An oasis amongst the urban chaos.
The Edsa Shangri-La is not the newest hotel in Manila and its location isn’t prime, but it offers the perfect place for a staycation with a literal oasis of the swimming pool and trees amongst the hustle and bustle of Ortigas. I have stayed in this hotel more times than I count and have never had a bad experience, although only just got around to reviewing it now.
If you are flying into Manila and are staying at the Edsa Shangri-La, then chances are you either know someone in the area or you are coming on business. The hotel is about a 30-minute drive from NAIA airport with no traffic and closer to a 1-hour 30-minute drive with traffic on a rainy Friday night. The hotel is flanked by two malls: the Shangri-La mall that the hotel connects to via walkway, and the SM MegaMall, a short 3-minute walk from the hotel lobby. Outside of the two malls, there really isn’t a lot in the area, with Ortigas being the old business district with most modern businesses and hotels being in the Makati and Manila bay area.
Hotel check-in is usually very swift, I don’t seem to recall a time when I have had to wait more than a minute or two to have my details taken. Of course, the check-in staff processes everything very quickly and you will have your room key before you know it.
The hotel reception is very grand, nice and open with large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with the 24-hour hotel bar stretching across the back of the reception building. There are two wings to the hotel, but after being refurbished a year or two ago, there isn’t too much difference between the rooms.
The rooms themselves are an ok size. Far from the largest that the most recently built Manila hotels are now offering, but certainly not small enough to complain about. Despite the hotel being fairly old, the rooms have had a refresh and for the most part, are in good condition and don’t look overly tired.
The absolute gem at this hotel for me, and why it is perfect for a staycation, is the pool area — which, in my opinion, is the best hotel pool in Manila besides the sprawling Sofitel at the bay. The pool is nice and large with an entirely separate kids pool off to the far side so that those with families don’t bother those without. The pool bar has ample seating and some TVs, which makes it perfect to just chill out and have a beer. But be warned that they close infuriatingly early at around 10 pm on a weekday and 11 pm on a weekend. The staff will, thankfully, allow you to order some drinks and sit out after the bar has closed should you wish to chill to the early hours of the morning. The pool bar menu is as you would expect and also offering a selection of pizzas that are cooked in the oven right there in front of you in the pizza oven. What also makes this pool area feel like a real oasis is the plant life and trees, which are so very welcomed in this concrete grey area of town — but that also comes with a lot of mosquitos! Be very sure you bring mosquito repellent with you if you plan to sit outside after dark.
The hotel houses four restaurants excluding the pool bar. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and the standard hotel buffet restaurant are all present — if memory serves me correctly. As you would well expect from a Shangri-La, the service is impeccable and the quality of food, no matter your choice of cuisine, is high.
Check-out is usually fairly straightforward, but be sure to pre-book a hotel car if you are traveling back to the airport as the local taxis don’t come into the hotel lobby too often, and even if they do you’d probably not want to take one all that distance.
If they just opened the bar area a little later each evening, then I don’t think I would ever leave.