Gorgeous Spaces at the Diamond Suites and Residences (Cebu City)

I love clean spaces particularly if it plays with geometric figures, color, and lights. My German friend once pointed out how I kept taking photos of hallways. I just like the possibilities of open spaces, the what-could-be's. In this post, I am posting several areas at the Diamond Suites and Residences in Cebu City.

The Archbishop Reyes Street and Escario area is a haven of big, mostly new sparkling hotels. I have stayed in each one except for Park Lane and Hotel Elizabeth. Diamond is one of the smaller hotels in the area but it's also more intimate. Agoda offers slightly more expensive rates compared to other hotels in the area, like Mandarin Plaza and Quest Hotel so all these years, this has made me wonder.

Finally, I gave it a try. This is what I found out: great staff; breakfast buffet at the ground floor restaurant called "Grain Restaurant" offers a set of delectable food although the choices are rather limited. Rooms are spacious and very clean, particularly the bathrooms. Memory Pillows are very comfortable. Boxed type AC's give it a dated feel but AC's work adequately.

What bothered me was the wifi connection which was non-existent in my room at the 4th floor. It never worked - at all! I asked for a LAN cable but though this finally gave me an online connection, it was plodding. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for having no wifi service. I will never book in a hotel without it in my room. Internet access is essential.

If I have internet wifi in my hotel rooms in Madagascar, the world's 10th poorest country, how can a suites hotel like Diamond Suites and Residences NOT have one? It baffles. So this is something the hotel can obviously improve on. Wifi at the lobby is fast but I can't work overtime at the lobby. Good elevator; there's a pool but I didn't bother to check it out. Ayala Mall is just a block away.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

"the possibilities of open spaces... the what-could-be's"

How's this for breakfast?

Grain Restaurant

Entrance facing Apitong Street. Multicabs heading for Jones or Colon pass through this street.

Hotel Nova - Accommodations in KL

KL has become a very familiar city for me. I must have visited the city a dozen times (including transits that usually last 1 day or 2). But I've discovered a way to keep these visits "fresh" - by trying to discover new hotels. Of late, they've become part of the itinerary. Though not as relaxing as staying in just a single hotel, I get to discover the area surrounding the hotel. I try to limit these so-called discoveries within Bukit Bintang because this is where I eat, watch movies, take my trains, shop, forage for DVD's. Hotel Nova is one of the 4 new hotels I've checked out recently. And it's a very purple experience.

Getting to Hotel Nova wasn't a walk in the park. After checking out of Beltif Hotel, the rains started to fall. With my 9 kg backpack, I decided a combination of walking and taking the train (one stop from Imbi to Bukit Bintang station). By the time I got to Jalan Alor, the trickle of rain had turned into downpour that lasted for hours - and I didn't have an umbrella with me. I'm usually too lazy to bring one, and carrying a rain coat considerably adds to the weight of the bag. I waited beside a hotel at the extreme end of Alor Street. Hotel Nova is a 5 minute walk to the other side. By this time, I was already partially drenched.

After a 45 minute wait, I decided to make a dash into the rain - and walking along Alor doesn't necessarily allow a sprint (cars, tables, people congest this lane). I made it into the hotel lobby, handed my Agoda voucher, then without much fanfare, was whisked away at the 6th floor - room 606. I was glad to leave the lobby as it was a zoo out there, and the hotel staff seemed too morose to really care who came in or went.

The minute I closed the door behind me, the rain that never let up stopped - like some joke made in my behalf. :)

The room was a breath of fresh air. It was spacious and thematically designed, with purple walls adored with the painting of a sleeping baby. The room had an excellent view of the skyline. I liked the interiors as well, cute lampshades, light fixtures, a well hidden refrigerator stocked with goodies, and more importantly, the queen-sized bed with fragrant sheets and comfortable bed and pillows. The TV set is still the bulky one, but I hardly use it anyway. The bathroom is as spacious, very clean, dry, and the water pressure is more than adequate. Wifi is likewise available in the room (choose the room level for your pick of connections).

Needless to say, Hotel Noval is centrally located as it stands in the heart of the hawker's street. My booking included breakfast (at CasaNova Cafe), but I didn't bother try it as it would be an unpleasant quick fit into my schedule. I had an early flight to Queensland, Australia. I'd skip breakfast anytime for that. LOL

Hotel Nova could be warmer and more hospitable, but it teems with guests (mostly locals) so they could rationalize out of their disregard for pleasantries. It isn't really an excuse, but at least they weren't rude. Would I stay here again? You bet I would.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Entrance of Hotel Nova

The foyer.

Front Desk

Displays at the waiting room.

CasaNova Cafe, Hotel Nova's restaurant (above and below).

My room at 606

My favorite spot. I could sit in front of the window and just look at the view outside.

Sleeping child.

Light fixture at the table thematically agrees with the painting.

AC control. This control hangs by the wall and is unstable, I had to hold it when maneuvering.

Lots of rolled tissues and towels.

6th level hallway.

My door.

Morning at Jalan Alor at the extreme end of the street.

