KeithD
9th February 2016, 21:19
I do love to visit Las Vegas, so it is now good to see that a decent casino has now appeared near MOA in Manila. It is not of the same scale as something like New York New York or The Venetian, but it is a decent size, includes the Hyatt Hotel, and numerous shops and restaurants. We only managed to get to it once, as our first planned visit had to be cancelled when we realised that our car was coded that day, so we could not drive into Manila.
Not a great idea to bring in the tourists by stopping them! Then again, which politicians anywhere in the world think of such obvious things when planning new laws? If it wasn’t for that, we probably would have visited the place twice. Mind you, planning something in the Philippines usually ends up being a failure due to the amount of traffic, closed roads, or a GPS system that has been programmed by one-armed pigmies with cataracts.
Anyway, we set out for the City Of Dreams, just two days late! Taking into account the traffic problems we would encounter, we gave the 25 mile trip an estimate of 2hrs to complete. In the UK that would take no more than 1/2hr, but in the Philippines time moves as though it is close to an event horizon.
Rather than take the traffic heavy Imus route, I decided to head straight through General Trias and get on the start of Cavitex. This was an excellent choice on our last visit, as it proved much quicker than going through Imus. However, things have changed, and with more shacks along the route, a lot more trikes, it ended up being no quicker, but it did cost us an extra 150php on Cavitex! Needless to say, that route is now on the avoid list. Which left none really.
Anyway, as usual, I digress. We got off Cavitex, and turned onto the road which would take us to the City Of Dreams. I had done my research on Google Earth Street View, so knew exactly where it was. Once we got to the junction, a nice sign, a rare thing in the Phil, told us that the parking was on the next right, so we went that way.
This took us onto a short 4 lane road, a little bit overkill, but who cares, it’s more fun in the Philippines. Another sign, albeit a lot smaller than the first, told us to turn left for the parking. Blink, and you miss the sign, but luckily my eagle eyes prevented us from driving straight ahead into oblivion.
When taking this turn, on the right is the casino, hotel, and valet service. None of which we wanted, as we had to park the car. So we carried on down the road, and ended up at another junction that took us back to the road we had started on. No sign of the car park. Luckily, I really enjoy turning left in the Phil, across busy traffic, on a highway with 4 lanes, which the local’s magic into 6!
So, around we went again, this time paying more attention when we passed the casino entrance, and driving at 10mph. Amazing, we noticed the car park. Near the end of the road, hidden in the central reservation is a small A4 sign which informs people to take a u-turn. So that it was I did, except you then have to cut straight across the 4 lanes into a small opening for the car park. Then you need to wait while a guard checks the car, and a dog sniffs around. This may be a fully trained police drug dog, but being the Philippines, it probably has less intelligence than Scooby Doo.
The guard and dog found nothing in our car, and so we proceeded into the car park. It is large, but it is all well sign posted, so everything is as clear as daylight. Only joking, I had you there didn’t I? This is the Philippines, no useful signs of where to go, and a few useless arrows on the floor. Many people probably find themselves driving straight out. All of the car parking slots when you go in are blocked, probably for the valet cars. This means parking at the back, or going up a level.
Now outside the city of dreams is a connecter between the car park and the casino, about 2-3 floors up, so we headed there to park. We could not see any entrance to it though, nothing is sign posted, so having drove around for a bit, we ended up on level 5 all on our own. This was fine, as I usually park on the top level in Vegas and use the lift.
Getting out of the car we noticed the toilets, so off we went to inspect them. All clean and new, just what you would expect in a new build. The downside was no toilet paper, soap or bin. Things missing from toilets such as tissue, soap, driers and water is very common in this country. Which is why we carry a bag of toiletries with us. Also useful when caught short in the jungle, as it saves abusing banana leaves.
As the casino entrance was not on level 5, we had to use the lift. This we did, and upon entry we looked at which floor we needed. We had a choice of 1,2,3,4,5….No mention of the floor for the casino. This meant we played a nice game of ‘stop on every floor to find what we want’. I’m sure you know the game very well. Filipino’s do! On floor 3, we stepped out as the floor was carpeted, a good sign, but the only sign said Dreamplay. Not what we wanted. So back in the lift, and tried floor 2, then ended up on the ground floor in the car park.
We stepped out, and far away on the right a sign said ‘Casino’. Brilliant. The way to the casino is all the way back to where you brought the car in, across 8 lanes of road, and then up a ramp to the bus and valet area, and eventually into the hotel. So simple…. How stupid that we couldn’t find it. In Vegas there are helpful signs everywhere, but who the hell needs them in the Philipinnes? It is more fun!
