Some Business Class offerings stand out as being cheaper than the rest – most notably in my experience the Chinese carriers (China Southern, China Eastern and Air China) but also Philippine Airlines.

I wasn’t an enthusiastic booker. My research had brought up that the seats weren’t 180° lie flat which made me imagine sliding off the seat during the night and the cabin being full of passengers slumped on the floor by the time breakfast came around.

There were also mixed reviews of the Business Class offering with scathing comments about the seats on the Airbus A321. So I was glad when I checked out the flight on SeatGuru and found that the MNL-AKL route was served by an Airbus A330-300 with the Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration – definitely not the A321.

Manila Domestic Airport Terminal 4

I made soooo many mistakes in the build up to the flight. We had arrived on a domestic flight into Manila’s Terminal 4 and were just about to leave the terminal after collecting our luggage so that we could find the shuttle bus to the international terminal (Terminal 2), when it occurred to me to ask a security guard where the shuttle bus departed from.

The apron outside the security check point was crowded with people so it was a relief when he indicated we should go back inside the building and talk to a staff member inside. We were directed to a small waiting room separated from the runway by a paper thin wall so that I was convinced a plane would come through the wall, they sounded so loud.

Almost as loud as the children playing while their parents wearily slumped on top of their suitcases, waiting in their seats for their transfer to one of the other terminals. The air con was made for a much larger room and so I made sure to sit in one of the few seats that weren’t directly in front of one of the units. And so we waited. And waited.

Eventually the staff member came past and took away the family and some other passengers joined us – as the staff member left he turned to us and let us know if would be another 20 minutes before our transfer would be there. We had plenty of time and I kept telling myself that worst case scenario we could walk the few kilometres to the other terminal.

Thirty minutes later we were lead out past the luggage reclaim to the exit and along the footpath, ducking all manner of materials being placed in the x-ray machines which served as the pre security screening. I made sure to keep our guide in sight and as we approached a bus he turned slightly, told everyone in our group that the bus was for Terminals 1, 2 & 3 and then headed back to the air conditioned comfort of the terminal building.

We, along with the other passengers, got on board and crammed ourselves in.  With a slamming of doors and a slight lurch we headed out into Manila Airport traffic.

It quickly became apparent how foolish it would have been to walk. First of all there were no real footpaths, second of all the heat was unbearable and third of all the  traffic had a logic all of its own. I was thankful that we’d researched the situation before hand and had built in enough of a buffer to accomodate the transfer in terminals, even though the distance as the crow flies was only a few kilometres.

Manila International Airport Terminal 1

I was feeling pretty happy with myself up until we dropped off all the other passengers at Terminal 1 and the driver came back to where we were sitting and asked us where we were going. Smiling we said Terminal 2.

His face dropped. I do Terminal 1 and 3 he said. There’s a different shuttle for Terminal 2. Ange and I looked at each other and shrugged. I turned back to the driver and told him that the guy from Terminal 4 had pointed at his bus and said Terminals 1, 2 & 3. He looked frustrated and told us to move our luggage to the front of the bus and to sit close to him.

We shrugged and complied and then watched as he opened the doors to the passengers getting on at Terminal 1. It was amazing as the security guards handling the queues allowed the passengers on one at a time and the bus driver accepted their luggage and stacked it expertly into a tower almost to the ceiling.

In the early evening heat he soon worked up a sweat from the luggage handling and we could see why he had gone to great pains to ensure that our luggage was separate from the new passengers. Eventually he indicated that he could not squeeze anyone else in, and the queue boarding halted.

Manila International Airport Terminal 2

We then went back out in the the traffic and headed over to Terminal 2. This shortest of trips took the longest with the traffic coordinated by shotgun wielding security guards and much honking and hollering. With an exasperated sigh the driver yanked on the handle and we were deposited into the seething cauldron of people welcoming new arrivals, farewelling relatives and taxi drivers touting for business. It felt safe but busy – a more compressed version of a UK airport but with climate akin to walking through a warm bath.

