I’ve got a super long 17-hour layover in Manila coming up in about a month (flying from Bali to Sydney with PAL). I’ll land at 5am and fly out at 10:30pm the same day.
I’m looking for suggestions on where to find a daytime hotel to rest, but I’d also like to explore a bit if time allows. I’ve heard from other Redditors that leaving the airport might not be worth it, but 17 hours seems like too much time to stay airside.
How early should I get back to the airport for a 10:30pm flight, assuming I won’t have checked baggage (though I’ll double-check to ensure my bags are checked through since it’s all on one ticket)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Because of the terrible airport and traffic, you are unable to travel that far.
Attempting to access the city core may strand you in morning and evening traffic. Additionally, it takes three hours to get re-checked into the airport.
If you have the money, there are a couple respectable casino resorts in the area.
Also, PAL is not a very good airline for logistics of any kind. We had a stopover while traveling from the US to Shanghai. A huge mess.
Alright, it seems like the best course of action to stay close by; you might maybe stretch your money a little bit at the casino. But getting a place to sleep is the primary objective.
You claim that PAL’s logistics are appalling? Could you provide more details about your experience? During a stopover, is there a possibility that checked luggage might be misplaced or delayed?
Kindly confirm that your bags have arrived at their intended location and make sure to indicate that you will be experiencing a 17-hour stopover. After our bags were offloaded, we were informed that checked bags are offloaded when there is a stopover of more than 12 hours. There are airport hotels nearby, but there really isn’t a lot of sightseeing if you want to stay close to the airport. Additionally, you should return to the airport three to four hours before to your planned departure. You won’t be able to do much more than deal with it and the traffic.
Oh I see. I’ve had lengthy layovers before when the luggage was left airside, but I assume that’s not the case this time. I appreciate you letting me know.
I would look for a shopping center close to the airport. There will be terrible traffic, so allow plenty of time. but may spend hours shopping, eating, and watching movies at the malls. Better than spending 17 hours at the airport in Manila. There’s a good amount in Taguig City, where I used to travel for business; there are probably other options as well. As others have mentioned, there’s not a lot of sight-seeing in Manila, in my opinion!
You might want to book a room at the Marriott by Terminal 3 or the Hilton. You can easily walk to them via the pedestrian bridge and follow the signs, or take a shuttle that will get you there in about five minutes. Both hotels are connected to a nice mall with a casino and have good dining options. Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant should be open by then. The area used to be Resorts World but is now Newport World. You can freshen up, take a nap, get some food, and then head back to the airport. This is the simplest option if you want to avoid spending a lot of time in a cab.
If you’re up for a bit of adventure, you could stay at O2, which is linked to Ocean Park. You can shower, explore the exhibits, and grab a bite before heading back. If you choose this option, pay a bit extra for the skyway—it’s not super fast but will save you some time.
A good idea will be to return to NAIA by around 7:30pm to 8:00pm for your 10:30pm flight to allow sufficient time for security and boarding(but I think thats common sense)