Isabelle Royale Hotel & Suites

Cockroaches, long waits for the only lift, and the staff were using it too, so I kept sharing it with cleaners. I wasn’t impressed. The toilet wouldn’t flush despite repeated attempts to get it fixed, and they couldn’t even give me a bucket so I could flush it manually. I had to ask for towels and soap, and the breakfast was horrible. The rooms have kitchens, but there were no pans or even a kettle. WiFi was extraordinarily expensive. Other guests were complaining that the logout system was broken and that they weren’t allowed to buy small amounts of time. It felt extortionate.

My experience was horrible and frustrating. The beddings smelled, and the bathroom was filthy and disgusting, with cockroaches everywhere. When I brought it up, the woman at reception just laughed and did nothing more. For that price, it wasn’t worth it. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this building.

The room was clean, had a nice nighttime view of the Makati skyline, and the WiFi worked well in the room. There was a refrigerator and water boiler, and although the AC was an older style, it did a decent job of adjusting the temperature. Breakfast was simple but okay, served on the top floor. Staff were friendly and helpful. I did find some cockroaches, so I can only give cleanliness 3 out of 5. Isabelle Royale has a central Makati location near Makati Avenue and just a couple of minutes on foot from A. Venue Mall, with shops, a supermarket, and restaurants. A small night market nearby has local food and live performances, a nice option on a tight budget. Ayala Triangle and Greenbelt are a few minutes away by taxi, depending on traffic. Walking down Makati Avenue felt safe, even in the evening. My ratings, from 1 to 5, with 1 terrible and 5 excellent: location 5, sleep quality 4, rooms 4, service 4, value for money 5, cleanliness 3. I stayed here in December 2015.

**** WARNING **** They offer a free dinner and a 3 day, 2 night vacation at one of their timeshares, if it’s vacant within 3 months of your visit. In return, you have to attend what they call a mandatory 90-minute presentation. In reality it was more like 3 hours of high-pressure RCI timeshare selling. Their wording makes it sound like you’re getting 50% off, but the share costs $20,000, plus maintenance of 8,000 pesos a year starting in your second or third year. There’s also an outside my Region fee, and the total for one week, etc. I chose to take just the free vacation, but booking it required a 5,000-peso deposit. Ahem, what do you have to do to get that money back? Airfare isn’t included!!!