Bellevue Hotel Manila - Cheap Five Star Luxury Hotel In Philippines

I recently had a pretty long stay in a Philippines hotel known as the Bellevue Hotel in Alabang City, which is in Manila. The hotel was not my personal choice since I left arrangements to my excellent and nice hosts, so they put me up in this hotel accomodation which I felt could actually be considered a luxury hotel with tremendous value and extremely cheap. Admittedly, I had some high hopes of Bellevue Hotel as I have heard so much about the superb and professional service afforded by Filipinos within the hotel industry, and through personal experience I can also say they are one of the friendliest and most accomodating people in the world. After my stay, I also have to say that it is important for you to know what your itinerary is like, so that a good hotel in the Philippines can be booked in the most strategic location to make your whole trip more convenient, due to the traffic conditions and also big city that Manila is.

After a short flight to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, we took a cab straight to the hotel. I've heard a great deal about the traffic situation in the Philippines and was certainly not disappointed. However, we still managed to reach Bellevue Hotel in Manila in quick time and were immediately greeted by the bellhop opening the doors and handling the luggage for us. We were then afforded a very efficient and quick check-in procedure, although there was a slight wait before allowing us to proceed to our rooms due to our early arrival. That said, the Bellevue Hotel housekeeping staff acted quickly and prepared our room in a very fast manner. Meanwhile, we were served refreshing welcome drinks in the lounge as we sat on comfortable sofas during the wait.

The bellhop then showed us to our room and carried our luggage, which was a nice touch, although it must be said that the hotel is promoted as a five star luxury accomodation and these are standard requirements to deserve that rating. What I noticed first of all was how new the hotel was, which is not surprising considering that it was first opened in 2003. Bellevue Hotel is also conveniently located within a sort of a city park area that houses several other business buildings some of which are already housing several big companies like Citibank, HSBC and the likes, while others are yet to be occupied. There is a small arcade located next to the hotel with a lot of convenient small restaurants and fast food outlets, such as local favorite (and really cheap and great tasting fast food) Jollibee, Starbucks, a Mongolian restaurant and many others which the names escape me, and convenience store 7-Eleven. Several huge shopping malls are also found nearby although you will have to take the hotel shuttle service (which is free) that provides immediate pickup when you make a call from the malls. The hotel itself is a little isolated on the whole other than the city park but that is expected since it is a luxury hotel and has to be situated in a more developed portion of the city.

The Bellevue Hotel is supposed to be situated just a 'leisurely drive away' from Makati, golf courses, theme parks, country clubs, and diving spots. However, due to the bad traffic in Manila, it is better if you leave the driving to the cab driver or your personal hosts. Make sure you also allow some time buffer when making plans for trips from the hotel to any destination.

The room we had in the Bellevue Hotel Manila was a deluxe room at a promotional rate which was afforded to local residents only. It came to about $150 per night with buffet breakfast provided. Considering it is a 5 star luxury hotel, I personally thought it was pretty good value and compared to the cost of budget hotels elsewhere around the world such as Tokyo business hotels that cost about $90 to $100 per night, I would say this can even be considered a really value added and cheap budget hotel accomodation in the Philippines. The room was quite large and spacious, with a large queen size bed, big wardrobe with enough hangars and sleeping robe, TV with the full range of cable TV channels, dressing desk, three drawer cupboard, a really huge bathroom with separate bathtub and shower and lots of toiletries, two arm chairs, another coffee table and a very comfortable airconditioning system.






The Bellevue Hotel has sufficient facilities too. Apart from the Cafe d'Asie that serves a really good local and international buffet breakfast, they have a Pastry Corner which has some mean cakes and desserts, some of which are local and must tries. The swimming pool is quite nice too with a jacuzzi pool, although the pool temperature was rather low and cold. The gym is huge, with complete equipment like free weights, machines, medicine balls, treadmills and more. The staff taking care of the pool and gym were friendly and conversational as well, although the male security personnel at the pool was a little grumpy.

Service standards at the Bellevue Hotel in Manila is also pretty high in my opinion. You would sometimes give in a little to lower expectations at cheap or budget hotels (although I must state clearly again that this is a five star luxury hotel in the Philippines and it is their low room rates which allows me to consider them as a cheap and low cost hotel for cost conscious travelers to Manila), but apart from a few hiccups I really rate the service provided by the hotel staff here. The bellhops and doorman were all very friendly and helpful, always making sure to open the doors for you, shelter you from the rain or sun, and sharp and attentive if you are waiting in the lounge for a cab or other transport services. The hotel pickup service to and from the malls were also efficient and comfortable. I was only a little disappointed with one or two female staff at the reception and Cafe d'Asie who might have to practice a little on their tone of speech and eye contact which sometimes made you feel like you're causing inconvenience or trouble to them.

The best service I personally had at the Bellevue Hotel Manila was from the housekeeper. I'm rather particular about service standards at hotel and try to be fair, especially relating it to the cost of the hotel accomodations paid. If you are staying in a budget hotel, you don't expect much. If you're staying in a cheap serviced apartment in Seoul, the overall standard is what you pay for. A stay in a budget Tokyo hotel like Sakura hotel, then you cannot complain too much although the Japanese are always great with service standards on the most part. Staying in a five star hotel would demand a higher judging standard, but paying budget prices for it does mean that you might sometimes give allowance to more consideration. However, the housekeeper we had was really friendly and accomodating, not to mention very efficient and quick with tidying and cleaning our room. There were more than a few times when we requested for him to return at a later time outside of his schedule to do up the room and he would always do so with a smile, unlike in some Japan hotels where you are often required to leave the room during their housekeeping schedules. We also misplaced certain valuables in our room and they were recovered by the housekeeper during his rounds, which testified to his honesty and integrity. Very well done and much appreciated, Bellevue Hotel Manila!

