Where to Stay in Manila: 10 Luxury Hotels (and a Serviced Apartment), Compared

I stayed at ten luxury hotels in Manila in October 2026, one after another, to find out which are actually worth it, plus the serviced apartment I keep going back to. I paid for every stay myself. Manila hotels vary wildly, and paying more doesn’t get you the best one: the expensive ones can come with poor soundproofing, a musty room or a location that isn’t connected to anything. If I could only book one again, it would be Shangri-La The Fort. For the best deal, the Conrad. For something unlike anywhere else in the city, Hotel Okura.

Here’s how they compare, which one to book for which trip, and the numbers I measured in the rooms: Wi-Fi speed, noise at night and how cold the AC goes.

Quick picks

• Best overall: Shangri-La The Fort
• Best value: Conrad Manila
• Most unique: Hotel Okura Manila
• Best lobby and classic feel: The Peninsula Manila
• Best breakfast: Raffles Makati, for Spectrum
• Best gym: Shangri-La The Fort, for Kerry Sports
• Quietest room: Hotel Okura Manila, about 30 dB
• Fastest Wi-Fi: Shangri-La The Fort, 345 Mbps
• Near the airport: Hotel Okura Manila, about six minutes away
• For a staycation on a budget: Solaire
• For families: Shangri-La The Fort or Conrad
• For a month or more: Aruga by Rockwell, a serviced apartment
• Skip: Nüwa, and Makati Shangri-La until the rooms are renovated

Which one for which trip

• A first visit: The Peninsula, in the middle of Makati, or Shangri-La The Fort if you’d rather be in BGC.
• A business trip in Makati: Raffles if the company is paying, the Peninsula if you are.
• A business trip in BGC: Shangri-La The Fort, with the Grand Hyatt as the backup.
• A layover: Hotel Okura, six minutes from the terminal.
• A family weekend: Conrad by the Mall of Asia, or Solaire on a budget.
• A romantic night: Hotel Okura for the atmosphere, or Shangri-La The Fort for the pool deck.
• A month or more: Aruga by Rockwell.

At a glance

Ordered by my overall score. Prices are what I paid per night, all in with taxes, for one person. The Fort, Okura, Conrad, Peninsula, Raffles and Solaire include breakfast; the Grand Hyatt includes meals and a massage; Fairmont, Makati Shangri-La and Nüwa are room only. *Aruga is a serviced apartment, and $130 is my long-stay rate for a One Bedroom Suite; the standard rate was about $156. Every hotel I’ve reviewed is on my rankings page, with a note on how I score. Prices are from October 2026, converted at about ₱64 to the dollar.

On score per dollar, three stand out: Solaire (7.5 for $195), the Conrad (8 for $259) and Aruga (7.5 for $130 on a long stay). Raffles and the Fairmont are the other way around: the two highest prices, and value scores of 7 and 6.5.

By the numbers

I measured these in my room at each hotel: a Wi-Fi speed test, a noise-meter app at night with the AC on, and the lowest setting on the AC panel. Room sizes are the hotels’ published figures for the room type I stayed in.

A few things jump out. The Fort’s Wi-Fi is in a different league: ten times faster than most. The Okura was the quietest room by a wide margin, even though it’s next to the airport. And every hotel’s AC bottoms out at 18.5°C except the Okura, which goes to 15. I started measuring partway through the series, so some hotels have gaps; I’ll fill them in on return visits.

The four areas

Makati is the classic business and shopping district, with Greenbelt, Ayala Triangle and most of the older luxury hotels: the Peninsula, Raffles, Fairmont and Makati Shangri-La. I personally prefer Makati, and it’s where I’d send most first-time visitors. About 20 to 30 minutes from the airport without traffic; 15 at 6 a.m.

BGC (Bonifacio Global City) is the newer, cleaner, more walkable district with an almost Singaporean feel, and more expats. Shangri-La The Fort and the Grand Hyatt are here. A lot of people prefer BGC to Makati, and right now it has the best hotel in the city. Allow 30 to 40 minutes from the airport, more in traffic.

