Dinner during our second night was at Tatoy's Manokan and Seafoods Restaurant - one of the reasons we're in Iloilo to begin with. Unfortunately, this was another disappointment. We were not able to order what we really wanted (i.e. crabs and oysters) due to my Mom's sensitive stomach, and nothing we did order was anything to write home about.

This is one of the restaurants that Iloilo is known for so maybe we were expecting too much. Another option we were considering was Breakthrough (which is just nearby), but my sister read a blog where the author was charged more because they were not locals (you can read the details here). We didn't want to take any chances, so we nixed that idea. Too bad though because my Mom's friend swears by that place.

Our meal was followed by a nightcap at the Smallville Commercial Complex where our hotel is located, thus we were able to experience a bit of Iloilo's weekend nightlife.

What I was surprised and most amused by was the Go Mart convenience store. Here in the Philippines, almost all villages have a sari-sari store (think tiny shop selling a variety of goods that's situated in front of the owner's house), where the locals can grab a beer and sit on one of two benches located on either side of the store front. What I saw was the bigger and more upscale version of that scenario.

See that small store at the left? Their clientele is on the right - people buy a beer or soda, maybe a few snacks, sit down and attend to themselves:

Go Mart keeps profit up and costs down by charging the following fees:

Iloilo: Nothing but Desserts

If there's one thing I love, it's dessert. So I was excited to find a shop called Nothing but Desserts just across the street from our hotel.

Hmmm... the cake was bit dry and so was the cake portion of the Strawberry Trifle. The gelato tasted a bit weird, but that was probably because we got the mixed flavor combination (I'll stick to just one flavor next time).

Strawberry Trifle - Php 110

Chocolate Decadence - Php 65

Combination Gelato - Php 75

What we did like was the Crocanti which comes in three flavors: White Chocolate Pecan, Semi Sweet Walnuts and White Chocolate Pistachio. And at Php 1 per gram, that's my version of affordable.

Iloilo: Trappist Monastery, Deco's & Madge Cafe

As mentioned in the previous post, we were in the city mostly to eat. I must say that is this the first vacation I've ever had where we mostly watched a lot of television while waiting for the next meal.

Though we did go to the island of Guimaras to visit the Trappist Monastery.

This involved a ferry and a very bumpy tricycle ride. When we got there, we had ourselves prayed over by the monk and then it was straight to their gift shop.

Lunch was at Deco's over at the La Paz Market. I'm not sure if we were expecting too much, but this was not the best Batchoy we've ever had. We all ordered the Extra (Php 65) along with their Puto Manapla (Php 5) which didn't taste too great either. I would have skipped mentioning this part, but this soup is one of the dishes that Iloilo is known for and Deco's is one of the places to order it.

On a more positive note, my sister loved the Iced Coffee (Php 30) over at Madge Cafe. She liked it so much that she bought half a kilo of their ground coffee beans for Php 250. This place is also at the La Paz Market and just a few steps away from Deco's.

It was started by the present owner's grandmother over 60 years ago, and the mugs you see in the picture aren't just decor - all the regular customers get their own mugs with their names written on it.

Iloilo: Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine

When I asked my sister if we were going to do any sightseeing, she replied, "What sightseeing?" Yup, we were in town mostly to eat.

Our first stop was right across the street from our hotel (which I mentioned in the previous post). Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine is mentioned in Linamnam for their Sinigang na Lechon Kawali (soup/stew that is traditionally tamarind based with deep-fried pork), but before we get to that, I'll start off with the our first course.

Crispy Adobo Salad - Php 165

I liked this salad - it was light and the honey-soy dressing had just the right amount of sweetness. I was wishing that there had been a little more adobo flakes though because it barely registered among the greens.

Sinigang na Lechon Kawali - Php 225

Now my family loves sinigang, but everyone thought that the soup was biting in its sourness. The lechon kawali was really nice though and the broth gave it an interesting flavor - we definitely had to eat this with rice! Speaking of which, their rice serving is a little bigger than other restaurants so if you're not a heavy rice eater, you can share this with someone else.

Mga Rebusado - Php 325

Basically fried shirmps, squid, and fish fillet with sweet chili sauce, vinegar and soy dip, cucumber and tomato slaw. This wasn't bad but not something I'd get again given a choice.

Crispy Sisig - Php 275

We ordered this just to go with our left-over rice and we're sure glad we did! Usually made of pig’s head and liver and seasoned with calamansi (used locally as a lemon substitute) and chili peppers, I often add a bit of soy sauce and more calamansi juice once it's served. But this one was great by itself and it made us all conclude that Bauhinia does fried meat really well.

Turon Trio - Php 65

Ube (purple yam), langka (jackfruit) and banana fritters stuffed together and fried in sugar. This was a bargain at the price we paid and it's good for six people (one is more than enough per person especially after a heavy meal).

All in all, our very late lunch was worth the wait and we were so stuffed that we skipped dinner! If we're ever in the area again, I'd definitely stop by and try the rest of their menu.

Iloilo: Smallville 21 Hotel

Ever since I read Food magazine's cover story on Iloilo (March 2008), I have always wanted to visit. What really got to me was the picture of very fat crabs from Tatoy's Manokan and Seafoods Restaurant. Let's just say that photo has been stuck in my head these past few years.