Another mistake – I didn’t notice the lifts up to the departures level from where we were dropped off on the arrivals level. This necessitated us navigating our way from one end of the concourse to the other through the crowds until we found some escalators heading up and then walking the same distance on he correct level to the front doors. By that time our elbow room when it came to time buffer had evaporated and we were only three hours before flight time.

Yet another mistake: I didn’t notice the separate gate for all Business Class passengers. Apparently it was right in front of the entrance in the most obvious place imaginable. Nope: I missed it, found which check in desk was for our flight and then proceeded to walk again the full length of the terminal to the gate. And then waited in line with everybody else before being told that we could have gone straight through if I had seen the entrance. To add insult to injury, then Business Class lounge was all the way on  the other side of the terminal.

Philippine Airlines Business Class Lounge – Mabhuhay

Now closer to two hours before our 10 hour flight to Auckland, so we tried to settle into the Business Class Lounge, have a bite to eat and enjoy our last tastes of the Philippines. It proved harder than it sounds: the Mabuhay lounge was on the small side so we had to wait a while before seats became available. My research had indicated that the lounge was on the… more budget end of the spectrum and this proved to be the case.

Limited food and drink options, few seats and initially at least a crowded jostling vibe meant that it was only just more relaxing than it had been outside. OK that’s unfair – but until the lounge started to empty out it was very hard to relax.

Business Class on the Airbus A330-300

So you can imagine my surprise when the actual flight was really really good. Getting on board the plane was quick and easy and then we saw the seat. OMG the leg room was amazing.

You could have put nine economy class seats in the space our two took. And the seat controls even had a vibrating lumbar setting!

Ange straight away tried the full recline and found it very comfortable.

I gave it a go as well but instead of folding down flat, my seat just kept raising higher and higher, much to Ange’s amusement.

I decided to stop playing with the seat and put it back to an armchair mode while the air crew served fresh juice and helped the other passengers stow their luggage.

I was just starting to look around for the entertainment system when the crew came around with an iPad and personal headphones. My first time with that sort of set up, but I did appreciate not having a restricted set of viewing angles, which you tend to get when the screen is fixed to the back of the seat in front or attached to an arm on your own seat.

More hilarity ensued when we were given slippers for the flight. One size fits all is a joke for both me and Ange – her because the slippers are inevitably too big, and myself for the opposite reason. I had to snap a shot to illustrate this.

Amenities Kit

The hilarity soon changed to excitement for Ange as the amenities kit came out and she found it was L’Occitane.

The kit included:

• an eyemask,
• toothbrush and toothpaste,
• 3 little tubes of L’Occitane cosmetics (skin creme, moisturiser and perfume)
• plus a folding hairbrush which I, being follicly challenged, very kindly offered to Ange.

Dinner

The food was scrummy and there was a lot of it – starting with a cold platter of Chicken Galantine and Marinated Prawn Salad. Then came a Chicken and Prawn Baguette.

For the mains Ange chose the Prawn Cakes while I selected the Roast Pork in Maple Glaze and we shared the dessert of the Mango Crepe Samurai accompanied by a delectable ice cream.

Certainly no complaints here!

Lie Flat Bed

After dinner the lights in the cabin dimmed and most people attempted to set themselves up for bed.

The person across from us tried without success to get their bed to fold down, but like mine had previously it refused to behave. The air crew came over and took the cushions off the seat and tinkered with it and it worked after that.

So I called them over and asked if they could do the same for mine. It turns out that the layout of the cabin was a little old and that the seats would periodically need resetting, and that the only way to do that was to take the cushioning off them and hold down a button for a couple of seconds.

The comparison with the BA flight we’d taken only a few days ago was stark. The Philippine Airlines seat had more length, more width and although was on a slight angle, certainly didn’t feel like I was going to slide off. More importantly whereas the BA seat seemed to be designed to punish anyone over 6 foot tall, the Philippine Airlines one felt like there were enough options in terms of how to position one’s body so that a good sleep was possible.