The Bay (Pasay and Parañaque) is the Mall of Asia and Entertainment City, where the Conrad, Solaire and Nüwa are. Good for staycations and families, and the Conrad’s bay-view lobby is beautiful, but it’s about 40 minutes from Makati or Intramuros, so it’s not ideal if you’re here to see Manila. The airport is close, about 15 minutes to the Conrad.

Newport is the casino complex across from the airport, where the Okura is. It’s about six minutes from the terminal and 20 to 25 minutes from BGC at night, but there’s not much to do nearby unless you’re gambling.

Rockwell is a small, gated, residential pocket on the edge of Makati, built around Power Plant Mall. Quiet, safe, walkable and a bit more upscale than the rest of Makati, with the Rockwell Club and Poblacion next door. It’s where Aruga is, and where I’ve spent the most time. Not a tourist spot, which is part of the appeal. About 30 minutes from the airport, up to an hour in rain or rush hour.

Shangri-La The Fort: the best overall

“The most consistent luxury hotel I’ve stayed at in Manila.”

The arrival sets it up: you come into BGC surrounded by skyscrapers, and the driveway curls up a roundabout past security with the towers behind you. If you only book one Manila hotel, book this one. It has one of the grandest lobbies in the city, the best service of the series, and quiet rooms with by far the fastest Wi-Fi. Then Kerry Sports, probably the best hotel gym I’ve ever seen: two floors, a basketball court, a sauna, a steam room and an outdoor hot tub. It’s in the middle of BGC, connected to High Street and the mall, and at about $378 a night with breakfast it costs less than the Fairmont or Raffles.

Skip it if you want a more authentic Filipino feel, or a Makati base. Breakfast is decent rather than great, and watch the shower head. Read my full review.

Hotel Okura: the most unique

“You almost feel like you’re in a different world.”

The elevator opens on the 5th floor onto a stone corridor with a bonsai, perfectly raked sand and Japanese music playing, and you know where you are. The most Japanese-feeling hotel in Manila: a dramatic, Aman-like lobby six floors high, with bonsai and raked sand. A big suite-style room with a swiveling TV, a Japanese toilet and AC that goes down to 15°C, and the quietest night of the series. A classy rooftop pool with a spa-like health club beside it, and a good breakfast, included. It has one Michelin Key, and at about $333 a night it’s the cheapest of the three Key hotels in Manila.

Skip it if you want to be in Makati or BGC. It’s a casino hotel by the airport, not near much else, with an occasional whiff of smoke downstairs (never in the rooms). Perfect for a stopover or a unique staycation. Read my full review.

Conrad: the best value

“The comfortable choice on the bay.”

You can smell the sea on the way in. A modern hotel shaped like a boat to match the view, next to the Mall of Asia, with a beautiful third-floor lobby whose windows face the water. A quiet room with no real flaws, fast and friendly service, and elevators you never wait for. At about $259 a night with breakfast, it’s the best deal among the hotels I’d actually recommend. Book the garden view, not the ocean view.

Skip it if you want to spend your whole trip near the sights in Makati or Intramuros. Read my full review.

The Peninsula: the classic

“The best lobby and entrance in Manila.”

A grand, very Southeast Asian lobby, with a huge Christmas tree in season and the Peninsula’s green jeepney parked to the side. A classic Peninsula with a great Southeast Asian restaurant and a good breakfast, in central Makati, for a fraction of what most Peninsulas cost. The rooms are older and the windows aren’t very soundproof, so ask for a quiet room facing the pool. About $298 a night with breakfast.

Skip it if you’re a light sleeper and can’t get a pool-facing room. Read my full review.

Raffles: the best breakfast, at a price

“The understated one, and the only one with two Michelin Keys.”

Understated from the street, and the best spot in Makati, right by Greenbelt, with very good service and probably my favorite breakfast in the city, Spectrum, with honey from an actual comb. The one-bedroom residences are spacious and well soundproofed, but have odd quirks: no desk, a glass-walled toilet, no minibar. At about $446 a night with breakfast it’s the most expensive hotel here, and not the best, the most luxurious or the most comfortable for the money.

