Belmont Hotel Manila near NAIA Terminal 3 MNL in Manila, Philippines

The Belmont Hotel Manila sits in Newport City, a planned enclave of hotels and casinos that feels like it was assembled in a lab for people who don't want to be in Manila. It's a 10-floor, 459-room property that opened in 2015, part of the Megaworld chain, and its primary purpose is clear: get you to and from NAIA Terminal 3 without incident. The lobby hums with the quiet efficiency of a place that processes thousands of guests a month, and the staff have that particular Filipino warmth that makes you feel like a guest, not a transaction. The rooms are what you'd expect from a solid four-star business hotel – clean, functional, with blackout curtains that take the edge off Manila's relentless light. The kind of place where the minibar is stocked with the things a tired traveller reaches for at midnight, not a curated selection of artisanal snacks. There's a pool, but it's not the infinity-edge-over-the-city type. It's a pool you use when you have a six-hour layover and need to feel less like a human sardine.

Newport City is a gated development that includes Resorts World Manila, a casino complex that draws a constant stream of taxis and shuttle buses. The hotel is about a five-minute drive from NAIA Terminal 3, and the hotel runs a free shuttle that makes this connection almost painless. Outside the bubble, you're in Pasay, which is not a neighbourhood you'd explore for charm. There's a 7-Eleven within walking distance, and the airport is close enough that you'll hear planes, but the soundproofing in the rooms does its job. You're about 15 minutes from the Mall of Asia area by taxi, and maybe 30 minutes from Makati in good traffic – which, in Manila, is rarely good. The street outside is busy with airport traffic, but the hotel's entrance is set back enough that you don't feel like you're sleeping on the tarmac.