Strong Tower Inn

Our trip to EL NIDO was beautiful, apart from the accommodation. At first we thought it would be cheaper, but there were extra fees when we arrived. We booked through agoda and tried to contact them, but couldn’t reach anyone, and the number they’d left was wrong. I wish I’d booked somewhere else, since other hotels cost about the same. The room was basic, but worse than basic for what we paid: clogged CR, broken locks, dust, and discolored water that looked yellow or brown. Service was the worst, with a rude receptionist. My bf also told me the receptionist rolled her eyes at me.

The room was already poorly cleaned when we checked in, and the whole place felt careless, from the front desk to housekeeping. They didn't even provide complimentary soap. The toilet ran out of water when I used it, which was pretty annoying, and I was glad we only stayed one day. I felt disgusted and wouldn't recommend the Inn. While we were out, staff switched off the electricity, cutting power to all our electronics. They only turned it back on after we returned and complained. About an hour later there was another outage, and with no generator the room got so hot we couldn't sleep. The next morning, our dry bag went missing after we left it outside to dry. Luckily, they replaced it.

We lasted two nights before leaving for a hotel around the corner, where paying a little more got us a much better stay. Over six months of backpacking through Asia, this has been one of the worst places we've stayed. I wouldn't spend the money here. The family who run it live downstairs, so going to your room feels like walking through their house. It was awkward and uncomfortable. Inside, the rooms were tiny, basic, and barely clean. There was an ant problem, no toilet seat, and we had to ask for toilet paper. Each of us got one pillow and one sheet, which barely covered two people. Water pressure was basically nonexistent, there was no hot water, and we had to wash using cold water from a bucket. There was also constant noise: when we arrived, people were digging up the reception floor by hand, and it continued throughout both nights. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

The photos are outdated, the price is way too high, and there’s no hot water. This place is an absolute joke. Avoid it at all costs, and it shouldn’t be allowed to rent rooms.