Microtel Inn & Skylight Hotel - Accommodations in Puerto Princesa Part 2

We weren’t aware of Microtel Inn and Suites until we were in Palawan. People speak of it in moderated exclamations – and for a very good reason! My visit to Microtel was serendipitous at best. I was supposed to visit Nagtabon Beach west of Puerto Princesa. After having learned of the risky road conditions, I ordered my van to backtrack and go back to the city instead. On a whim, I told him to head straight to Microtel not knowing exactly what to expect. Upon reaching Barangay San Manuel, we turned left from the National Highway and traveled 3.2 kilometers.

I was unsure if we would be allowed in since we weren’t registered guests, and the place looked pretty exclusive, going through guard houses and a well secured compound. We decided to get some snack instead. I was sure they wouldn’t turn down paying guests. Upon entry, we were met by the affable Ms. Mariam Gabo Orlido who escorted us to the beachfront. We were told they were on their soft opening, currently hosting a team-building group from Davao City. While waiting for my order, I was able to gallivant. I was in awe of the expanse of the beach. The waters have ebbed back to the seas so there was quite a stretch of sand dunes that go for about 150 meters or so. The waters were crystal clear and there was hardly a soul walking around. They have a swimming pool facing the sea, and the immediate grounds were combed into a surreal spot that fantasies are made of.

Microtel Inn and Suites has 50 fully furnished rooms (and those inviting chiropractic-standard beds) and is the only beachfront hotel resort in mainland Puerto Princesa. It sits by the shores of the white-sand Emerald Beach in Puerto Princesa City, just 7 km from the Puerto Princesa Airport. Prices start at PhP4,000 with discounts during off-peak season.

For more information, visit them here - http://www.microtel-palawan.com/ or call them at +63-48-723.0977. You can also email them at puertoprincesa@microtel.ph. Their Manila office is at 2F PHINMA PLAZA, #39 Plaza Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City 1200. Call them at +632-8997171 or +632-8700100. Resident Manager is Mr. Rene C. Suarez. For further info, once you’re there, look for the accommodating Ms. Maryam Gabo Orlido.

Facing the beach...

Lobby

Notice the spectacular mangrove design of the table.

A huge serving of pesto pasta at PhP164 ($3.50)

Skylight Hotel is my friend Elena’s recommendation when I asked her while I was planning for this trip. Skylight’s main come-on is its very central location – right in the heart of town, along Rizal Avenue, a few strides from Jollibee, ATM’s, NCCC, and some 3 blocks from the Provincial Capitol or the Baywalk. Skylight also offers free airport shuttle and transfer service, and price is inclusive of buffet breakfast. The main drawback of the place is the stifling room space. A 3-bed room feels cramped, and one could easily slide into claustrophobia if there were more than 2 persons in the room. There’s skimpy space to navigate between your bed and the bathroom, which was thankfully clean, dry and has new fixtures.

Skylight rooms have verandas, which was where I made my calls because the walls were very thick resulting into poor to zero signal. I had to leave my cell phone outside the veranda while I was sleeping just so I won’t miss any incoming message. What I like about the place (it’s recently been upgraded from an apartelle-type accommodation to a hotel) is its smell and its bright freshly-coated rooms, spanking new A/Cs that will freeze the bejesus out of you, spacious bathrooms, clean and new and comfortable bed, cable TV (of course) and a very friendly and efficient front desk staff. In fact, upon check out, they offered to take us (for free) to our next hotel (we moved to 3 different ones during our Palawan stay). We didn’t even ask coz we weren’t going to the airport, and to be honest, if my guest were moving to another hotel, I’d rather not take them there. That was a very magnanimous offer.

For breakfast, you have to get your “stubs” from the concierge and present it to the waiter at the restaurant. I was looking forward to the buffet but the spread was limited and at best, mediocre, which was a disappointment since most of my gastronomic experience in Puerto Princesa had been very satisfactory. Oh well.

