Book Your Trip To The Philippines Right Now!Manila Bacolod Baguio Cebu Davao Palawan Banaue More Airline Reservations Tours Destination Guide |
Back To General Information
Hotels in the Philippines come in a broad range of prices and amenities. Expensive hotels are available in the well traveled areas which offer all the features associated with first class hotels around the world. In fact, Manila boasts of having a few of the best hotels around Asia. As one ventures out into the remote less traveled areas, one must expect a decline in the quality of facilities and services provided. When selecting a hotel room it is not a bad idea to ask to see it before agreeing to stay. Many have a public bath down the hall and some offer only toilets with no water storage and cold running water. Be sure of what you are getting and don't be afraid to go from hotel to hotel looking around.
This is a clean, mostly European travelers hotel in the heart of the tourist center of Manila. It is reasonably priced and offers a wide range of prices and accommodations. Laundry facilities, major banks and numerous restaurants are located very near by. The hotels business office is well equipped to handle a broad range of travelers' needs. They even have facilities to store luggage allowing guests to check out take only minimal luggage on cross country multi-day excursions. We paid P950 per night for a room with two beds, a TV and it's own bath. Dormitory style accommodations are also provided at a much more reasonable rate.
According to our travel guide, this was one of the better hotels on the island and it cost P1040 a night for the 5 of us or $8 per person US.
Our room had two double beds but their idea of a double bed looked more like a single to me. We talked them into one extra bed and two other people in the room for free. What we did not count on was the two towels provided with the room. We asked for more and they grudgingly gave in to us. We also saw a very large roach in the lobby but didn't have a camera ready to take a picture of it. Another drawback to the room was it's location directly above a Karaoke bar. The Filipinos are very big on karaoke, and this bar played a strange mix of American and Filipino songs. The music was loud and started at 7:00 PM, lasting well into the night.
I was surprised to see the room come with a small refrigerator and a 13" color TV. Also surprising was the reception of 12 channels. The only bad thing was that they were all the same two channels over and over. One was a static laden Tagalog channel and the other was clear and featured an American movie staring Lou Diamond Phillips. This movie was airing uncensored. The commercials were mostly liquor ads.
There was a bucket and ladle provided in the bathroom along with a floor drain. The shower was conventional in design but poor in function. It squirted only a single stream of water. I took a hot shower at 10:30 pm and considered myself lucky because the hot water was scheduled to be turned off at 10:00pm. The bathroom was missing a plug so there was no place to plug in a hair dryer.
This hotel was one of several hotels in the area which offered seemingly about the same accommodations. All but two were booked up and this hotel was the better of the two available. Our room cost us P300 per day or $12 US. That split out to $4 per person which is not too bad. This hotel, like many in the area was a combination of hotel, restaurant, and general store.
Our room had two full sized beds and a door which opened onto a small second floor balcony overlooking the street. The room also had it's own bathroom. It was simple in design with shower, sink, and flush toilet all in one little compartment with a floor drain. The shower had recently been upgraded to include hot water: An electric water heater shower head had been added and a big clumsy looking power line came in through the window and terminated at the newly added head in twist-on wire nuts. Two towels were provided for the three of us and they lasted us the duration of our three day stay even though we asked for new ones every day. The restaurant at the hotel had a gorgeous view which overlooked the expanse of rice terraces.
|
Book Your Trip To The Philippines Right Now! Manila Bacolod Baguio Cebu Davao Palawan Banaue More Airline Reservations Tours Destination Guide |