When Robinsons Land Corp. launched Go Hotels, its version of the budget-hotel concept, we were curious to check out its first branch in Mandaluyong City. But we never got to do it, until recently when the opportunity came up to visit the new Go Hotels branch in Tacloban, Leyte.
It is conveniently located in the Robinsons Place Tacloban Mall Annex on the Tabuan National Highway in Marasbaras, near downtown and 10-15 minutes’ drive from the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.
Windsor bed
The marketing pitch for the Go Hotels chain is quite attractive, giving people eight reasons why it’s good to stay there—“Windsor bed, LCD cable TV, super shower, free WiFi, safe and secure, transport access, fun vibe, service plus.”
We weren’t sure what was so special about the Windsor bed, until we plunked down on the night we arrived. The bed was soft yet didn’t sag; the big difference was the “chiropractic” pillows, designed to follow the contours of the head. We had a good sleep without having to toss and turn.
There are two types of air-conditioned rooms, the Twin and the Queen. The one assigned to us, the Queen, was small at 17 sq m, which allowed only minimal movement like going to the bathroom and sitting on or lying in bed to watch TV. There’s not even space for a table, although there’s a foldable one attached to the wall separating the bathroom and the bedroom, just enough for us to use our laptop while sitting on the bed.
But at a price of less than P2,000 for an overnight stay—with periodic room sales going for as low as P488—it’s a steal.
The room comes with two bath towels, foot towels, tissue paper, single-use soap, shampoo and conditioner. Other necessities are available for a fee. The complimentary hygiene kit given to us had a toothbrush, toothpaste, ear buds and a disposable shaving razor, which unfortunately was of inferior quality because it could barely shave off our two-day-old stubble.
But it’s really no problem since one can just buy all those essentials, including bottled water, in the mall’s supermarket.
Mayor drops in
There’s no free breakfast, but there are set meals one can order from The Gustavian restaurant in the mall. Another restaurant, Cocina Don Vicente, offers a daily buffet for about P350; that’s where we had dinner on our first night and it sure was yummy and filling, especially Tacloban’s seafood fare.
Reelected Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez dropped in and joined us for dinner; he intimated some problems he’s been having with the Department of Tourism which, he said, were hampering efforts of local businessmen to further spur the growth of tourism in the city and the province.
Coconut wine
For the first time we had a taste of native coconut wine, or tuba, but this one was packaged in three classy varieties: Dry Red, Sweet Red and Sweet White. It carried the label Vacal Vino de Coco, founded by Filipino-American George Vacal Paraliza and his wife Tila Paraliza. The Dry Red could rival the quality of most foreign wines.
On a visit to the couple’s wine factory near Go Hotels, we learned of the health benefits that could be gained from moderate drinking of coconut wine. George and Tila are so upbeat about their products’ attributes that they envision coconut wine to eventually become the country’s national drink.
Patio Victoria
We also spent several hours at Patio Victoria, the beach resort owned by the mayor, a short drive from Go Hotels. We didn’t expect a Boracay, but the Patio Victoria beach—like most others in the country—gave momentary respite for Manila rats like us, who pine for fresh wind and the sound of crashing sea waves on a hot day.
The next time we go to Leyte, we’ll try to find Tangkaan Beach which, according to news accounts, could indeed be compared to Boracay.
On our second night, dinner at Ocho Restaurant on Sen. Enage Street in Tacloban consisted of more seafood and, to our delight, fresh greens from its salad bar. There was no coconut wine, so we settled for San Miguel Light beer.
It was still early for bedtime, so our hosts took us for a short drive to San Juanico Bridge, which connects Leyte and Samar and is still the longest bridge in the country. But since it was night, we couldn’t appreciate the beauty of its length and design.
On our last day we were told that the scheduled trips to other tourist attractions would have to be cut short due to time constraints. Which meant that we just had a glimpse of Red Beach, the scene of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the American forces’ return to the country in World War II; the Madonna of Japan, the Marian image built on Kanhuraw Hill as a symbol of peace and reconciliation after the horrors of the war; the Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum of the Marcos family; among others.
There is much more history and culture to rediscover about Leyte and its neighboring province, Samar, site of the infamous Bells of Balangiga. We hope to see these places in the near future.
By then, room accommodations won’t be a problem budget-wise, with Go Hotels right smack in the heart of Tacloban.
Log on to gohotels.ph
source: lifestyle.inquirer.net
