Days Hotel Helped Me Through
Written: Jan 13 '02 (Updated Jan 13 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: clean, great food, hot water, cable, closest to luxury found in Iloilo City
Cons: It's no Four Seasons
The Bottom Line: The Days Hotel Iloilo isn't the most beautiful hotel in Iloilo, but it is definitely the most modern and the best, in my view.
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| bluekennedy's Full Review: Days Hotel Ilo-ilo City |
I lived in the Philippines for a year in high school. Specifically, I lived in Iloilo City.
Luxury is pretty much something impossible to find in Iloilo City. It's not necessarily a poor city, though the Philippines in general is a financially poor country. (Financially must be specified, because culturally and people-wise, the country is very rich.)
Most of the hotels in Iloilo City are old-fashioned. They are very pretty; even perhaps one or two may be described as beautiful. But to find the comforts that many Americans enjoy, I suggest the Days Hotel Iloilo.
The Hotel
The Days Hotel is what Americans are used to as a Days Inn. I believe they preferred the use of Hotel in the Philippines because they don't necessarily use the word "Inn."
The hotel itself is very nice. It's on the upper floor of the Atrium, one of the 3 malls in Iloilo City. (I believe the other two are SM City and .) The Atrium, when I lived in Iloilo City over 3 years ago, was the nicest mall in the city. The others were always a bit more grungy. So the Days Hotel had a nice location, very close to everything and in a mall in the center of the city.
The Facilities
Sometimes I'd stay at the Days Hotel just to get the "home" feeling. I've always loved staying in hotels, and I got homesick frequently while in the Philippines.
I'd go to the hotel overnight by myself and enjoy American cable programs and the lap of luxury, a hot bath. None of the homes I stayed in while I was there had hot water. So in order to get hot water, I had to remember to ask the maids to heat water for me in the morning, or else I would be taking a cold shower.
In the Days Hotel, there was hot water AND a bath tub, which was heaven on earth for me. I've always loved a very long, very hot bath with a book, and taking advantage of this at the hotel was a treat I enjoyed a few times while there.
The beds were very soft and the sheets were always crisp and clean. I realize this is something most people always expect at a hotel, but a lot of the smaller "hotels" (which were more like bed and breakfasts) were a little iffy on the cleanliness of their linens.
Also, unlike in the homes I stayed in which were all ground-level, one-floor ranch-style homes, the Days Hotel was perhaps 5 or 6 stories in the air. This meant I could sleep without the fear of cockroaches. Cockroaches are nearly unavoidable in most homes in the Philippines because they are one-floored and cockroaches can easily get in. In the hotel, there was no way they were climbing all the way up there. Anyway, the hotel was too clean for them.
Here is a full list of their accomodations and amenities.
-Centralized air-conditioning
-Keycard Electronic Door Locks
-In-room safety deposit box
-24-hour hot and cold water
-Orthopedic beds
-IDD/NDD telephone system
-Cable Television
-Coffee and Tea-making facility
-Mini-bar refrigerator
-Jacuzzi, Kitchenette and mini bar set-up (Suite Rooms only)
-Continental Breakfast
-Welcome Drinks
-Daily Newspaper
Dining
The Days Hotel Iloilo had a great restaurant that my mother and I ate at while she visited. This restaurant goes by the name of the Promenade. She still vows to me that it was the best meal she had while she was there.
I remember she really liked the wine, but I don't recall what we ordered. The restaurant offered "Mediterranean" cuisine, while pretty much meant a lot of steak and chicken dishes. The restaurant was fairly expensive (I believe the meal cost around $50 for two of us), but it was obviously a fine dining restaurant.
The ambiance was very nice, and it had a great view of the city. The decor was rather "American." In this I mean it wasn't particularly Filipino. This makes great sense, since it was meant to be a more American restaurant. Service was also excellent. I must state for the record that Ilonggos must be the most conscientious and polite people that I've ever met. The servers at the Promenade nearly bent over backwards to make sure you enjoyed your meal and you had everything you wanted or needed.
If you wanted to spend less money though, there was a pizza parlor and a Chow King (Asian fast food) on the first floor of the mall. Also, if you happened to be staying in a room with a kitchenette, there was a large grocery store on the first floor of the Atrium as well.
Guest Services and Information
Guest services include laundry and dry cleaning, shoeshine service, room service, foreign exchange, onward booking assistance, internet and computer service, facsimile, photocopying, courier, secretarial services, and city tour booking assistance.
Reserved rooms will be held until 6 PM unless one night's deposit or credit card number with the letter of guarantee is received. Major international and local credit cards are honored. Check out time is 12 noon, and check in time is 1 pm.
Rates
Deluxe: PhP 2,650
Deluxe with view: PhP 3,200
Junior suite: PhP 4,400
Executive suite: PhP 5,900
Presidential suite: PhP 7,300
Deluxe: US$ 51.06
Deluxe with view: US$ 61.66
Junior suite: US$ 84.78
Executive suite: US$113.68
Presidential suite: US$140.66
(Exchange rate valid as of 12/31/01 from Expedia.com.)
Website
I got some of my information from the website. When my memory got fuzzy, I used to website to recall the name of the restaurant and many of the amenities.
Also, on the website you can register for a room online of contact the hotel via email or find their telephone number.
The website is:
http://www.eskimo.com/~pyronet/iloilo/index.html
More Information and Conclusion
There is no pool at the Days Hotel, by the way. Panay, the island Iloilo City is located on, has a few good beaches to visit. Iloilo is very close to the coastline. In fact, you can most likely see the harbor from the Days Hotel. Less than an hour out of Iloilo, there are some black-sand beaches in Oton and Guimbal. Try out Anhawan, Shamrock, and Bantayan. Or cross to nearby Guimaras Island. Tatoy's in Villa Beach, Iloilo is a local favorite to enjoy fresh oysters (talaba) and other seafoods and at great prices too.
For the most comfortable experience while staying in Iloilo, I recommend that you stay at the Days Hotel Iloilo. Obviously, it's not the Four Seasons. But it is the closest you'll get to the Four Seasons during your stay in Iloilo City.
Recommended:
Yes
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bluekennedy
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Member: Marhia McAndrew
Location: Reading, PA, USA
Reviews written: 66
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