The hotel does everything right, I just can’t get to sleep here.
The Belmont does almost everything right. It is a small hotel that doesn’t try to be glamorous with a decent price per night, nice rooms, incredibly friendly staff, and in a great location. However, if you are like me and need a decent bed in a dark room, then there are going to be problems.
I am writing this review now. But in reality, this is probably my 8th or 9th stay at the Belmont. With the hotel literally being a stone’s throw away from Terminal 3, it is ideal to stay at if you have an early morning flight or just want to avoid the awful Manila traffic. In fact, with the new air-conditioned walkway, it is even easier to get from the Belmont to Terminal 3, and with the NAIA expressway, it’s also a breeze to get a taxi/Uber to Terminal 1 or 2. There is also Resorts World, a 3 minute walk away if you want to gamble (I would suggest other casinos though) or shop.
The staff at the Belmont are extremely friendly with check-in usually being quick despite there only being two or three desks.
The hotel entrance is relatively small, with the hotel Café (where you also eat breakfast) being right there as you walk in. Do not expect grand entrances with chandeliers at this hotel, but do expect a well kept, neat, and tidy lobby that is replicated throughout the halls and room. The breakfast buffet is a little on the simple side, but they have an egg station, so you can get a nice omelet or some pancakes.
The rooms are a little small, but are modern and have everything you need. The shower is nice and powerful, which is always positive. On this particular stay, the management was nice enough to leave a little chocolate welcome dessert, which was nice. All rooms have free wifi, which in all my 8 or 9 stays have never dropped out and is fast enough to watch some YouTube videos and what have you.
The corner rooms are very slightly larger and come with two windows as opposed to one, and herein lies my issues with the hotel… the curtains do not close all the way. Whoever designed this hotel made the walls entirely flush with the side of the curtain rail, which means that the curtains will never fully close and you get about a 2/3 inch gap on each side. With the direction of the hotel rooms, this means that at about 5:30 am when the sun rises, the room is lit up. The beds are also incredibly firm, so if you are like me and are a bit “Princess and the Pea,” then sleeping just doesn’t happen. I even tried to fashion some way to keep the curtains close to the wall, but alas my attempts were in vain. All of the rooms are designed in the same way, so it is a fundamental issue with the hotel structure.
It’s a real shame, because the hotel does everything I need it to do as a traveler, but I’ll likely not be staying again due to this problem meaning that I can’t get a wink of sleep. If you tend to sleep soundly, then I skip this minus point of my review.