The Sphere Serviced Residences

There are lots of nice restaurants and supermarkets around the residences. The area is clean and relatively quiet compared with other parts of Manila. The complex is a huge, 24-floor apartment block housing many international workers in the Makati area. Guards were helpful and friendly, and the gym was nice. The pool was okay too. The room itself was comfortable enough, but the water pressure and temperature were both low, and the AC was as loud as a jet fighter. Without it, the room quickly felt short on oxygen, so you kind of have to put up with the noise. I dropped a glass water bottle and was charged 500 pesos, which felt extremely overpriced, even compared with water in my home country. I felt they had basically pulled my leg. If you want personal attention and friendly personnel, this may not be for you. The staff were businesslike and to the point, though not unfriendly.

Sphere Serviced Residences feels more like apartment rentals than a hotel. We had a very good stay: the room was clean, modern, and comfortable, and the location was great. The only small hassle was having just one key card for two people, which made using the elevator tricky when we weren't together. Everything else was excellent, and I'd definitely stay again.

For the price, the value is brilliant. The rooms are nice, and a gym and pool are included. There's a good range of restaurants, malls, and other places within easy reach. I did find a few roaches in the room, though, so the pest control could be better.

Getting around from The Sphere was easy, with plenty of Grabs nearby. We also enjoyed the ninth-floor pool, even though the water was very cold and hardly anyone was swimming. The room itself felt humid, though we couldn't tell if that was just Manila, and the rooms seem dated. Housekeeping was great: the room was cleaned daily, and staff even washed our dishes after we'd asked for dishwashing liquid to do them ourselves. Everyone was kind and made me feel welcome. The AC was loud. Switching it to fan-only stopped it from kicking in to cool the room and getting even noisier. We were also woken on several nights by nearby room bells ringing repeatedly. They were so loud the first night that I thought someone was at our door. Maybe the walls are thin, or the bells are just loud.