Sofitel Manila – Asiatravelbug’s Hotel Review

Sofitel Manila Philippine Plaza Room Rate

For the past 3 years, we have always stayed in Sofitel Manila for our annual staycation taking advantage of the free room that comes with our Accor Advantage Card. If I remember it correctly, the yearly fee of the card is about USD 165.00 inclusive of one night stay and 50% discount benefit in Spiral Restaurant. The nightly rate of a superior room in Sofitel Manila is approximately in the same range of USD 165.00 so getting the Accor Advantage Card is well worth it. It is as if you purchased a one night stay plus you get 50% discount benefit good for two in Spiral all year round. The yearly fee for the Accor Advantage card has also increased by a thousand pesos this year, so we opted not to renew this time.

Our Room in Sofitel Manila – Club Room

Our stay in Sofitel Manila coincided with a major holiday in the Philippines so I expected the pool area to be super crowded on the day of our check-in. Upgrading to a club room came to my mind in order to gain access to the executive lounge and avoid the crowd. So a few days before our stay, I called up the reservations office of Sofitel Manila to ask the rate for upgrading our superior room to a club room. I was quoted something like USD 160.00, to me it was just too expensive so I didn’t take the upgrade on the phone.  On the day of the check-in, I asked the agent about the rate to upgrade to the club room and I was quoted about USD 110.00 only. Without thinking twice, I took the upgrade. 🙂

The club room is quite nice with a veranda overlooking the hotel’s lovely pool and the Manila Bay. My only gripe are the twin beds which are so tiny, these are the smallest single beds I’ve ever seen in 5 star hotels.

Although the room has Filipino touches with side lamps made of capiz, it also exudes modern feel. You can actually open the blinds from the inside of the bathroom, if you wish to enjoy the beautiful Manila Bay view while brushing your teeth.

The design is also a bit of minimalist to give the room a spacious look.

Here is a peek of our room’s bathroom.

I love the strong pressure of the rain shower.

One of the benefit of having a club room in Sofitel Manila is that you get to have L’Occitane toiletries. However, these L’occitane toiletries provided by Sofitel Manila are smaller than what I would normally get in a club room in Shangri-la.

Here’s the view from our veranda.

The view expands to the Manila Bay.

The breathtaking Manila Bay sunset.

The great Manila night time skyline opposite the Manila bay view.

Here is the night time view of Sofitel’s pool.

Club Millesime Perks in Sofitel Manila
I am a huge fan of club rooms and I frequently book club category rooms in hotels when I’m out of the country. What I’m always looking forward is the access to the lounge where food and drinks are served almost the whole day. Besides that, getting a club room will guarantee you a better room most of the time, will give you complimentary wifi access and a higher chance of getting a late check-out. Here is the full list of club benefits of Club Millesime in Sofitel Manila which I paid for an additional of USD 110.00. These benefits are good for two people and I think the upgrade is money well spent. If you plan to take breakfast or dinner in Spiral and these are not included in your room rate, I strongly suggest you to get a Club upgrade instead.

Club Lounge in Sofitel Manila
The club lounge in Sofitel Manila is one of my favorite hotel lounges. Though the lounge area is a bit small and the view is not good, the quality of the food served makes up for it.

The evening snacks served are actually a “feast” which can easily comprise a private mini buffet inside the hotel. This is the most extensive hors d’oeuvre spread which I’ve came across in club lounges. I was pleasantly surprised to see six high quality dishes served as the sun went down in Manila Bay – US scallops, giant shrimps, lamb shank, beef, chicken and, baked mussels. These are definitely not the finger foods normally served in other hotel lounges.

Mussels, giant thai shrimps and beef in my plate.

Succulent imported scallops flown from the US.

If there will be only one reason why I will stay in Sofitel Manila again, it will be because of the fantastic food in Club Millesime lounge.

Pool Area in Sofitel Manila
As usual, the pool area of Sofitel Manila looks very inviting but since we were too preoccupied with the club perks, we skipped swimming in our most recent stay.

Breakfast in Sofitel Manila
We stayed in Sofitel Manila prior to the re-opening of Spiral so we had our breakfast in Le Bar. Just like Spiral, the breakfast spread in Le Bar did not disappoint.

The breakfast spread is continental with emphasis on Filipino and Asian cuisine.

Here is my favorite Chinese Noodle Soup which I never miss to have when I dine in Sofitel Manila.