The Manila Hotel

Opened in 1912 at the edge of Rizal Park, The Manila Hotel is the Philippines' most historically freighted address. Its California-mission-meets-neoclassical facade looks across Manila Bay's famous sunsets, and its guest list reads like a century of Pacific history; Douglas MacArthur lived in the penthouse as Military Advisor to the Commonwealth from 1935 until the Second World War reached the islands. The lobby, with its ranks of chandeliers, Philippine mahogany and marble floors, remains one of Asia's great arrival halls.

Rooms are traditional in style — dark timber, capiz-shell detailing and formal drapery — and generously sized by modern city standards, with the best looking over the bay or the old walled city of Intramuros next door. The hotel functions as a national institution as much as a place to sleep, hosting state functions and society weddings, so public spaces carry a sense of occasion that boutique hotels cannot manufacture.

Dining spans Filipino and Continental cooking in the Champagne Room's art-nouveau setting, Cantonese in the Mami King tradition and a generous bayside buffet, while the pool terrace offers respite from Manila's traffic-dense heat. This is not the city's most contemporary luxury option, and upkeep varies across its considerable footprint. But for travellers who want Manila's story told in architecture, there is simply no substitute.