Hotel Orkid Inn - Accommodations in KL

Among the KL hotels that I've stayed in during my long haul travel last March and April (2012), Hotel Orkid Inn was easily my least favorite. It's also the cheapest, and is really a testament to the worth of money that could buy you pleasure. Cheap is analogous to spartan facilities and even poorer hospitality. I somehow expected this but I am stubborn. I needed to check out cheaper options because not a lot of travelers can always stay in Le Apple Boutique Hotel most of the time. This was a traipse to the lower tier of accommodations. But much as I hate to admit it, it isn't really all that bad - if you're not finicky.

The hotel itself can't quite make up its mind: is it an "inn" or is it a "hotel"? To address the dilemma, it chose to name itself both. It is Hotel Orkid Inn. It is located in a 4-story building that's seen better days. It's mostly dwarfed by its nearby neighbors - Taragon and Furama Hotels to its left; Berjaya Times Square to its right. With Jalan Pudu in front of it and the Imbi monorail station just a few minutes walk away, the building stands on a prime location. Good word of mouth can even inspire bustling business. Obviously that won't come from me.

DIRECTION FROM THE AIRPORT

If you're coming straight from the airport, just hop on a bus to KL Sentral (9 ringgit), then take the monorail train to Imbi (1.60 ringgit, 6 stops). From there, just walk towards Jalan Pudu, turn left then find this yellow-and-pink building before reaching Jalan Changkat Thamby Dollah. It won't take you 10 minutes from Imbi. Cheap transit, indeed.

WHAT IS CHEAP WORTH?

Once you find this building, take the stairs and head to the 3rd floor where the hotel lobby is. The hotel occupies the 3rd and 4th floor of this building that's easy to ignore because unlike other hotels in Jalan Pudu, there are no grand, glittery lobbies. I handed my Agoda booking to a guy of Indian descent who seemed surprise to see me. Funny thing was, I wasn't the "pleasant surprise", was how I felt upon arrival. "I have a booking," I told the guy. He took my voucher and without saying a single word, he pointed me to a stair to his left. Was he vocally impaired? Aphonic? Sick of the suppurative form of tonsillopharyngitis? "My room is uptairs?" I asked. "Yes," he finally muttered. He wasn't MUTE after all. But you see, when you're paying just a nickel, don't expect first class service or world class hospitality. In the scheme of things, what you hand out and what you get eventually go with the territory.

Now I am not into red carpets rolled before me. I want my arrivals as painless and swift as possible, but it's another thing to feel unwanted in a place I pay 79 ringgit for, regardless of how paltry the amount is. Don't I even deserve a clipped smile? Crazy people, if you ask me.

With key in hand, I found my room at 302. It had a double bed with a good sized bathroom, an AC, a television set circa 1970, and a window with a view. The lobby has a common sitting room, but you would be better off trying any of the restaurants in the vicinity - and there are several, inexpensive and otherwise.

OTHER ORKID HOTELS

For backpackers, this place would suffice, for sure. I've seen far worse places at a higher price. There are taxis plying Pudu at most times of the day - or night. By the way, there are 2 other similarly named hotels in the vicinity so if you book in one, make sure you know which one exactly. The other one is called Hotel Orkid, just at the back of Hotel Orkid Inn. It stands beside a row of restaurants and videoke bars. The other one is also called Hotel Orkid also facing Jalan Pudu at the other side of Furama, and a little farther away from Bukit Bintang (this has a spiffy, bright lobby with glass walls).

I do find interest in discovering places that other travelers inhabit. Sometimes you feel grateful you find one that suits, not just your budget, but your temperament as well. This one falls under my radar of comforts, but I am sure others will find this acceptable. I actually felt this, but looking back, why force yourself on people who can't even offer a welcoming smile? There are literally hundreds of other guesthouses in KL, several of them - maybe 3 dozens or more along Jalan Pudu where this hotel is. I'd be happier spending my petty cash on other hotels.

This is the Eye in the Sky!    

Don't miss the small door/entrance (a stairway) at the right corner of the building.

Small hotel entrance leading to a stair. Right outside is Jalan Pudu.

Front desk at the 3rd level of the building.

Sitting room

Stairs to the 4th level.

Fourth floor hallway. My room was 302.

My double bed was very comfortable but I worried a bit about the stains and condition of the lower bunk.

A dab of fresh paint sure made the difference, but you know the room has seen better days in the carpet and bed.

Fourth floor view. The blue and white building is a Police Headquarters.

A view from one of the windows at the 4th floor. Berjaya Times Square behind the old shop houses.

Taragon and Furama Hotel - two hotels in one huge building complex.

Other options, if budget is tight:

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/03/accommodations-in-kuala-lumpur-part-1.html
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/03/accommodations-in-kuala-lumpur-part-2.html
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/04/backpack-accommodation-in-kl-part-3.html

Hotel Orkid found at the street parallel to Jalan Pudu at the back of my hotel

The other Hotel Orkid along Jalan Pudu, closer to Furama. Unfortunately, the surroundings along this Jalan Pudu stretch leaves much to be desired. There's nothing there that will interest tourists. No restaurants, internet shops, department stores. This stretch is also mostly dark at night so I am not so sure you'd feel safe walking this part. It's my impression. I could be wrong. The lobby of this hotel looks a LOT better than my hotel so that could be a plus.