WORST HOTELS & RESTO's:
AGODA
Bad experience with AGODA. Be advised !!!!!
Their webpage hotel booking system screwed up, charged me twice, wouldn't refund, made all excuses such as saying the hotel would not allow a refund but in contradiction said the hotel did not have a record of the booking !!!!
Had to correspond with 6 different people, supply the same information 3 times, took 3+ weeks to get nowhere.
I believe they have been hauled before the ACC before.
ADVICE: Don't have anything to do with them !!!!
Remember the BAD name: AGODA….don’t even think about using them. And their prices are high.
On my last trips I stayed in over 12 hotels across 5 countries in Asia. The following list is based on my experience, and while I have tried to be factual, comments are not necessarily objective—different people have varied experiences and likes/dislikes. But there are 2 hotels, in the Philippines, that I would NEVER stay at again, and highly suggest you give them a miss. In fact, the two of them should be burnt down.
So the bottom line, the key criterion, is, would I stay there again….????
Philippines
TACLOBAN – BASIC ROOMS HOTEL Rating: ZERO STARS (and that’s generous !!!!) [May 2016]
Stayed 7 nights out of necessity, so tempting to leave, but hoped things would get better….just got worse !!! Everyday there was a problem.
• rooms very basic, no bar fridge, hot water in a bucket, bathroom dirty (got tinea)
• cars and bikes park outside and wake you up. (They have a sign about not blowing horns but nothing about bikes wizzing around the place at all hours !)
• beer not cold at hotel reception (50 pesos for a warm beer)
• bed bugs and/or sand fleas
• wifi available only in reception area
• grounds good be more appealing
• email address is not valid, no website
- staff highly unprofessional (even tho several wore their Hospitality Management uniforms---seems they never learnt anything !)
First night paid 1,071 pesos because I booked thru one of those hotel agencies on line. Actual rate is 950.
2nd nite I “extended”, but they charged 950 only; same 3rd nite.
4th nite they charged 1,072---why ? Because it was an extension of my original 1st day booking !!! You figure.
5th nite, I booked out at 12 noon, and then booked in at 12.01pm at 950 a nite.
Ah, but they don’t give receipts, so nock nock on the door, I haven’t paid…. Naku, argue, said I had paid and they should give receipts. They rechecked and found I HAD paid. LESSON: Get a receipt, and staff should be more professional. That it was my birthday didn’t matter to them.
Next night they dragged my gf out and quizzed her about her age and reputation. Showed her passport, accused her of it being fake, and that she was a prostitute.
2nd morning the receptionist decided she would wake everyone up with blaring crappy disco “music” over loud speakers outside my room. Now building a café/karaoke out front right near some of the rooms, so if u have insomnia it will be fine….
If I want something to eat I go to a resto; If I have a bad tooth I go to a dentist; If my car is broken I go to a mechanic. If I want loud music I go to a bar. If I want a clean quiet place to sleep I go to a fucking hotel…that’s what they are for, not for music, bikes, rats, warm beer or moral inquisitions.
Never stay there again. If you are desperate, and I mean really desperate, then make sure you get a receipt and don’t take yr gf there. There’s a nice new hotel up the road 100 mtres (ACE FRANCIS HOTEL), same price and professional.
In brief: Budget Hotel is a 100% shit hole. Overall noisy, unprofessional mouldy ragged rooms (in old part). As I drove out of the gates I felt a load of stress disappear.
GO HOTEL TACLOBAN 3 stars.
This is a newish and clean place, quiet. Hot water is a problem. But the main issue is that they tend to lose your booking. Last May arrived to find they didn’t have our booking and all rooms were taken. A couple also at the same time had their booking stuffed around. Same last October. Best to book direct, get a name, and print out any docs u can to insist on your booking. The receptionist (same one) is not helpful at all.
Handy location next to a mall (Mex’m Up good café for b’fast), 15 mins from town, rooms clean etc, no windows in rooms, hot water an issue, no bar fridge, resto or other amenities. Rates start about 1700/nite. No smoking inside. Give the taxis outside a miss, VERY expensive (300php to go 1 kilometer compared to a trike 25 pesos).
Mogica Residencia, Calle Crisologo, Vigan city, Philippines.
ZERO STARS
www.facebook/mojicaresidenciahotel.weebly.com
www.mojicaresidenciahotel.weebly.com
Room was very small, the size of a double bed.
Shower did not work, no hot water. When they “fixed” it, the water trickled out, still no hot water.
By 8pm 5 dogs right outside our window started barking constantly; when we asked them to do something about it the receptionists just laughed. So we packed our things and demanded a refund. Very limited amenities, staff not at all friendly. Very sterile boring incompetent and rude place. Don’t be fooled by their foto-shots. Give it a big miss. Totally destroyed our holiday in Vigan.
