Booking a Staycation at Luneta Hotel with Traveloka

I spent the weekend billeted at the Luneta Hotel Manila for a bit of staycation. I had several options to choose from while browsing at the Traveloka app, but I settled with the one housed in a six-story French Renaissance building, located just a stone's throw away from Rizal Park. The main draw for my choice was the hotel's illustrious history, and its location. 

The hotel was built in 1919, just at the cusp of the roaring 20s. The building, designed by Spanish architect Salvador Ferre, is adorned with a Mansard roof, and stylized Beaux-Arts detailing that symbolizes the new influences that entered the country just several decades after the colonization of Spain ended. 

Frequented by the upper crust of Manila - its patrons include dignitaries such as Dwight Eisenhower - the hotel epitomized the elegance of Old Manila, in which the it tried to captured today. After surviving the air raids over Manila during World War II, and a brief stint as a brother for American GIs, the hotel was abandoned in the 1980s. In 2008 the hotel was restored and retrofitted, and it officially opened in 2014, with 27 boutique rooms, a rooftop cocktail bar and a cafe at the lobby.

I arrived to check in early in the afternoon, the process of which was a breeze. It was already paid for when I booked it through the Traveloka app.  After signing in and getting my Ving card, I went inside my well-appointed room to get a deserved rest. I did take some time to admire the room first.

I liked the details and touches that hark back to the old times - oil paintings adorning every room, the ornate chandeliers at the lobby, the old-school telephone at the foyer, marbled floors and wooden panels, and the L'Occitane toiletries.  There is also flat screen TV and a mini fridge for each room for the guest's amusement and convenience. A safe is also provided for added security for the guests.

The hotel is very strategic too, if you're planning to explore the tourist spots and museums around Roxas Boulevard and Rizal Park. Within walking distance are the National Museum (and the upcoming Museum of Natural History), Museo Pambata, Manila Ocean Park, the walled city of Intramuros and Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and several other old churches, the entertainment district of Malate and Ermita, and of course, Manila Bay and its famed sunsets. There are also several malls nearby, if shopping is your thing. The hotel is very quiet and relaxing, and the bed is very conducive to napping, so I stayed mostly inside the room, catching up on my sleep. 

How to Get There 

Luneta Hotel Manila is located in Kalaw Street in Manila, just near the National Library. It can be accessed via the LRT 1, and the nearest station is UN Avenue (and a short walk to the west from there, to the direction of Roxas Boulevard). 

Useful Info 

Rates hover around PhP5400 and up per night. 

The hotel’s website is lunetahotel.com 

Phone: 63.2.8758921. 

Email: lh_resorts@lunetahotel.com 

How to Book 

I booked mine using the Traveloka app, which is very user-friendly. You may download it from the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play Store (for Android). You’ll need to create an account - just supply an email address or a mobile phone number and a password (see screenshots of the process below).

First look for the app at the app store. Download then install.

Select country at the welcome screen:

You may also need to enter your credit card number in the app. After the sign in process you may search for hotels (and airfares), and you can book it from there.

What’s great about the app is that the prices are often discounted and the price that you see is the final one – no hidden charges and fees!