Puerto Pension is a very ideal place to stay when in Puerto Princesa because of its location. It is just 20 minutes from the airport and city landmarks, tourist spots and restaurants are very accessible from there.
isn't it very homey?
its garden, albeit small, is lush and beautifully landscaped
Checking-in
The room rates are inclusive of complimentary transfers from the airport to Puerto Pension and back. We arrived too early for the check in time of 12 noon. The lady who greeted us was very hospitable and nice and was willing to take care of our luggage for us while they facilitated the cleaning of our room. She was so gracious that she let me charge my camera's battery at the front desk while we went out for lunch.
Puerto Pension's reception area
there's a souvenir shop in the lobby
Room accommodations Ours was a deluxe air conditioned room with a queen-sized bed. Since there were the three of us, there's an extra bed which is quite big. The room was tastefully furnished and like the entire pension house, was quaint and charming, with a homey feel to it. It was a bit cramped but it was okay with us since we planned to explore all of
Puerto Princesa and would only be there to sleep.
the hallway that leads to our room
the towels set-up on the bed are laden with very pretty flowers
Another thing that I liked about our room was the magnificent view of the sea that it offered. Every morning, I made it a point to watch the sun rose from the horizon and in the afternoon, it gave me joy to watch the earlier blue sky metamorphose into a myriad of vivid colors, the calm sea providing a breathtaking backdrop.
the magnificent view of the sunset from our balcony
The only thing that I did not like about our room was the shower because it was not working properly. It did not have a steady flow but just dripped it felt as if one weren't showering but was caught up in a drizzle. To solve this, we just requested for a pail which was delivered promptly to our room.
Food
Puerto Pension had two restaurants. Because we were out most of the time, we only experienced eating breakfast in their Tribu Roofdeck restaurant. Set breakfast is inclusive in their room rates.
signage for its Tribu Restaurant
I so loved their hot chocolate that in my 3 days there, it's my daily breakfast drink. Their tocino was just the way I like mine done - slightly sweet and soft to chew. Their danggit was also to die for!
hot chocolate that's oh so chocolate-y!
Filipino set breakfast, with my favorite danggit
their very delicious tocino
Service
The staff in general was accommodating and friendly. There were some lapses but then, nothing in this world is perfect.
We booked for a massage the day before our checkout. When we left in the morning, we told the lady at the front desk that we wanted it done at 10:00 in the morning the following day. When we arrived at the pension house after our island hopping and dinner, we approached the night clerk and inquired about our massage. He was quite polite and helpful but he did not know anything about it. Whoa?! Wasn't there a tracer or an endorsement from the lady whom we spoke with in the morning? I myself work in a hotel and in instances when our guests request for anything or want something arranged for them, we put a tracer for the department involved. An example is when a guest requests for drop-off at the airport at 02:00 PM, our Guest Services Officers automatically put a tracer to notify our Bell Service. Anybody who has access to our system can view the said information so even if the guest asks either a telephone operator or housekeeping, our staff knows the details and will be able to assist the guest.
this is our room!
Another lapse transpired when we checked out. The young lady (the same as the one whom we talked to with regard to our request for massage service) was her usual cheery self but she did not know that our room was already paid for for a night. Puerto Pension required us to pay one night deposit else they wouldn't hold the rooms for us. It was thus surprising that the lady did not know about our one night deposit. It's a good thing we carefully checked our bill and we had the bank deposit slip with us otherwise we would have paid more than what was necessary. Again, there's an obvious miscommunication among their staff in this instance. Or maybe it's just that lady.
Over-all experience
Our entire stay was quite pleasant because Puerto Pension was perfect for us. Given that it is just a pension house and thus does not have many facilities and amenities that a usual hotel or resort offers, Puerto Pension in itself is enough for travelers who are not fussy or into such luxuries as a jacuzzi or a bathtub in the bedroom. The place was reasonably priced, the breakfast that came with the room rates was quite sumptuous and the staff were friendly, helpful and accommodating.
Puerto Pension's bar
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Puerto Pension's contact details:
Address: 35 Malvar Street, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, 5300 Philippines
Telephone Number: (048) 433-2969 or (049) 433-4149
Facsimile Number: (048) 433-4148
a wood sculpture on the way up to the Roofdeck
its garden at night
the Bar at night
Puerto Pension is all lit up at night
I love their 3-layered fountain just outside the lobby
no brown-out. thank the heavens that during our stay, there was indeed no blackout