V. M. Beach Resort, White Beach, Puerto Galera, Philippines.
Room was large enough but very basic. No hot water. Woken up at 6am by people across the way in another room going swimming. Told them to shut up. Same day at 10pm, another room, people on the porch drinking and shouting; told them to shut up. No staff available to address the issue. Why do some Filos have no consideration for others ?
Worst of all is that the owners had a baby “pet” monkey chained up outside, that was clearly fretting to escape. Outright animal cruelty. I wrote to the Mayor/Governor, but of course no reply…why? Because the “resort” is owned by a relative of the politicians. Sounds more like a rotten rort than a resort.
Go to www.vmbeachresort.com and complain about animal cruelty !!!
The pictures on the site do NOT reflect the reality. There are 2 parts to this resort, the pics show the better part which is ok; further up the beach is the shit-hole part, and easy to miss as u walk along the beach front and look up a foreboding alley. No wonder they’re cheap. It’s a shit hole and engages in animal cruelty.
Please Lodge YOUR protest to Gov. Umali at admin@ormindoro.gov.ph
Or the Philippines’ Tourism Office:
admin@itsmorefuninthephilippines.com
or to Mayor Hubbert Dolor
https://www.facebook.com/puertogaleraorientalmindoro?sk=wall
https://www.facebook.com/puertogaleraorientalmindoro/?fref=nf
ASIA BLOOMS
On a noisy highway in Santa Cruz, Laguna
“Looks good on the outside, but not onthe inside”
1600 pesos for an air con room with no window or view, and very very basic. No hot water, toilet seat and taps broken, old school desk furniture. Had to ask for a sheet/blanket, no TV remote control for a TV from the 1980s. Bathroom floor wet and dirty. Breakfast included but finished at 9am and was cold (eggs, rice, sausage and satchel coffee), with waitress playing loud music. Will not stay there again. Hotel looks good outside, and corridors etc clean and bright, but our room was shabby.
Room Tip: Check the room first and get one away from the front with noisy traffic.
estaurant also went downhill, we finding out food was “cooked” at another place now and transported to the resto, quality declined to the point of frozen veges were nuked (insufficiently) and passed off as “fresh”. Ha!
Then came the crunch: when we booked out after 3 days, not able to have a decent bath, and with the loo inadequately operating, it seems in wiping my ass got a bit of poo on a hand towel; on inspection hotel staff informed me I had to pay extra 500 pesos for so-called special washing. If I had known I would have washed it myself. Well, that allowed me to let loose verbally at the poor, hapless receptionist girl who had up until this point been quite nice and helpful; not her rule, but she had to follow it.
In short, check the bathroom, for hot water, if all works, check for noise etc, then I figure if you have to do all that don’t stay there. Zero/10, and all bc the management had changed and screwed up rules and food etc. Clearly they don’t value customers, the very source of their profits. Will NOT return to 88 Plaza ever again.
Cambodia:
Adore Hotel, Phnom Penh, down at the Quay.
reservation.adorehotel@gmail.com
www.adorehotel.biz
Not a “bad” hotel, comfortable, and amenities ok. My main gripe is that the FIRST floor was up about 100 steps….not easy with luggage. But I soon found that no hotels have elevators. Just wouldn’t wanna troop downstairs and remember you left something in your room, or try to stagger up them late at night, if you know what I mean.
Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao. Hotel is “OK”, but is a "has-been", now a little tardy/old. Not a 5 star, more like a 3 star at best. Too expensive even with promo. Too far out of town and staff try to be helpful but not very knowledgeable. Gave misleading information and map about sights to see, we had to carry our own bags to our rooms, upstairs, a long way. Very limited smoking places. Basketball court next door, noisy. Wooden scratched floors, can hear people above, noisy in corridor. Manual lights !! Housecleaning staff good and friendly. Just don’t believe directions staff give you or the map. No sari, load or cigarettes available on premises, had to beg for a newspaper, TV didn’t work. Room fixtures old/tardy, broken, cracked sink. Nothing grand to attract a return visit to either Davao or the hotel, and expensive to fly there (6-8k pesos). Only real attraction is a mediocre pool and sea breeze with some view.
Restaurant staff poor/slow service---always too busy cleaning up instead of serving people. Took 15 mins to place an order. Buffet too expensive (750php each) and food unappealing. Salad shit, fries shit/stale, only 3 places to eat, buffet and BBQ open only certain hours. Need to be assertive to get service. Have practice dancing with loud music in stage area in front of resto, that conflicts with another portion of the hotel and piano that spoils the serenity and cool breeze. Buffett typically noisy, clattery and clucky. Filos not looking where they are going. Its furniture old, worn and soiled. Food barely warm at b’fast, not a great choice. Garlic rice OK. Clatter of crockery and cutlery, kids.
Sydney
QStation, Manly, NSW
We booked S6 (staff cottage, blue/grey house with the pine tree) on 19/1/23 for May 14-16. It was confirmed, and we were assured that we could have S6, specifically.
