Nüwa Manila Review: A Glitzy City of Dreams Stay, and a Room Change, for $170

The short version: Nüwa is the luxury hotel at City of Dreams, a glitzy complex of yellow glass buildings in Entertainment City, but my stay was mostly about the smell of smoke. I asked for non-smoking and got what I believe was a converted smoking room, masked with a strong cleaning product. They moved me to another one just like it, then finally upgraded me to a bigger room in Tower Suites, much better but facing the road. The whole thing took about an hour and a half. The pools are nice and there are plenty of restaurants, but at about $170 a night, room only, Solaire gives you more for roughly the same price. I wouldn’t stay again.

I stayed at Nüwa Manila for one night, October 26 to 27, 2026. I booked a Resort Double Queen, City View through Klook and paid for it myself, and asked for a king facing the garden. After the room problems, the hotel upgraded me to a bigger room in Tower Suites at no charge.

Pros

• The upgraded room: about 50 m², a walk-in rain shower, a separate toilet, a double vanity and a tub
• Lots of nice pools, the strong suit of the complex
• Plenty of restaurants, the shops, the casino, and the Mall of Asia not far
• A nice duty manager, who gave me the free upgrade in the end
• Complimentary minibar, a quiet room and fine Wi-Fi

Cons

• Converted smoking rooms, masked with a strong cleaning product smell that doesn’t go away
• Moving rooms took about an hour and a half, and the first move was into the same kind of room
• Strict security, including a camera photo on arrival
• The original room was small, with the toilet right in the bathroom and dirt along the bed
• Narrow hallways and casino; it feels cramped
• The spa was closed for construction

Getting there

Nüwa is part of City of Dreams in Entertainment City, Parañaque, fairly close to the airport and not far from the Mall of Asia. It’s on the same strip as Solaire, a little farther back from the water. City of Dreams has three hotels: Nüwa, Nobu and the Hyatt Regency.

Arriving

The first thing you notice is a set of large yellow glass buildings. They’re modern, look highly luxurious and very much like casinos, and are a bit flashy.

Security in the driveway is fairly tight, and the staff can come across as a bit curt. You put your bags through a scanner and they ask you to look into a camera for a photo. They could be a little friendlier and not insist on it; I haven’t seen that at Solaire or any other hotel in Manila.

The lobby is fairly grand, and check-in was smooth. Past the lobby is the casino, which is quite large and connects to Nobu and the Hyatt Regency. On the other side, past check-in, is the high-limit VIP area, which connects straight to Nüwa. There are only two elevators, a bit few, though the building isn’t that tall.

The rooms: 5.5 out of 10

Upstairs, the hallways are a bit small, with a Chinese, almost oriental style and brownish tones.

The first room: 4 out of 10. A king in the Resort Tower, facing the garden, as I’d asked, and supposedly non-smoking. Unfortunately, some of these rooms are, I believe, converted smoking rooms, and they smell very strongly of a cleaning product used to mask the smoke. You can barely avoid it, and it doesn’t go away. That’s not only a nuisance but a potential health issue, and it heavily docks the room.

It was also very small. The toilet is right in the bathroom, with no separate door. The shower is odd to use: move it a centimeter and the temperature changes a lot, though there is a rain shower. The bed is fairly comfortable, but I could see dirt and grime along the sides, right next to the mattress. On the plus side, the garden view made it quiet, and the Wi-Fi was fine.

They moved me, but the next room was the same kind of converted room, just a floor down.

The upgraded room: 6.5 out of 10. After a few more calls, they moved me to what I think is one of their bigger rooms, in Tower Suites, Nüwa’s other tower. It feels more private and quieter as soon as you walk in. The room is quite a bit nicer: about 50 square meters, with no smoke and no heavy air freshener. The bathroom has a fairly large walk-in shower with a rain shower, a properly separate toilet with a phone in it, a double vanity and a tub. The bed is comfortable, with a nice big TV in front of it, and the minibar is complimentary, as in the first room. Just don’t take the water bottles out: the card says that’s ₱300 a bottle.

The downside is that it faces the main road, close to the hotel entrance, so you hear the road noise, especially the motorcycles in the morning. A noise meter app on my phone read about 45 dB on average, which is fairly quiet, but that misses the honks that come and go. The AC goes down to 18.5°C, and everything else was fine. On my phone’s mobile data, not the hotel Wi-Fi, I got about 23 Mbps down, a worst case if the Wi-Fi ever drops.

The setting: 7 out of 10

Not a bad setting. It’s pretty in a way, but an artificial, glitzy kind of pretty, with the yellow glass and all the different building styles. The pools are the strong suit; there are a lot of nice ones. The spa was closed for construction, which limits the amenities.