All in all, our stay at Bellevue Hotel Manila was extremely pleasant and enjoyable. For one of the best serviced, value for money and cheap Philippines hotels, the Bellevue Hotel Manila is definitely one that we will consider again when we return to the country.

Cheap Tokyo Hotel - Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro

On my next trip to the capital city of Japan, I decided to try out this cheap Tokyo hotel situated in Ikebukuro known as Sakura Hotel. Now this is part of a line of franchise hotels in Japan. They have a number of different locations all over the capital, including Shinjuku, Jimbocho and Asakusa, and is a mix of a budget hotel cum hostel accommodation. However, I went for Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro as I liked the neighborhood when I was previously in the country. It also helped a lot that it would not cost more than the other cheap Tokyo hotel Toyoko Inn Nihon-bashi Hamacho I had stayed in during my last trip there.

As the name might suggest, Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro has a comfortable and laid back air about it. The building that houses the accommodation awaits you with a clean and bright facade, with a lobby that is brightly lit and looking a million dollars, which already gives you an impression that the low hotel booking price that you've paid might just be more than worth it. Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro is also considered the largest of the chain, although it is very popular (due to it being so cheap) and the 92 rooms are quite often fully booked well in advance. It is a clear sign that tourists love to opt for any available Ikebukuro accommodation due to its ideal location in terms of visiting the most popular sights in the capital. Fortunately, I got mine due to a local connection and boy, did I feel lucky after my stay there.

Why would I consider this one of the best value for money hotel in Tokyo? For one, convenience is a big thing for me. And Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro is situated a very close 6 minute walk from Ikebukuro station. Anyone who has been to Tokyo would know that a 6 minute walk is actually a very short one. And this station is close and provides quick and easy access to many other major stations and locations in Tokyo, such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Ueno and Akihabara.

The hotel is also conveniently located close to many amenities such as the requisite AM:PM store, Denny's for a quick meal if you're too lazy to explore the many izakayas and great food places in Ikebukuro, a McDonalds a couple of blocks away, and many many more. The best thing about this Sakura Hotel is that it is right smack in the middle of Ikebukuro and entertainment, shopping, food, and just about everything a tourist needs and wants to experience is just round the corner. And the money you save on the cost of accommodation in this Tokyo hotel can be used on enjoying the other sights and sounds (and food!) in this amazing city. If you were to compare it to my previous stay at Toyoko Inn Nihon-bashi Hamacho which has an izakaya street a few blocks away from it, finding similar amenities near Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro in Tokyo is so much easier - they're just outside the hotel!

Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro is a great cheap alternative to Toyoko Inn, which is another chain of affordable budget hotels in Tokyo. This is one of the low cost hotels available in the city and in a location that can help you save even more. There are single rooms, Twin rooms with bunk beds, Economy double rooms, standard Double rooms, a more traditional Japanese room with tatami floor and futon, as well as a family room that can accomodate up to four people at one time. The family room option is great with Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro because it is relatively cheap and might be safer, cleaner and more comfortable than other hostel in Tokyo that you could find. The prices are really cheap and quite amazing for accommodation in a prime Tokyo district, and you will be pleasantly surprised when you check the rates and find them incredibly low. I took a further look around and you could also go for the budget rooms which are like hostels. You will share beds with other guests and there's a shared kitchen as well for those who prefer to save some more on food. These rooms are less than half the price of a normal single room and considering how well kept they are, it's quite a steal at that price, which is close to 3,000 yen.

Now for the service at Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro, you would think that at such cheap rates, the service would probably be comparable to what you pay for. Afterall the saying is that you get monkeys if you pay peanuts. But that could not be more wrong at this lodgings in Tokyo. The service is top notch, and comparable to most top level Japanese hotels. The rooms are kept clean and tidy each day and the reception has English speaking staff, which is a lifesaver in a country like Japan. The only drawback is that if you wish to have breakfast at the cafeteria, it does not come free. However, at about 300 yen with an all you can eat breakfast buffet, it's one of the cheapest meals you can ever have in Tokyo. In terms of having everything in one package, despite it coming slightly close, it is much better than staying at another Ikebukuro hostel which might charge really similar prices but lacks the kind of service and amenities that this one provides in abundance. Other services and facilities within the hotel that a hostel in Ikebukuro or anywhere else in Japan might not have, include free Internet in every room as long as you bring your own laptop, free WIFI in the hotel lobby, an Internet cafe for those who do not carry laptops around on their holidays, fully airconditioned rooms, extremely clean and well stocked bathrooms in every room, laundry rooms, the requisite TV sets and many many more.

Most hotels in Tokyo are extremely expensive and overpriced. You cannot expect to get the low rates in other countries for example in South Korea where there are countless cheap Seoul hotels. The Japanese yen is also pretty high at the moment, so finding budget Tokyo accomodations becomes even more challenging. However, it does not mean that extremely cheap hotels and other types of lodgings in Tokyo are not available, you just need to look harder. Bargains will always be around the corner just waiting to be snapped up. With the Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro, most of your problems in this area should be solved, and will allow you to enjoy your holiday or business trip in Japan very easily and without burning a hole in your pocket. I would even recommend it for any backpackers who need accommodation in Ikebukuro, it might be slightly more expensive than most other backpack lodgings found elsewhere around the world but one should consider that what is cheap in Japan would normally be considered expensive elsewhere.