S6 was the house in which my sister and I grew up from 1949 to 1966; we specifically asked for that cottage to engage in some final reminiscence, as it was my 70th birthday, I am not well, and my sister had flown from Perth specifically for the occasion, and my wife and I had travelled from Canberra.
Having booked the cottage (S6) some 4 months beforehand, we arrived as scheduled on the 14th of May at about 2pm, only to be told that S6 was no longer available. We were told that the Australian Army, or Airforce, or the USA Army or US Airforce—no one seemed to know who, which made us wonder if Reception Staff knew who was actually on the Qstation premises—were in all the cottages for some 30 days, except for Cottage S14.
At that moment we asked if, on the following day, we could knock on the door of S6 and ask the guests if we could look inside for about 5 mins; the Receptionist said yes. However, over the next 18 hours we did not see anyone come and go at S6, and felt we might be disturbing the residents if we did knock on the door. So we again approached the Reception, this time a young man with a European accent (who may well have been the very person who took our original booking in January), and we again explained our desire and asked if we could knock on the door of S6; he, however, said no, he checked with his “Manager” whom we never saw, who also said, “No, not possible”. We then asked if Reception could contact someone in S6 and/or the Commanding Officer to arrange our viewing of the inside of S6, and again he said No, it was not possible. No further explanation was given.
Let me say, frankly, this young man, the Receptionist, and his Manager, seemed to be totally disinterested, uncaring, and largely unaware of social history of the Qstation and our role in it, and totally uncaring about us, as guests, as people.
We do not understand why S14 could not be allocated to whatever Military, because it has 3 bedrooms, as does S6, plus a smaller room that could have been used as a bedroom. It would not have been unreasonable for Qstation Admin to allocate S14 to the Military for two nights while we were there, or prior to our arrival, even.
More to the point, we had long before booked S6 and were never notified before May 14 that our designated cottage, that we had specifically asked for, would not be available.
It seems to me that if a guest fails to alter or cancel his/her booking in due time then he/she is penalized by the hotel, but if the hotel wishes to change anything it gives no notice whatsoever! I could not find on any website the terms on conditions of accommodation that might allow this.
As far as we are concerned, the actions of the Qstation Hotel staff lacked any compassion, understanding, appreciation of social history, and their decisions constituted a breach of contract.
It is difficult for us to accept any apology for such lack of compassion and understanding and for administrative incompetence. This was a once in a lifetime occasion for us, a very special one, and Qstation breached its contract in failing to provide us with what we booked and expected.
In addition to the above most salient issue, we were also greatly disappointed in a number of other aspects of our visit:
- There were no golf-cart types of transport available for the elderly or handicapped. My sister, for example, found it very difficult to walk around the Qstation. When we needed the shuttle-bus the phone in S14 didn’t work.
- There were no food outlets available in the evening or at night, other than one on some days, which required booking, and I heard was expensive.
- The toilet in S14 was dirty.
- The fridge in S14 did not work properly. Everything in it was frozen and we could not adjust it.
- The beds were comfortable, but extremely cold. Cotton sheets were inadequate for warmth; in the end I put a dressing gown on top of the sheet, and used 2 extra blankets over the doona. Thick flannelette sheets would be more appropriate in autumn/winter.
- My wife felt somewhat offended that her surname was misspelt, most especially when she turned on the TV which emblazoned a “Welcome” notice. Hardly welcoming !
Rest assured we will be very reluctant in the future to use any ACCOR-associated accommodation.
Enquiries (and no complaints !!!) Dr. Steven Tran
GalleonConsultancy@Outlook.com
Galleonconsultancies.yolasite.com
SYDNEY AIRPORT'
Poxy Moxy, Sydney airport run/owned by Mercure
I have stayed in quite a few hotels, including in Australia, and this one takes the cake for “when-is-a-hotel-not-a-hotel?”
Negatives:
Rooms extremely small---as small as an Ibis room
No space to put luggage
No mini fridge
Sink in bedroom
Rooms are supposedly for millennials or born-again yuppies with minimalist furniture hanging (yes u heard that right) on the walls, including a small round table…so where is one to place that if there is no room for even a suitcase? The rooms are evidently designed for singles or a couple living out of one suitcase and spending all their time in bed (trying to figure out how to operate the Remote), or at the expensive Bar downstairs. So I like to call the rooms millennial minimalist Ikeaism, or resurrected yuppiness. If I wanted to live in Ikea land I’d go to an Ikea store, right.
TV remote with just 3 buttons…Mmm. Couldn’t work it, couldn’t call Reception about it because couldn’t work out what number to call---what is “crew”?
Street-scape dismal, set in an industrial area, not a blade of grass anywhere. The non-descript frontage faces a bland, congested, dirty street; no idea where you can park, if at all.
Price. Stayed late July one night $169, then unfortunately 2 weeks later and the price was now $250+ for the very same room!!! Hang on, a hotel is selling/renting a room, a product, so how can they justify within 2 weeks 75% price increase for the very same product? Yea yea I hear it now, it was a promo right? I call it price gouging.