Before I knew it, it was four hours later and the lighting in the  cabin was slowly growing, people were getting up to use the bathrooms and the crew were coming around with juice and hot towels.

Breakfast

While accepting the juice and towel, I remained reclined, burrowed into the blankets – still trying to hang on to the last warm comforts of sleep. Until the breakfast came around of course.

Ange didn’t go any further than the fruit platter and cereal (still being full from dinner).

I elected to try both the selection of breads plus the Kielbasa sausage and poached egg which came with caramelised onions and potato rösti. Nom nom nom!!

Soon, with the dishes cleared away and seats in upright mode, we were approaching the coast of New Zealand.

The Filipinos are known for their hospitality and service and the crew had been nothing but professional and attentive. Even the more demanding of our fellow passengers had been given great service with a smile.

Final thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flight – I’d always looked down my nose at slightly angled 180 degree seat arrangement, seeing it as a substandard offering. With the proof of the pudding well and truly tasted, it was great to have Philippine Airlines as an option for cheap Business Class flights into or out of Auckland.

The post Cheap Business Class Flights? Philippine Airlines: Manila to Auckland appeared first on etrip.tips.

Our trip to Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa began with the flight from Manila, to Tagbilaran City on the southwest side of the island of Bohol.

At the Domestic terminal in Manila we were given umbrellas before being lead across the tarmac to our waiting Air Asia A320-200.

The umbrellas were to protect us against the tropical sun which blasted the tarmac, and they were collected by ground crew once we reached the stairs to the aircraft.

Once onboard we whiled away the 90 minute flight by playing games on the iPad – no individual entertainment systems on the budget short haul flight!

The umbrellas were out in force upon landing in Tagbilaran, this time well used because of the rain which started closing in as we approached the single runway airport.

We were asked by the captain to assist their turnaround time by making our way to the terminal as quickly as possible and it became apparent why that was.

The airport only had the one runway – a single strip of tarmac with some low slung buildings at one end.

As we descended the stairs under the umbrella we passed the refuelling truck which was already refreshing the plane’s fuel tanks while a steady stream of passengers sploshed across to the terminal.

The terminal had open doors so while we waited by the luggage conveyor belt we could actually see the luggage being taken off the plane, placed in the trolleys under tarpaulin covers and then walked over to the terminal and placed onto the conveyor belt.

While waiting inside I watched the Welcome to Bohol video where models went on ziplines over the Chocolate Hills.

Before too long our luggage made its way across the tarmac and popped out onto the conveyor belt. There something quite calming about seeing your luggage all the way from the airplane so that you know when you can expect it to appear!

Once we collected the luggage, we joined the other passengers leaving the terminal and heading out into the rain.

Waiting at the entrance was a smiling man with a sign with ‘Eskaya’ written on it and he introduced himself and then lead us to a waiting Hyundai Starex van.

It was then a very pleasant trip through the streets of Tagbilaran in the air conditioned comfort of the van. Eskaya resort is actually on the island of Panglao, joined to the much larger island of Bohol, on which the Tagbilaran airport is situated.

Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa

It only takes 30 minutes to get to Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa on Panglao from the airport and we farewell the driver as he drops us off at the reception building.

The building features natural wood and rattan matting and helps us adjust our rhythm from the go-go-go of the Manila traffic and flight, to the more leisurely vibe of a holiday in a nice resort.

As we checked in I noticed a little sign saying that the resort belonged to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. I noticed a little coffee table book on the table beside the reception desk and it identified all 520 of their hotels.

I’d just started to flick through them when the receptionist brightly informed me that our room was ready and the bell boy would take us and our luggage to our room.

We followed him to the waiting golf cart and sped along the paved lane to our thatched roof villa no.6. We followed him up the path to villa, climbed the stairs and went in.

