Where to Live in Manila as a Single Guy? | Gramercy Residences

The Gramercy Residences in Makati is the tallest condominium building in the Philippines and has rooms available on AirBnB for daily / weekly / monthly rental. Daily is around $40/night.

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It’s a minute from Knightsbridge condo which I also reviewed. Milano condo & Trump Tower are also in the area. I prefer Gramercy as the gym / pool are open longer hours and have nicer views of the city.

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I’ve never had problems staying short term via Airbnb, checkin was easy, staff don’t mind it unlike some Thailand condos where you have to be discreet about rentals under 30 days given it’s a condo not a hotel.

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I’ve also never had problems taking girls to my room overnight, even gogo girls from the nearby P Burgos red light district, or obvious street meat. Having stayed at Gramercy over 10 times.

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During the day to get girls back to your room you can use Gramercy’s private walkway into Century City mall on the 2nd floor, which has no guards. So you can have girls meet you at Century mall and get them into the building that way, during mall opening hours (until 10pm).

There’s still no problem walking past the main door guards and reception staff with girls, but the mall entrance is even more convenient. No other Makati condo has an unguarded keycard access door.

Studio Room

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The first AirBnb room I stayed at was $60/night with pretty nice furnishings, there are some cheaper ones for around $40 too.

A friend renting long term at Gramercy pays 36k/month for a studio which is a big larger and nicer than what might go for ~25k at Knightsbridge.

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Rates vary a lot depending on how nice it’s furnished, the floor it’s on, studio or one/two bedrooms, etc. Here’s a link to search Philippines Craigslist for prices.

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Rooms come with A/C, fridge, hot water shower, some have stove / extractor fan, microwave, etc. Most rooms have quite a large balcony. The air con unit sticks out into it though.

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Gramercy is walking distance to the P Burgos Street red light district, I could see it from the balcony of the first room I stayed in (12th floor). The yellow building centre-right in the pic above is where Burgos starts.

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There’s a supermarket (market place) right outside, as well as Avenue mall, Century mall, a bunch of indoor and outdoor restaurants that are open late, and car park.

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The next room I tried was on a higher floor, and a bit larger.

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Gramercy Gym

Unlike Knightsbridge, Gramercy has a proper power rack and olympic barbell instead of just a curl bar and smith machine. The gym is several times the size with more cardio machines, more benches, and more weight plates (275 lb in total), dip bars, pull up bars.

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Dumbbells go up to 25kg. Knightsbridge has more free weights but Gramercy gym is usually pretty empty.

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Some cute chicks around too. There’s way more cardio machines than Knightsbridge and the views are nicer.

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It also has a separate Zumba / yoga room. The entire gym is open until midnight.

Swimming Pool

There are 3 pools next to each other on the 36th floor with lots of sun loungers and comfortable seating. There’s one shallow pool for kids:

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Then there’s a bit deeper one for doing laps, I got asked to get out of this one for cuddling a girl in there, and told to go into the other pool.

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The deep one (up to my neck and I’m 5 foot 11) is in the middle.

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There’s also some sun loungers on a balcony area overlooking the city.

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The swimming pools are open til midnight. The staff are a little bit picky about wearing proper attire when you’re walking around near the pool, they came up to me and told the girl I was with to put a t shirt on when we were walking around taking pics.

Facilities

In total Gramercy has 71 floors and on top is a sky bar, although at the time I was there it was under renovations. They said it reopens September 2016. It’s been closed for many months, classic ‘Filipino time’.

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There’s a spa with deep tissue hot stone massages and body scrubs, rates start at around 500/hr.

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More pics on their Facebook, Spa Ultima.

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One thing Gramercy could use though is a games room with some pool tables and football tables, like Knightsbridge has.

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Remember #protip use this entrance into and out of Gramercy on the second floor, which connects to Century mall via an unguarded walkway. The malls open til 10pm Fri – Sat and 9pm Sun – Thu.

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AirBnb

If you Google site:airbnb.com Gramercy Makati it’ll display all the listings, if you’re new to the site grab $35 free on AirBnb here. Daily rates are around $39 – $60 compared to around $31 – $55 for Knightsbridge.

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Best Place to Live in Manila as a Single Guy?

I haven’t tried some of the baller apartments in the BGC area yet but I’m leaning towards thinking Gramercy Residences is the best condo in Manila for single guys who like a mixture of P4P and dating sites.

For P4P it’s minutes away from P. Burgos and a bunch of spots where freelancers hang out (many of the streets outside Gramercy, and Greenbelt 3 where Cafe Havana is).

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For dates it’s easy to give girls directions to Century mall, get some food there then mention you know a place to hangout upstairs with a nice view overlooking the city. Makati is a safe area too.

Alternatively you could live in the Pasay area by the sea and the Mall of Asia, closer to the EDSA bars.

Location

Click here for the Google maps location. Gramercy Residences is 300m to Burgos, 1km to Ayala Triangle Park (where hot chicks go jogging) and 1.6km to Greenbelt mall.

161 Responses

  1. Thibault says:

    Tldr:
    The real info, for 90 % of you who are not planning a trip to the PI right now, is…
    You can actually have chicks like that one.
    After hammering that the philippines were the land of the meh girls. Jspill goes and quickly find all kind of valuable material.
    Count me in.

