Jardin Oriental Suites Ubelt Manila

For the price, maybe it’s worth it, but we were disappointed. This was a last-minute booking around 10 p.m., so we knew we might not get a good room. We expected at least a decent one. We arrived around 11:30 p.m. to midnight and found the doors tied shut. Luckily, someone was in reception. He asked for the booking name, and didn’t believe me at first because he expected a different name. We showed him the booking and explained it was last minute. He went out back, then came back a few minutes later and asked to see the booking again before checking us in. He asked for a 1,000-peso deposit and kept repeating that drinking alcohol, smoking, and vaping weren’t allowed. Fair enough. We may have looked like people who’d do those things, but with our personal health issues, we’re not fans of those addictions. Our room was on the fifth floor, with no lift. We’d expected that because it was a cheap, last-minute booking. But as soon as we entered, we saw a huge patch on the ceiling. Was it mold? I’d never seen one so big in a “hotel,” and wondered if it was a health or safety hazard. We kept telling ourselves it was just because we booked late, and stayed since we couldn’t find another hotel at that hour. There were no toiletries, and small cockroaches kept appearing one after another. That wasn’t a big deal for us, since we’d expected it at a cheap hotel. The limited choices we had were because we needed to line up early the next day to see a doctor and possibly be put in line for surgery. I blame the government for our poor health system. Some other things were somewhat acceptable, but at the very least, the hotel should have clean, well-maintained rooms ready for guests. They didn’t need to be spotless, just meet the bare minimum. On the plus side, the aircon was cold, the shower heater worked, the Flash and Bidet worked, and all the lights were on without flickering. The room smelled decent, and the linens were clean, though they looked dirty white. All in all, we give it 6 out of 10.