Cheap but great accommodations at Go Hotels Dumaguete

The colors are bright and inviting and one might think that staying at this hotel can be expensive for the middle budget traveler. But looks can be deceiving. A night stay at the newly opened Go Hotels Dumaguete proved to be very pleasant but not hard on the pocket.

I just came from Siquijor for a photo shoot of Lazi’s heritage kumbento and returning to Dumaguete, I decided to just stay for the night than going immediately back home in Cebu. Of course, such decisions naturally progress to a question of where to stay? How much can I spare for a night’s accommodation?

I should confess that I’m not the die hard budget traveler. Whenever I come to places, I want to have comfort as well. Although there are exceptions like staying at a P100 peso fan room with shared bathroom in San Carlos, this time, I wanted to treat myself.

My friend Verna told me that she just saw from the newspaper that Go Hotels just officially opened in Dumaguete. This hotel chain with several branches around the country is known for budget deals, as long as you book early. It is trying to replicate Cebu Pacific’s budget airline success (its bigger brother, actually). The early you book, the cheaper you pay. And prices can vary depending on the date you’ll check in against the time of booking.

Unperturbed, I called up Go Hotels Dumaguete the previous day and asked for their overnight rate for a check-in the next day. I was surprised that with even at a short notice, I snagged a P800+ room. That amount is just okay with me. Having been familiar with most accommodations at that cost, I was expecting an almost spartan but still comfortable room.

I was in for a surprise.

The open air lobby’s interior is hip and inviting. Although I’m not so much a fan of the green and yellow color motif, the front desk officer was quite helpful and accommodating. Checking in was fast and because of the reservation I made, I was directed to my room in no time after filling up the form.

The lobby is spacious with modern decor and tastefully done design. A flat LCD TV faces backless furniture near the cafeteria at the left side while a conference room and a commercial booth offering tours at the other side. The lobby’s cozy atmosphere can be attributed to most of the two toned earth colors. What I do like about the place is its simplicity and practicality of the design. With even just two floors, it has the most number of rooms offered in Dumaguete.

I was quite surprised with the room where I was booked. It doesn’t feel like P800+ with its tasteful design: modern, hip but not alienating. The earth colors and warm lighting is pleasing to the eyes, inviting. In fact, it has a queen sized bed that is quite comfortable, plush pillows, and a comforter. The wooden headboard is topped with a wide mirror. Two lamps also flank the bed.

Though not so big, the floor area is just enough. But there are interesting touches that still makes this a practical accommodation. A clothes rack with movable members is built into the wall near the window. At the wall beside the bed, a retractable wooden board can serve as a table.

But it is the bed that I really like. Very comfortable, not hard on the back. The split type aircondition unit is also situated in such a position that will not make your stay uncomfortable, unlike in other hotels that sometimes, is just direct. The pillows are also great considering that it is contoured.

The comfort room? Well, its quite small. But what it lacks in size, is made up with the hot and cold shower! RAIN LIKE shower head directly built into the ceiling. And that is how I like it, although the Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay, another affiliate, has better.

Go Hotels Dumaguete has also rooms that have twin beds and a family setup, adjoining rooms with a door in between. Good for parents-children privacy but still easy to check on the kids. The good thing, it offers fast and free wifi. Outside of the lobby is a beautiful view of Mt. Talinis. At the back and side are well landscaped gardens too.

The hotel is just beside the newly opened Robinsons mall. However, its located far from the city center but just near the bus terminal. It is accessible via the many tricycles that ply both areas and, depending on the number of passengers, you can pay just P10 or the driver will charge you P40 if you’re alone, especially at night.

Go Hotels Dumaguete doesn’t offer free breakfast but it has a cafeteria cum grocery at the lobby but do expect that prices are higher than outside the hotel. What I did was to buy at the mall for my basic needs than paying a premium for items at the hotel.

Overall, staying at Go Hotels Dumaguete ensures a pleasant experience. But to better appreciate the budget prices, do book early online.

Just a note. Their website photos are really not good. Sayang for a hotel with good interiors and exterior. I can do better.

For more information, check out Go Hotels Dumaguete.