Entry means going through security, and they do have a dress code. Although what it is no one seems to have any idea. They let me in with a goth t-shirt, chains, jeans and cowboy boots, so the standards must be low! The casino itself is large, very large in fact, with numerous areas containing the usual slots, poker, roulette, and some weird things that the Chinese bet on.
By the time we got in we had malnutrition, as the idea was to get there and eat. So we found a map and looked for the Wave restaurant. Affordable, a good menu, and mentioned clearly on the City of Dreams website. It also had good reviews. We both stared at the map, blinked a few times, and stared again. That did not work, as it still did not appear, it was not there. In case the map was wrong we walked around all of the restaurants, but did not find Wave.
At this point, the hunger pains started to kick in, so Rayna asked one of the staff, who directed us to the lift in the Hyatt, and told us it was on the first level. So off we wandered to the hotel, got in the lift, and pressed ‘1’. Nothing happened. Pressed it again. Still no movement. Then suddenly the lift started, and off we went to the 8th floor. Erm!! It was then we realised that the ‘1’ button did not work. After going up to 8, we went all the way back down to the ground floor again and got out. It’s more fun in the Philippines.
This meant we had to go and find someone else to tell us where Wave was. Luckily, this time we struck gold. A member of staff with a working brain. He pointed us to the double doors across the casino with the word ‘Exit’ above them. They looked like fire doors, and had no other signage. Off we went, and through the doors we found two lifts, and we could get to the floor we wanted. It was all so obvious. Exit the casino through the unmarked fire doors to get to the Wave restaurant. Me and Rayna must be so stupid.
Having got to the correct floor, we then followed the non-existent signs, and only found the restaurant by accident. It is on the roof next to the Hyatt’s pool. As it was so easy to find, we were both surprised that it was empty! Still, service was swift, as the waiters fought over each other to get to us first.
Rayna had the Nasi Goreng, while I had the Club Sandwich with a cappuccino. We both agreed that the food was some of the best we had ever had, and sitting in the sun made it a very pleasurable experience. It felt like it was a place miles away from Manila. I usually have a good moan about things, but the Wave Restaurant in the City of Dreams, is highly recommended.
The casino overall is nothing special compared with Vegas, but for Manila, it is a place to get away from it all and have some fun. Rayna won her money back, and I lost a few hundred pesos. It is not worth using big bets in these places. Keep it small, and enjoy the day.
We did discover that if we had taken the Dreamplay entrance from the lift in the car park, then it would have taken us to the casino. Again, obvious!
So if you have a spare half day in Manila, pay a visit to the casino. If you want some fun, drive there and try parking. Otherwise, get a cab to the casino entrance, and save yourself half an hour of lost life.
It's more fun in the Philippines.
Not a great idea to bring in the tourists by stopping them! Then again, which politicians anywhere in the world think of such obvious things when planning new laws? If it wasn’t for that, we probably would have visited the place twice. Mind you, planning something in the Philippines usually ends up being a failure due to the amount of traffic, closed roads, or a GPS system that has been programmed by one-armed pigmies with cataracts.
Anyway, we set out for the City Of Dreams, just two days late! Taking into account the traffic problems we would encounter, we gave the 25 mile trip an estimate of 2hrs to complete. In the UK that would take no more than 1/2hr, but in the Philippines time moves as though it is close to an event horizon.
Rather than take the traffic heavy Imus route, I decided to head straight through General Trias and get on the start of Cavitex. This was an excellent choice on our last visit, as it proved much quicker than going through Imus. However, things have changed, and with more shacks along the route, a lot more trikes, it ended up being no quicker, but it did cost us an extra 150php on Cavitex! Needless to say, that route is now on the avoid list. Which left none really.
Anyway, as usual, I digress. We got off Cavitex, and turned onto the road which would take us to the City Of Dreams. I had done my research on Google Earth Street View, so knew exactly where it was. Once we got to the junction, a nice sign, a rare thing in the Phil, told us that the parking was on the next right, so we went that way.
This took us onto a short 4 lane road, a little bit overkill, but who cares, it’s more fun in the Philippines. Another sign, albeit a lot smaller than the first, told us to turn left for the parking. Blink, and you miss the sign, but luckily my eagle eyes prevented us from driving straight ahead into oblivion.
When taking this turn, on the right is the casino, hotel, and valet service. None of which we wanted, as we had to park the car. So we carried on down the road, and ended up at another junction that took us back to the road we had started on. No sign of the car park. Luckily, I really enjoy turning left in the Phil, across busy traffic, on a highway with 4 lanes, which the local’s magic into 6!
So, around we went again, this time paying more attention when we passed the casino entrance, and driving at 10mph. Amazing, we noticed the car park. Near the end of the road, hidden in the central reservation is a small A4 sign which informs people to take a u-turn. So that it was I did, except you then have to cut straight across the 4 lanes into a small opening for the car park. Then you need to wait while a guard checks the car, and a dog sniffs around. This may be a fully trained police drug dog, but being the Philippines, it probably has less intelligence than Scooby Doo.
