Cubao ManhattanHeights Unit 7EF Tower B, 1BR

We stayed here for two weeks with our three children. We have been backpacking around the world for almost 13 years, and the Philippines is our 70th country. The apartment was great but it needed simple maintenance on a few simple items and correction of the listing for a few items. What we liked: - The place looked exactly as shown in the pictures. - A clean apartment, a decent kitchen equipped with a four-burner electric stove, rice cooker, electric kettle, frying pan, a few pots, a microwave, and a refrigerator. - Oven also works great. WiFi was decent; it supported YouTube and Netflix (already logged into an account). - Drinking water containers were refilled as needed. - There was automatic AC (with remote) in the living room and the bedroom had a manual AC. - Washing machine worked well. - There were two balconies: one accessible from the living room and the other from the bedroom. - Sun comes directly into the apartment during sunrise. - Four beds and 2 extra mattresses were also available, allowing them to sleep 6 to 10 people. - Apartment is very central to everything; SM Supermarket & Mall is just 5 minutes away. - Ali Mall is also just across the building. Metro and Light Rail are about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the place. - Lots of food options available within a few minutes. ATM, 7-Eleven, and Mini Market were just downstairs. - The host was always responsive and answered our queries very quickly. - We had a minor issue with the toilet hose and they fixed it the next day.

What we didn't like: :( :( :( We booked this place specifically for the listed free pool and gym access. Both were not available for free. - *** Access to the pool costs 100 pesos per person per hour (500 pesos per hour for us). - *** Gym was not offered at all to temporary guests; so we were not allowed to use it. As full-time travellers for 12+ years, we needed pool and gym for our daily routines. Choosing this place over others was a major disappointment for us. Our booking was non-refundable so we couldn't cancel and move to one of many other places in Manila with gym and pool access. We asked the host to at least update the listing appropriately for the benefit of future guests, but it still shows inaccurate information. - Only one narrow vertical side of a cupboard was offered for storage; the larger side of the cupboard was locked. We used the living room and dining table to store our clothes, books, and other personal items. A few minor maintenance items that can easily make the stay better:- - One of the four dining table chairs is broken (though it remains in the apartment with a label warning against sitting on it); - the ironing board has a large burn hole; - the living room balcony door closes only with significant effort. - One of the two standing fans has loose parts, shakes, and makes a lot of noise; we stuck paper in it to reduce the noise. - The AC in the living room only blows air toward the roof not towards the room or floor. Consequently, even after running for a long time, the room won't cool unless you also run the standing fan simultaneously. - The toilet seat cover keeps moving sideways, requiring adjustment before each use. - There's a temporary waste storage unit under the kitchen sink that traps solids; it smells quite strong and might need occasional cleaning. - Whenever the neighbour smokes cigarettes very often on his balcony, all the smoke enters the apartment through the AC. It was pretty unpleasant.

Accessibility

All good

Comfortable room Great location

Hot water in the shower can be temperamental

Very accessible. Owner is accommodating.

Lots of small cockroaches and small insects. Had suffered insect bites during our stay.