Byaheng Norte: Mango Valley

We were supposed to stay in Subic Freeport's Grand Hoyah, the hotel right next to Mango Valley. What caught our eye in the middle of the heavy rain was the promo rate they were advertising on their tarp. It said Php 1,600 per night!

When we inquired, we were advised that the regular rate was Php 2,800, and the Php 1,600 is available if we get a room in their new building, (which is right across the street) and let go of the amenities. We tried to clarify what we were letting go for the Php 1,200 difference, and they just said ‘breakfast.’ DEAL! 

The room was spacious; and they seem to be aiming for a cabin feel with dark wood furniture. There was a King size bed, the mattress was comfortably firm, but the pillows are quite small for the bed. 

It was weird that there’s a sink parallel to the bed. There’s a sink inside the bathroom so I’m not sure what’s the plan for that basin outside.  

The building inside Subic Freeport is very new, the wi-fi hasn’t been set-up yet although the receptionist, Mary Ann, told us that we can use the wi-fi in the lobby. She also mentioned that they will have wi-fi in the rooms soon. 

There are no cabinets for your clothes. Since we were drenched from the rain, we had to unpack all of our things just to make sure that the clothes and gadgets were not wet. We had no place to put them, so it was just scattered on the tables and chairs. 

It seemed that the hotel rooms were designed for very tall people. I’m average in height and I had to stand on my tippy toes to be able to hang clothes on the coat hook, you’ll definitely need the remote of the air-conditioner if you want to adjust the temperature since the controls are very high. 

The shower’s heater controls are also difficult to reach.  In fact, even the shower curtain rod was installed so high, the drape ends a good couple of feet from the floor, so there goes its purpose.  

There’s no fridge, but if you are just staying overnight to explore the rest of Subic, then it shouldn’t be an issue. They have a restaurant in the older building, it does have a limited menu though of food and drinks. 

For snacks, the Ministop convenience store is just block away. If you fancy a nice dinner you can walk for roughly 15 minutes to the Harbor Point Mall.  It's open until 9pm, but the restaurants in the Pavilion like Friday’s and Starbucks are open until 11pm.   

The Mango Valley hotel in Subic is not meant for recreation or lounging. There are no seating areas, or swimming pools. The lobby only has a couple of couches in front of the reception desk.  This is a good business hotel if you intend to just spend the night to sleep. 

The hotel room was satisfactory, we will recommend it to friends as a practical and clean hotel to stay in if they wish to explore Subic. It's just a good 15 minute walking distance from the gate, if you don't want to bring a car but want to still stay inside the Freeport Area, this is a good choice. There are still no public shuttles available inside Freeport, but you can call for a taxi if you insist to get to Zoobic or Ocean Adventure. 

A review for this hotel has also been posted in Trip Advisor. If you plan to try to this hotel, here are their published rates.

To check out my review for this hotel in Trip Advisor, click here. 

The Trip Advisor website is a great way to get more information and recent pictures of the hotels you want to book for your vacation, with reviews, feedback, ratings as well as  photos uploaded by the hotel's own guests.