skysenshi.com

My older sister, who lives in Mandaue, told me that we were lucky to have been able to book a hotel anywhere near the festival. Hotels are usually fully booked during that time of the year, so she asked if we booked months ahead of time.

Actually, no. It just so happened that we were able to find a room through hotels.com and at a much cheaper rate, too, compared to the Crown Regency’s main website. We only spent a total of $208.20 for 5 days and 4 nights. If you’re going for this hotel, though, be mindful of the fact that there are two Crown Regency hotels in the area. The other one is the tallest building in the entire country and it was where we had our Sky Adventure.

I have mixed feelings regarding Crown Regency Residences but I think Cris was totally unhappy with it. It had its moments, so let’s just weigh the pros and cons.

I remember that when I went to L.A., also with BFF Cris, we spent about $280 for 4 nights. The inn was Best Western and I was pretty happy with the complete amenities and range of services. Aaand the size of the room.

When I think about that trip and this room with double beds that are huddled so close together (bad Feng Shui!!), I feel a little disappointed.

The room came with complimentary waters and toiletries and the good service (where things we asked for are delivered ahora mismo) only lasted on the first night.

Understand that the reason I’m comparing this to Best Western L.A. is that that was the cheapest hotel I’ve ever stayed in during travels. (Boracay’s Le Soleil sure as heck was more expensive!) I’m comparing two kinds of cheap here and I’m just really shocked that we got better amenities and service from a foreign hotel at nearly the same price.

The view from our window. This is actually pretty cozy. I like looking at this sorta garden.

There’s a little story here. While I was appreciating the view, the weird curtain fell. Cris was still asleep and I knew that the harsh sunlight would wake her up so I called for help. Which did not come. In fact, the second time I called, the girl had the gall to say, “Now?” (Ngayon na po?) Well, they obviously did not think that their curtains were being inconvenient so they just said yes, they’d fix it, but did not do anything about it.

It was only when I heard a cleaner passing through that I called him over to help.

On the other hand…

I totally love their Sarimanok dining hall. Clearly, whoever designed this restaurant was very meticulous with the details. And I’m not saying this because Cris and I also call ourselves the Sarimanok team.

Although…the free breakfast that comes with the package could use some overhaul.

I was fascinated by the textures and the wine bottles that served as decors in pockets that line the walls.

Here’s a photo of most of the table settings. This dining room has a view of the swimming pool (which nobody uses).

One of the things I liked about Crown Regency Residences are the dances. Every time a new visitor arrives, this team would dance to the Sinulog theme.

And there they go!

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination but this girl kind of looks like me.

The very busy hotel lobby. This was taken on the day of the Sinulog itself. You could hardly find a decent alone moment during that day.

Overall, well, maybe if I had not experienced Best Western’s services despite the cheap pricing in 2009, I would have just let this go. Unfortunately, we encountered many other problems as we stayed there — worst of all was when we were trying to book a cab for our flight back to Manila.

I sort of learned now to make sure that the hotel is close to the airport or at least has some transportation arrangements. (This was exactly why I wish we had booked the largest Crown Regency, which is located at the heart of the city, instead.) Both Cris and I were really not in the mood to deal with ineptitude when we were so tired.

Hm. Well. To be fair, one other thing I liked about Crown Regency Residences is that it had a Fabulous 50s Diner. But that’s about it. Being two steps away from CNT lechon can’t hide the fact that we had lousy service at an inconvenient location. Good thing most of Sarimanok restaurant’s staff are courteous, fast and alert.

Crown Regency Residences can be found at:
V. Rama Avenue
Guadalupe, Cebu City 6000
Philippines