ART OBJECT
By Carlomar A. Daoana
March 1, 2011, 3:15pm
A typical room at Coco Grove
MANILA, Philippines – It is not just in our homes where we seek comfort and privacy but also in hotels, resorts, and various lodgings where we stay from a weekend getaway to weeks-long sabbatical.
In fact, since we are paying guests, we expect more than fluffy pillows and hot water: we want the service to be impeccable, the staff cordial and our overall experience relaxed and hassle-free.
Having traveled for hours, the last thing we want to have is an attack of frazzled nerves over a grudgingly long registration in the guest counter, a room priced way too high than what it should actually fetch and a staff who thinks you owe it to them for staying in their spectacular, fit-for-a-king hotel.
Such is actually my litany of complaints when I stayed in a resort in Bohol for an ocular. Despite it having a low rating from Tripadvisor.com (a site where guests can rant and rave about the places where they stayed), I still held on to a previous image the last time I visited the place: an expansive shore dotted with quaint villas.
Priced at P4,100, the “Superior” room I booked should at least be big enough to accommodate a queen-size bed. Or so I thought. After a laborious check in, I descended a flight of meandering steps that led to my room.
As soon as I opened the door, a small space squeaked, crammed with two beds, each the size of a coffin. The comfort room was as wide as a torture chamber. The furniture pieces were a paltry excuse for planed wood. The Amish have probably more style.
I should have been warned by the sight of the newly completed, multi-story hotel that has become an addition to the resort. In a mad rush to cash into the tourist boon of the province, the resort seems to have abandoned notions of service and value-for-money.
They’re probably thinking that since the guests are after the beach anyway, the rooms could be mediocre. Expansions have actually moved beach-wise, compromising the lovely, immaculate shore that I had seen six years ago.
Fortunately, a family “adopted” me so I wouldn’t have to spend the night there (believe it or not, I almost wasn’t able to check out since the girl in the counter didn’t know where the receipt was).
Just to clarify, Bohol has some of the best resorts this country has to offer (as what my ocular in Panglao proved and my recent stay at Peacock Garden in Baclayon attested) and I was just unlucky that I ended up with a disappointing one.
I had more luck, however, in Siquijor. Usually shunned by local tourists for the superstitious (and I may add ridiculous) claims of witchcraft and aswang-infestation, the province boasts of sprawling resorts, various natural wonders (caves, waterfalls and such) and a true laidback, hideaway of feel that is lost in commercially-driven destinations.
I stayed at Coral Cay where I paid less than P2,000 for a room that has two big beds, a respectable comfort room, and a deck that opens into a gorgeous view of sand, sea and sunset. Another good resort is Coco Grove that seems wrapped in tropical jungle and features villas that have a distinct Mexican feel.
In looking for that perfect hideaway, it pays to do a little research (such as a visit to Tripadvisor.com and other related sites), manage your expectations but never downgrade them and be adventurous enough to check out off-the-beaten-path destinations where you may find the peace and quiet you are looking for, kissed by the glow of a slowly descending sun.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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