    • jspill says:

      I’d say the average Filipina is not that hot face wise compared to elsewhere in Asia if you spend a day walking around malls or bar hopping. But there are still more than enough hot ones, and it evens out because you have more chance with the hottest ones than you would elsewhere (especially if they find out you stay at Gramercy), and they’re more fun / speak English.

  2. -cam says:

    Thanks for another great write up jspill. Sounds like everything you need is within half a mile of the Gramercy. I could totally see myself living there. My only concern are the massages. Am I correct in assuming that like most high-end places, there massages are both overpriced and happy-ending free?

    • jspill says:

      Yeah for a happy ending I’d just walk the 2 mins to Burgos, tons of cute massage girls stand around and you can take their number and have them come over to your room, some work until 4am. Or open up Wechat on your phone and you’ll be bombarded with offers, no need to even leave the room.

      I’d use Gramercy massage for when I wanted a really good massage – it’s hard to find that from a happy ending place. From their Facebook it seems it’s about 500 pesos/hour that’s the same price Burgos girl quoted me for service in my room – https://www.facebook.com/Spa-Ultima-581617411933308/

      • -cam says:

        Thanks jspill you’re an angel! Keep up the quality work. With all these cool PI posts I don’t know why you prefer Thailand?

        • jspill says:

          Philippines is great but Thailand is even better, nice condos like Gramercy are half the price, the internet is faster and cheaper, so is electricity, and P4P is a bit cheaper for the top quality Gogo girls. Food cheaper/healthier. Average girl hotter, and I learnt Thai over the years so I don’t mind the lack of English. Nightlife a lot less limited than the Philippines, just more options everywhere. Girls are sluttier and seem to enjoy being hookers / do it for golddigger reasons like buying the latest iPhone. Whereas with Filipinas they’re doing it more because of real poverty and the need to put food on the table. PI is poorer and less developed, and the wealth is spread out less, there are only super rich or super poor people, no middle class. So to have a good western standard of living in PI is more expensive, it’s only cheap if you’re ok living a basic lifestyle.

          I’m mostly writing about PI so far because there are lots of blogs already covering Thailand online, but I have a few Thai ones up too

          • -cam says:

            Now you’re making me want to go to Thailand instead haha. It’s a tough call. I’m the type of guy that likes to go for a run/to the gym and then hang out in my apartment/ on the balcony all day. Looking over Dante’s Best Country in Asia article, it seems like the main problem’s with Thailand are visas and language. Both problems could be solved with a thai edu visa. Moreover, the better apartment, gym, internet, and electricity that Thailand offers would certainly improve my quality of life. I also love happy ending massages. My only remaining hang-ups with Thailand is my allergy to peanuts/soy.

            • jspill says:

              Try both, at the moment im doing both, 2-3 months in thailand then 2-3 weeks philippines, then repeat.

              Ed visa sucks nowadays, they doubled prices and enforced attendance, and made it only 6 months. Might as well just do 2 single tourist visas (3 months each) or 3 visa exemptions (2 months each) that adds up to 6 months. Then repeat. Each time u have to leave Thailand fly to manila, book in advance and cebu pacific usually has promo rates

              • kick2dante says:

                ya no reason to not check them out yourself and see, cheap enough to fly from one to the other

                cant really know which you will like more until you have been to both

              • -cam says:

                I’m not sure if this is legit but this 1 year self defense visa look interesting. I’d also be willing to go to class for an edu visa. And who knows maybe I’ll luck out with my business ventures and I can just get the elite visa.
                http://chiangmaibuddy.com/1-year-ed-visa/

                • jspill says:

                  It’s legit I’ve seen that before but I wouldn’t enjoy living in Chiang Mai much, it’s a bit boring, nightlife limited and shuts down at midnight. That’s the only place that self defence class and 1 year Ed visa exists. In Bangkok it’s just Thai language classes, and 6 months visa.

                • -cam says:

                  Yeah I’m like Dante in that I don’t really care for nightlife. I only tolerate nightlife to get women, but I’d much rather have a nice happy ending massage (and maybe a smoke lol) after a long day of training and then fall right asleep.

              • Rum and Coke Man says:

                -?
                What airlines do you guys prefer to bounce back and forth in SEA (Phils, Indo, Viet, Thai, etc)?

                I’m guessing like most places its best to fly to the major citites or capitals and take alternate transport from there

                -?
                once in country what’s the fastest, cleanest, efficient in country travel mode of transport in Phils, Thailand, Indonesia?

                They say buses in South America are really rough (nasty, slow, smelly, dangerous/crazy drivers, crime, etc.).

                The best way to travel end to end or city to city in all the major sexpat SEA countries would make a good future blog post.

                If the buses are like N America (rolling housing projects full of thugs) or South America (havent been many say it’s a rolling favella full of criminals and smelly people) than screw the buses.

                -?
                What’s the round trip $ usally between all the major citites in SEA like Manilla and Bangkok or Jakarta-is it more Europe prices like $200-$300 or US like $500-$700 rt?

                -?
                Are their international ferries/passenger ships that are good to get around SEA?

