Talisay Boutique Hotel

We stayed for nine nights and found it cozy and good value. The bed was comfortable for both me and my girlfriend, though we did need to ask for an extra blanket. The open-air shower was a cool feature, and we also got to use the small pool, which had the feel of a private villa pool in Bali. It's under a ten-minute walk to the main part of town, and the hotel has the quiet, home-stay kind of atmosphere. The drawback for us was the busy road beside it. As a light sleeper, I needed earplugs to sleep at night.

The staff worked around our schedule for breakfast, a nice free extra with the booking after the hotel's recent reopening. We only needed a little something to keep us going, and appreciated the offer. The hotel is a bit quieter than the main strip, but town and the beach are an easy 7-8 minute walk away. They can also arrange a ride on their tricycle if you ask. Rooms were made up on request and had a nice look, with the basics like towels, storage, and coffee facilities. We had a good, enjoyable stay.

The first night, the other two occupied rooms warned us that cash had gone missing from their rooms. We checked our belongings and found that some of our money was missing too. The rooms had been cleaned and the doors were locked, with no signs of forced entry, so it seemed as though someone had taken the cash without us noticing. We couldn't feel safe and left after two of the four nights we had paid for in advance. That meant losing the cost of two nights, paying for two more nights elsewhere, and losing the cash from our backpack. We had arrived the night before Christmas, and the place looked nothing like the photos of the “boutique hotel.” The AC was very noisy and there was no hot water. The manager behaved strangely and wouldn't take responsibility. We went to the police station to report it, but it felt like a joke: the manager seemed to know everyone there, and they acted as if they were having fun with us. We booked through Agoda, which also took no responsibility. The whole experience was disgusting, and I strongly recommend against staying here.

We liked being just outside the crowded, busy center while still close enough to walk in. We were also grateful to get an early check-in, so we didn't complain at the time, but the room wasn't very clean. The floor was dirty, dust was everywhere, and there were spider webs. The towels smelled bad. At least the hot water worked, and breakfast was good. Keep food covered in the room, because ants appear within seconds if you leave anything out.