Sugarland Suites

After discussing things with the city’s tourism staff, we concluded that my best option was to stay at Sugarland Pension. They described it a bit for me, topping it off with how to go there. As instructed, I waked rightwards from their office, turned left on Rizal St., sandwiched by the two big transport terminals and proceeded walking on the left side of the street. Not really far, plus easy to find. I was still approaching Gaisano and I could already see the big sign that said Sugarland Pension. Yeah! BUT…

When I accidentally glanced to my right, across the street, by a row of commercial establishments, I saw a big sign that said “Sugarland Suites”. That stopped me there for a little while. Did the tourism officers really mean Sugarland Pension or did they mean Sugarland Suites? It’s the same street! Plus I recall, they just kept  referring to it as “Sugarland”. And if they asked me to walk on the left side, was that meant for me to be on the same side where the hotel would be or for me to see it clearly from across the street? Ah, I decided to go and check-out this Sugarland Suites, thinking that if I don’t like it I could just proceed walking to the Sugarland Pension!

Make the long story short, I stayed at Sugarland Suites! But let’s elaborate…

At front desk of Sugarland Suites, I learned their facility is a new addition of the same company that owns Sugarland Pension. Of course they told me that theirs was more comfy and had better facilities since they just opened very recently while the Pension has been there for many years now. Fact they emphasized was some rooms were even still receiving some final touches before being offered. Sales Talk! But I bit it!

Oh, front desk is at second floor. The hotel actually starts from up there. Why? Because ground floor is a fastfood restaurant. Not sure if it’s theirs too, but the free breakfast is to be had down there! It’s a dainty little food shoppe in the caliber of, well, fastfood joints. Upon check-in, or the day before each breakfast, you are asked to choose any from 8 dishes in their free-breakfast menu and you are given a coupon. That means you should be able to taste all of those if you stayed for 8 days or more hehe! And I like this style, free brekfast, at least I am a bit forced to have breakfast! Otherwise it’s usually automatically brunch or just lunch!

VFH! Yep, Value For Money. The rates are really attractive considering that this is a new facility. The clerk’s ‘spiel’ was something like: our P600 rooms are not yet on offer but our P800 rooms have been reduced to P600 and our P1,000 rooms are now just P800. And I liked the “special rates sir for special guests like you on a special day”! Funny jolly girl there! I took the P800. Expensive? Well, let’s see later that many other hotels and resorts I have been to will be crying in shame at how expensive theirs are. Sugarland Suites was for me a great find!

They use plastic vincards on real wooden doors with double-lock knobs. Electrical outlets are easy to find, the air-conditioner was obviously turned on even as I was still down at front desk. Flat-screen TV on the wall with clear good CATV selection already flicked to ESPN and the remote control was waiting on the desk when I entered! A housekeeping manang (her slippers left outside the door) was around just finished swishing her air-freshener in my room and was busy fluffing my pillows. I asked her if a guest just checked-out of the room. The reply was no.

Turns out that the manang housekeeper goes to the room to check and ensure that everything is clean and complete when a guest checks in. I knew she was telling the truth for when I went to see the comfort room, everything was dry. Hey, the thermos bottle already had cold water in it, and manang exited with a fine litany of introductions like “the room service menu is on the desk with the remote control and TV channel list”, plus a final “just call us if you need anything else” as she closed the door! Alliw!

Hey there’s a Casino in this hotel! The PAGCOR electronic thing, that is! And they even have a more elegant restaurant, aside from that ground level fastfood! These are all conveniently located at 2nd floor where the front desk is. This was a good find. Why? I know real clean from “posing” as clean! And that is the very first thing I try to discern when I check-in Second is the positive aura of the crews. It affects us, right? It helps make everything to filling and fitting right into place!

Let’s go elesewhere Ormoc!

ISSN 2512540.625 - 1525

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