I’ve been to a whole lot of hotels in my life, as I’ve traveled around the world on and off for decades now to some extent. I’ve stayed at luxury villas, 5-star modern boutiques, and incredible eco-lodges with breathtaking scenery. I’ve also stayed in my share of fleabag motels, shithole hostels, and rat-infested pension houses. In fact, if we’re being totally honest, I’ve stayed in far more of those kinds of establishments than the 5-star nice resort variety, probably by a ratio of about 3,429-to-3. Of course, those are just way above my pay grade, but I also tend to look for less expensive hotels because I tend to be value conscious (okay, CHEAP!).
So I’ve become quite the master at finding 2 and 3-star hotels with low prices but that are still nice enough that I don’t end up with bed bug bites, my things stolen, and possibly some various organs harvested whilst I was napping. Or at least free breakfast and decent wi-fi.
When I stay in Angeles City in the Philippines, it’s often hard to find an affordable hotel that’s still comfortable and decent, just because there are so many tourists coming through here blowing money left and right. This trip, I tried Hotel EuroAsia for the first time.
Overall, it’s not terrible. I would classify it more like a really nice 2-star budget hotel instead of a sort of crappy 3-star. The room I got is big enough, but I had to ask for a room change because the AC in the first one they gave me was from 1910 (and not cleaned since then). The window is permanently sealed with screwed in plexiglass. The décor is from some time after WWII. But, despite its yellow aged look, they actually keep it clean, and there are no bugs or roaches that I’ve seen. Someone keeps turning off my water.
The TV works fine, my new AC is cold, and when I ask them to turn the water back on, the water pressure is very good and the water, hot. The sheets are clean and the towels, fresh every day.
The rooms have safes but I also think it’s a very secure hotel, and the smiling and smart ladies behind the front desk are polite, helpful, and very professional. The best part of EuroAsia (other than the price – about $22 to 28 a night) is the pool. Out back, there is a simple but nice rectangular swimming pool and lounge chairs where you can sit out. They also have a small café and bar, Café Cubano, back there, and it’s very chill, with plenty of fans, loungy music, great coffee, cold beer, and plenty of food.
Speaking of food, on one side of Hotel EuroAsia is an awesome little internet and coffee café that has charming London-style red phone booths (they make their own yogurt and have good bagels and lox). On the other side of the hotel is a boutique pie shop! Dangerous if you’re on a diet! Hotel EuroAsia is also in a good location along Permiter Road where you can walk 5-10 minutes to a 7-11, bank machine, laundry place, and plenty of bars and restaurants.
It’s a better place than Red Planet for a comparable price because if the location, bigger rooms, and pool. And my GoPro was stolen at Red Planet last time!
Try out EuroAsia and I think you’ll be comfortable.
About Norm Schriever
Norm Schriever is a blogger, Amazon best-sellling author, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. His work appears in the Huffington Post, Business.com, Good Morning America, The Anderson Cooper Show on CNN, NBC, MSN, Yahoo, Hotels.com, and media all around the world.
Norm grew up in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he was never accused of overstudying. After expatriating to Costa Rica in 2011, he started traveling the world and documenting what he saw. He now lives in Southeast Asia, writing his heart out and working with local charities.
