Laoag Renzo Hotel

Credit: Tripadvisor

On the first night of our Ilocos trip, I booked a room at Laoag Renzo Hotel via Agoda. The hotel fit the criteria I set on where to stay during out-of-town vacations:

• walking distance from the town/city
• offers breakfast

From the Partas Bus Terminal in Laoag, we hailed a tricycle going to Laoag Renzo Hotel. The fare was P11 per passenger. The trike had a sign informing tourists about the fare. I like this since you are guaranteed that you're paying the right fare and not being duped to paying more.

Our check-in time was 12nn and we arrived at the hotel at around 8am. We used the floor's rest room to freshen up and then we left our bags at the hotel reception. No locked cabinets; the bags were just on the floor behind the front desk.

After visiting Batac and Paoay, we walked from the city's capitol to Laoag Renzo Hotel. There was a parade since Laoag was celebrating the Pamulinawen Festival.

Our room was on the fourth floor and the hotel had no elevators. After walking for about 10 minutes from the city, we still had to climb four flights of stairs. Arghhh!!!

On the walls along the staircase there were framed fun facts about stairs, climbing and exercise. So, if you got tired and didn't want to show others that you felt faint from the climb, just read the interesting tidbits hanging on the walls while you catch your breath. :)

The room was big enough for the two of us and I forgot to take a picture since we were exhausted from the long trip from Manila and the day's touring. It had the basic amenities such as a TV, phone, bottled water, and personal ref.

However, the thing that we didn't like was that the toilet was not flushing properly. Since there was no pail in the comfort room, Hubby had to use the garbage bin to collect water and flush the toilet. 

We informed the hotel about it and a maintenance crew checked out the problem. He said the handle was faulty and we had to correct its position after every flush (or something like that) so the tank could be filled with water. End of story, we still used the bin to flush the toilet during our overnight stay.

The saving grace of Laoag Renzo Hotel after that disastrous toilet debacle was their buffet breakfast.

They had a variety of meat viands, veggies and desserts. Coffee and cold juice were also available.

Here's the breakdown of what we liked and didn't like with our stay in Laoag Renzo Hotel:

LIKES:
- location (near the supermarket, fast food joints, market, and other tourist spots)
- quiet rooms
- breakfast buffet
- fast service on special requests (I asked for an iron and board.)

DISLIKES:
- stairs (not recommended for seniors and families with babies)
- faulty toilet


Laoag Renzo Hotel
187 J. P. Rizal Street, 
Laoag City
www.laoagrenzohotel.tripod.com