Balai Princesa

It was handy being close to the airport, especially since we were only staying one night. The place has a nice look, but some basic things need attention. Our Agoda booking said the room had a bath, but there wasn't one. The toilet wouldn't flush, and when we reported it the front desk showed little concern and didn't apologize. The WiFi also didn't work during our stay.

The room was clean, with a comfortable bed and a decent bathroom, but that's about all I can say in its favor. We paid 4000 pesos for a basic room, one coffee, and a very small breakfast of watery oats and a little fruit. Nothing else came with the booking. The place felt lifeless, like an expensive spa with a few rooms, and staff seemed uninterested in hotel guests. The room itself was large and rather bare, with an old, noisy air conditioner, overpriced drinks in the fridge, no TV or safe, no chair, and no tea or coffee setup. There's nowhere in the room to make a drink either. We chose it as a treat for our last night in the Philippines after a month of exploring, and really wish we'd stayed somewhere else. The outside facilities were presented in a misleading way: we assumed we could use them, but couldn't. Nobody explained at check-in that massages, the jacuzzi, and other services were already fully booked, so as paying hotel guests we couldn't use any of them. The WiFi was down too. I told them and asked for a fix, but nothing was done. The airport shuttle is useful, but the airport is only five minutes away, so I feel it should be free. Even though they had my flight details, the driver wasn't there; I had to contact the hotel, and then waited 15 minutes for the driver. The location is isolated, with nothing nearby unless you take a tuk tuk. We ate and had a few drinks at the attached cafe on arrival because there was nowhere else to go, and they tried to overcharge us, so check the bill. Very disappointing and overpriced. I absolutely wouldn't recommend staying here.

We were here for just one night. It was peaceful and close to the main road, and we really appreciated the breakfast and airport transfer. I'd highly recommend it.

The restaurant food was tasty, and our room was clean and smelled lovely. Staff were kind and helpful too. I highly recommend staying here.