A whole new floor/penthouse at the Manila Hotel was then constructed, of which Architect Pedro Luna, son of master painter Juan Luna, was commissioned. This new addition has housed the good general and his family from 1935 to 1941.
As with most history buffs, I've always wanted to view the MacArthur suite at the Manila Hotel. Good thing, though, as we were given a special tour just recently.
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| Hallway of the MacArthur suite |
The Manila Hotel has suffered through a lot of disasters, most notably of the tragedies that plagued the capital during the Japanese occupation of World War II. Fire ravaged most of the suite in 1945 as well, taking with it a lot of the original furnishings and personal effects of the general.
As such, this 2-bedroom suite contains a lot of refurbished items but still houses a number of MacArthur memorabilia. You'll find a that lot of today's modern conveniences have also been incorporated into the suite to keep up with the times.
Coming from the entranceway, you're met with a long hallway (picture above) leading to one of the smaller bedrooms.
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| Guest bedroom |
Off to the side of the hall we come to the spacious dining area. An equally large kitchen compliments this.
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| Dining room |
As mentioned, the suite is littered with MacArthur memorabilia. In the dining room, you see this case full of his medals.
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| Medals |
A few steps to your right and you've entered the living room.
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| Living room |
To the left side of the dining area is the study where you'll find a pair of the original furniture to have survived the tragedies (the 2 chairs facing the table) are displayed and still in use.
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| The Office / Study |
Like with the other rooms, this, too, is littered with memorabilia and photos. One wall is plastered with tons of pictures from the general's early life.
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| A wall of memories |
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| The general's cap |
Yup, his actual hat. =)
Moving on after the study is the dressing / sitting room...
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| Sitting room |
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| Master bedroom |
... with it's own marble-walled T&B.
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| T&B |
A really nice feature of the MacArthur suite is this long balcony that occupies 2 sides of the room -- one along the hallway..
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| The balcony at night |
...and one along the living and dinind halls with a commanding view of the Manila bay.
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| Manila Bay at night |
The MacArthur suite is still open for reservations and is rented out at USD2,500 a night. Comes with the services of a butler for a more extravagant feeling. J
USD2,500 too expensive? Well, guests of the Manila Hotel can always ask for an informal tour of the suite, provided it's unoccupied.
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Manila Hotel
One Rizal Park
Manila, Philippines
T (63 2) 527 0011
W www.manila-hotel.com.com
thanks for sharing sis!I wouldn't be able to afford a whopping $2500 to see all this!I was able to stay at The Manila Hotel for a cousin's wedding and I can say that they have really breathtaking views of the city at night.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine how it was before when everything else in clean in the metro...
Wow! The suite looks so grand, historical and patriotic.. Too bad it's super expensive. Will opt for a tour nalang when we visit Manila Hotel some time soon.. :D
ReplyDeletethis is very informative post. i didn't know this. $2,500 is really expensive.
ReplyDeleteWow! The place is nice! Thanks for the virtual tour
ReplyDeleteThe suites looks timewarped from the WWII. :) Yep, it's too expensive. I wonder who have stayed there..
ReplyDeletehttp://dekaphobe.blogspot.com
Nice shots!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, everyone. I figured it would be nice to share what the suite looks like since it simply steeps in history. =)
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest so I'll say that the place could really give me the creeps--but a good kind. Haha! But still a nice place to try, though it is expensive. XD
ReplyDelete@Aileen: I'll have to agree with you on that. It is kinda creepy especially when you're all alone. Hehehe! =)
ReplyDeletethis is very informative... would love to visit the place too... on a tour. i could do so much with $2,500:-).
ReplyDeletelucky you!
@myrockingcradle.com: I agree. $2,500 is a bit steep. =)
ReplyDeletewow.. too expensive! mayayaman lang talaga makakapasok jan.. hehe
ReplyDelete@mitchyweech: I agree. It's a little expensive. Good thing they allow informal tours. =)
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing they've restored it! :)
ReplyDelete$2,500?! Wow! Ibang kain na lang yan. Lol! :P
xoxo,
http://spoonfulofstories.blogspot.com/
@Lady: Hehehe! I'm sure only the rich can afford this. =)
ReplyDeleteO my gulay ang mahal pala ng rent! Thanks sa blog mo at para na din akong nakapag tour!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! The suite is exquisite... but 2.5k USD is waaaay out of my budget. :(
ReplyDeletei think i don't like to stay for an overnight here.. haha thoughts of ghosts enter my mind! and besides, ang mahal ha! i'll just tour it nalang :D
ReplyDeleteang mahal joskow! thank you for sharing the pics:)
ReplyDelete@anney, SunnyToast, & Hazel: You're welcome. =)
ReplyDelete@A: Same here. $2,500 could buy a lot of other stuff. =)
Eto talagang si McArthur sobrang demanding. Gusto pang tapatan yung bahay ng presidente ng Pinas. :-P
ReplyDeleteSana mapuntahan ko din yan.
Wow! The place looks so elegant. I love the bed in the master bedroom, hehe. But my jaw dropped at the price of the suite! Ang mahal! o__O I think I will just buy a plane ticket with that price. :)
ReplyDelete@Ishmael Fischer Ahab: No harm in asking siguro. Ayan, nabigyan din. Hehehe! =)
ReplyDelete@Karla: Yup. Very expensive. =)