SJ Mansion Hotel

A cheap place for a night if you’re waiting for the ferry the next day. I paid $46 Canadian on expedia.ca. The hotel is very old, but the bed was comfortable, the shower worked, and the AC in the room was fine. There’s wifi and a restaurant downstairs, though I left early and didn’t eat there. No pool, and no hot water, but that was okay because it was so hot.

It’s centrally located, so getting around town is easy. Parking is limited, though, and you may have to leave your car on a side street. The rooms were okay, and the staff are friendly. You may also run into the hotel owners in the lobby, they’re really welcoming and accommodating. There’s a restaurant and coffee shop on the ground floor. I recommend the brewed coffee and Tapsilog, my favorite, I could eat it every day! The other coffee they serve could use improvement.

I stayed for 5 nights. The room is basic and could be improved. In room 2L, a shower curtain would keep the toilet bowl from getting wet, and the bathroom sink pipeline needs repair.

The free wifi was a big plus, with a steady 5mbps on each connected device. The 24/7 food corner was handy too, with something to eat if you get hungry. We enjoyed our 5 days there, and the front desk was friendly and helpful. The room was okay, but the bathroom was in bad shape. The toilet flush stayed open and had to be closed by hand, and even after I told the front desk, it wasn’t permanently fixed. The shower head leaked all over, and for a hot shower I had to adjust the temperature every 15 seconds or the water turned cold or boiling. There’s no refrigerator in the room. These felt like minor issues overall. The most disappointing part was the overstay charge. The hotel was nearly empty, but we paid 1000! Pesos for 1:40h extra, 500 pesos per hour. They only told us after the first hour had passed, even though I’d asked the night before whether there’d be a charge.