Room

The room was dominated by the bed. A conical mosquito net disappeared into the lofty heights of the ceiling – pulled back upon entry to show the bed in all its glory.

A welcome note and flowers on the bed runner and pillows were lovely touches, and the high ceilings and natural materials made the room feel spacious and airy.

A wooden fan promised to cool us down and a TV and mini-bar faced the bed. We were provided with free bottles of water.

Lastly a desk and chair tucked into the corner provided a nod to the ability to get some work done, while a pair of arm chairs flanked the bed, providing for more inside relaxation.

But our room at the Eskaya was not about shutting yourself inside – oh no!

Private Pool

Outside the main room was our own private pool.

That’s right, each of the rooms had their own private pool. Not Olympic sized you understand, but still a sizeable body of water, well supported by an extensive deck with sun loungers and sun umbrella. And looking around we couldn’t really see anyone, so the design of the place meant that we had really good privacy too.

If the sun had been out we would have been thankful of the shade of the trees nearby, but instead we scooped their leaves out before we went for a swim.

The water wasn’t warm but a good contrast with the high temperatures and steamy humidity which we’d been confronted with each time we’d left the comfort of air conditioning.

Bathroom

But the biggest wow factor was the bathroom. We headed through the door past the bed into an outdoor bathroom. That’s right: the bathroom was exposed to the skies, a jacuzzi tub front and centre.

Surrounded by a bamboo wall about 6 foot high for privacy, the eaves of the main chalet provided cover from the elements for the toilet, a shower and the his and hers sinks backed by a huge well lit mirror.

The toiletries were Aqua Universalis (part of the Maison range by Francis Kurkdjian) and nestled behind them were some Aloe Vera by Crabtree and Evelyn. My concerns regarding the possibilities of mosquitoes were put to rest by the inclusion of some family friendly mosquito repellent.

Restaurant Lunch

The weather being what it was we decided to head to the restaurant to have lunch.

The place wasn’t quite deserted, but we certainly had our choice of seating location. We decided to forgo the Chef’s special and instead have the set menu of prawn soup, stuffed squid and a fruit smoothie, while looking out over the pools to the sea.

The striations of the two different blues in the pool, the two shades of cyan in the sea before the reef plus the deep blue of the open ocean reflected the different aquatic environments the Eskaya enjoyed.

Burping gently after dinner, we wandered back to our chalet via the beach, keeping under the umbrella to hide form the rain. We’d arrived just as the seasons switched from the dry season (November to May), to the wet (June to October) so the rain was not unexpected.

We were hopeful that the rain would clear the next day so we could see the resort in all its splendour, but the general feel was similar to the meal we had in Rovinj overlooking the harbour. The staff made sure we didn’t want for anything, watching from a respectable distance ready to pounce should we even look like we’d like another round of drinks or anything else.

What better way to relax after a day of travel than by having an outdoor bubble bath? We poured out the bubble bath (more restrained than that time in Dubai) and ran the bath and then turned on the jets.

There’s something magical about the ability of a strong jet of hot water to really ease away the aches and weariness of travel. Very relaxing and very private.

Restaurant Dinner

Later that evening we headed back for more deliciousness. This time the room was serenaded by a quartet of guitar strumming musicians who worked the room.

There were a few more guests dotted around the restaurant, but even though the resort was supposed to be full, we almost didn’t notice any other guests at all.

Again the staff were super attentive, and figuring we weren’t likely to have acclimatised to the heat as much as some of the other guests, they kindly sat us near one of the air conditioning units.

For dinner Ange and I both had the Chef’s special – the Orange Chicken Teriyaki, washed down with another fruit smoothie. This time we shared a chocolate brownie, so big it didn’t fit into the glass it was served in, oozing with sauce and accompanied by two edible wafer straws.

That night I ventured out to avail myself of the facilities – a little trepidatious with worries about the insect situation. I needn’t have worried – the staff had visited while we were at dinner and set up mosquito coils outside and fashioned a tee-pee out of the mosquito nets above the bed, and the result was that I did what I needed to do unmolested.

