Emerald Manor Hotel

10/10. I'm not usually one to rate hotels, but I had to for this one. The room was spacious, lovely, really clean, and smelled nice. It had a homey feel, and the location was peaceful, great for a staycation. Cameron’s, their in-house restaurant and snack bar, served surprisingly delicious food. No need for a fancy restaurant, honestly. I'll definitely return for that “Subic Magic” vibe.

We had a great stay. The rooms were nice, parking was spacious, and the staff were very accommodating. It's a good spot for birdwatching, with other tourist spots and birding sites not too far away. I'd love to visit again.

We'd looked forward to staying at Emerald Manor again, but at the last minute we decided not to go because management mishandled our booking and didn't resolve the problem well. We had asked to reschedule, and the change was confirmed through Viber. It seems the update was overlooked and never entered into their system, and the room we'd reserved was later given to someone else. Even though the mistake was on their end, we weren't properly helped, and staff made no effort to honor the confirmed booking. They offered only to refund our payment, which is still pending as I write this. That response felt inconsiderate because our group had planned and prepared specifically for this trip. We'd booked early, paid the reservation fees, and dealt directly with the property, but ended up being urged to cancel.

The room had plenty of space, though it was pretty basic. Breakfast was good, served outdoors by the pool, and the monkeys were fun to watch as long as nobody chased them off. Indochine, a very good restaurant, is close by.