Slow registering when arriving
Reception oh soooo public in a bar and noisy. Does not at all cater for “older” patron who can’t hear a bloody thing. Duh.
Open plan area of “reception”, bar and resto, can’t hear a bloody thing
Horrid music genre and too effing loud. This was a BAR not a Reception. Look it up bozo, a ‘reception’ comes from the French and Latin: a formal social occasion held to welcome someone… late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin receptio(n-), from the verb recipere (to receive). The sense of "action of receiving (persons) or of being received in a formal or ceremonial manner" is from 1660s; earlier it meant act or fact of being received …in a certain manner (1640s). The meaning "ceremonial gathering of persons to be received or greeted" is by 1865, from a sense in French. Reception room, set aside for the reception of visitors, by 1829.
For the uncultured, a Reception is a specific formal place for the (warm) specific welcoming of incomers/guests, often a large, secluded/private space for that purpose. From 1600s a salon "large room or apartment in a palace or great house," from French salon "reception room" (17c.), from Italian salone...The sense of "reception room of a place.”
So how can a bare desk set in the midst of a bar and very public space that is noisy with guests lounging about and loud horrid music be a salone?
On checking out, at 8am I encountered 100s of milling guests scrambling for the buffet brekky, was accosted by some hotel attending who insinuated I was gatecrashing, a whole bunch of ppl milling about blocking the way to the “reception” desk, amongst whom was, so he introduced himself as I bumped into him and told him to get outa the way, as the general manager, and other “crew” with large boxes of god knows what blocking exits, and so on: a muddle of mayhem—all I wanted to do was get out. The GM decided he would “help” when I didn’t want it, then he pestered me in attempts to placate myself (and not incidentally my wife who was seriously ill), essentially micro-managing and annoying the crap outa of me. His lame attempt to placate by buying me a coffee was met with my “Pfft!” So much for expertise: he should have just backed right off and designated an attractive soft spoken woman to assist us (yea yea it’s sexist, but all hotels are).
Simply pushy bastard.
Positives:
Friendly helpful yet-to-be jaded TRAINEE receptionist
The free shuttle bus from/to hotel to airport, but who couldn’t get their schedule right.
Rating: zero. Nil. None. Zilch. I will never ever stay there again even if they give me candy. In terms of price, an extra $50 would have got me in at the Rydges across the road from the terminal, a real hotel.
Recommendation: avoid it like the plague unless yr a millennial or yuppie with no stylistic sense or culture.
BEST (and bad) HOTELS & RESTO's:
Philippines
The (used to be) NUMBER ONE hotel in the Philippines is Royale Bellagio, in P. Burgos St, Makati.
All amenities, safe, good staff from the front door to room-service staff. Hot water, great furnishings, fabulous restaurant on 2nd floor (will blow your mind !), and great Café Cubana downstairs. Basic room with all mod cons about 2600 incl breakfast (worth about 400). Really helpful friendly staff.
Ok, can’t be that good right ? Wrong. It is good, used to be fabulous. The atmosphere is just unbelievable---you have to see it to believe it. Should be kept as a heritage site. If you like the 1950s, then you will die for this place.
Ok, a few downsides I can live with. Elevator a bit slow, but the elevator boys were great and always a pleasure to jump in there and catch up on gossip.
Music in Cubana a bit loud at times…. Not enough outside tables….food a bit pricey, but mostly (not) good. Order one hamburger for 2 people. No happy hour anymore. Honest, hard to find faults. It’s simply a home away from home. Treat them with respect and you will get A1+ service and enjoyment.
Bottom line, I wouldn’t stay anywhere else. As they say when I turn up, “Welcome back, welcome home, sir.”
UPDATE Feb 2024: Hadn't been back for 5 yrs, a few changes. The former staff all gone, Reception now on Level 3, not my old friends anymore :( but Josie/Joy good.) New elevator. The porterboy (new) is a complete twit, kept asking my gf for her ID when he was told already she not some street girl. Prices up, rooms beginning to look shabby, plumbing getting a bit jaded. But otherwise about the same. The filling station has greatly expanded, maybe too much, now missing that parochial/exclusive feel, and staff therein are mostly slow and incompetent. Price also up 50%. Cubana been glassed in in part, smaller, street tables limited and available only after 5pm (why?) and when the doorman bozo opens the door to the inside which is 99% of the time the music is too loud. Overall has lost some charm, but a new addition is the Catlady. Food is crap (see nxt column for better/cheaper places nearby).
NSCC Hotel Vigan
Reyes St. Vigan.
Email: nscchotelvigan@gmail.com
Ask for Jillian or Lovely…and yes, they are lovely.
An old Spanish house converted, very well furnished and quiet. Friendly staff, safe, rates reasonable. Convenient location. Nice old-feel atmosphere. Restaurant ok, but breakfast could do with some spicing up. Would certainly stay there again.
La Vista Pagsanjan Resort
Garcia St. Pangsanjan. Laguna.
