Citadines Bay City Manila

Our family of 4 physicians comes back to this hotel whenever we travel to Manila from the U.S. For the price, we reliably get what’s promised, and we’ve had plenty of reasons to return. The breakfast is delicious, with gourmet and ethnic choices plus omelets made to order at reasonable rates. There are evening music performances, reliable Wi-Fi, a nice gym if you bring athletic shoes, and a beautiful 25m pool that works for Olympic laps. The bathrooms are clean and elegant, with soap, shampoo, and bidets. Beds and pillows are comfortable, and the in-room temperature controls respond well. Front desk staff are attentive, as long as you’re a reasonable non-“Karen” guest. Grab is 15-20mins from NAIA, and Mercury Pharmacy is a 2-min walk away. It’s everything we could ask for, and more, as half-decent people. Whenever the Zarraga family is back in the area, this is our first choice. Enjoy.

We needed somewhere to rest after arriving at NAIA before making the extra 2-hour trip to Angeles City. The room had a kitchen with dishes, a refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, and a massive water cooler, maybe 2ltrs? We also noticed on our last night that plenty of shops are within walking distance. It seems suitable for either a short or longer stay. The hotel is super clean and smells amazing, with a modern, classy, inviting feel. The staff were professional and friendly from the moment we arrived, and every detail seemed aimed at guest comfort. The cafe has superb pastries and specialty coffees, while the restaurant does weekend brunch and evening bbq buffet. Saturday night had a lovely live singer and guitar player. Brunch was an exquisite spread of artfully prepared local and continental dishes, with enough variety for even picky eaters. We liked everything from the a la carte menu too. We made a mistake with one order, and the manager sent us a free drink for our mistake, which doesn’t happen where we’re from, lol. There’s also an upstairs bar by the outdoor pool. We were too jetlagged to try it, but we’ll definitely come back.

The food was great, and the staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating. A big shoutout to the doorman and the girl at the front, miss Shyra. I had a great stay and would definitely return :)

This was my second time at Citadines, and I was a bit disappointed. My main reason for coming back is the K9 ‘guard’, who always makes me smile and gives me something to look forward to after a day out. Please don’t change! The door staff and cafe staff are lovely and polite too. The location is handy, with lots of food places nearby. Mall of Asia is around a 15-minute walk, to the right of the lobby door toward the jumbo screen. There’s also a pharmacy and supermarket next door, plus 7/11 and Macs. It’s close to the airport, but leave early because of road traffic and airport security queues. I was assigned room 1216, a nice studio deluxe, big enough for two and roomy for one. It had a smart TV, fridge, and microwave, which suited me. Only one side of the bed had plug outlets, and the USB port on the other side didn’t work. Staff fixed it right away, but it stopped working again five minutes later. Check-in was slow too. One staff member was chatting with a group of women, and another asked me to wait while serving someone who only showed up 10 minutes later. A third staff member finally helped. Nobody acknowledged my ASR membership. The shower kept smelling like dirty water from the drain, and the tile grout was stained black. The mattress felt old and lumpy, and the pillows did too. Level 12 also smelled of dirty water around the lift lobby and the first part of the room corridors. It’s a nice place, so please make more effort.