Where I Stayed While In Manila

Manila is a massive, sprawling city and so the location of your accommodation is a key consideration. I personally try to walk as much as I can, as it’s my favorite way to discover a new city, so I look for spots that are near but not necessarily directly in the most popular or important parts of the city I’m visiting. In this regard, the neighborhood of Ermita seemed to fit the bill for me.

While there I stayed at the Rosas Garden Hotel, which now appears to be an OYO property though I’m sure it wasn’t when I visited Manila (especially as I likely would have avoided it, having had a pretty terrible experience at another OYO property in a different city and country).

Here’s my review of the Rosas Garden as it appears on Booking, where I review all the accommodations I’ve used during my travels.

The location is in a relatively quiet area of Ermita, a short walk from Rizal Park and Intramuros and an easy tricycle ride (or longer but doable walk) to Binondo and Quiapo. The restaurants around are more of the shophouse type, with inexpensive but no-frills meals (the kinda place the local workers go to for a bite), but “fancier” places can be found by heading out in any direction. The staff are pleasant and helpful and the fridge is actually a great addition.

I can certainly recommend the Rosas Garden Hotel, especially for its comparatively quiet location in a city that is, generally speaking, anything but quiet.