March 7^th, 2010

For this month’s feature hotel, I’m going with a place my friend Alfred told me about, the Bangkok Hotel.  He has stayed there several trips now and swears to me it’s a great place at a great value.

The Bangkok Hotel is neatly located down on Lower Fields, just across from Club Asia and the Walk-about Hotel.  It is Korean owned, hence the Korean restaurant right out in front of it.  Alfred says the rooms are great, with excellent Wi-Fi for ‘net junkies like him, and the location is perfect for hardcore barhoppers.  At 1,100 pesos, it’s a great value for being situated right where it is.

If you’re a newbie going to AC soon, and you’re not sure where to stay yet, this place is a great option.  You will be right in the thick of the action, not needing to worry much about trikes, and for a budget price that can’t be beat.  Another reason I’m making this my Hotel of the Month is because it also gives me the shameless opportunity to recite one of my favorite Chinese Proverbs:   “Man who walk sideways through turnstile, always going to Bangkok.”

Bangkok Hotel, Angeles City, Philippines

January 5^th, 2010

Since it’s a whole new year, I decided to spot one of the newer hotels in town this month.  Overall, The PJ Ramada Hotel looks like a fairly decent place to stay in AC these days.  Their website is efficient and straight-forward and the room rates are a nice bargain compared to a lot of places in town presently.  They range from $22 to $37 bucks, give or take depending on the current exchange rate.  Ramada’s has all of the modern amenities one would expect in 2010, including free Wi-Fi internet.  They are located on Narciso Street, across from the Tiger Hotel; basically, the side road off of Fields that is directly across from the Checkpoint Jeepney Terminal.  Use AE’s map and you’ll see it better.  They don’t actually have Ramada’s on the map yet, but find Medgar Hotel and it’s right near there; just opposite side of Narciso St.  Anyway, here’s a few pics of the place too:

Street View

The Rooms

MORE

Poolside

Overhead Location Map

September 17th, 2009

I guess they finally figured out that just about every other business in AC has a website too.  Now I’m not knocking them (even though they’re Chinese-owned), because America Hotel was one of my main-stays over the years, especially early on in my AC-going experience.  Their new website is just about like their hotel.  Not fancy or flashy, but it gets the job done.  You’ll find the address, location map, room rates and a few pics.  No frills. I always liked America because of it’s “half-way-in-between-Fields-and-Perimeter” location.   It was still close enough to the clubs that you could walk, but far enough away that not every one in town knew where you were staying and who you were banging.

The hotel might leave some desiring more amenities, but was always suitable for me.  Some people say it has a weird  smell, or that some girls don’t like it because of its fabled “ghost stories”, or because it always seems empty and lacks that friendly resort atmosphere that some of the other places (Orchid Group, Pacific Breeze) have.  But I always found it just fine and dandy.  I can’t tell you how many barfines I shagged on the beds at America Hotel.   Some of my fondest nights in AC ended there.

If you’re not someone who needs a lot of edge dressing in your AC accommodations, or someone looking to save a few bucks, then America Hotel would fit the bill for you.  Compared to the rest of the ever-increasing room rates around town, America stills comes as a nice value with deluxe double bed rooms as low as 1,030 pesos ($22) up to 3,200 pesos ($67) for the presidential jacuzzi suite.   When people ask me where to stay in AC, I routinely spout off with all of the usual suspects:  Orchid Group, Central Park, Pacific Breeze, Lewis Grand, ABC and Royal Amsterdam; but America Hotel could really be included in my recommendations.  It might not be for everybody, but it always worked for me.  So take that for what it’s worth.

America Hotel Website