Weekend Break at Ramada Manila Central Hotel, Binondo

I'm feeling very exhausted lately. True, I just had one of the most relaxing trips ever but here I am back in the daily grind leaving me physically and mentally drained day in and out. Not even the two day weekend is enough to rejuvenate me. Does this mean it's time for another vacation soon? Hmm..

A few months ago, The Food Club was invited to have a quick weekend break at the new Ramada Manila Central Hotel located right at the heart of Binondo, Manila. While we're used to taking a weekend getaway outside of Metro Manila, Paul and I welcomed the thought of just staying in town but still being able to have some R&R away from home.

Up until this day, I really get excited every time I have the chance to visit Binondo a.k.a. Chinatown. It reminds me of the time I would go on food trips with friends as we would enjoy the various snacks and treats found in every nook and cranny of this place. I also have spent a good amount of time here when I was preparing for my wedding two years ago. Given that it's here where I can find the things needed for my tinghun (engagement party) as well as for my ke-tseng (dowry).

Ramada Manila Central Hotel is very easy to find. It's located right beside the Binondo Church and it's a good thing that parking albeit limited is available at the basement level as we all know how difficult it can be to find a good and secure place to park your car in this part of town. After checking in and saying hi to our friends, Paul and I had to excuse ourselves as we met up with my dear Kuku and family for dinner at the Lucky Chinatown Mall that's just a few blocks away from the hotel.

As for our room accommodations, we were initially given the Superior Room with twin beds (approximately Php. 3,600) which was the most basic room available. The room was quite small but pretty okay for the two of us.

However, as soon as we got back from our dinner with Kuku, we were told that we're transfering to another Superior Room type this time with a queen bed. Hooray for a bigger bed! I love the fact that WiFi internet is also available to all hotel guests.

Allow me to tour you around our room:



All rooms are equipped with a 32” cable Plasma TV with eleven (11) Chinese channels. This is important as this hotel seems to be aiming to target the Chinese market -- both local residents and foreign visitors alike.

The bar area is complete with a kettle, sachets of coffee and tea, two bottles of complimentary distilled water and for a minimum charge some instant noodles and nuts. Personally though, Tasty Dumplings is just right next door so better to dine there for some yummy porkchop noodles or steamed dumplings! Don't forget to have a glass of Dalandan Juice too!

Our bathroom is way bigger here compared to our first room. I love that it had a good and spacious shower area plus a bath tub too.

Here's where I'm giving Ramada Manila Central Hotel plus points -- the toilet has a bidet installed beside it. YAY! How I wish all hotels would make this an essential piece for the convenience and hygiene of their guests. This we really have to learn from the Japanese and Korean hotels.

The toiletries are pretty much basic but I can tell that they are of really good quality. I love the smell of the shower gel and soap. 

Should you have any valuables needed to secure, they have an electronic safe installed in all rooms. There's also two pairs of slippers too! Cool!

We loved our second room and slept soundly through the night. Zzzz...

The next morning, we woke up just in time for breakfast. All together, we headed down to the News Cafe. The breakfast choices were quite limited thus I had a bit of a hard time choosing which one to have. I settled for some scrambled eggs, bacon and french toast. Not bad. They had some congee too but I'm not really in the mood for some that day I heard though it was just a-okay. Wish they can add more to their breakfast line-up soon.

We all stayed at the 5th floor thus we all were given access to the Premiere Lounge. This is a good place to hold brief meetings or to hang out and watch TV with friends. This was exactly what we did that evening as we all watched the TV guesting of our friend Chris.

Guests staying in both the 5th and 6th floors are entitled to the following privileges:
- Express check- in and check-out
- Dedicated concierge services
- Early check-in or late check-out
- Free local calls
- Shoeshine services

- Welcome drinks
- Welcome fruit platter
- Local and foreign newspapers

- Unlimited use of the computer workstations at the Business Center

- Use of the boardroom for two (2) hours

The hotel also has a number of function and conference rooms perfect for any parties, meetings or celebrations. 

Ramada Manila Central Hotel may not still be at par with most deluxe hotels in the area but soon I'm sure they'll be able to offer more amenities to their guests. However, if you're looking for convenience in terms of its accessibility to Lucky Chinatown, Tutuban Mall, 168 among others, then this is the best place to be. They also offer a free shuttle service to Lucky Chinatown Mall on a daily basis.

Ramada Manila Central Hotel is located along Ongpin cor. Quintin Paredes Streets, Binondo in Manila. Call them at 588-6688 or log on to their official website for more details.