Alvinology goes to Resorts World Manila – Day 2 of 4

On my second day in Resorts World Manila (RWM), we woke up early at 7am for breakfast at Passion Restaurant, located on the second floor of Maxims Tower. The restaurant serves Chinese cuisines and has a seating capacity of 400. Breakfast was dim sum buffet with other Cantonese fares like fish congee and braised chicken feet.

This was followed by a quick welcome and presentation by a few of the key management staff at RWM on the integrated resort and its attractions.

Next, we were brought around RWM for a familiarisation tour, guided by friendly RWM staff. We headed to Maxims Tower first to check out their various super luxurious six star suites.

Maxims Tower is the first all-suite luxury hotel in the Philippines. It has a total of 172 suites, each one richly-furnished and equipped with state-of-the-art amenities. Each suite is served by a personal butler; available round-the-clock to take care of every detail.

There are eight room categories in Maxims Tower:

MAXIMS TOWER ROOMS	HOTEL RATES*
Maxims Suites	P15,800 (S$466)
Maxims De luxe	P19,800 (S$584)
Executive/Corner	P26,800 (S$791)
Signature	P29,800 (S$879)
Ambassador	P42,800 (S$1263)
Villa	P115,000 (S$3393)
The Mansion	P138,000 (S$4072)

Key Room Amenities include:

– 42″ HD Internet TV with wireless keyboard
– Touch pad room service menu
– All-suite with basic cooking facilities
– Bar facilities
– Massage room

Room booking comes together with 24/7 butler service, welcome drinks and fruits, breakfast for 2, complimentary parking and in-room Wi-Fi.

Yes it is expensive, but luxury and tip-top service comes at a premium.

There are also no hidden charges for Wi-Fi, pay TV and other miscellaneous service fees as everything is covered in the room rates.

We would be shifting over from Remington Hotel to Maxims Suites the next day. After touring the suites at Maxims, understandably, everyone got really excited and wanted to move over as soon as possible!

Next, we visited the five-star Marriot Hotel Manila, also located within RWM. Designed for both leisure and business travelers, the hotel has 342 rooms and boasts exquisite restaurants and bars as well as spa and beauty services. Room rates are available via their official website.

Lunch was hosted at The Terrace restaurant, located on the fifth floor of Maxims Tower. We were served a satisfying four-course western meal.

Up next was some shopping! We left the RWM premises via a chartered tour bus.

Our first stop was at the Greenhills Shoping Center, a shopping centre in the city of San Juan. There are over 2,000 stores and the area epouses an “indoor-outdoor” theme, with the shopping centre having the appearance of several distinct buildings that are all interconnected through pathways and bridges.

I find the place much like Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, but with items going at lower prices, probably due to the differences in exchange rates.

I bought quite a fair bit of stuff here for my wife and son. Best of all, the total bill came to only around S$60+.

Next, we headed to the Greenbelt Malls (Ayala Center), located in the middle of the bustling Makati metropolis. Owned by Ayala Malls group, it is a three-hectare park punctuated by cascading landscapes and water features. Things here are more upmarket and cosmopolitan. Much like the usual shopping districts in major cities like Orchard Road in Singapore and Siam Square in Bangkok.

Usually I do not shop much at the these cosmopolitan malls as they generally offer the same few global brand name stores which are likely to be widely available in Singapore at better retail prices. Instead, I will hit the supermarkets and restaurants to check out the local food, buying some back to share with my family and friends.

Likewise in Greenbelts, I headed straight for the supermarket at the basement of Landmark shopping mall and bought a cart of local tidbits and snacks.

After an evening of intensive shopping, we headed back to RWM for dinner and to retire for the night. Dinner was hosted within the super exclusive members-only Genting Club with live band performances.

The lifestyle club is designed particularly for Manila’s elite. Photography is not allowed in the club, hence I can only share photos taken at Taps, the performance area in Genting Club which we ate at.

After dinner, some of us headed back to our hotel rooms for an early night while others went to check out the live entertainment at Bar 360, located within the casino on the ground floor. There were also some who went to try their luck at the casino which is open 24-7.

I explored the casino a little and then tucked in and slept early, looking forward for more exploration the next day (and also to checking into Maxims Suite). Stay tuned for my next post. 🙂

* Information are accurate as of blog entry publish date; please check RWM’s website for latest rates.