Pearlmont Hotel

pearlmont inn has seen better days. parking space was a problem. the curtains and drapes in our venue show signs of antiquity. the staff responsible for the audio system arrived late that our national anthem was not played as expected. we were not served free breakfast on the second day. we had to take a long walk to reach a fastfood chain which would cost us a little over a hundred compared to the more than 200 pesos for a basic silog meal. our room has no windows. no welcome bottled water. no network signal and no hangers in the cabinet. there are other things lacking but you get the picture. we were billeted here because we had no other choice.

This is an old hotel and it shows it's age. The workmanship in places like the washroom is pretty sad. The calking there looked like an angry hack whent nuts with a tube of off white. Having said that, it doesn't cost much at all. I think about $1500 for a double. The beds are quite narrow though so sleeping any extra 10 year old was tough. What impressed me the most was their kitchen. The servings are huge and meal were tasty. as usual, for the Philippines, "out of stock" or "Not available" was unfortunately often the response to menu requests. Cagayan is as close to hell as I've seen on earth but it is what it is and not the hotel's fault. The locks on the doors are worrisome as they look like they could very easily be slipped so leave valuables at the front desk. Security from outside intrusion looks tight but contractors are in and out often enough. The neighbourhood around this hotel is rough too. I did wake up with a couple bites on my body but I could have gotten them anywhere. Maybe do a bed inspection first. One can wonder why I gave it 4 stars: the staff are professional and the food is great, rooms reasonably clean and the rates were cheap for this antiquated, old school relic. If you want to save money and not suffer anything terrible, this is a good choice and recommended by locals.