                • jspill says:

                  For Philippines, Cebu Pacific. Everything else, Air Asia

                  Taxis, domestic flights, or private taxi (for example http://thelimopattaya.com/rates/)

                  Buses / minivans crash all the time, if you follow Thai news, people burnt alive etc. The drivers take meth to stay awake and make more money, and end up crashing. So I decided to never take them again. I’m sure Dante happily risks his life to save $50 though ^^

                  Flights are like $60-$150 one way, so double that for return flight. Last month I did BKK-> Manila->Jakarta-> Bangkok for $300, on promo rates (book a bit in advance and they usually have promos).

                  Never heard of an international ferry, don’t think it exists because flights are so cheap. Just ferries to an island from the mainland, like Pattaya to Koh Lan

          • Avenged says:

            No human being enjoys beinging a hooker. People like you are why women are kept as low as they are around the world. You are digusting and trading this info is the worst. I hope you catch something that makes your insides rot. Disgusting and vile scum. I bet you trade pedo info as well. I hope you end up with your belong, in a Thai ditch or a closet hung by your cock!

          • David C. says:

            I have lived in both countries for many years.

            In Thailand the bar girls are better looking because 99.9% the best looking Filipinas aren’t whores. If you want a quality meaningful relationship, Filipinas over Thais easily.

            In Thailand the housing is cheaper and better and things work better like the internet. However, most everything else will cost you more. With the exception of Thai food, Thailand is more expensive than the Philippines. Alcohol is much less expensive as well. All in all, including cars etc. about the same cost of living. You will just have to do your homework and know where to go and not go. When I live in Cebu I live in Marco Polo Residences high on the hill overlooking the city and the water…fresh air. about 25,000 baht
            /35,000 pesos…40 sq meters. excellent cheap internet and Satellite TV. Try Greenbelt Makati, or Global city in Manila area. Yes, you will pay twice as much for monthly rent but it will even out especially if you like to eat western food, much cheaper in the Phils.

  3. Thibault says:

    Mandatory rudeness: go to thailand if you want massage! And cheap rent while we re at it.
    Back to rhe topic:
    Imagine, just imagine, that you fear height. Its not for me, of course, its for, hem, a friend. Its not very manly, heh?
    So for… my friend, what option are available? Everything decent is at knightsbridge or gramercy? Or the same kind of hypertrophied. Condo building?
    And if they really are your best options, may it be possible to live there and only reside in the lowest floors, i mean nothing higher,than, say,15. Is there a pricing depending on height?
    I fear that pool wont be for me, i m not a fan anyway, but are all other amenities at reasonable floors… outside of sky bar that is.

    • jspill says:

      Lots more options, there’s a condo called Eton Parkview that I want to try next time, close to Greenbelt. And a reader told me about Tivoli Garden condo, not far from Knightsbridge/Gramercy.

      Yes the rates would tend to be a little bit cheaper living on a lower floor, also depends on the owner and the furnishings though.

      The lowest rooms start at about the 5th floor. For example at Knightsbridge the pool and gym are on the 3rd floor, then 4th floor has the games room with pool table and football table, home cinema, library, internet cafe and dining room.

      • Thibault says:

        Im breathing again. Knighstbridge may be acceptable, if i dont think at the titanesque amount of concrete ready to crush me under its weight . i lived on the 8th floor and more or less survived, outside of waking every night fearing the building collapses. Lower floors are more near the noise and smells of thecstree, but in this case there seem to be land around to buffer those. Thanks for your, hem, adapted answer for our special needs. Not easy to be floor impaired with those Sci fi style archologies. talking for my friend of course.

        • SouthernAdventurer says:

          That sucks I love a good view so I want the highest floor I can get. Can I give you some advice? I had the most irrational fear of spiders until I was a Heating and Air Tech for 5 years. Crawling around in attics and crawlspaces cures that real quick. Work your way up a little at a time maybe you’ll get used to it.

          • thibault says:

            i dont care for shit about views, except perhaps a nice ass that im doggying. when i m in SEA i wake up when the sun sets anyway, i dont even open the curtains before i leave to find pussy.(dante i know you have a fucked up sleeping schedule too)
            the only advantage of being at a high floor is you are further from the street and thus noise, not really better than being in a back alley for that matter.
            i ve no interest in the “i m the king of the world” trip that you feel when looing at others lfrom far above,like they are ants. yes its fun, but not worth sleeping bad because you feel the bloody building oscillating with the wind like a rocking boat. i ve shat myself atop the bloody eiffel tower, i just wanted to jump to be on the ground quicker. when i m in a plane, only thing i think is abot the 30000feet of nothing between me and the ground, at the slight exception of a millimeters thin layer of aluminium going so quick that a collision with a duck can torn it apart.

            • kick2dante says:

              pretty sure huge new skyscrapers are going to be built a bit more sturdy than the eiffel tower

              • SouthernAdventurer says:

                This. Philippines are earthquake country as well, on the ring of fire. Considering these buildings probably cost a hundred mil they are built to withstand almost anything (except airplanes hitting them it would seem).

            • SouthernAdventurer says:

              Skyscrapers osculate that much? That seems unlikely but I have never lived in one. I don’t even get a “king of the world” feeling, just grew up in the mountains and like a view. And you have a better chance of being struck by lightning then dying in a plane crash and even less from a skyscraper collapsing. It’s not far off the chances of winning the lottery.

  4. kick2dante says:

    you couldn’t get any more pictures?

