Maraño's Hometel

The rooms are nice, and the balcony has a beautiful view of the Mayon volcano. Ferdinand was especially kind and helpful. He even drove me to the immigration office when I needed to renew my visa :)

I loved staying here. The owner is really nice and helpful, and you can buy snacks, cup noodles, hot chocolate, toiletries, and other things right there for about the same prices as 7-11, less than a 10 minute walk away. They also let me stay in the room until 2pm because my flight was late. The rooftop has a great volcano view. I washed my clothes in a bucket up there and hung them to dry. When it started raining, they moved everything indoors. The clothes were 99% dry overnight, then fully dry after another hour in the sun the next morning. Getting a tricycle from the bus station next to SM mall was a bit of a hassle. The first guy asked for 100 pesos, so I walked away. The next one spoke little English, read the place name wrong, and said 50 pesos. When another guy read it correctly, he wanted 70, but I had already agreed to 50, so he stuck to that for the 6 minute drive. On the way back to the bus station the next day, a tricycle a few minutes' walk from the main street charged 40 pesos. There was no grab or move it. For the airport, I waited outside SM mall in the big bus waiting area. Someone said bus M25, I think, but I wasn't sure about the schedule. In the end I shared a taxi with three locals who were waiting too. It cost 500 total, so 125 pesos each for the four of us. The hostel can also arrange a direct taxi for 500 pesos.

A very cheap, clean place to stay in the middle of legazpi. Ferdinand and his family are lovely and welcoming. I'll come back, salamat!

Low standard for a high price. Welcome to the Philippines.