Cove Manila could be the glittering casino city of Canto Bight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Or it could be the Capitol in The Hunger Games’s Panem. Imagine an indoor beach and night club with luxury cabanas and private hot tubs housed under a glass-dome where high society are free to revel in lavish and over-the-top celebrations, untouched by the problems of a world descending into chaos and war. You don’t have to imagine it because it actually exists in Manila.

Cove Manila is the most glamorous party destination located inside Okada Manila, the largest ultra-luxury integrated casino resort in the Entertainment City district of Parañaque. An indoor beach club by day and a club destination by night, this upscale party hub opened its doors to the public just last December 15, 2017.

We probably would have never stepped foot in here if not for a writing assignment to cover the unveiling of Orange County Choppers (OCC) custom-built motorcycles for Okada Manila. The media invitation involved an overnight staycation in the 5-star hotel and a chance to meet and interview Paul Teutul Sr. of OCC, one of the biggest names in the motorcycling community. Who am I to say no to a free pass to that?

Before the event, we were given a tour of Okada’s properties including the resort’s huge casino, fountain area and dining options helmed by Michelin-starred chefs like Japanese Kappou Imamura, Enbu and Ginza Nagaoka. Okada Manila’s casino resort complex is best-known for having the largest multi-color dancing fountain in the world. The newly opened Cove, where the NYE countdown was held, is just something else.

Cove Manila is a 9,000 sq. meter dome venue, said to be the biggest beach and night club in Southeast Asia. The $120M mega-structure is four times bigger than the Palace Pool Club in BGC and can accommodate up to 4,500 guests. It boasts of the most advanced audio, video and ambient lighting technologies including a six-ring kinetic Chandelier that can produce up to 10,000 special effects and kinetic movements and the Funktion-One Sound System, one of the world’s best sound systems in the world.

I was completely floored by the whole place. It really feels like something that should belong in Singapore, Macau or Dubai. It’s hard to believe that we have something this extravagant and luxurious in Manila. I honestly felt like a member of the resistance from some backward planet who somehow managed to infiltrate an advanced hi-tech Utopian society inhabited by the rich and famous.

The Cove is like a mini-village under a column-free and glass dome structure complete with faux palm trees for that beach vibe. The glass dome is UVA and UVB-protected and completely sealed with climate controlled air-conditioning. There’s no danger of getting sunburn even at the height of noon. Actually, a storm could be raging outside but people inside the dome can still party all day and night, any time of the year. I guess this will make it very popular for upscale events, concerts and beach-style parties.

A post shared by Cove Manila (@covemanila) on Sep 14, 2017 at 8:12pm PDT

At the center of the space is the 780-sqm butterfly-shaped pool, with various bars (including a pool bar) and private cabanas, bungalows and VIP rooms housed in the yellow three-story buildings as well as couches and tables by the poolside. The 29 spacious Miami-inspired luxury cabanas can be rented out for the night for private events and parties for special occasions.

Each cabana can fit up to 25-50 people and comes equipped with five-star amenities. You get your own private living and dining space, large television, a kitchen and mini-bar, private rain shower and toilet and private hot tub where you can enjoy the best view.

We were told that there’s no exact entrance fee, but there’s a “minimum spend” to use the place. Depending on the event, cabana prices can range anywhere from P150 – 350k a night!. Tables start at about P3,000 for 6 people (consumable). Cocktails like Rum Coke cost about Php 440.00 per glass while local beer costs Php 220.00 per 330ml bottle.

In case those drinks are too cheap for you, Cove Manila also serves bottles of Armand de Brignac a.k.a Ace of Spades, the world-famous champagne brand of rapper JAY-Z, one of the most expensive champagnes in the world. Someone actually bought a 30-Liter bottle of the Armand de Brignac Gold Brut, which costs a cool 7.7 Million pesos during New Year’s Eve celebrations. You can order this off the menu just like all the other drinks.

A post shared by Cove Manila (@covemanila) on Dec 2, 2017 at 10:40pm PST

All the luxury and glamour of Cove Manila is embodied in the Cove Chopper, one of the two masterpieces made by Paul Teutul Sr. and his team at Orange County Choppers, the biggest name in the custom building community. The Cove Chopper’s wheels mirror the gigantic dome structure of the roof while the classic turquoise and white color scheme reflects the beach vibe and cool atmosphere of the beach club.

OCC also unveiled the Okada Chopper inspired by the casino’s grand architecture. The plum and cream stunner features the seven circle logo design in many aspects of the bike’s design including the wheels, headlight and engine details.

The two choppers, which have an estimated value of Php 13,000,000 each, will be up for grabs in Okada’s Wheels of Fortune 3: American Graffiti promo slated in June 2018. Okada Manila will also be raffling off 10 brand new Harley-Davidson Bikes for their Wheels and Fortune 3 promo.

Bike enthusiasts might want to schedule a visit to Okada just to see these two amazing works of art up close. You may be seeing more of these bikes in an upcoming season of reality show “American Chopper” on Discovery Channel, which is being revived after being off the air for five years. It was amazing to be able to have a short chat with Paul Sr. himself before the event.

Take note that Cove Manila has a dress code and security getting in is very strict. Guests are normally required to wear Nightclub attire or “upscale fashion-forward club attire” for events according to their website. The venue does not permit hats, sandals, slippers, baggy clothing, shorts, and overly athletic clothing. Collared shirts are required for men. I’m just glad rules like that don’t usually apply to media guests. 🙂