  5. Keg at the Fort says:

    I’m staying near the Fort. if you want to check out an apartment let me know. we can meet up at keg this weekend then take a walk through.

  6. georgelopez says:

    How do you guys deal with the raining season in PI? Doesn’t this deter people from going out?

  7. Henry says:

    Really nice place. Stayed at Sea Residences near Mall of Asia last time in Manila and can not recommend it. Condo is old and crowded and flats are small. I wanted to be near to City of Dreams Casino, but will never stay there again. I might also be back in Manila soon, Bangkok in September. I am a Digital Nomad from Germany. Do you guys ever meet up and hang out?

  8. georgelopez says:

    Took your guys’ advice and booked an Airbnb at Gramercy for late Sept. Hope it will be a blast.
    Any suggestion for a place to stay in Angeles? I am looking to stay a week in Manila and another in Angeles.

  9. Flashman says:

    “Alternatively you could live in the Pasay area by the sea and the Mall of Asia”

    This.

    I found the Shell apartments by the MOA to be far superior to Gramercy. Its just a nicer area for dating. Nicer area to hang out etc. Makati doesn’t really have a lot going for it.

  10. Rum and Coke Man says:

    Hey Dante and JSpill,
    I have a bit of emergency man. One of my best friends works for a crappy cab company in the US and almost got his head blown of by a black gang banger when the gangsta and his homie armed robber him with a shotgun. That day my friend was training a new cabbie and when they stopped the cab the two gangstas pulled shotguns out of their gym bags but my friends trainee ran away (around 1/4 mile away) and that freaked the robbers out so they split up and ended up taking the cab and $40 from my friend. Cabbies for this same cab company have been killed and armed robber. He will work 12-14 hours/day sometimes to only make $30-40 some days he breaks even (has to but his own gas and pay the cab company $100/day to drive the vehicle). If you guys could privately email me some sites and other info on how this dude can start doing click work you could/will literally save a life.
    Thanks nomads

  11. kick2dante says:

    good luck to him rum and coke

  12. Randomguy says:

    Is it just me or are Philippines girls incredibly more snobby online compared to last year? It’s really nuts how much this country has changed.

    • thibault says:

      you re frightening me mate… i havent even been and its already spoiled…
      guess its the biquitous adoption of the internet.
      this shit destroys civilization quicker than my dick destroys anus (if it were big anyway)
      seems like they adopt that attention whore / princess mentality very quick once they have access to the whole wolrd and see their sexual market value. having orbiters deifying them on their facebook account cant do good.
      i may consider any girl having a smartphone as spoiled and useless. seems like we were born, again, too late.
      now is the search for the unspoilt lands where the ugly electrons of the internet has not touched the pristine psychée of our brethren. north korea, here i come.
      without joking, cuba is here for the taking. in some mere years from now it will be entirely spoilt and rededued to a gigantic gang wars playground like haiti, or at least like the dominican republic. get there quick.
      there is a reason why the US wants to pay them the internet for free. obesity epidemy incoming.

  13. frank says:

    Nice, my comment about Filipinas being way choosier than they were just a year ago was deleted? Don’t want word to get out that the PPI is no longer a PP?

  14. kick2dante says:

    can blame the internet all you want, but without it how would the majority of us ever got the idea to check the place out?

    • thibault says:

      i think this is in reply to my comment. (may i suggest its not ideally placed in this case…)
      i have to answer that its not on the same level…
      yes its an informative advantage, but its a double edged sword.
      we benefit from it, but girls benefit even more (or so they think, in the end they have gained nothing concrete) knowledge is power, they say.
      having social network and dating sites definitely spoil previously pristine women. mayvi add social network arz basically illegal as they do not respect privacy laws from day one, and dont enforce them for their users published content. just watch the movie, it should be banned from day one. he was allowed to spit on the law as it benefit the powers that be.
      i understand it would be very unbalanced to allow the ibternzt for us and keep third world countries out of it, but, hey. we keep them out of wealth anyway,so what is worse there?
      not allowing women on the ibternzt would be the bare minimum.

      • kick2dante says:

        all your points are true, but i would suggest that you quit thinking of life as a you versus women battle……

        you know about southeast asia…. if you make it over that puts you in a position that is better than 99% of guys on the planet, whether it is a perfect life or not isnt the issue, what is important is that you now know how to have a better life than you would have if the internet wasn’t around and there was no SEA

  15. Georgelopez says:

    I found a way to get bargirls for 2000 pesos or less on Burgos. How do I go about helping out the community? Is there a guest blog?

    I think you guys will like this strategy.

  16. SouthernAdventurer says:

    Those legs of yours (in the pic with the girl in the pool) are so bright I need sunglasses. How could you live in the Philippines and look like a Vampire? LOL

    • jspill says:

      The chicks dig it

      For me the best way to live is sleep in til the afternoon, wake up whenever (no alarm clock), hit the gym (live in a condo with a gym inside), eat first meal (stuff at home), do a bit of online work

      Then by the time you leave the house to go out for second meal / partying with friends the traffic has died down, it’s not baking hot outside, and then stay up partying until 6am

      Avoid all the heat and traffic hassle, stay white skinned for the Asian chicks. I take a multivitamin so no worries about vitamin D, or if necessary I can do some work by the condo pool and sunbathe a little

      I’m a nocturnal person though

      • SouthernAdventurer says:

        In other words, you’ve become a creature of a night, a vampire. I’m just messing with you. After being bundled up all winter in mountains I look like Casper as well.