The hotel proper is located at the back of their restaurant. To get in, you have to pass through the restaurant, or a side lane beside the restaurant. My room was worth PhP1,750 ($37.30) based on double occupancy, which we booked (via long distance) through Ivy. If there are 3 of you, the 3^rd person has to pay an additional PhP580 (making it PhP2,330 of $49.70 for 3 persons). Skylight Hotel is located at 210A Rizal Avenue in Puerto Princesa. Call them at +63-(048) 434-4872 / 434-7886 (63) 917-533-6967. 

For more info, visit http://ph.88db.com/ph/Services/Post_Detail.page/Travel_Leisure/Hotels_Accommodation/?PostID=141618 or http://www.puertoprincesaresorts.com/skylighthotel.php.

Skylight Hotel's shuttle service

Badjao Inn is the other backpacker institution in Puerto Princesa. It's located at 350 Rizal Avenue , Puerto Princesa City. Call them at +63-48-4332761 for reservations. Badjao Inn is located very close to the Provincial Capitol. The side street just beside Badjao Inn is the same road going to Casa Linda Inn. Right across the road is One Rover's Place (below), a new affordable hotel in the city. Check out their site - http://www.oneroversplace.com/. Rates start at PhP950.

Puerto Princesa Airport - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/10/puerto-princesa-airport-chaos-in-small.html

The Long Hard Road to Luang Prabang Part 2

My night bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang





WAITING GAME

In Vientiane. At the North Bus Station.

It was 5PM. I have 3 hours to spare. I walked out of the station and proceeded to the nearby Butterfly Restaurant. My very first proper meal in 25 hours! My last meal was a snack at Klever Juice in Hanoi. I ordered Chicken Fried Rice at 15,000 kip ($1.87), Iced Lemon Juice at 8,000 kip ($1) and Pepsi at 4,000 ($0.50). The place was also a karaoke bar with waiters outnumbering their customers by 1:5. My waiter was extra attentive. I’d take a single sip and he refills. I’d turn to get my camera from my backpack and he assists. It was embarrassing. Why do I seem to get very enthusiastic waiters? During my meal, he began relaying his sob stories. I’m awash with melancholy. I was in Laos to have fun, yet he was making me cry. So I masticated my food faster than I had to. I churned the chicken meat with my molars until I was victorious enough to respond with “Can I have my bill?”

LAO MUSIC

At 8PM, I boarded my bus. I was satiated. I took my seat just in front of the last row. The bus boasts of a toilet. At 8:10, the engine roared to life and I was – finally! – on my way to Luang Prabang. Two Lao boys sat behind me. One of them was playing his iPod, occasionally singing along – aloud! – with Westlife songs (Fool Again, My Love) although his lyrics were mangled into unintelligible words. It sounded cute. I’d go to France and do a French song. I’m sure they’ll find me cute too. LOL. The aircon was blowing steadily. I had my jacket on. I closed my eyes and relaxed as a loud line-up of Lao rock boomed from the speakers. Oh well. I might as well listen to Lao music in Laos. Where else will I be lucky enough to hear them? It’s an opportunity to educate myself.


I was getting comfortable with my position. I felt I was heading into deep sleep. Ten (10) hours to get to Luang Prabang! It better be worth it! My head tilted against the empty seat beside me. Then it got uncomfortable. I opened my eyes, checked the air vents. OH MY GOD! NO AIR!

OH NO! NOT AGAIN!


FAST FACTS:

Official name: Laos PDR (People’s Democratic Republic)
Capital: Vientiane
Government: Socialist Republic ( i.e. Communist)
Independence: From France July 1949
President: Lt. Gen. Choumally Sayasone
Population: 6.5 million (Vietnam now has 86 million)
Currency: kip ($1=8,000 kip); the dollar and the kip are accepted all over Laos although you have to be sure not to exchange too much kip since it can’t be change to other currencies outside Laos.


Mood: laidback, hospitable, friendly, good natured & honest people






RANDOM EXPENDITURES:


· Tuktuk ride from south bus station to north – $1.25 or 10,000 kip

· VIP bus ticket from Vientiane to Luang Prabang - $15 or 120,000 kip

· Chicken Fried Rice - $1.87 or 15,000 kip

· Iced Lemon Juice - $1 or 8,000 kip

· Pepsi - $0.50 or 4,000 kip

What SITEMETER tells me.

