Best Hotels in Manila: Makati vs BGC vs Ermita

Choosing among the best hotels in Manila is mostly a question of choosing a neighbourhood first. Metro Manila is a sprawl of separate city centres, and the area you pick decides how long your days are spent in traffic. This guide compares the three bases most visitors consider, Makati, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and Ermita/Malate, adds Intramuros and the airport area, and then gives a shortlist of properties for every budget. If you are still planning the wider trip, our Manila travel guide covers what to see once you are settled in.

Quick comparison: Makati vs BGC vs Ermita/Malate

Here is the short version of where to stay in Manila before we go area by area.

Area	Best for	Feel	Trade-off
Makati	First-timers, business trips, food and nightlife	Dense business district with big malls, towers and bars	Historic sights are across the city
BGC	Comfort, walking, modern dining, families	Planned, tidy, pedestrian-friendly	Fewer traditional sights, mostly upscale
Ermita/Malate	Sightseeing, Manila Bay, lower rates	Older, more laid back, museum and park district	Less polished, mixed street quality
Intramuros	History lovers	Walled Spanish-era city	Quiet at night, limited choice
Pasay/Newport City	Early flights, short layovers	Resort and mall complex by the airport	Far from the other districts

Makati: the safe default for a first visit

Makati is Metro Manila’s main central business district, anchored by Ayala Avenue, five-star hotels and the interconnected Greenbelt and Glorietta malls. Travel writers consistently describe it as one of the most developed and easiest areas for visitors, with sidewalks you can actually use and air-conditioned malls when the heat gets heavy. The Ayala and Buendia stations on MRT Line 3 connect it to the rest of the metro.

The character changes by pocket. Ayala Avenue and Ayala Center are polished and corporate. Salcedo Village and Legazpi Village have a mix of serviced residences, cafes and weekend markets. Poblacion, along Kalayaan Avenue and Ebro Street, is the bar and street-art district, which suits you if nightlife is part of your plan and less so if you want an early night.

The main drawback is distance from the historic core. Intramuros and Rizal Park are a different part of town, and in rush hour that cross-city ride can be long. Plan your sightseeing days around traffic rather than against it, and read our advice on getting around Manila before you build an itinerary.

Bonifacio Global City (BGC): modern and walkable

BGC, in Taguig, is a planned district that is often described as the most pedestrian-friendly part of Metro Manila. Bonifacio High Street is an open-air lifestyle strip with a pedestrian boulevard running roughly a kilometre through the centre, and the surrounding streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, street art and rooftop bars. The BGC Bus links the area with EDSA Ayala, Market! Market! and Uptown, and the district’s own site, bgc.com.ph, answers common visitor questions.

BGC suits couples, families and anyone who values clean, orderly surroundings and a short walk to dinner. It is also where you will find several of the city’s most polished high-rises. The catch is that it feels less like the Philippines most people picture. If you want the older city, you will be taking a car or ride-hailing trip to reach it.

Ermita and Malate: for sights, Manila Bay and lower rates

Ermita and Malate sit along Manila Bay between Intramuros and the Pasay border. Ermita is home to Rizal Park, a park of about 57 hectares with a good deal of public art, and the National Museum of the Philippines, which includes the National Art Gallery and the Museum of the Filipino People. Malate has long been known for its bars, live music and cheaper stays. Both districts were once upscale neighbourhoods and have since turned commercial, so expect an older, less manicured feel than Makati or BGC.

This is the right base if your priority is museums, Rizal Park, the bayfront and a lower nightly rate. It is less ideal if you want a polished mall-and-restaurant evening on your doorstep. Use ride-hailing at night and keep to main streets, as you would in any big city.

Intramuros and the airport area: when they make sense

Intramuros is the Spanish-era walled city, and Fort Santiago, where national hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned before his execution, sits inside it. The Intramuros Administration, which manages the site, publishes visitor information at intramuros.gov.ph. Staying inside the walls gives you quiet early mornings among the cobbled streets, but only a handful of accommodation options exist there.

The Newport City and Pasay area is a different story. The 220-metre Runway Manila bridge connects NAIA Terminal 3 with Newport City, so the walk can be under ten minutes. That makes it a convenient choice for a dawn flight or a long layover, although it is not a place to explore on foot. Our NAIA airport guide explains terminals and transfers in more detail. If your next stop is the islands, see the options for Manila to Palawan before you decide how many nights you need in the capital.

Best hotels in Manila by area and budget

The properties below were picked to cover every area and price level. Each one is listed on both Booking.com and Agoda under the name shown. Rates change by season and date, so we use price tiers (Budget, Mid-Range, Premium) and suggest you check current rates before booking. Descriptions are based on listing information, and ratings move over time.

