A tale of two hotels

We spent most of our four weeks on the road in five resorts, two in Palau and three in the Philippines. However, because of the timing of our travel arrangements, there were a number of nights when we needed some place for just an overnight stay. Sometimes that worked out well. Sometimes, not so well.
Our flight from Palau back to Manila arrived about 9:30 p.m. but by the time we cleared customs and immigration, claimed our luggage, waited for the hotel pick-up, drove to the hotel and checked in, it was nearing midnight. We have an eight o’clock flight the next morning so Doreen had selected a hotel close to the airport. We were impressed with the staff and the room and decided to stay there on our return to Manila from Dumaguete. The alarm went off at 5:30 a.m., we grabbed a quick bite in the hotel lobby and then off to the airport and our flight to Tagbilaran City. We left with a wonderful impression of the Hotel and were looking forward to our return there.
Two weeks later, we’re back but where’s the real Nichols Hotel? The desk people were inattentive and the lobby had been re-arranged to be used as a dining area while the coffee shop is under renovation. We were told, as far as I could understand, that our former room (rated a superior room) was unavailable and we had been upgraded to a deluxe room. That’s not what we saw when we walked into room 458. It was small and dingy and every time we moved something another bug went scurrying. After several trips to the front desk to complain we were moved to room 372–a larger, cleaner, nicer-looking room but with an inadequate shower. Not a patch on the room we’d had on our first visit. This time the alarm is set for 3:45 a.m. as we have to check in for an international flight.
We had better luck with the Metro Center Hotel in Tagbilaran. The Isla Hayahay driver dropped us off there to await our pickup by Balicasag, we liked the look of the place and booked a room for Wednesday night. When we got back from Balicasag Island, we found ourselves in an large, airy, nicely-appointed room. The hotel also had an indoor pool, a workout room, a games room and a sauna–all small but serviceable. More importantly, the hotel’s business center offered free wi-fi service and the restaurant provided decent food at affordable prices. And it was only a short ride to the ferry dock.