For the fun of it, I recently installed Sitemeter on my blogsite. To my surprise, about 70% of my hits come from outside the Philippines which somehow underlines the “reach” of the internet. I am aware of its reach, just not with my blogsite, which is spectacular. To be honest, this site has a limited readership. Which is fine. I just want to document my travels and, in the process, share some insight on travels to these amazing places.

I used to keep a journal on these travels. However, they just gather dust somewhere. When I try reading them again, I lose interest. I cannot read my handwriting!!! LOL. Putting them down in a blogsite is way better. For one, the photos come alive!

Here’s a cross-section from the locals hits: Caloocan, Quezon City, Baguio, Cainta Rizal, Aloguinsan Cebu, Tarlac, Makati, Manila, Baliuag and Meycauayan Bulacan, Puerto Prinsesa, Pandi Bulacan, San Pedro Laguna, Bacoor Cavite, Negros Occidental, Alang alang Leyte, Davao. Isn’t it spectacular what sitemeter can gather?

The foreign hits: Basking Ridge of New Jersey, Sydney, Bad Ddrenberg in Germany, Erlangen and Pffarkerchen of Bayern Germany, Tokyo, Brisbane of Queensland, Phoenix Arizona, Guangzhou in China, Singapore, Bombay of Maharashtra in India, Oakland California, Lexington Kentucky, Vegas, Hanoi, El Mirage California, San Jose California, Bangkok, Hayward California, Jersey City, Santa Clarita Cali, Neuhausen of Baden, Markham Ontario, Prague, Orlando Florida, Calgary Alberta, Beckenham Kent of the UK. Dubai, Vilnius Lithuania, Denmark Copenhagen, Loughborough Leicestershire, Milan, Sitka Alaska, Meezen Germany, Landskrona Sweden, Dallas Texas, El Paso Texas, Wheaton Illinois, Calcutta India, Harwich Massachusetts, Honolulu Hawaii, Billancourt France, Jakarta Indonesia, Moreno Valley Cali, Bedfordshire, Chennai, Rhododendron Oregon, Warsaw Poland, Reykjavik Iceland, Turku in Western Finland, Macon Georgia, Exeter, London City, Delhi, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Cairo, Hong Kong, San Mateo California, Maricopa Arizona, Akashi Hyogo, Vienna Austria, Kuala Lumpur, Cleveland Ohio, Gaithersburg Maryland, Madrid Spain, Corpus Christi Texas, Amsterdam, Ljubliana Slovenia, a French island territory called Reunion Island near Madagascar, Alhambra California, Saugus Massachusetts, Jacksonville North Carolina, Montreal Canada, Taipei.

All these countries in 48 hours? The world is really getting smaller!

And where in the world is Gullbringusysla? I am also getting a place called Reunion Island which, I learned, is a French territory just off the coast of Madagascar. (I met a lady from Madagascar on my train from Paris to Barcelona once. She was from Antananarivo, which I believe is the capital.) I am amazed not with the volume but the variety, the cross section of different places. I am sure it is just novelty. I am sure other blogsites get so much more (variety and hits) than what I have. Nevertheless, it blows my mind to get such detail in 48 hours from sitemeter. If you haven’t installed one for your blogsite, please do so. It’s fun.

I’m getting some places like Delhi and Calcutta, Chennai, Uttar Pradesh (isn’t that where Agra is? Taj Mahal) and I’m thinking, hey guys, I’ll probably be shaking hands with you before the year ends. Pede bang maging ka txt mate? (Can we be textmates?) Silly me!

How come there is a China? I thought the Chinese government blocks blogger.com – my friends in Shanghai cannot access my site. Why am I writing about this? Coz I am amused with what I have learned. And if anyone of YOU gets to read THIS, thank you for dropping by my blogsite. I hope you all get to travel soon. Otherwise, my blogs would solely benefit ME! LOL