That was a huge thing for me as I am usually victim #1 when it comes to mozzies – so much so that Ange loves travelling with me because she knows if I’m nearby she will be left unscathed as the evil mosquitoes will do anything to get a taste of my blood.

Restaurant Breakfast

After a blissful night’s sleep, we headed down for breakfast. The sun was out in force and it was great to see the resort in all its glory – no more grey skies and rain.

Again we were seated beside the air con which we appreciated because even though it was still quite early in the morning, there was serious malice in the sun.

There was an impressive array of food to select from, with fresh locally caught fish featuring prominently.

There were enough Western options to keep us happy, with the best part being the omelette station. Hard to go past!

After having an omelette and bacon, followed by pancakes and fresh fruit, we headed back to our villa the long way around.

The private beach the previous night had been set up for a banquet with dining table and about a dozen chairs lit by tiki torches – a gorgeous setting by night and even better by daylight.

There were sun loungers all in a row, shaded by umbrellas and with members of staff ready to bring whatever drinks or snacks could be desired.

We watched a family heading down the path past the boat house onto the jetty and then onto the glass bottomed boat, life jackets fastened and snorkels in hand ready for a fish finding dive off the coral reef.

Bobbing in the water were some jet-skis and a speed boat with an inflatable banana in tow. Paddle boards and kayaks sat on the sand outside the boathouse and staff members busied themselves getting the various aquatic activity equipment ready.

We would have loved to take advantage of some of those but unfortunately only had just enough time to avail ourselves of the infinity pool.

Infinity Pool

The pool was awesome – it had a seated area which was much shallower than the rest – a semi circle which allowed you to sit and chat or keep an eye on small children.

The remainder of the pool was a little deeper with nothing breaking the horizon except the change in shades of blue, so it seemed that you could swim all the way out to the reef.

Tucked into the corner of the pool was a bar with the bar-stools under water allowing you to have a drink without leaving the cool comfort of the water.

The eaves of the bar roof provided welcome shade from the sun meaning you could spend all day in the pool and not get sunburned. The pool was ringed with sun loungers and umbrellas meaning anyone not wanting to get wet could also enjoy the great views.

Altogether too soon it was time to leave. We packed our bags, headed back to the reception hut and checked out.

We waited in the air conditioned hut for the driver to come with the van and then we boarded and said a fond farewell to Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa.

Pros and Cons

Would I Return?

Hell yes. I’m just trying to figure out a way for us to get back there – this time for longer!

Everything, from the welcome at the airport, to the attentive service at the restaurant is designed to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.

We got lucky with the weather – if we could change one thing I probably would have gone a little earlier in the year to avoid the rainy season, but the beautiful bright blue skies on the day we left certainly showed what a stay at Eskaya can look like.

If all the Small Luxury Hotels are like this, I hope to visit the other 519 soon!

The post Eskaya With Love: Panglao Beach Resort & Spa appeared first on etrip.tips.

We counted the other passengers at the bus stop. I went over and asked the attendant how big the shuttle bus to the Marriott was.

He looked down the line of the passengers waiting outside the Arrivals area of Terminal 2 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and assured me that there would be enough room.

I thanked him and went back to where Ange waited by our luggage. Thirty degree heat, a constant stream of beeping taxis, buses and motorbikes, a day and a half awake on various flights plus another hour’s wait for the shuttle to return if it was full was making me just a little anxious.

We were using the Marriott as a chance to get some real sleep before our onward flight the next day, encouraged by the fact that it was adjacent to the airport.

When the shuttle came we were relieved that there was in fact enough room for everyone and settled into the big comfortable leather chairs while the driver navigated the chaos of airport traffic.

We weren’t the only hotel being served by the bus, so kept one ear out for the driver announcing the stops, but they were very clear and ensured they knew where everyone was going as the boarded and as they left the bus, leaving nothing to chance.