  17. kick2dante says:

    ya its pretty hard to get sun when doing SEA the right way

  18. PhilExpat says:

    Its quite obvious from all the locals I’ve talked to Gramercy is the spot for sexpats. Many upper middle class girls will straight up avoid going there for fear of being labelled. Just a heads up. Stay in BGC. Cleaner, safer, better food options.

  19. justsomeperson says:

    Funny sexpats

  20. harley says:

    I don’t really think Gramercy is famous for sexpats only. Most middle class Filipinas would agree that there’s many more fun places to hang out around Gramercy and Century Mall then there is around the Greenbelt area. Yes there’s the red light district around the corner, but most people who live in the Century area right next and in Gramercy are actually expats who live and work here or wealthy Filipinos.

    Most upper middle class chicks would know Gramercy from when Gramercy 71 was still open which was not at all considered a sexpat bar or club, but rather a club where professional locals and expats used to hang out. If any of those girls would have ever gone there they would probably still remember how fancy the building is. Gramercy 71 is now under renovation because the tenants on the 70th floor complained too much about the music noise.

    I actually just walked today from Gramercy to Greenbelt and it took me a good 30 mins or maybe a bit more. Pleasant long walk actually, even though it gets very dark sometimes and a bit creepy.

    I also found a 1 BR condo at Gramercy on the 40th floor which is about 39 sqm (an actual 1 BR unit not a studio) for 28,000 PHP. I negotiated it down from 30,000 for a 6 months lease and said i’d pay all the 6 months upfront instead of breaking my balls paying the rent every month. Pretty nice furniture and a great view, but not yet perfect though, but don’t think you can get anything better then this in Makati.

    Eton Parkview is located just in front of Greenbelt but the units are quite small even though you get a loft type unit with a floor downstairs and a floor upstairs, it just isn’t that great. Further more you really can’t compare the facilities and building with Gramercy at all.

    • SouthernAdventurer says:

      I was planning on trying to get a shorter lease (6 m instead of a year) by paying all upfront. My concern was I would have to pay cash as I wouldn’t have a bank in the Phils yet so how do you prove that you paid it already if the landlord is a scammer? Did you use checks or something like a contract?

      • jspill says:

        Sign a contract, two copies one for you to keep.

      • harley says:

        Better to deal with an agent unless you really trust the owner. Sign the contract infront of the building manager and get a copy. Read the contract first before signing it (be sure it says the deposit can be returned immediately after the contract finishes)

    • jspill says:

      Awesome thanks for the info. That’s a good price. 2 months deposit?

      Since this post I’ve also checked out The Beacon, closer to Greenbelt and cheaper (20-24k) but worse quality lobby / lift / corridors, and the gym / pool are on a lower floor. I actually prefer the gym and pool there though.

      https://www.nomadphilippines.com/the-beacon-roces-tower/

      • harley says:

        Yes 2 months deposit still trying to get it down to 1 month.

        I just checked and I can only find small studio units at The Beacon for 20-24k – that’s a bit expensive for such a small space.

      • harley says:

        The problem is that i’m not really into the red light district. I love to hang out and drink beer though and i’ve found quite a few sports bars with lots of expats around near Gramercy – but i’m worried i’ll get tired of the area and would rather live at walking distance to Greenbelt.

        Still looking for a building that offers real 1 BR units for a decent price around Greenbelt. I only found a few very crappy old buildings for now, I fucking hate buildings that are too old and unmaintained here because they tend to be full of cockroaches.

  21. harley says:

    I really don’t recommend BGC. I stayed there for a few weeks and got quite bored. Yeah I agree it’s a nice area and you have SM Aura and cheap 20 pesos transportation with the clean aircon BGC buses, but the area feels dull after a while. Your options for cheap and reasonably priced food are Jollibee and 7 Eleven hot dogs that’s it.

  22. Michael says:

    Great article! I’m staying at Gramercy now for a few days via airbnb, but it’s a bit expensive at $50 per day. Where to find good prices on a condo here for a month?

    • jspill says:

      You can try asking at the front desk, there are some agents on site who might do 1 month stays, my mate asked just a few days ago they wanted 50k pesos so $33/day

      For 30k pesos ($20/day) normally they want a 6 month contract. If you get lucky though by asking around you can find 1 month for 30k.

      Think Dante met a girl on a dating site who said she could get him a room there for 30k month to month

      Then there are Facebook groups where you can ask, you have to be invited though they’re set to private. I’ll ask my other mate who got invited

      Then you can also try the temporary rentals section of Philippines Craigslist

      Knightsbridge condo around the corner from Gramercy is a bit easier to get 1 month stays in, and cheaper https://www.nomadphilippines.com/knightsbridge-residences

      Or some Airbnb listings will give a 10-30% discount if you book a month at a time, or you can negotiate with the owner to pay in cash for a lower rate

  23. Guy says:

    Do they charge for access to the gym / pool?

