Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Close to the entertainment, shopping & business districts at a reasonal price with friendly staff . |
| Disadvantages: |
Noisy on the Ayala side and a little run down . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Over the past four years I have stayed in the Gilarmi Apartments several times, the last was for a month between Dec 2001 and Jan 2002.
~~~ The Facts First ~~~
The Gilarmi Apartments are located in the centre of Makati City, Manila’s Business district. Consequently, the Gilarmi Apartments are close to many of the Philippine’s major corporations, Shopping Malls and entertainment areas.
The Gilarmi is situated between Udameta Village and Ayala Avenue, this is between Makati Avenue and EDSA. The entrance is at the back of the building, Coming from the airport, turn off EDSA onto Ayala Avenue, take the second turning on the right into FONDA. At the ‘T’ junction turn right and the entrance is less than 25 yards on the right.
Across Ayala from the Gilarmi is the Glorietta Center shopping Mall, which is well worth a wander around. Close by are a number of 5 star
hotels, including the Dusit, The Intercontinental, the Peninsula and the Shangri-la. Also within a few minutes walk are lots of good places to eat and places to go for a good night out. I recommend ‘Street Life’ in the Glorietta Center and Azzoro’s across from the Intercontinental.
Facilities at the Apartments include: Fully-furnished and air-conditioned apartment suites with daily maid and linen service, Cable TV, Free use of safety deposit boxes, Ample parking area with round-the-clock security, Dental Office, Tour Agents, Coffee Shop, Laundry services and best of all a swimming pool.
Rooms range from Studio and
Hotel style up to several penthouse suites, it is always best you get
rooms facing Udameta village as they tend to be quieter. The staff are warm and friendly, courteous and efficient.
~~~ The Reality ~~~
I have stayed in rooms/apartments on floors 2,3,5 and 10 and have found them all to be decorated in a similar fashion. For the purpose of the opinion I shall describe the two bedroom Suite that we strayed in during our recent trip.
The apartment was on the 10th floor, through the front door you come into a spacious living/dining room. To the left is a useful walk-in storage area and ‘spare’ toilet. Across from the Apartment door is the door to the first bedroom, in the right hand corner on the same wall as the first bedroom is the entrance to the second bedroom. Both Bedrooms were of the same size and had there own walking wardrobes and bathrooms. Each bedroom had a solid white cane dressing table with a wall mounted mirror and a matching chair. A screened window/door led to a shared (between the two bedrooms) balcony overlooking Udameta Village. A Metal Table and chairs were on the balcony. The First Bedroom had a pair of single beds, the second bedroom had a queen sized bed and a comfortable lounger. The living room was furnished with a three seater sofa and two armchairs around a large coffee table. Across from the chairs was a 20” colour TV with Cable and 100 Channels. A six-seater dining room table and chairs was by the window, with a large sideboard in the corner. All the furniture was well constructed in white cane but did show signs of wear. A basic kitchen occupied one corner of the Living room, the kitchen came supplied with crockery, cutlery and glasses for six people. Three saucepans of various sizes, a frying pan and kettle for the two ring electric cooker. Most important of all a large fridge with icebox completed the kitchen. Each of the bathrooms had a shower, basin and toilet. Soap was provided.
The apartment was clean, cool - courtesy of the air-conditioning units and spacious. However there were some downsides to the place. The Balcony suffered from the general pollution in Makati city, as such you could not go on the balcony without something on your feet, otherwise you would have to wash them. The bathrooms were not very new or well maintained, our toilet became blocked on several occasions. The Maintenance Department fixed this very quickly. The shower unit was too Low for me, I am 5’10” tall, and we had only 30 minutes of hot water. The Kitchen was dark, even with the two ceiling lights, only one of the electric rings worked and the fridge was old and net very efficient. I had to defrost it once a week. Additionally we had to purchase washing up liquid, dishcloth and a bottle opener. Boiling water on the oven was rather slow, so I purchase an electric kettle, which I passed on to my mother in law when we left.
~~~ The Services ~~~
Here I cannot fault the Gilarmi, the staff we always warm, courteous and friendly. As we have stayed here before, we were recognised and we know the staff. The Maintenance Department were always very fast when we had occasion to call upon them. The Laundary service was supurbe and we used them quite a bit, If we called down for them to collect before 10am, the laundry was returned by 3:30pm. The Restaraunt / coffee shop & Room Service was of high standard. The Menu offered a good selection of Western,
Philippine and Japaneese dishes at a reasonable price for a hotel. Breakfast could be taken either in the room or buffet style in the coffee shop.
~~~ Conclusion ~~~
The Gilarmi remains a good choice for budget
accommodation within Makati/Manila, unfortunately it is starting to show signs of under investment and poor routine maintenance. As always the staff, food and location are the redeeming qualities. We have always felt safe and secure here and will continue to treat the Gilarmi as our home in Makati/Manila.
The Costs:
Obviously the costs are subject to change according to season, discounts are available, particularly for longer stays, don’t forget to ask at time of booking. I usually book through AsiaTravel as they can get some good deals. . When we went the rate was 50Php to the US Dollar and 70Php to GB Pound.
Room Rates:
Daily rates start at 1600 Pesos for a studio room, 2200 Pesos for a 1 bedroom apartment up to 8000 Pesos for a 3 bedroom Penthouse. We paid 77000PHP for one Month in a 2 Bedroom apartment, We got a 10% discount when we asked but also had to pay 8000Php for an additional person to stay the month.
There is an additional charge for the electricity, allow 100Php a day, and a 10% service charge added to Laundry and catering services.
For monthly stays you will be required to sign a contract and pay a deposit of about one months rental. This is taken in the form of a blank/signed credit card slip, this is returned when you check out. Read the contract and ensure that all the clauses are filled in!
Laundry:
Long Sleeve Shirt: 40Php
T-Shirt: 25Php
Sports Shirt (polo) 30Php
Trousers 45Php
Underwear/Socks 20php
Dress 50Php
Blouse: 40Php
Childs clothing: 10 to 20Php
Coffee Shop & Room Service:
American Breakfast 220Php
(Fresh Fruit, 2 eggs, Bacon/ham/sausage, toast+butter & preserves, tea or coffee)
Omlete 143 to 214Php depending on your ingredients
Pancite Molo 140Php
(Philippine Broth with noodles)
Spagetti ‘Bolognaise’ 238Php
Chicken/Port Adobo 235Php
Prawn Tampura 430Php
Beef Teriyarki 340
Taxi: There is a resident taxi service reasonably priced when compared to those from other hotels, but it is still cheaper to hail a taxi from along Ayala:
Taxi to domestic/international airport 160Php
Taxi to Pasig 120Php
