Kwenscapades: guesthouse

Las Casitas II Inn (Davao City)

4:55 PM

Found near the downtown area of Davao City, Las Casitas Inn is one og the affordable accommodations in Davao City. Location-wise, it's great--very near downtown area. Though it is not located in the main road, it is still accessible.

The interior of the hotel was really cozy. It has a homey-feel to it. The reception area is small compared to other hotels. But, you're not gonna stay in the reception area, so, what's the ruckus?!

There's also a cafe and restaurant inside the hotel premises (actually attached to the hotel lounge). I tried their food, and frankly, I didn't expect much. But, I was shocked. They offer large servings at a low price--about 100php per plate. Most importantly, the food was delish!. Cheap BUT tasty.

I panicked when I realized that they don't have an elevator. With all my luggage, I don't have any idea how I would reach the top floor. Luckily, I was assigned to a room on the ground floor. Whew!

Now, take a look at the rooms. BIG. That's the word I would describe their rooms. A such a low price, they offer their customers with a room of this size.

There was a small kitchen within the room..and a toilet, of course. Well, it was complete with the basic necessities, so, no issue at all.

Hotel tariff:

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bayview inn

Hotel Review: Bayview Inn (Ormoc)

3:43 PM

Bayview Inn is a resort/inn located in Brgy. Bantigue,Ormoc City. Located near the sea and near commercial establishments, it is convenient to stay here. A lot of public utility vehicles pass by the area ans so it is very easy to travel to and fro the inn. If you can also take a leisurely walk to the downtown area, if you want.

Bayview is an inn I frequent when I stay in Ormoc. Why? Well, let me lay down all the good (and bad) points of this lodge. Firstly, the rooms are very spacious and huge. At a very low rate, you get to have a big room for yourself.

The room is complete with a dresser, vanity table, cabled TV, airconditioner, remote (upon request from the front desk). They provide towels for guests.

The toilet is fine. you’ll get all the necessities; nothing extra. No hot/cold shower (for standard rooms)….actually, no shower at all. They provide tissue rolls and body soap.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a good place to stay in. The staff are very friendly, the room rates are very cheap, the room is good, the location is very accessible, patio and pool is also available, WiFi connection–YES! I mean, the inn is not luxurious at all but it provides you with all the necessities.

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accommodation

Hotel Review: Donald Paul Apartelle (Clark)

2:49 PM

I arrived to Clark from Bangkok at about 7:30pm. The initial plan was to get a bus to Manila but the flight was re-scheduled some time later and so I arrived a little later giving me no choice but to stay overnight in Clark. It was really my first time in Clark, Pampanga and so I was not familiar with the place.

From the airport, there would be no other choice but to take a fixed rate taxi. The Philitranco shuttle bus which operates Trinoma-DMIA-Trinoma is available only until 3pm. If you wish to take jeeps then you would have to walk all the way to the main gate which, mind you, is quite far and very inconvenient especially if you have luggage to take care of.

Having no choice, I took a cab to city proper and it cost us PHP500.00. Very expensive, yeah, I know, considering how short of a ride it is. But hey, I didn’t have any option left. I had luggage plus it was already very dark, and I don’t know the place.

I really didn’t know where to stay so I allowed the taxi driver to take me somewhere cheap and alas! He brought me to Donald Paul Apartelle.

I paid PHP1,500.00 for double room–it was the only room available at that time. It was pricey, yeah, but it was worth it. The room was very spacious and nicely decorated. It had a couch, plasma TV, cable, dining table, dresser, personal ref, electric kettle. It seemed more of a serviced apartment than of a hostel/guesthouse.

They also had free stuffs like about 6 coffees, complimentary water, free toiletries which included shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shaving cream, shave, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, and a sewing kit!

The toilet was not a turn off at all. It was very clean and complete with everything–hot/cold shower, free towels, tissue, toiletries, and all.

The hotel also had a dining hall where you can have your meals. The biggest plus was that they have an indoor pool. Just amazing! I loved it.

Here is their price list: (as of October 2013)

MY THOUGHTS: The apartelle was a bit pricey. However, I think that it can be overlooked since the place was really nice. It was very clean, quiet, and the staff was overly friendly. But if you’re staying for a long time, look for something else or accommodation itself would cost you much. Overall, this one’s a good place to stay, considering it’s nearness to the city central, accessibility, and overall features of the apartelle. But I can’t stay I’d stay here if I visit Clark again. As I said, it’s pricey for a budget traveler like me.

For bookings, check this link!

