This is really a Best Western? Puerto Princesa Review
Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan, and has quite a number of fantastic hotels. In staying with our theme of earning points for as much as we possibly can, we noticed that there was a Best Western not far from the airport, and that this would be a good place for our night stopover and also to earn some hotel points in a chain that we don’t normally earn.
Our Lexxus Shuttle from El Nido to Puerto Princesa dropped us off around 11pm after a five-and-a-half hour bumpy, cramped, minivan ride. The only thing we wanted to do was see the inside of our eyeballs and get some rest.
When we arrived at the hotel and the doors opened, my jaw dropped. This could NOT be a Best Western. The hotel was GORGEOUS.
The lobby was open, spacious, and clean, with modern furniture and decorations.
The light fixtures matched the color scheme perfectly and was a beautiful added touch.
The hallway that headed to both the restaurant and guest rooms was long and adorned with the same modern decorations as the lobby.
We just made the reservation that morning, so when we went to check in, it wasn’t showing up in his system yet. I was immediately envisioning another Hyatt experience like we had in Manila, but the representative was kind and fast, as he seemed to know exactly what to do. After just a couple of minutes of him mashing away on the keyboard, we had our two rooms and were headed upstairs.
The rooms in a word… perfect. The beds had thick, comfortable mattresses with two great well supported pillows and clean, crisp sheets.
The bathroom was just as nice, with a tiled shower with rain forest shower head.
There was a desk and flat-screen TV
And coffee and tea station
Even the water was “With Complimentary†☺
The only thing that we wanted to do was SLEEP so we got straight to it. When we woke up the next morning for breakfast, we were greeted with what seems to be an Philippine norm – LUNCH FOR BREAKFAST!
All types of meats, noodles;
yogurts;
salad toppings;
eggs and breads;
and FINALLY some cereal. Thank goodness. Actual breakfast food ☺
Our waiter came by, got us our coffees, and we finished a lovely breakfast. It didn’t take too much longer for our shuttle to arrive that was going to take us on our adventure of zip-lining and the underground river.
We left our luggage with the porter, settled the bill, and were on our way.
Honestly I’ve got to say that I did not know what to expect from a Best Western in the Philippines. The only BW’s I’ve stayed at before were in Las Vegas, Raleigh, NC and Seattle, and if we’re being honest, they were all suspect and shady. I thought that was the standard for BW’s around the world, but I’m glad to be proven wrong.
Not only would I return to this hotel in a heartbeat, apparently so would everyone else, as we were informed that for the next two nights not only were they fully committed, they were oversold by 3 rooms. Apparently the BW is the place to be in Puerto Princesa! Give it a shot yourself when you head there.