The guard and dog found nothing in our car, and so we proceeded into the car park. It is large, but it is all well sign posted, so everything is as clear as daylight. Only joking, I had you there didn’t I? This is the Philippines, no useful signs of where to go, and a few useless arrows on the floor. Many people probably find themselves driving straight out. All of the car parking slots when you go in are blocked, probably for the valet cars. This means parking at the back, or going up a level.
Now outside the city of dreams is a connecter between the car park and the casino, about 2-3 floors up, so we headed there to park. We could not see any entrance to it though, nothing is sign posted, so having drove around for a bit, we ended up on level 5 all on our own. This was fine, as I usually park on the top level in Vegas and use the lift.
Getting out of the car we noticed the toilets, so off we went to inspect them. All clean and new, just what you would expect in a new build. The downside was no toilet paper, soap or bin. Things missing from toilets such as tissue, soap, driers and water is very common in this country. Which is why we carry a bag of toiletries with us. Also useful when caught short in the jungle, as it saves abusing banana leaves.
As the casino entrance was not on level 5, we had to use the lift. This we did, and upon entry we looked at which floor we needed. We had a choice of 1,2,3,4,5….No mention of the floor for the casino. This meant we played a nice game of ‘stop on every floor to find what we want’. I’m sure you know the game very well. Filipino’s do! On floor 3, we stepped out as the floor was carpeted, a good sign, but the only sign said Dreamplay. Not what we wanted. So back in the lift, and tried floor 2, then ended up on the ground floor in the car park.
We stepped out, and far away on the right a sign said ‘Casino’. Brilliant. The way to the casino is all the way back to where you brought the car in, across 8 lanes of road, and then up a ramp to the bus and valet area, and eventually into the hotel. So simple…. How stupid that we couldn’t find it. In Vegas there are helpful signs everywhere, but who the hell needs them in the Philipinnes? It is more fun!
Entry means going through security, and they do have a dress code. Although what it is no one seems to have any idea. They let me in with a goth t-shirt, chains, jeans and cowboy boots, so the standards must be low! The casino itself is large, very large in fact, with numerous areas containing the usual slots, poker, roulette, and some weird things that the Chinese bet on.
By the time we got in we had malnutrition, as the idea was to get there and eat. So we found a map and looked for the Wave restaurant. Affordable, a good menu, and mentioned clearly on the City of Dreams website. It also had good reviews. We both stared at the map, blinked a few times, and stared again. That did not work, as it still did not appear, it was not there. In case the map was wrong we walked around all of the restaurants, but did not find Wave.
At this point, the hunger pains started to kick in, so Rayna asked one of the staff, who directed us to the lift in the Hyatt, and told us it was on the first level. So off we wandered to the hotel, got in the lift, and pressed ‘1’. Nothing happened. Pressed it again. Still no movement. Then suddenly the lift started, and off we went to the 8th floor. Erm!! It was then we realised that the ‘1’ button did not work. After going up to 8, we went all the way back down to the ground floor again and got out. It’s more fun in the Philippines.
This meant we had to go and find someone else to tell us where Wave was. Luckily, this time we struck gold. A member of staff with a working brain. He pointed us to the double doors across the casino with the word ‘Exit’ above them. They looked like fire doors, and had no other signage. Off we went, and through the doors we found two lifts, and we could get to the floor we wanted. It was all so obvious. Exit the casino through the unmarked fire doors to get to the Wave restaurant. Me and Rayna must be so stupid.
Having got to the correct floor, we then followed the non-existent signs, and only found the restaurant by accident. It is on the roof next to the Hyatt’s pool. As it was so easy to find, we were both surprised that it was empty! Still, service was swift, as the waiters fought over each other to get to us first.
Rayna had the Nasi Goreng, while I had the Club Sandwich with a cappuccino. We both agreed that the food was some of the best we had ever had, and sitting in the sun made it a very pleasurable experience. It felt like it was a place miles away from Manila. I usually have a good moan about things, but the Wave Restaurant in the City of Dreams, is highly recommended.
The casino overall is nothing special compared with Vegas, but for Manila, it is a place to get away from it all and have some fun. Rayna won her money back, and I lost a few hundred pesos. It is not worth using big bets in these places. Keep it small, and enjoy the day.
We did discover that if we had taken the Dreamplay entrance from the lift in the car park, then it would have taken us to the casino. Again, obvious!
So if you have a spare half day in Manila, pay a visit to the casino. If you want some fun, drive there and try parking. Otherwise, get a cab to the casino entrance, and save yourself half an hour of lost life.
It's more fun in the Philippines.