Makati

Makati Shangri-La Manila (Premium): sits in Ayala Center inside the Central Business District, has an outdoor pool and a Booking.com guest rating around 9. Agoda writes the name with a comma, Makati Shangri-La, Manila.
The Peninsula Manila (Premium): stands at the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues, with an outdoor pool, a spa and eight dining options. A classic pick for a formal, service-focused stay.
Ascott Makati (Mid-Range): an apartment-style stay with an excellent location score on Booking.com and strong ratings on Agoda. Handy if you want more space than a standard room.
Citadines Salcedo Makati (Mid-Range): a serviced residence in Salcedo Village with self-catering apartments, fully equipped kitchens and an indoor pool, close to Greenbelt. It suits longer stays and families.
Lub d Manila Makati (Budget): a hostel in Poblacion with dorm beds and private rooms, a bar and a 24-hour front desk, close to the nightlife. It was formerly listed as Lub d Philippines Makati, and some older pages still use that name.

Bonifacio Global City

Grand Hyatt Manila (Premium): in BGC, with a spa, sauna, fitness centre and year-round outdoor pool. Guests praise the walkable location, with ratings above 9 on both platforms.
Shangri-La The Fort, Manila (Premium): a large property with two outdoor pools and several dining options in the heart of BGC.
Seda Bonifacio Global City (Mid-Range): a business-style hotel known for its breakfast and rooftop bar, and priced below the neighbouring luxury names, so good value for BGC.

Ermita, Malate and Intramuros

Diamond Hotel Philippines (Premium): a 5-star hotel on Roxas Boulevard in Malate, facing Manila Bay, with a pool and spa. Guests praise the location and helpful concierge.
Red Planet Manila Bay (Budget): a 3-star hotel with 150 rooms opened in 2017, about an 8-minute walk from Rizal Park. A practical base for sightseeing on a modest budget.
Hotel H2O (Mid-Range): an aquarium-themed hotel within the Manila Ocean Park complex overlooking the bay, with an outdoor pool. Some rooms have wall-to-wall aquariums, which kids tend to love. Ratings are more mixed on Booking.com than on Agoda, so read recent reviews.
The Bayleaf Intramuros (Mid-Range): inside the walled city, with a rooftop restaurant and bar and a top location rating on Booking.com. A good choice if you want to sleep within the old city.

Airport area

Hotel Okura Manila at Newport World Resorts (Premium): a hotel that opened in 2021, with 185 rooms, a rooftop pool and Hinoki cypress bathtubs, in Newport City by NAIA Terminal 3. Both platforms use this exact name.

How to choose where to stay in Manila

Start with your purpose, not the star rating. A few rules of thumb help.

First visit, short stay: Makati is the least risky choice, with the widest mix of restaurants, malls and transport.
Couples and families who like to walk: BGC, for its pedestrian-friendly streets, cafes and restaurants.
History and museums: Ermita, Malate or Intramuros, so you spend time at Rizal Park, not on the road.
Tight budget: compare Ermita and Malate rates with Poblacion hostels. Always check current rates for your dates.
Early flight: sleep in Newport City and walk across the bridge.
Long stay or remote work: serviced residences in Makati or BGC give you a kitchen and more space.

Also check practical details: whether breakfast is included, how far the closest rail station is, and the cancellation policy. Entry rules for your passport matter before any of that, so look at our visa guide and the official Department of Tourism site for current requirements.

Finally, think about how many nights to book. Two or three nights is enough for most travellers who are passing through to the islands. If you split your stay, for example a night near the airport on arrival and two nights in Makati or Ermita, you can keep transfers short. Traffic is the biggest variable in Manila, so build in buffer time for any transfer on a travel day, and pick the neighbourhood that puts your main plans within a short ride.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Makati or BGC better for tourists?

Makati has more variety, from corporate towers and malls to the Poblacion bars, plus MRT access. BGC is cleaner, more walkable and more modern. Both are safe and comfortable, so choose by style rather than quality.

Where should first-timers stay in Manila?

Most first-timers are happiest in Makati or BGC for convenience. If your main goal is history, base yourself in Ermita, Malate or Intramuros instead.

Is Ermita or Malate a good area to stay?

It is a good option for museums, Rizal Park, Manila Bay and lower rates. The streets are older and busier, so use ride-hailing after dark and stick to well-lit main roads.

Where is the best place to stay near NAIA?

Newport City in Pasay is linked to NAIA Terminal 3 by the Runway Manila bridge, so it works well for early flights or layovers. Hotel Okura Manila at Newport World Resorts is one option there.

Are these hotels on both Booking.com and Agoda?

Yes, every property named in this guide is listed on both platforms. Prices and availability differ, so check current rates on each before you book.

Bottom Line

Pick Makati if you want the easiest all-round base, BGC if you prefer a polished, walkable setting, and Ermita, Malate or Intramuros if history and a lower budget matter most. Whichever one you choose, use this list of the best hotels in Manila as a starting point, compare current rates, and keep your transfers short.