A lot of the hallways, and even the casino, feel a little narrow, more cramped than Solaire or other high-end hotels. With so much security, it also feels tightly controlled, which takes away some of the warmth. The style is very Asian, where Solaire feels more upscale and global, and it doesn’t have quite the same liveliness or polish. You also notice smoking smells in more places.

Food: not rated (I didn’t eat there)

I didn’t eat at Nüwa. I looked at Nobu, but it didn’t open until 5, and I didn’t see a buffet. The breakfast buffet turns out to be The Café, at the Hyatt Regency, at the other end of the complex.

There are plenty of restaurants around the complex. At Nüwa, there’s Crystal Dragon (Cantonese) and Haliya (Filipino), and Nobu Manila is at the Nobu Hotel. On the gaming floor, Season 88 and Noodle8 are open 24 hours. The Shops at the Boulevard have more, including Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Red Ginger, Mango Tree and Starbucks.

Service: 5 out of 10

On the surface, the service is fine. Check-in was fast, and the people are pretty friendly. Security is stricter than you’d want: at the casino entrance, they ask your age if you look a bit younger and take your photo again. I’ve never seen that at any other casino, and I don’t think they need to take it so seriously.

A minor thing: they don’t really explain where things are. Nobody told me the breakfast buffet was at the Hyatt.

The graver issue is the rooms. Moving took about an hour and a half, and I wasn’t settled until around 1:30 a.m. I had to move more than once, and they kept putting me in rooms that were most likely converted smoking rooms. That isn’t great for guests’ health or comfort.

To be fair, the duty manager was nice about it and gave me the upgrade, which is what brings service up to a 5. But putting me in a converted room in the first place, then another, and the long move hold the score back.

What it cost

One night in a Resort Double Queen, City View, booked through Klook, came to ₱10,887, about $170, room only and non-refundable. The upgrade was at no charge, which matters, because rooms in Tower Suites can run about ₱30,000 a night (roughly $470) or more.

Value: 6 out of 10

A fair value. You get the shops, some activities, a lot of restaurants and the casino, and you’re fairly close to the Mall of Asia. But for about the same price, you get much more at Solaire. It’s also worth knowing that Nüwa has a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating for 2026, which surprised me given my stay. And honestly, the Tower Suites rooms feel overpriced: at ₱30,000 or more, they cost more than Shangri-La The Fort or any other hotel in my Manila series except the Raffles.

Vs. Solaire

If you’re going for the casino, or really anything else, I think Solaire is better. It’s about the same price, cleaner, with less smoke smell and better service, and it’s right on the bay. City of Dreams is farther back, and there isn’t as much to do around it.

Who it’s for

Honestly, I’d send most people to Solaire. If you do stay here, it makes the most sense for the casino and the pools, and only if you get a properly non-smoking room.

Tips if you go

• Push hard for a non-smoking room, and check it before you unpack. If it smells of cleaning product, ask to move right away.
• If they offer to move you, ask for Tower Suites; it’s quieter and more private than the Resort Tower, though some rooms face the road. Booking it outright costs about ₱30,000 a night.
• Expect a security check and a camera photo on arrival.
• Don’t take the glass water bottles out of the room; it’s ₱300 a bottle.
• Nobu doesn’t open until 5. The buffet, including breakfast, is The Café at the Hyatt.
• Check whether the spa is open before you book.
• The whirlpool is for registered guests, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Verdict: 5.5 out of 10

Nüwa looks luxurious from the outside, and the upgraded room was nice. But a smoke smell in a room sold as non-smoking, an hour-and-a-half move and strict security took a lot away from the stay. At about the same price, I found Solaire cleaner, warmer and livelier. Would I stay again? No.

FAQ

Where is Nüwa Manila?

At City of Dreams in Entertainment City, Parañaque, near the airport and the Mall of Asia, on the same strip as Solaire.

How much does Nüwa Manila cost?

I paid ₱10,887, about $170, through Klook for one night in a Resort Double Queen, City View, room only, non-refundable.

Does Nüwa smell like smoke?

My first two rooms did. I believe they were converted smoking rooms, masked with a strong cleaning product. The upgraded room in Tower Suites didn’t.

Does Nüwa have a buffet?

Not that I saw. The City of Dreams buffet is The Café, at the Hyatt Regency.

Nüwa or Solaire?

Solaire. It’s about the same price, cleaner, with better service and more to do.

What restaurants are at City of Dreams?

Crystal Dragon and Haliya at Nüwa, Nobu Manila at the Nobu Hotel, The Café at the Hyatt Regency, Season 88 and Noodle8 on the gaming floor, and more at The Shops at the Boulevard.