KeithD
7th February 2016, 15:18
Those who have known me a long time will be aware that I often stayed in Microtel hotels in the US, especially Vegas. Owned by the Wyndhams group of hotels, it has always proved to be excellent value for money wherever I have used them. As they include free internet, parking and breakfast, it solves a number of problems. Some other hotels charge for those. The main bonus is that they are also great value for money, costing only around £30 a night, whether that be in Cavite or Las Vegas.
Most of them have bathtubs in the Philippines, except the one at MOA, which is twice the price, and shower only. You are paying for the convenience of being near MOA though, and for the views of the bay. Although unless you state which direction you wish to face, you could end up with a low floor with a view of a brick wall in MOA! A standard view in many Manila hotels, but not one I enjoy. If I wanted views like that, I would commit a few crimes in the UK, and hopefully end up in a nice prison cell.
One problem I have seen with many Manila hotels is the room size. Some of the newer hotels seem to think that a couple need a room no bigger than a rabbit hutch. Probably fine for an overnight stay, but nothing longer. Microtel rooms are not massive, but adequate. We always get the double queen bed room or suite, which are much bigger, and more pleasant to stay in for a few days or weeks.
Where the hotel is situated is about 3 miles south of General Trias, which has all of the food and shopping you need in a small area. Even so, the trikes, jeeps, and buses still manage to make a single junction behave like central London during rush hour. Yet, 200 yards either side of the junction, the roads are clear.
The hotel is just outside Eagle Ridge, a vast area of private land and five golf courses. It is a very quiet area, and a pleasure to drive through. The riff raff is kept out by the guards, although if they knew I was a scouser they probably would never have let me in. Over there though, because I am white, they think I am important! Saying that, I’m browner than the wife. I go from white to brown in the sun, while she goes from white to boiled lobster, then back to white!
Anyone interested in buying land/property in the Philippines should look closely at Eagle Ridge, especially if you want peace and quiet for years to come, as only those with plenty of money can live there. One house we seen, mansion actually, was for sale at 8,000,000php. Great value for what you get for the money.
As for the Microtel hotel itself, parking is never a problem. It is always quiet during the night, apart from the odd drunken Korean! The staff are always helpful and friendly. One thing to note is that this hotel is used for training purposes for those who wish to work in the hotel industry. This means that the place is always spotless, as someone is forever cleaning. Yes, there are a few niggles, but nothing major compared with other hotels I have stayed in during previous visits.
The hotel is also a great base for getting to Lake Taal. As mentioned in a previous post, you can drive there in 30 minutes, without seeing much traffic, something nearly as rare as an honest politician.
We always ask for a high floor facing the golf course when we stay here. That is for a number of reasons. The high floor ensures you get a better view of the surrounding area, and facing the golf courses means a view of green fields, cows, goats and birds, rather than a concrete factory, which is opposite the front. It also means the room gets the sun for most of the day, and the window has a cushion which runs along the length of it. Great for sunbathing.
One annoying thing that happened was that halfway through the stay, the workmen painted the lift doors. Not an issue, but they opened the hall windows in order to let out the fumes. Common sense. However, they never closed them before dusk so mosquitos got in. I got attacked during my sleep for 3 nights before we eradicated them all from the room. Rayna had no bites. Either they preferred British meat, or they ignored her because she looked undercooked with her white skin!
A couple of nights before we left, we entered the room late at night and I noticed something on one of the walls. Thinking it was a lizard I took a closer look only for Rayna to inform me in a screechy voice that it was a flying cockroach. This beast was about 3 inches long, and I had never seen one before. I do love this type of thing, but wifey wanted it out of the room. So I collected it in a glass, and put it out the window. Only for the wife to point out another one crawling up another wall. Again, I carefully picked it up and put it out so that it could go and annoy someone else.
We stayed for nearly 3 weeks, paying just over £600 for the stay. Not bad considering other places in Manila, of much lower standards, charge a lot more.
http://images.yalwa.ph/1002647955/Microtel-by-Wyndham-Cavite_1.jpg
Most of them have bathtubs in the Philippines, except the one at MOA, which is twice the price, and shower only. You are paying for the convenience of being near MOA though, and for the views of the bay. Although unless you state which direction you wish to face, you could end up with a low floor with a view of a brick wall in MOA! A standard view in many Manila hotels, but not one I enjoy. If I wanted views like that, I would commit a few crimes in the UK, and hopefully end up in a nice prison cell.
One problem I have seen with many Manila hotels is the room size. Some of the newer hotels seem to think that a couple need a room no bigger than a rabbit hutch. Probably fine for an overnight stay, but nothing longer. Microtel rooms are not massive, but adequate. We always get the double queen bed room or suite, which are much bigger, and more pleasant to stay in for a few days or weeks.
Where the hotel is situated is about 3 miles south of General Trias, which has all of the food and shopping you need in a small area. Even so, the trikes, jeeps, and buses still manage to make a single junction behave like central London during rush hour. Yet, 200 yards either side of the junction, the roads are clear.
The hotel is just outside Eagle Ridge, a vast area of private land and five golf courses. It is a very quiet area, and a pleasure to drive through. The riff raff is kept out by the guards, although if they knew I was a scouser they probably would never have let me in. Over there though, because I am white, they think I am important! Saying that, I’m browner than the wife. I go from white to brown in the sun, while she goes from white to boiled lobster, then back to white!
Anyone interested in buying land/property in the Philippines should look closely at Eagle Ridge, especially if you want peace and quiet for years to come, as only those with plenty of money can live there. One house we seen, mansion actually, was for sale at 8,000,000php. Great value for what you get for the money.
As for the Microtel hotel itself, parking is never a problem. It is always quiet during the night, apart from the odd drunken Korean! The staff are always helpful and friendly. One thing to note is that this hotel is used for training purposes for those who wish to work in the hotel industry. This means that the place is always spotless, as someone is forever cleaning. Yes, there are a few niggles, but nothing major compared with other hotels I have stayed in during previous visits.
The hotel is also a great base for getting to Lake Taal. As mentioned in a previous post, you can drive there in 30 minutes, without seeing much traffic, something nearly as rare as an honest politician.
We always ask for a high floor facing the golf course when we stay here. That is for a number of reasons. The high floor ensures you get a better view of the surrounding area, and facing the golf courses means a view of green fields, cows, goats and birds, rather than a concrete factory, which is opposite the front. It also means the room gets the sun for most of the day, and the window has a cushion which runs along the length of it. Great for sunbathing.
One annoying thing that happened was that halfway through the stay, the workmen painted the lift doors. Not an issue, but they opened the hall windows in order to let out the fumes. Common sense. However, they never closed them before dusk so mosquitos got in. I got attacked during my sleep for 3 nights before we eradicated them all from the room. Rayna had no bites. Either they preferred British meat, or they ignored her because she looked undercooked with her white skin!
A couple of nights before we left, we entered the room late at night and I noticed something on one of the walls. Thinking it was a lizard I took a closer look only for Rayna to inform me in a screechy voice that it was a flying cockroach. This beast was about 3 inches long, and I had never seen one before. I do love this type of thing, but wifey wanted it out of the room. So I collected it in a glass, and put it out the window. Only for the wife to point out another one crawling up another wall. Again, I carefully picked it up and put it out so that it could go and annoy someone else.
We stayed for nearly 3 weeks, paying just over £600 for the stay. Not bad considering other places in Manila, of much lower standards, charge a lot more.
http://images.yalwa.ph/1002647955/Microtel-by-Wyndham-Cavite_1.jpg