Legazpi City, Albay - Had the opportunity to stay overnight at the City of Fun and Adventure, all thanks to the organizers of
Desserts Unlimited 2015. Places to stay in a certain city of province is always a top search in Google. There are a lot of hotels in Legazpi and Albay and at least I'm down to to my first review..
Buena mano. Casablanca Suites is officially the first hotel that I'll be able to recommend since it's the first that I have stayed in. An overnight stay is all that it takes to give an impression.
The Casablanca Suites is strategically located near Legazpi Business District. Malls, restaurants and other shopping centers are all just a ride away. Furnished in a neo-classic style, Casablanca Suites is a two-level hotel with 19 rooms and suites for businessmen and travelers alike. The rooms are air-conditioned with 32" TV with cable channels, a complimentary WiFi and LAN unlimited internet access.
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| Image Source: http://casablancasuites.ph |
Once you enter the hotel, you will immediately see upfront the reception desk. On the right side is the lounge area and on the left side is the in-house restaurant of Casablanca.
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| Front desk at night |
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| The Bar |
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| Lounge Area |
On the left are the Deluxe Rooms, which we also got to try. Deluxe Rooms offer a view of the Mayon Volcano while the Superior Rooms offer a view of the urban side of Legazpi. It was a rainy weekend during our stay, so Mayon never did say hello to us even just for a while. I'm guessing the Executive Suite is also on the left wing with a view of Mayon and the Junior Suite on the right wing.
Rooms available are
Superior Room, Deluxe Room, Junior Suite and the Executive Suite. Published rate starts at P3,500 for the Superior Room and P4,900 for the Executive Suite. Extra Person will cost P900.
PROMO rates starts as low as P2,800 for the Superior and P3,920 for the Executive Suite and an extra person will only cost P720. For photos of the Superior Room, Junior and Executive Suite you can check on the hotel's
website. BOOK HERE and check the rates, they are still on promo since it's off peak.
DELUXE ROOM
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| Apologies for the dim photo, used my phone for this shot. |
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| Oops there's a busted light on the right. |
The Deluxe Room offers comfort and privacy, offering a view of the Majestic Mayon. With a room dimension of 24 square meters carpeted floor with two (2) rubber latex Double Beds.
The room has a bathroom equipped with 24-hour hot and cold rain shower and a hair dryer. Shower area is separated only by a double shower curtain to make sure the mirror area and the bowl area can be kept dry. The bathroom also has an extension of the service phone. Inside the room the main service phone is in between the bed.
The toiletries will always be a basic in every hotel. But I did not see any toothbrush and toothpaste. I did not bother anyway because I brought my own.
Each room features complimentary broadband Internet and LAN access, in-room electronic safety box, 32" LCD with cable TV, alarm clock with radio, coffee/tea making facilities, mini-bar and refrigerator.
The working table is just right for bloggers like us and like any other businessmen. But then we end up working on the bed since it's more cozy to snuggle in between the sheets. There are plenty of outlets that's why charging your gadgets won't be a problem. They also have a Bible placed inside the drawer for Catholics.
Regarding the WiFi access, the service was a bit sluggish when the clock stroked at around midnight. I have my Globe Data just in case so that I can still work whenever wherever. But we decided to cap the night and dozed off. When we woke up, the WiFi is up and running. If you can notice, I did not ask for any verification regarding the amenities that I was looking for, at that point in time I wanted everything to be spontaneous and I'm not really a person who complains a lot because I appreciate everything around me as long as it does not reduce my productivity and comfort.
The 3-in1 coffee and and bottled water are the only items here that are free of charge. They left a piece of paper on top of the rack where the goods are itemized with the corresponding price. I did not also see any kettle around for our coffee just in case. Maybe it's a standard for the hotel to ask for it in the front desk.
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| All rainy during the weekend, Alternate Road side of the hotel wit the view of Mayon supposedly. |
Kamias is there in-house restaurant. Now what do they have for breakfast? It's complimentary by the way. Choose from among the different sets and platters then your choice of coffee, hot chocolate (tablea) or fruit juice. They also have free flowing Congee during our stay and fresh-cut fruits served after our meal.
- Left: English Big Breakfast includes Fried Potato, Baked Beans, Grilled Button Mushroom, Ham/Bacon, Sunny Side Up Egg, Bread Butter and Jam, Hot Coffee
- Top Right: Set B Pork Tapa, Hotdogs in Sweet Chili Sauce, Fried Dilis, Sunny Side Up Egg, Garlic Fried Rice
- My choice, the Bicolano Big Breakfast with Adobo sa Asin, Daing na New Look, Guinobatan Longganisa, Scrambled Eggs, Garlic rice, Suman de Legazpi, Native Hot Chocolate
Other Big Breakfast Platter are:
- Set A Corned Beef, Pork Tocino, Baked Beans, Scrambled Eggs, Garlic Fried Rice
- Set C Bacon, Meatloaf, Vegetable Omelette, Baked Beans, Bread with Jam and Butter
I chose the Bicolano Big Breakfast since I am new to the Guinobatan Longganisa (One Town, One Product 'OTOP' of Guinobatan) which apparently are small in size and personally it tasted like a little bit of Lucban's Longganisa. The New Look dried fish is always a favorite but I got a bit disappointed because I was looking for the Suman de Lagazpi. I loved the hot chocolate. Since they used the tablea, it always reminds me of my childhood years.
Rate Includes (lifted from the hotel's website):
- Complimentary breakfast
- Complimentary airport transfer
- Complimentary internet connection (In-room Wi-Fi)
- Rates apply for single/double occupancy
- Two (2) children, 12 years old and below, occupying the same room and sharing bed and amenities with parents are FREE OF CHARGE.
- Check-out time is 12:00 noon. Late check-out is upon request, subject to space availability and corresponding charges. Check-in time is 2:00PM.
- Rates are subject to change without prior notice.
Other hotel details that I liked.
Kamias and Eatalia plus a local bar within your reach.
Overall, if you are a traveler with a little bit of extra on the budget, Casablanca Suites will really give you the comfort you need after a whole day of fun and adventure in Albay. They also have a spa and massage service just in case you need one. Since Albay is actually known as the City of Fun and Adventure, I think it would be nice for the hotel to consider to provide pamphlets or brochures regarding must visit places and restaurants to visit in the province. I believe it's still different to read it from a local source other than what we can readily search online.
The comfort level with the rate is justifiable. The rooms are very spacious which I also liked. Even Kris Aquino stayed in this hotel back in January 2011 so it means the service somehow met the standards of the actress.
So if you are in Legazpi and you're looking for a place to stay, book at Casablanca Suites and your stay in Albay will be surely satisfying. Dios Mabalos to Casablanca Suites for being our home for the weekend last December 19 and 20, 2015. We are also grateful to Ms. Erika of the Sublime Events Designer Co. the organizer of Desserts Unlimited for tagging us to Casablanca for a hassle free stay in Legazpi.
More power and God bless!
Casa Blanca Suites
Benny Imperial Street (Alternate Road), Legazpi City, 4500 Albay