So when Airphil Express had a seat sale (Php 1894 including airline taxes), we finally booked our tickets and I've had visions of food dancing in my head ever since.

Smallville 21 Hotel

Due to the many good reviews on Trip Advisor, my sister made a reservation for two rooms. She booked a De Luxe Matrimonial for our parents and a Standard Twin for the both of us. Apparently, there are no Standard Matrimonial rooms that are next to or near a Standard Twin so we got the De Luxe instead. We also opted for the no breakfast rate since we wanted flexibility on where we were going to eat.

We liked our rooms - basically clean and spacious with just a few mold spots in the shower area. There's no fridge but that didn't matter much to us. The air conditioning (A/C) units in the rooms are manually operated which was okay except it had one of us getting up every so often just to adjust the temperature. Though in my parent's room, the A/C had a funny smell when it was in the warmer temperature range. I'm thinking that the filter needed to be cleaned.

We asked for rooms on the top floor (the hotel is eight storeys high) as we read about the music level coming from the bars next door. If you're sensitive to noise and will be staying during the weekend, get a room facing the Iloilo-Ayala Technohub. Our room was on the side of The Avenue and I could hear the music blaring loudly way past midnight. My parents were across the hall and did not hear a thing.

A surprising touch was that the hotel provided two (2) umbrellas in each room for the guests to borrow during their stay (you'll have to return it though as it's not complimentary).

So what didn't we appreciate about the hotel?

1. They charge Php 35 per night for the second extra blanket.

Let me explain. Having worked in hotels both locally and in the U.S., I know that the thick top blanket is not washed regularly so I always ask for another flat sheet (the thin sheet underneath). The front desk agent informed me that only the first is free but the second will cost us.

I could understand if there had only been one bed in the room, but since there were two (2) beds and two (2) guests, this was not logical to me.

2. The hotel charges Php 200 for every hour you use the room past the 12 Noon check-out time.

This would have been fine if the hotel were at maximum capacity, but when my parents asked if anyone else would be checking into the room after us, the agent said no and that the hotel was not full. Note that we were only asking for an hour's extension (until 1 PM) since our flight was at 3:35 PM and we were thinking of having lunch first before leaving.

We've been to many places and stayed at all sorts of hotels both here and abroad and I must say this is the first time we've ever encountered this type of charging. Take note that we are budget travellers so we hardly use ritzy hotels, thus I can only conclude that they're not into going the extra mile for their customers.

3. Our electronic keys (VingCards) were deactivated at around 10 AM on the day of our departure.

Since we still had time to kill, we decided to make a quick visit to SM City Iloilo which was less than five (5) minutes away from the hotel. On our way out, I forgot something in the room and when I tried to open the door it would not budge. I knew immediately that the key had been deactivated, but when I went downstairs to complain the front desk agent told me that the card was just "faulty." I didn't believe her since it was fine just 30 minutes earlier when we went back up after having breakfast at the lobby.

When we returned from the mall at around 11 AM, my parents tried to open their door but it would not budge either. Good thing there was a housekeeper nearby who opened the door for us using his card, so we were saved from making yet another trip to the ground floor.

I then called the agent from our room and told her that it's too much of a coincidence for both cards to be "faulty" right before check-out time considering that they had been working perfectly until 9 AM that morning.

Based on my understanding, the keys are usually disabled after the official check-out time has passed and the guests have yet to show up to pay for their bill.

A few minutes later, the front desk agent phoned us back asking what time we were checking-out. I questioned her as to why she was asking since my parents had already inquired earlier about extending. She replied that she just wanted to inform us that they were allowing the extension and that we can check-out at 1 PM.

After putting down the phone, I rang her back to ask why she didn't just tell us about the extension to begin with instead of asking what time we were leaving the hotel. If they really wanted to give us the extension, then that should have been her opening line. I told her that the only time a hotel should call to confirm a guest's check-out time is if the clock has struck 12 Noon and we have yet to show up to pay the bill.

Now this may sound trivial to many, but at that point we were already so disgruntled with the hotel that it felt like one irritating thing on top of the other. Also, it seemed as as though they were way too keen to ensure we're still around to pay. The thing is, our rooms had already been paid for in full the day we checked-in.

What WAS nice was the location since it's inside the Smallville Business Park. Across the street from the hotel you'll find The Avenue on your right and the Iloilo-Ayala Technohub on your left. Both have a lot of dining options so you'll never go hungry with a lot of restaurants just a few steps away - literally! Take note though that the Kopi Roti branch here opens at 4 PM so breakfast is out of the question.

Most places were also just a short taxi ride away - the central market, pier to Guimaras, etc. But if this will be your main mode of transportation, bring a lot of cash as there's quite a bit of traffic. To give you an idea, the trip from the airport to the hotel (around 20-30 mins) was Php 250, going to the area of Breakthough Restaurant and Tatoy's was over Php 200 from the hotel.

And if you're planning to take a taxi to go back to the airport, the cab drivers will not use their meters and charge a fixed rate of Php 400 instead. Their reason for this is because they won't be able to get passengers on their way back to the city and they'll be wasting gas. Considering petrol in their area was Php 61.80 per liter at the time of our visit (compared to Manila at Php 56.00 per liter), I don't blame them. What we did instead was get the airport shuttle at SM City Iloilo where it will only cost Php 70 per passenger. The mall also has a Traveller's Lounge where you can take a shower or leave your bags while going around the city.