  24. Tanner says:

    I will be moving to Manila in several months, and ive been trying to find condos with the best gyms to avoid having to purchase a gym membership. You can only find out so much from rental websites etc, but this information that you gave has been the most helpful of all. Cant thank you enough, Cheers

    • jspill says:

      Yeah the best condo gyms I’ve seen so far are Gramercy residences, The Beacon Roces tower, and Knightsbridge residences, probably in that order, or joint first place.

      Arguably The beacon is better now that Gramercy isn’t open 24 hours anymore, and it’s bigger with more barbells, more dumbbells and more weight plates. But then again it’s open slightly shorter hours, and not free, no view of the city, slightly weaker air con, and the condo is a bit worse located. It’s a close call

  25. jack says:

    jspill, it seems money is not a big problem for you, so why dont u rent 1 bedroom apartments rather than these small studios? anyway, nice posts, dude. cheers!

    • jspill says:

      I actually like studios, easier to see what girls are doing and take creeper pics. Just wish they were slightly bigger.

      Since writing this I have found some bigger studios there though, there are some ~40sqm or so ones at Gramercy.

  26. Ben says:

    When was the last time u used the exclusive entrance in century mall? is it still unguarded til now?

  27. Eric says:

    I am going to Manila for .a .week in August…Could you suggest a good hotel to stay in Makati area thats suitable for Mall Game and some p4p…

  28. Eric says:

    Some of the airbnb gramercy listings explicitly say you cannot bring prostitutes (they keep an eye on prostitutes in the city and security is watching who comes in). would that be a problem if I bring a p4p girl in practice? also if I have 2-3 dates setup every day and I get 2-3 visitor girls for few hours every day, would that be a problem?

    • jspill says:

      I did it dozens of times, they just write that to scare you. Door guards dont care they say nothing when I walk in with obvious bargirls. Before 10pm might as well use the private mall entrance with no guards, that I wrote about above. 2nd floor of the attached mall (Century City). But it isn’t necessary.

  29. Eric says:

    this is first trip to Phils and have few concerns…
    1. Is it safe now to travel to manila and do the gaming? Heard about recent shootout, also concerns about new president being too strict
    2. I would need top class mobile internet data on my phone for the week I will stay in makati…any recommendations?
    3. can I use my charles schwab card in the ATMs there..how much I can withdraw per day
    4. what if something goes wrong during the date for no mistake of mine? any harm from the girl calling her brother or other contacts to beat me up :))..did you face any such instances
    5. if I happen to face any emergency situation what is the best thing to do…I mean if some locals scam me or try to gang up against me etc…I am talking about rare scenarios…I dont plan to do anything crazy and always be respectful

  30. Eric says:

    very helpful..thanks

  31. Eric says:

    couple more manila questions…

    which site is best for online dating? pinalove or FC?

    are the malls around makati enough for day game? Or will it have too many western tourists all dropping the numbers to mall girls?

    are same day lays still normal? or did the pinays get smarter

    heard bad things about pinay food…I workout regularly and eat healthy? preferably some good meat protein, veggies…any good restaurants in makati you can suggest for clean healthy and tasty food..

    Thanks in advance

  32. Eric says:

    Thanks a lot…really helpful stuff..saved me ton of time

  33. Eric says:

    Regarding the electric outlets, I plan to bring my macbook and iphone…can they be charged directly in the phillipines and thailand outlets…I am looking at a few google search links and its a bit confusing

  34. Eric says:

    is wifi and electricity reliable in gramercy building? I might have to login and do some office work remotely sometimes.

    • jspill says:

      Yes it’s in a PLDT ‘Fibr village’, a zone with strong connection, can’t get better. That’s another reason I recommend it, and Airbnb in general, because you get a private PLDT line in the room, not a shared wifi connection with the whole corridor as you’d get in a hotel.

      Haven’t experienced any powercuts.

  35. Eric says:

    today came across the bullet scam in manila airport, is that or similar scams still an issue now?
    looks like good to have number of a good manila lawyer handy just in case someone plays the tricks on you

    • jspill says:

      That news is a couple years old, staff got sacked over it, haven’t heard of it happening lately thankfully. I’d get a hard shell suitcase with a lock on it anyway, then store stuff like passport in it in your room

      Overpriced taxis are the only issue, set up Uber app before you go then use it in arrivals. Flew in last night, even at 1.30am there were a few Ubers and I was on my way instantly. Used the free wifi and the app was linked to my credit card, so I was out of the airport without even needing a SIM card or pesos currency (those were in my bag). Cost 147 pesos to Makati – http://i.imgur.com/LxtBNeM.png

  36. Eric says:

    I would like to live very close to the Greenbelt area…in walking to Glorietta or SM Makati or one of green belt malls….as most girls I meet online like to come to one of these malls…using MRT to ayala or jeepney etc….some dont know about century city mall…

    But the century city/Gramercy combination is good…wish there is similar close to greenbelt area

    • jspill says:

      I wrote about the Beacon Roces Tower and Greenbelt Excelsior on here, they’re both a short walk.

      The equivalent of Gramercy, right next to the mall, would be a condo called the Residences at Greenbelt, but it’s very pricey.

