I agree. Some private cars you can rent for 3, 6, or 12 hours. So that would be really worth it. You can stop to get something to eat or to the restroom whenever you want.
ABC hotel is great! Location is perfect, close to all the good stuff like Clark, SM Clark (huge mall - lots of restaurants). There is also a VFW nearby, if you are interested in that — not walking distance but can ride a jeepney (might be a challenge since you are too tall) or Grab. If you will bring cash, there are lots of money exchange places close to the hotel as well. Rooms are nice, clean, and AC works great (lol). It was about 6 years ago when I was there though so the rooftop didn’t really have anything. I looked it up just now and reviews say ABC has a rooftop bar. Aqua Beach Club is the one that has rooftop pools and great party scene! I honestly forgot if there’s a way directly from the hotel to Aqua but it is very close to each other. You can also just walk from the hotel to the walking street, as you probably already know. We enjoyed the waterpark — we bought tickets thru Klook, saved money (not much in $ really but I’m all about the deals lol).