Contact Beth Santales 0918 3011 775
This is an Ok hotel, basic, but pleasant, quiet, run by the owner herself. Cheap prices (about 1,000 a night), small room but sufficient. No hot water. Pleasant balcony overlooking the river. Can arrange boat rides to the water-falls (which everywhere are way overpriced). Not much around in terms of food outlets except some cheap street food, but 2 good restaurants up the street. Five minute trike ride into main town.
Grand Seas Resort
Subic/Olongapo
0917 844 7327
Email: reservations@subicgrandseas.com; sibicgrandseasresort@gmail.com
83 National Highway, Bo Barretto, Olongapo.
A pleasant and comparatively cheap place, 1,700 pesos a night, nice restaurant, small pool and reasonable view. Not much activity or guests. Rooms special and clean. Free breakfast and massage. We compared others and it came out pretty near top in terms of pleasantness and facilities for price. Staff friendly. Just a nice place to relax, but not much to do in Olongapo, so a bit far to get into Subic.
Could generate a better social atmosphere by opening up the unused BBQ and bar in the garden.
UPDATE: Feb 2024. The place is now totally run down, NO resto or bar, noisy karaoke. Stayed one night and moved to next place
Suzuki Hotel/resort 100% better, same price, friendly staff, nice outlook, bar and resto good food, but rooms a bit small unless u wanna pay more...but hey, who looks out the window when they're asleep? No complaints except no elevator.
Update March 2026. Having stayed there a few years ago, when my friend and I were just about the only guests, it was very pleasant and we got a 20% discount. We had transferred to Suzuki then because the prior hotel next door was simply uncouth and noisy (with karaoke); expecting a quiet time, on this last occasion we encountered a basic room with a village of mosquitoes resident; the housekeeper sprayed the room, which helped. Going out we immediately ran into excessively loud karaoke in some grandstand of the hotel. This lasted for 3 days, complete with annoying (kulit) rambunctious kids and hordes of Filo families with their picnics. Has a pool but impossible to have a quiet swim among hundreds of kids.
So, 2nd day we moved to Papagayo Beach Hotel, which surprisingly cheaper that Susuki.
Suzuki used to be nice, but now drowned out by hordes and noise. However, staff were always friendly and helpful.
Papagayo Beach Hotel, right next door to Suzuki in Olongapo, this oasis hotel had nice, large rooms (no mozzies), upstairs or ground floor with garden settings, and was quiet with extensive grounds with many tables, soft music of Spanish or Mexican genre, and no karaoke ! Food was a bit pricey but generally good, and rooms were the same cost as Suzuki. Only small drawback was no outside food or drinks allowed in, because, as they said, they have a restaurant. Fair enough. Also, their swim pool was under renovation (March 2026). While the place looked up- market, we were surprised to find it was not so, although had many trappings of a quiet, clean, efficient hotel on the beach. 41/2 stars. Would definitely stay there again.
88 Plaza Hotel Ilioilo.
I never understand new management---always wanting to put their new stamp on things and fail dismally in doing so. This is the case of 88 Plaza Hotel, Iloilo City (Delgado St). In short, give it a big miss.
We stayed there in Nov 2025 and it was quite nice and cheap (1500 pesos a nite); rooms were basic, smallish, and the promised hot water never eventuated. Had a room with a quaint view of a small street and cross-street. Restaurant downstairs served actually good food at reasonable prices, cooked on premises by a female chef who seemed to take pride in her work.
About 5 months later, based on our past experience and the price, we went back there (March 2026). Price had gone up to 1800 for the same basic room, but this time NO hot water, and the cistern on the loo was broken, and the bidet hose gave only a dribble. Initially allocated a room facing a main street, which left us impossible to sleep most of the night, so we transferred to a similar but smaller room that hopefully was quieter----except for the barking dog outside. The restaurant also went downhill, we finding out food was “cooked” at another place now and transported to the resto, quality declined to the point of frozen veges were nuked (insufficiently) and passed off as “fresh”. Ha!
Then came the crunch: when we booked out after 3 days, not able to have a decent bath, and with the loo inadequately operating, it seems in wiping my ass got a bit of poo on a hand towel; on inspection hotel staff informed me I had to pay extra 500 pesos for so-called special washing. If I had known I would have washed it myself. Well, that allowed me to let loose verbally at the poor, hapless receptionist girl who had up until this point been quite nice and helpful; not her rule, but she had to follow it.
In short, check the bathroom, for hot water, if all works, check for noise etc, then I figure if you have to do all that don’t stay there. Zero/10, and all bc the management had changed and screwed up rules and food etc. Clearly they don’t value customers, the very source of their profits. Will NOT return to 88 Plaza ever again.
ACE FRANCIS HOTEL, Tacloban
A new hotel, clean, quiet, modern, convenient location, Real St Tacloban. Small rooms, start at 1200php. Breakfast included. Suggest give it a try.
acehoteltac@gmail.com Ph: 0917 829 3275
Ziggurat Cuisine, Makati
Officially at the corner of Tigris and Abaca Streets (or Euphrates St), just off P. Burgos St.