  37. Eric says:

    yes, another one I saw on airbnb is the Eton Residences…right next to Greenbelt1 mall

    • jspill says:

      Yeah someone commented above the units are small though, and you can’t compare the facilities to Gramercy. I’ve seen it on Airbnb for $60/night or Craigslist 40k / month, overpriced based on how old the rooms look. I would just live at the Beacon and walk 5 mins. The gym and pool are huge there and it’s about half the price.

  38. Eric says:

    is gramercy still the best option for picking up online dating site girls? or something close to greenbelt malls area is better?

    • jspill says:

      Still Gramercy, the greenbelt mall is still walking distance from there anyway. Then at nighttime there’s more to do by Gramercy

    • Mikey Johnson says:

      An alternative to Gramercy is Quezon City – South Triangle if u wanna take a walk on the wild side. Had very enjoyable experiences there. However, nightlife is limited unless u like Filipino hangout spots and its far from everything lmao.

  39. Eric says:

    does mall game still works well these days in ph..or online dating and p4p are better to pull girls?

    • jspill says:

      There aren’t that many hot girls walking around malls alone as a %. Best to just be ready the times you would be at the mall anyway imo

  40. Eric says:

    another question – heard Uber got acquired in SE Asia…so Grab would be the choice right for local in manila or airport to makati etc..?

    • jspill says:

      Yes that’d now be the best choice

      There’s a physical grab stand outside arrivals if you land and haven’t installed the app yet

  41. Eric says:

    my flight out of manila to US is 6 am in morning….not sure if its safe to take grab or taxi to airport late night like 1 or 2 am….from greenbelt makati

    • jspill says:

      Yeah it’s still safe

      Robberies are pretty much unheard of at all hours, it’s just things like refusing to turn on the meter / being a bad driver, that you have to worry about with white taxis. But yeah just use Grab

      Unless you happen to be a female, there are lots of sexual assaults against lone female passengers across SE Asia

  42. Chris says:

    Can see in the 8th photo down from the start of article is Avenue Mall and Avenue Bizzare. Did the bands that play in Avenue Bizzare every night keeep you awake in the Gramercy residences?
    Why I ask is if you stay in the Berjaya Hotel which is very close the Gramercy residences and also looks down on Avenue Bizzare and the Avenue Mall and are in one of the rooms on that side of the Berjaya hotel then impossible to sleep if the bands are playing. When I was there in August and September last year there were two bands and no breaks in music until finished at 1.00 am or 2.00 mam.

  43. Chris says:

    Do you know much about the KL Residences in Gamboa street or the Alcoves Apartments in Don Carlos Palanca Street in Legaspi village, both with in 5 walk of Greenbelt Malls, like Greenbelt at end of Gamboa street.

    • jspill says:

      No personally I wouldn’t want to stay there it’s a bit of a boring area, and Gramercy is still walking distance to Greenbelt, a nice walk past the ayala triangle park

      I stayed at Greenbelt excelsior condo on don carlos palanca, just to try it and write a review on here, it was nice enough but wouldn’t stay again unless I couldn’t get a room at Gramercy on short notice.

  44. Chris says:

    Cheers, thanks just don’t stay in Berjaya Hotel – incredibly noisy.

  45. Reader says:

    Any opinions on the new Trump Tower right next to Gramercy?

    Seems a bit overpriced for worse pool & gym (compared to Gramercy) and only slightly nicer apartments. Also not connected to Century City mall as far as I’m aware.

    • jspill says:

      Haven’t stayed yet, I’d like to on my next trip, I see a one bedroom on airbnb for $40, usually you get a studio for that at Gramercy, with a worse kitchen – https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21249890

      • Reader says:

        That place isn’t available at all if you check the calendar.

        https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/23946750 is about double a good gramercy deal

        The apartments there were handed over fairly recently so I guess we’ll see more listed in the near future.

        It’s funny how Milano remains completely unmentioned, but given the weird look of the whole place it doesn’t surprise me that it’s not in high demand even with filipinos who have a thing for tacky interior design.

        I’m curious to see how century spire will turn out, but it’ll probably be even more expensive than the Trump Tower.

      • jspill says:

        Oh damn

        A mate stayed at Milano on Airbnb, said it was pretty nice, I didn’t get round to trying it out yet, I was thinking of it but just ended up going for Gramercy again

        Was looking at this cheap studio with 50mbps wifi https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17737918

        And this 1 bedroom with nice furnishings and 50mbps wifi https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18279025

  46. Tim says:

    Does anyone know if the Avant Condo in BGC is online dating girl friendly ?

    • jspill says:

      Every condo you’re allowed guests, at worst they make the girl show her ID, sign her name in the guestbook etc. So just make sure your date has ID. Annoying and awkward but then they still allow her to go to your room. I haven’t stayed at the Avant but stayed at a lot of Airbnb condos and never been refused a guest.

  47. Jeff says:

    Going to stay at Gramercy at the end of March, is it still ok to bring girls back to your unit? Would the security give u hard time?

  48. Optrix says:

    …and the mall access is still available?

  49. Jo says:

    The host of the place I’m going to stay tells me that “building management” needs me to fill “moving clearance form” upon arrival. They say they need “government issued ID copy” to be added, too.
    Is it common in Manila? I’m not planning anything criminal but feel sort of lazy to provide any ID copies. Do they ask them everywhere in Manila, upon arrival?
    It’s Vista Residences Taft at Malate.