Skip it if you need a desk to work at, or you’d rather pay less for similar luxury at The Fort. Read my full review.

Grand Hyatt: well-rounded, less memorable

“A well-rounded, quiet, modern BGC hotel at a great price by international standards.”

Modern, quiet and friendly, with a 45-square-meter room and a good pool, sauna and spa, and it hosts popular local events, like an omakase pop-up with a Japanese sushi chef. It just doesn’t feel particularly unique, and for similar money The Fort is more central and more luxurious. About $343 a night with meals and a massage; the room alone was about $244 on a 30%-off rate.

Skip it if you want to explore more of Manila. Read my full review.

Solaire: the budget staycation

“A casino first and a hotel second.”

A large, heavily secured, modern casino hotel with a run of upscale shops and a lively feel. The lobby is the casino entrance and check-in takes a while, but the room is modern and properly soundproofed. There are 14 restaurants, a theater, a high-end mall and a pool on the bay, and at about $195 a night with breakfast it’s good value. Go for a staycation or to gamble; there’s enough going on that you never need to leave.

Skip it if you’re here to see Manila; it’s 40 minutes from the sights. Read my full review.

Fairmont: Raffles’ next-door twin

“A perfectly nice hotel, but I wouldn’t stay again with Raffles right next door.”

It shares a building with Raffles, so you get the same pools, gym, spa and Spectrum buffet, by Greenbelt. The room is comfortable and quiet, with a great control panel by the bed, but a bit older, short on outlets and sometimes a little musty. At about $397 a night, room only, it costs more than The Fort, and that’s the problem. It has one Michelin Key.

Skip it if the price is close to Raffles or The Fort. Read my full review.

Makati Shangri-La: grand, but the rooms need work

“You can still see why it was the talk of the town.”

The entrance is the grandest in Makati: a chandelier under a dome and twin staircases, which makes the rooms more of a letdown. Tennis courts, a big gym and a huge breakfast buffet, in the center of Makati. But my first room had stained carpets and a musty, moldy smell, the second was noisy, and only the third was fine. The service was good throughout. At about $229 a night it’s affordable for a Shangri-La, but for the same money I’d take the Peninsula next door.

Skip it if you’re sensitive to noise or damp, or staying more than a night or two. Read my full review.

Nüwa: the one I’d skip

“My stay was mostly about the smell of smoke.”

The luxury hotel at City of Dreams has nice pools and plenty of restaurants. But I was given what I believe was a converted smoking room, masked with cleaning product, and the move to a better one took an hour and a half. At about $170 a night, room only, Solaire gives you more for roughly the same money.

Skip it if you’re sensitive to smoke, or Solaire is available. Read my full review.

Aruga by Rockwell: for a month or more

“Not really a hotel. It’s a serviced apartment, and I think it’s underrated.”

A quiet residential pocket, palm trees along the roads, calm music in the lobby, the Rockwell Club and Power Plant Mall a few minutes’ walk. The odd one out, and the place I’ve stayed most in Manila: a serviced apartment in the Edades tower in Rockwell. A full kitchen, a separate bedroom, a balcony, a washer and dryer, daily housekeeping that does your dishes, and a tunnel into Power Plant Mall. Book direct and you get the Rockwell Club, with its pool, gym, hot tub and sauna. The soundproofing is just OK and the breakfast is average, but my long-stay rate was ₱8,300 (about $130) a night for a 66-square-meter One Bedroom Suite.

Skip it if you want a hotel feel or a staycation, or you’re staying six months or more, when a lease in the same building costs about half as much. Read my full review.

The Michelin Keys

Three of these hotels have Michelin Keys: Raffles Makati has two, and the Fairmont and the Okura have one each. The Keys don’t line up with my scores. The Fort has none and was my best stay; the Fairmont has one and I wouldn’t go back. The Okura is the one where the Key and my experience agree, and it’s the cheapest of the three. I’ve ranked every Michelin Key hotel I’ve stayed at. If the Keys are your thing, the Michelin star to pair them with is Hapag, in Rockwell.