The best restaurant/bar in Manila. After 10 years of visiting Burgos St I discovered wonderfully what I had been missing. Only 10 metres from noisy Burgos St, Ziggurat is the most quiet and pleasant place in Manila. Despite being tucked in at the meeting of two small lanes, it has ambience, soft Middle Eastern/Indian music and décor, super friendly staff and owner, and what more could you ask for?---really good food to die for!
The menu is so long one could eat here each day of the year and still not get through it, so my friends and I chose 3-4 dishes, all of them superb. The first was North Indian Thali, enough for two people, and enough alone to inspire this review. At about 750 pesos (that’s 375 each) it was impeccable. Next day was the Southern Indian version, equally delicious, then some kind of kebab etc etc…. Also sells San Mig and other beers and especially local Engkanto beer and other beverages, desserts…and on and on. It struck me as so odd that while the medieval Brits were eating rabbit gruel, the Indians and Middle Easterners were partying!
Unfortunately there was no view of the Tigris or Ganges, so the only suggestion I would have is to replicate this venue at a quiet seaside location.
Forget 5 Stars, this gets 10 !!! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Mandy House Restaurant
Mediterranean and Indian cuisine
Durban St., Makati (turn right off P. Burgos St).
In the heart of bustling noisy redlight area of Makati this is a gem of quiet; it is in fact the most quiet place I have ever found in Manila. Few customers, but great food, more than enough for two per plate, with an abundance of rice of different kinds, meats, seafood and vege. No loud music, décor “old fashion” says owner, but we liked it: not plastique, but clean and nostalgia. The ambience is a retreat and a treat. Prices great, service excellent, and owners friendly. Don’t change a thing! Five-plus stars. My friends and I ate there many times. Opens 11am for a late breakfast or brunch (esp. eggs, rice and potato).
Khao Khai Thai Chicken House
Ebro St just off Durban St (right off Burgos St)
Great food, cheap prices, beer, friendly service good simple ambience, but needs play Thai music softly not awful bop bop crap. Certainly worth a visit or two.
D SmokeShack by Steve (al fresco dining [open air]). This place has now sadly closed
75 Real St. Tacloban City (about half a km from Robinsons)
0918 2559 534/09164 585 800
Rating: VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This resto/bar was an absolute Oasis on the outskirts of Tacloban city. On a main arterial road, but set back, on a green, bushy lot that is still undergoing development, with all white tables and chairs, we stumbled upon it by accident---and thanked the Lord for that.
Menu a bit limited (Steve said, and I agree, that some places have 20-30 page menus that are confusing and cluttered, but I think Steve could add a few more dishes to his simple but delightful and tasty choices).
The food ?---simple but delicious. Not that quasi-mass production food you get at Jerry’s or Savoury etc. I had BBQ chicken, cooked like real BBQ chicken Filo style but with added spices you could taste, and soft and succulent. The rice new and soft and moist, and the chop-suey was the real stuff. My gf and her sis (Len) had squid and gulped it all down….not a tentacle left. Add a few cold beers and great atmosphere, some soft music, green bushes, it was a good birthday night. And the price…cheap. (About 800 php for all that including the beer).
Ok, HIGHLY recommended, a simple but also in some ways sophisticated place, for the discerning diner. And service (by Rochelle) was excellent---helpful, smiling, joking, and professional, letting us know that our food was almost ready naman.
The setting: an old house lot, with a rustic air about it, simple furniture, clean, dirt floor (it’s outside) with stones and plants and trees, sail-type canvas roofing. Plans to expand a little with a small bar and coffee. Overall ambience excellent. It just shows that Filos CAN do it well. Toilet was amazingly clean--good work !
OK, downside…? None, just a few suggestions I discussed with Steve.
Menu needs just a few more items.
Music a little bit loud, just turn it down a bit, but also could play more Filo or classical music in line with the ambience of the place.
A few more tables needed without cluttering.
Definitely expand…. coffee/bar a must but don’t lose the ambience and sophistication. Don’t pander to the riff-raff. Time provincial cities got a bit of sophisticated culinary delights and locations.
Needs more advertising.
Staff are very important, so don’t lose them. Give them a bonus or shares in the business. Rochelle was excellent. The BBQ boy friendly, etc.
The roofing was nice, but a worry in wet weather… don’t know how to deal with that….maybe a nipa roof ABOVE the sails ?
OK, bottom line: Excellent in most respects, would definitely eat there again, in fact, if I had money would invest in it. It was a real showcase of what Filos can do.
https://www.facebook.com/D-SmokeShack-by-Steve-1035669209812456/
VIETNAM
Saigon/Ho Chi Min City
La Felix Hotel--- Now Palago MC Hotel,
287 PHAM NGU LAO ST, DISTRICT 1, HCMC
(08) 38386974
A pleasant and safe hotel among very many in the area. Room ok, with hot water, quiet, but no window (you can get rooms with windows). $25/night. Free good breakfast in a nice restaurant on the top floor that gives a good view.