    • jspill says:

      Happens at a few places, the nicest ones. For Gramercy I had to send a picture of passport by email, then on arrival no need to do anything. See if you can just email a pic for Vista and not have to give them anything on arrival, except quickly filling in a form.

      • Jo says:

        Thanks for reply!
        You sent picture to host, not to Gramercy management right? I sort of feel unsafe, to do so.
        I wonder if I wanted to stay at Gramercy – I should provide some gov ID (either way upon arrival or via email) no matter which host I use? Or it rather depends on the host, not building management.

        • jspill says:

          At gramercy your name and pic goes on the keycard that you use to operate the elevator and open the mall entrance door. After sending a pic to the host he/she will have management make the keycard, so they will see the pic of your passport as well.

          Then when I got there the host just handed me the card and that was it, no forms to fill in. I stayed at gramercy over 10 times and nothing weird happened, they didn’t steal my identity or anything, so it’s nothing to worry about

          At other condos it was just a blank access card. At Knightsbridge residences my host didn’t ask me to send a pic of ID or have me fill in any forms, that’s similar to gramercy and a minute’s walk away from it. I haven’t stayed at Vista Taft

  50. G says:

    Anybody know some long term places around Gramercy for about $400 usd a month?

  51. G says:

    Thank you sir. I am still not sure how long I will be there. So still trying short term monthly rental. Been speaking to locals. Some pay like php 2k a month. I wish I was confortable enough to accept a small fan room in unsafe area, but i think php 45k is what i will have to pay until i have no money left 😂.

  52. Conor says:

    Anyone know if the rooftop bar in Gramercy is open? Saw something online from 2017 that it was closing permanently..
    Was planning to stay there in October but no bar would be tough to take!

  53. David Truong says:

    After travelling throughout South East Asia, I’ve noticed a trend which is that the white males tend to be somewhat losers back in their native countries.

    As someone who is of asian ancestry, and who was born and raised in Australia, I’ve come to notice that the vast majority of white/europeans that come to south east asia, tend to have the following characteristics.

    Short, fat/obese, BOLD, tend to be timid and soft natured, possess some sort of criminal record, have anti-islam attitudes, considered sexpats in both their native countries and in south east asia.

    My question is why is there a pre-selection of such men in connection with south east asia in general. Does South East Asia act as a safe haven for these people? What is the main reason white men travel to south east asia?

    • jspill says:

      Well, of course a lot will be like that because of the availability of women in SE Asia.

      Others are normal people who are bored of their own countries and want to live somewhere different, which means a developing country where people are more open and friendly than in developed ones, and with hot weather and beaches. So that’s South East Asia, or Latin America.

      It’s the same with Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Koreans etc. that come to SE Asia, many of them are somewhat losers with criminal records too. Koreans and Chinese often even get together to form mafias in SE Asia. They fill up the red light districts, there are more Asian sexpats than whites nowadays. It’s mostly Chinese and Indians in Pattaya and Koreans in Angeles City.

      Others are normal people who want a break from the more developed Asian countries.

      You are probably only noticing the white guys if you associate something like being bald with being a loser. Male pattern baldness genetically affects the white race much more than other races so obviously you’ll see more bald white men than Asians, regardless of status.

  54. Greg says:

    Hi J-Spill,

    Thanks for making such an awesome site. I’m sure you’ve helped out a ton of guys looking for something different. I started reading your stuff and became really motivated to make the move to the Phillippines.

    I am 38 years old and have always done well with women so that’s not really my main motivation ( though it’s a great benefit along with the English speaking ) I just need to get out of the workforce and haven’t really had any idea how to go about doing it.

    I’ve managed to save up 20k usd and my hope is that once I get there I can figure out a way to make money online through some freelance writing or something. So I guess I’m just wondering if you think this is a plan that can actually work or if I’m underestimating how long it might take to make money, and overestimating my savings. Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated. Thanks so much

  55. Rik Khoshnaw says:

    Hello …Any guest free compartment about £40-£60 ( I meant apartment not hotel ) around Gramercy Residence area ?
    To escape walking past main door guards and reception staff with girls in general? Gramercy is on my list for next week but not sure !!they may locked 2nd floor excite into Century City mall now , you never know !!!
    Thank
    rik

    • jspill says:

      It’s the only place I’ve seen where there’s an entrance with no door guards (the one in the mall). I doubt they locked it, it should still be there. But it’s locked after 10pm

      The main entrance door has very relaxed door guards anyway, they never said anything to me, all they do is open the door. And the reception aren’t paying attention to people, it’s a very big lobby and usually they are busy on the phone. They never said anything to me either

      Basically there’s nothing better than Gramercy, that I’m aware of. Never stayed anywhere with a bigger lobby or anywhere with less stares and awkwardness. I think they are used to people bringing back girls because it’s so close to the gogo bars and they don’t care about checking ID like in a hotel for some reason

      Knightsbridge residences is also relaxed, sometimes the door guard says nothing, sometimes he made me quickly sign the girls name in the guestbook. Then reception said nothing and they are busy on the phone like gramercy. But Gramercy is still better.

  56. Lauro says:

    jspill, awesome website mate.
    Any update on Gramercy Residence? still chill lobby to bring out decent dates.
    Some airbnb owners are freacking out about safety rules looks like.
    Is it still ok?

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