What surprised me

• The best hotel isn’t a Key hotel. The Fort beat all three Key hotels on service, room and value.
• The airport hotel was the quietest. The Okura measured about 30 decibels, next to the runway.
• Price doesn’t predict quality, and neither do the Keys. The two most expensive hotels, Raffles and the Fairmont, both got a 7 or lower for value and I didn’t think either was that good, which calls the Keys into question. The $195 Solaire got an 8.5.
• Service is good almost everywhere, but musty rooms are common. The Makati Shangri-La and the Fairmont were musty, Nüwa smelled of smoke. The Okura, The Fort and the Conrad were the cleanest.
• Soundproofing and Wi-Fi vary wildly. From 14 Mbps at the Conrad to 345 at The Fort; from the Peninsula’s thin windows to the Okura’s 30-decibel night.
• The hotels aren’t cookie-cutter. Each one has its own feel, from the Okura’s bonsai corridor to the Conrad’s sea air, which I didn’t expect.
• The Peninsula got a 6 for the room and a Yes for staying again. The lobby and the service count for a lot.
• For a long stay, the best option isn’t a hotel. Aruga’s serviced apartments cost about a third of a month at The Fort.

Tips

• Take a Grab from the airport; it’s simple, and the hotel cars aren’t worth the premium.
• Ask for a quiet room at check-in. It worked at the Okura, and it would have helped at the Peninsula and the Makati Shangri-La.
• Check whether breakfast is included; it’s ₱1,350 to ₱1,800 extra at the hotels that charge for it.
• Booking sites can beat direct rates. Agoda was cheaper at The Fort, and Booking.com covered the VAT at the Okura.
• If you’re in Makati, eat at Hapag, Mirèio and Din Tai Fung. In BGC, Samba and Jung One. On the bay, China Blue.

My verdict

Shangri-La The Fort is the best hotel in Manila right now, and the one I’d book without thinking. The Conrad is the best deal, the Okura the most interesting, and the Peninsula the classic choice in Makati. Raffles and the Fairmont are good hotels at the wrong price, Solaire is a fine budget staycation, and I’d skip Nüwa and the Makati Shangri-La until the rooms are sorted. If you’re staying a month, skip the hotels altogether and book Aruga. For where to eat while you’re here, see Where to Eat in Manila, fourteen restaurants ranked the same way.

Deciding between the two districts? See my Makati vs. BGC guide: hotels, food and nightlife, compared.

Breakfast matters? See my best Manila hotel breakfasts guide: nine buffets scored, with prices, hours and which rates include it.

Choosing between the two Shangri-Las? See Shangri-La The Fort vs. Makati Shangri-La.

Raffles or the Fairmont? They share a building; see Raffles vs. Fairmont Makati.

Stopping over? See my Manila layover guide: what to do with 6, 8, 12 or 24 hours, based at the Okura.

FAQ

What’s the best luxury hotel in Manila?

Of the ten I’ve stayed at, Shangri-La The Fort: the best service, the best gym, the fastest Wi-Fi and a quiet room, in the middle of BGC, for about $378 a night with breakfast.

What’s the best value hotel in Manila?

The Conrad, at about $259 a night with breakfast. Solaire is cheaper, at about $195, but it’s a casino hotel 40 minutes from the sights.

Makati or BGC?

Makati for the classic Manila experience, the older luxury hotels and Greenbelt; BGC for a newer, cleaner, more walkable area. The best hotel in the city, The Fort, is in BGC.

Which Manila hotel is closest to the airport?

Hotel Okura, about six minutes away. It’s also the quietest room I measured, and it has a Michelin Key.

Which Manila hotels have Michelin Keys?

Raffles Makati has two; the Fairmont Makati and Hotel Okura Manila have one each. My favorite, Shangri-La The Fort, doesn’t have one.

Where should I stay in Manila for a month?

Aruga by Rockwell, a serviced apartment with a kitchen, washer and dryer and daily housekeeping, from about $130 a night on a long-stay rate. For six months or more, lease an apartment in Rockwell instead.

Is Manila expensive for luxury hotels?

No. Most of these cost $200 to $400 a night with breakfast, far less than the same brands in Tokyo, Singapore or Hong Kong.