MaxStays Max Pavilion at The Venice Residences

The room was cozy and looked nice, and Netflix was a plus. It worked well for a weekend getaway. Check-in was fine, but processing took too long. They also seemed to skimp on bottled water, coffee, and a few other complimentary items. For two guests, there were only two coffee capsules a day. If we used just one, they replaced only one the next day. They offered to wash and iron our clothes for free, but even after we asked more than once, they didn't explain how to arrange it. The gym was small, with a few treadmills and fewer than three other machines, and no weights. The facilities weren't clearly labelled and there were no signs, so we had to wander between buildings to find them. There's little choice for food in the building. The only place, MaxDelights, looked empty every time we passed. More restaurants are around the corner, about a five-minute walk away at the Venice Grand Canal Mall, but you need to know your way there. The mall has a range of food; the Indian food near the restaurant was bad. The cinema was a welcome distraction. The area has many foreign workers from China coming and going, and feels like an Asian expatriate neighborhood, with schools for different Asian nationalities. There are hardly any Westerners compared with other parts of Makati, though a few US or international firms are nearby. For about the same price, hotels in the city area, especially near Glorietta Mall and around it, offer significantly better service. At The Venice, the guard insists guests enter through the lobby doors he guards and leave through another door about 10 feet away, even though both sets of doors clearly open both ways. Other condos nearby didn't seem as strict, and guests could use whichever doors they preferred.