Staff friendly, helpful and English manageable. In the heart of the tourist area, convenient. Can arrange tours, buses etc for you. Would certainly stay there again.
Formerly La Felix has not undergone many changes under new management. Again, friendly, helpful staff, cheap prices, good rooms, and decent breakfast included. Centrally located.
Contact: palagomchhotel287289@gmail.com or 028 3838 6972. 287 Pham Bgu Lao P.Ben Thanh TP HCM
Serene Shining Hotel & Restaurant, Hue.
“Quiet with very good food and service”
Not a famous resto, needs promotion, but food was great and cheap, and staff excellent x 2. It was good having 2 beautiful waitresses who had plenty of time to chat in good English, and offer advice etc. Would definitely eat there again and try other dishes. Excellent.
Hotel:
Located about 10 min walk from touristy area, rooms spacious and comfortable for only $22 incl very good bfast. Restaurant is not used much but very cosy and food great and cheap. Waitresses Sarah and Tina and others very nice. ALL staff very very friendly and helpful and beautiful also, and English good. Can arrange tours. Bar across the street for relaxing. Quiet. Would definitely stay there again.
Room Tip: Just ask to see the room and choose, staff very helpful, no problems
Hotel Seventeen Saloon, Da Nang
Good spacious room with views only $26-$35 including breakfast. Very clean and quiet. Bathroom huge, but could do with grab handles in the shower as floor gets wet and slippery. No complaints but would suggest a few minor running repairs and staff need to improve their English, but they were friendly and helpful. Breakfast ok, not great but be early it finishes at 9am. Major downside is that hotel is isolated, no nearby shops etc, so can't get food, beer or cigs. Restaurant had only 1 brand of beer. Bar next door is very very expensive.
Room Tip: Most rooms have a view, just ask to see b4 u choose.
A25 Hotel 12 Ngo Sy Lien, Dong Na. TP. Ha Noi. Web 12nsl@25hotel.com ph 024 3747 588 Hanoi
Part of a chain, large room Wwe had), good price. Friendly, helpful staff, cheap prices, good rooms, and decent breakfast included. Centrally located. Note: check out times are set every 24 hours from your check-in. We arrived at 5am (morning), and checked out 2-3 days later at 9am, so they charged us for about 3 “extra” hours, since we were supposed to check out at 5am.
Vian Hotel, Da Nang. 124 Pham Van Dong, Son Tra
Web: sm@vianhoteldanang.com Ph: 0236 3931 318/319
FaceBk: vian124
Not bad. The young girl receptionist wasn’t too smiley when we first arrived (at least toward me…(hey, I have that effect on girls…) But she warmed up next day when I made her laugh. Other staff fine. Rooms quite good and large and cheap. Breakfast good, but on 12th Fl and elevator only goes to 11th. Pool also, but quite small. Seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere, but not far from the beach---which was a dismal wipe out: nothing there except sand, wind and cold, surrounded by high rise buildings and new ones under construction. 7/11 nearby, and cheap good eating place across the road. Seemed to be a bit far from downtown.
Need hand rails on the 20 steps at front and better help from a doorman. Many Koreans I think there, and indeed around town.
Overall, fine. Don’t count on the “lunch/dinner” or bar being open.
Hotel does money change and can arrange tours, but beware. We booked a day trip (Veen Tours?) to the Ban na hills (or I prefer Banana Hills), about 30 mins drive. But I went bananas. It was raining and cold, and in the middle of a cloud, so couldn’t see 10 feet in front. Banana Hills overrated (as most such places are), with hordes and hordes and millions of tourists from everywhere (mostly Asian or Indian), couldn’t get onto the golden (hands) bridge, and if you did u couldn’t see anything because of the cloud. The tour guide was a complete nutcase novice, who needs to brush up on his English and presentation. One more time he say “4th Floor” I would have smacked him, as I nearly did. Be careful who you/they book with. The tour people or hotel could have advised us about the rainy, poor conditions.
Joy Inn Airport Hotel
419 Cong Hoa, Ward 15, Tan Binh District, HCMC.
Near the airport (ofc). Not much Joy here. Arrive 2am in desperation for a bed to sleep in. After convincing the young male receptionists (who liked like he was still a uni student) that we didn’t have a booking, but did he have a room in any case––yes!— fell into a double bed, a little hard, in a bland basic room, with adjoining bathroom. Ok, it let is sleep 10 hours, but the morning light revealed a very smelly bathroom---smells of cigarette smoke coming thru its ceiling vent, and the loo stinking of shit. Basic, and adequate if u wanna sleep only; no food available nearby (bc it was so late, said he, using his fone to translate Viet to English and back). Well, it was cheap and nasty, cockroaches friendly, smell loo, and no food. One night was enough. Oh, and the elevator was big enough for one person and a suitcase.