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accommodation

Hotel Review: Vongpanya Guesthouse (Luang Prabang)

2:40 PM

After 10 long hours of bus ride, I finally arrived at Luang Prabang. It is a small town located in the Northern part of Laos. But hey, don’t get fooled by it’s small size. There is so much that you can see and do there. But first, let me talk about the accommodation that I took–Vongpanya Guesthouse.

From Naluang Bus station, Vongpanya Guesthouse can be reached through a short tuk-tuk ride. You just have to tell the tuk-tuk driver that you want to go to Vongpanya, OR if you haven’t book any guesthouse, you can just tell him to bring you to the city center. From there, you can just look for one–and it would be really easy.

We arrived at the guesthouse at about 7am and we were able to check in early. Yes, i booked a room through booking.com BUT the reservation was totally useless. Why? First, they didn’t have internet connection and so they weren’t able to check. Two and most importantly, LANGUAGE BARRIER. The staff can’t speak English. Through out the whole conversation, the only English term I’ve heard was check-out 12noon, and check-in OK. It was really hard trying to have a conversation and so, we just let it go.

So, about the room, it was okay. Considering that we only paid 100,000LAK for a twin room, I guess it was already a good deal. The room had the basic necesseties, thank God! It has aircon, TV set, hot/cold shower, towels, soap, mineral water.

However, my life was kinda hard when I stayed there. First, the TV has no remote control. I had to stand on a chair to reach the unit and change channels, volumes, etc. Another thing, no remote control for the aircon. The only option you have is to turn it on OR off. The toilet looks dirty.

MY THOUGHTS: Find another guesthouse! There are so many guesthouses located at the city center. (check this out) This hotel is VERY hard to find when you’re going on foot–and it is not correctly positioned in googlemap. You may say that you can just take tuk-tuk to and from the guesthouse. Yes, you may do that BUT take note that tuk-tuk charge so much. It’s convenient and cheaper (thus better) to stay somewhere in the city center. Plus, there are no shops close to guesthouse. It was difficult to find food. The most difficult thing in this place is that, the front desk is usually empty. There’s no one to ask if you need anything. When I stayed there, I wasn’t able to check out at 12nn. Why? Cause no one was there to check me out. It would be discourteous to just leave the guesthouse so I just waited and waited until someone came–and it was already 5pm. Furthermore, we weren’t able to talk cause he told me upfront ‘NO ENGLISH’. And so I just gave him the room key, walked out, goodbye.

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accommodation

Hotel Review: World Inn (Bangkok)

2:33 PM

If you’re in Bangkok, the best place to stay would be somewhere near a BTS or MRT station. You aks why? Because it would be most convenient especially if you want to explore the greater Bangkok area.

We actually reserved a room at Maxim’s Inn for our 3 days stay in Bangkok. However, on our way to the hotel, we passed by World Inn which is just a couple of steps from Maxim’s Inn. I was actually hesitant to stay at Maxim’s Inn. You see, we arrived at 9am. If we check in early, we’d be charged a half day stay. So, instead, we stayed at World Inn which didn’t charge us extra.

As I have mentioned earlier, World Inn is just a couple of steps from Maxim’s Inn (Sorry for using Maxim’s as a reference point.) You can reach the hotel by either of these two modes of transport: (1) taxi or (2) train. From Suvarnabuhmi Airport, you may take the airport link to Phaya Thai (Express Train=150THB, Commuter Train=45THB). Then, you need to take BTS train and alight at Nana station. From Nana station, just walk until you see Coffee World and Subway, then turn left and you’d see the building already. Coffee World and Subway is just about 50 meters away from the station exit.

At just 990 baht per night, we were able to get a twin room. The room was clean and spacious, complete with basic necessities such as air conditioner, TV, toiletries, private CR, refrigerator, dresser.

The comfort room was also clean and wide with hot and cold shower. It has good water supply however we can’t figure out how to use the shower. Uhmm it works but, only a little water comes out.

MY THOUGHTS: It was very convenient to stay in this hotel. First off, it was cheap but it offered a good accommodation. The room was clean and spacious. There is an elevator available fr everyone’s use. The staff was friendly and accommodating. They can speak good English and they helped us a lot. They gave us free maps also. There are stores, 7 eleven, banks, ATM within the vicinity. Since it is just beside Nana station, it was easily accessible. We were able to easily explore Bangkok. However, if you are VERY sensitive to noise, you might not want to stay here because it is located in front of bars. But, the noise was not that loud so unless you’re VERY sensitive, well then better find another. I will definitely stay here if I visit Bangkok again.

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Older Posts Home

Las Casitas II Inn (Davao City)

Hotel Review: Bayview Inn (Ormoc)

Hotel Review: Donald Paul Apartelle (Clark)

Hotel Review: Vongpanya Guesthouse (Luang Prabang)

Hotel Review: World Inn (Bangkok)

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