Ever heard about how beautiful Sabin Resort Hotel is? Or seen photos of it shared on Facebook? I have! My mom went there for a friend's birthday party and spoke highly of the place. But did I pay attention when she told me about it? Nope! In fact, I just scrolled down my news feeds after seeing thumbnail pictures of it. So should you pay attention to my story about SRH too? Don't make the same mistake, I think you should! HEHE.
My older sister, Tasha, invited me to join her on a trip to Ormoc two weeks ago. Since I was emotionally drained from all the insane happenings here at home and at the Bureau of Internal Revenue, I immediately said yes and thought of things to do when I get there.
Both Ate and I pursued our other studies in Cebu and passed through Ormoc for 4-5 years. However, neither of us have seen the city beyond the port area. Imagine my delight when I realized I could finally see the rest of it (though only for a short while)!
I thought of making an itinerary for our overnight stay. But the bad weather which went on for almost a week even until we arrived at the hotel, discouraged me from doing so. It was disappointing as I was looking forward to traveling alone ~for the first time~ while Ate attends her business meeting. Such is life though. Good thing she booked us a room at the wonderful Sabin Resort Hotel! If we're gonna do stay-cation, we might as well do it with plushly! Chos.
SRH is one of the finest hotels in Ormoc. It is located within the city, only 5-10 minutes away from the downtown area. It is owned by Sr. Sabin A. Larrazabal, from the well-known Larrazabal clan. According to its website, it has 72 room accommodations and a huge social hall. We actually saw the latter and loved it!
Falling in Love
We stayed in a deluxe room in a row house aka duplex or in our case, triplex. It was perfect as it had a mesmerizing view of the pool and the bay. Our room had queen size and twin size beds, cable TV, AC, large wooden cabinet and a polished bathroom. Outside it had a relaxing porch.
My pictures don't give anything justice. Sorry, HAHA. Anyway, how cool would it be to have something like these at home? 😍
I wanted to take a swim to make the most out of our getaway except that I stupidly left my swimwear at home. Ate offered to buy me one but I thought it was unnecessary. Besides, it was really, really cold to go night swimming. So we contented ourselves with the view of the stunning pool. And shook our heads in frustation after. Haha
We planned on having dinner at Mimay's, a popular restaurant in Ormoc. However, rain poured down again and we both felt lazy to have to walk to the highway to get a ride. We then agreed to just eat at the resort's diner, Mario's Restaurant. On our way there, we could not help but marvel at the intricate interior design of the hotel.
Falling out of Love
Despite all these beauties, I nevertheless felt that the amenities were not worth the price. Our room accommodation was priced at P2,600. Now it may be affordable for others, but for poorita mirasols like myself, it's not.
Firstly, there was no wifi connection in the row house. You can connect only when in the lobby. Who hangs around the lobby for more than 2 hours? It was very inconvenient particularly for me whose source of income relies so much on the internet. I know I talked about stay-cation and all that, but as what most millennials say nowadays, business is lifer. LOL
Secondly, you can't bring food from outside or you may but you have to pay probably triple the amount of your takeout as corkage fee. Unsaon nalang akong McDo cheeseburger? Ug akoang pag umangkon nga Jollibee lang nailhan nga pagkaon? You will have to go out, walk to the highway, ride a tricycle and eat outside. Or you can dine at Mario's and pay at around P1,000 for a dinner for two. That's only for one meal!
And as if that's not enough, there was no free bottled water in our room nor complimentary breakfast. Do I sound so pathetic na ba? HAHAHA. Seriously though, I've been to other hotels, pricier and cheaper, and they have at least 1 complimentary bottled water. Here, if you want hot water for coffee or anything, you'll have to pay P50! KALURKEY DI BA? This was posted in our room so it's legit. I don't know if a guest who checked in has to pay but we also saw a signage saying that anyone who uses the pool must pay P100 too. I'd babad all day if I'd have to pay. 😂
Lastly, the structures were covered with so much lumber! I know I sound like a hypocrite and ingrate but it certainly made me uneasy. I have not forgotten about the disastrous landslide.
So I guess the question now is this: will I go back? Scratch that, after this post, will THEY let me back in again? LOL
I don't know, tbh. Maybe when I get filthy rich and have nothing better to do with my money. Or for work-related stuff. Or when invited by a friend for his/her birthday. I can't tell. But one thing's sure, I won't be checking in for another stay-cation anytime soon.
Comments
Post a Comment