CAMBODIA
Cozyna Hotel
1A Sisowath Quay
Phnom Penh
(855-23) 222 366
(855) 1266 2200
Along the river front, and convenient. $25/night, pleasant room, hot water. No free breakfast but many restaurants nearby at very cheap prices. Pleasant and safe. Staff friendly and helpful and speak English. Would stay there again.
Be Queen Boutique/Hotel
Jean Co Maile Rd
Siem Reap
+855 61 7777 02
www.bequeenboutiquehotel.com
Was picked up by a driver (free), who, it turned out, works with rather than for the hotel, even though it was only a short trip from the bus station. Was warmly welcomed with hot tea, and after a 7 hr bus ride felt the spacious room was heaven. King size bed, large room, lush surroundings. Staff very friendly and pretty. Free breakfast, all for $30 a night. Hot water, but no window view. Hotel very quiet tucked away in a residential street (which made it about 10-15 min walk to main part of town), with swimming pool. One drawback was the hotel tended to have an unofficial early curfew (10-11pm). A safe, friendly, English-speaking pleasant stay, but could do with some direction on how to get into the town proper, although not that far away.
The driver was willing to be a tourist guide ($30/day incl petrol) and certainly knew his way around and could speak English quite well.
If you want a definite sophisticated and very quiet hotel away from the main drag nightlife this is perfect.
Thailand
Bangkok
Rambuttri Village Inn & Plaza
95 Soi Ram Buttri, Chakkra Phong, Phra Nakorn
+66 )0) 2 282 9162
Found this by accident as there are many many hotels in this area. Quite a large hotel set back of a small street that joins a major street in the heart of the tourist area. I was advised by a fellow traveller to find a hotel like this, where I wouldn’t be disturbed by the 3am riff raff tourists.
Room pleasant but a little small; rooms vary. Had a window with limited but nice view, overlooking, of all things, an attractive Buddhist temple---where, I was forewarned, the monks would ring the bell and do their chants for a few minutes at 6am. I actually found it nice and reassuring.
Ok, so no complaints. Staff were friendly, spoke English, restaurant downstairs outside with fishpond and garden quite good, and free breakfast. Hot water, safe, and cheap: $25/night. Convenient to bars and all the touristy things. Oh, and yes, it was quiet. Would stay there again.
HK
CASA Deluxe Hotel, Kowloon, HongKong
483 Nathan Rd
enquiry@casadeluxehotel.com.hk
A newish hotel, bit hard to find, but clean and modern. About $AUD100 a nite.
Cash or CC (they didn’t know what a TravelCard was). Speak English ok.
Basic greet and sleep, WiFi, but no breakfast facilities, quiet, and no smoking in the rooms. Overall pleasant and unfettered.
Dabarkadz Filipino Restaurant, Hong Kong.
Run by Grace and her husband and 2 sons, nice set up, friendly, a bit small (typical in HK), with some outside tables. Typical Filo menu and Filo beer in bottles and draught. Thank you !
Good little spot near the markets in Kowloon, especially if you want to get away from chopstick food for a while. A pleasant experience. Give it a try. Prices good.
Contact Ruel or Grace at dabarkadzrestaurant@gmail.com
113 Woo Sung St, Jordan, Kowloon.
WaggaWagga, NSW
MANTRA Pavillion
Good value, good service, clean and quiet etc. We had a 2 bedroom apartment-style, that worked well for 3 of us, at $200 a night all up. Tea/coffee in the room, a good fridge, centrally located, easy parking. Breakfast good. There was no dinner/lunch service available, which made it difficult to find food at night for visitors. But a good Italian resto across the street. The bar/lounge area was nice, and embellished by the young, attractive waitress/receptionist who play-listed her favourites---1950s and the Beatles. Would stay again, and hope they don't change anything except add some dinner facilities or information on where to eat. 41/2 stars.
Not so cheap, but ever so small rooms. Stayed at one in Singapore: IBIS Styles Albert, was ok, bit small, had a resto but didn’t use, seemed expensive, some bars and restos down the street quite good, and street/local family food place around the corner (very cheap and nice). IBIS Staff generally ok. Later stayed one night at IBIS Selgie, room so small couldn’t swing even a kitten in it; no window but did put in fake portholes so guess u felt yr in a submarine…. No resto, but 7/11 nxt door, and Indian resto 2 steps away.
Had stayed at IBIS at Sydney airport, basic, and 2 in Perth, both these good. So they vary, and not always cheap nor always convenient for food. Look at room sizes in sq feet, not the fake pics.
INDIA
Delhi: Sarovar Portico in Agra. Very good. Comfy large room, hotel staff good, good resto. VERY cold in the hotel common areas (guess they're used to 42 degrees). Has a pool. Location a mess, nothing special nearby. Would stay again.
Park Inn by Raddisson New Delhi, Nagar. Quite good. Again very cold in common area, No grand views. Nice resto, 800 rupees a night, large room old style. Would stay again