After what seemed an aeon to my sleep addled brain but which was much more likely 30 minutes, we pulled into the imposing driveway, disembarked, collected our luggage and made our way to the entrance of the hotel.

It was big and impressive, with lots of polished marble. We checked-in without any issues and headed up to our room.

Room

We’d only paid £50 (NZD 100), so even though it was a Marriott, I thought it would be a typical airport hotel – short on style and amenities and long on convenience. I was a little shocked at the reality.

I think we might have been upgraded to a suite – there was a short hallway immediately through the door, with a toilet immediately to your left. The lounge opened up after that with a glass desk dominating it.

The first of two TVs faced a standard couch and armchair while a welcome dish of fruit sat on the table.

Through one of two doors on either side of the TV was the bedroom, with a very large king-sized bed plus a little armchair and the second TV.

A glass wall allowed you to see into the wet room beyond – which had both a shower as well as a full-sized bath.

There were two shower heads, including a rain forest one built into the ceiling. The wet room was accessed via the bathroom which had his and hers basins and separate toiletries, plus the other toilet tucked discretely in the corner. The place was decidedly huge!

We decided to wash away the grime of our flights and then get some room service which turned out to be a really good idea.

Room Service

I got the Po’Boy which is just a bun with deep fried prawns and some coleslaw accompanied with fried potatoes, while Ange got prawn noodles with egg which she still raves about 6 months later.

I don’t know if it was all the changes in time zones or the fact that we could taste things again after hours in an airplane, but the meals were delicious!

After a great night’s sleep we headed down for breakfast.

Breakfast

The size of the hotel meant that the restaurant in the morning was well and truly full but they managed to find a table or us, admittedly very closely located to our neighbours.

The food on offer was amazing in its breadth – an education in everything people from different Asian countries and cultures could have for breakfast.

There were a few nods to the traditional European palate, but I was fascinated by just how much variation there was between the Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian and Malay cuisines.

After returning to our room to brush our teeth, we headed back down to the reception area to check-out. We then asked about getting a taxi to the airport.

Check-out

The doorman seemed reluctant to get a cab for us, instead suggesting it would be better to get the local equivalent of an Uber. We agreed, especially if it would be cheaper, and asked how we could pay for that.

After being told that it would have to be cash, I headed back inside the hotel to get some cash out of the ATM only to discover that the ATM wouldn’t dispense any cash. I double checked the slot that you put the card in to ensure that there was no attachments or anything that looked dodgy, but it just didn’t seem to want to give any cash out. Ange tried and she had no luck either.

I asked at reception if there was any other ATMs and was told that there was a bank in the casino attached to the hotel. A brief sprint down the corridor lead me to a security checkpoint and then I was into the casino and an actual bank branch.

The ATM there had no trouble dispensing local currency but much more than I was hoping it would – the last thing I wanted to do is be left with a whole bunch of local currency I wouldn’t be able to use (6 months later I’m staring at the purple bills in my wallet, so a fear well justified).

Then a sprint back to the doorman to find that the Uber hadn’t arrived yet. Twenty minutes later he beckoned and we found that the driver had arrived. You certainly need a lot of elbow room when planning around Manila traffic!

We got into the car and the driver asked if we were a certain name. We frowned and said no, and started to get out of the car. The doorman came back over and told us that he’d ordered the Uber using his app so that the driver thought we were him, and that it was fine.

Relieved that we hadn’t accidentally stolen someone else’s car, we got back into the car and headed into the chaos of the traffic.

Pros and Cons

Would I Return?

In an instant. The Marriott is perfect for accessing the airport whether you’re arriving, departing or just in transit. Leave lots of time to get to or from the airport and enjoy the calm comfort of the hotel. I’m just disappointed that we weren’t there during the day because the rooftop pool looks very enticing from the pictures.

The post Review: Manila Marriott Hotel, Manila International Airport appeared first on etrip.tips.