was well-stocked and they had slippers and umbrellas in the closet, but these were priced to buy, so you'd need to have your own slippers. The floors are clean, though, so you can go barefoot. The bathroom was really nice, too. Very clean. The bed is firm and the pillows looked new and clean, as well. Everything is CLEAN!

Our room for the night, Grand Deluxe

The staff were friendly and greeted us whenever they saw us. The complimentary buffet breakfast was filling and there was enough variety to choose from. You can even have made-to-order eggs and pancakes. We were served coffee and asked if we wanted a refill when we finished our first cup.


After breakfast, Dompy and I explored the first floor of the Marilo Wing and discovered that this is where the spa and jacuzzi were. No one was there that morning we went investigating, so we took a lot of photos. A shame though, as my photography skills left little to be desired.


I also like the location of the hotel. It was near where I wanted to go. Turn a corner and you'll find a Jollibee, Chowking, 7-11, a Korean Mart, and a bar.

You can walk everywhere. From the LRT U.N. Avenue Station to the hotel and from the hotel to Remedios Circle. It was very accessible and there were jeeps going to as far as Monumento and Munoz passing by the hotel! I was actually amazed by that and thought about how long the travel time will be.

Bottomline, I would recommend the hotel to friends and family who will be visiting the area. The rooms were large and very clean and the rates are really affordable.

If you'd like to know more about the hotel you can visit their website, http://www.citygardenhotels.com/lotus/index.php.