The Visayas - The Rough Guide to the Philippines

Travel Reference

In-Depth Information

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation ranges from simple budget accommodation to affordable mid-range places, plus there are also a couple

of plush hotels to consider, one of them a little way out of town at Palo. All of the hotels listed below are now open for

business, though most of the biggest and best hotels were block booked by aid agencies at the time of writing.

Asia Stars Hotel Zamora St T 053 321 5388, W asia

starshotel.com. Unattractive from the outside, but the

rooms are fine, the staff friendly and the location central.

Quiet doubles with fan or a/c, all with private shower,

plus some roo ms wh ich have cable TV and a fridge. Free

in-room wi-fi. P1000

Cecilia's Lodge 178 P. Paterno St T 053 523 1759. This

modest but comfortable little pension is the one many

backpackers head to. It offers simple, clean singles, doubles

and family rooms, most with a private shower and toilet.

There's also a wom en-only building and staff are friendly

and helpful. P500

★

Hotel D'Angelo Rizal Ave T 053 325 2341. Well-located

and clean, mid-sized establishment with simple, modern

rooms with tiled floors and good bathrooms. The rooms

on the upper floors have pleasant vi ews ac ross the city

and of the sea. Free wi-fi in the lobby. P1125

The Oriental Leyte Palo, 5km south of Tacloban T 053

323 3881, W leyte.theorientalhotels.com. In a terrific

location close to the Leyte Landing Memorial, this formerly

government-run establishment is now a high-end beach

resort. Rooms are luxuriously comfortable and the resort

has all of the amenities and facilities you'd expect, in

spite of having been swamped up to its second floor by

Yolanda. P3500

Welcome Home Pensione South end of Santo Niño St,

opposite the Caltex petrol station T 0919 341 5213,

W welcomehomepensione.com. Close to the Duptours

terminal with good-value rooms, and often fully booked

as a result. There's a choice of fan or a/c rooms, with or

without en-suite bathr oom, plus it has free wi-fi in the

coffee shop downstairs. P600

Hotel Alejandro P. Paterno St T 053 321 7510,

W alejandro.tacloban.biz. Popular and well-managed hotel

in an attractive 1930s building that was used as a refuge for

evacuee families in World War II. Rooms are tastefully styled

and have a/c, cable TV and fridges, although not all have

external windows. There's a fascinating display of historic

photographs on the second and third floors, and downstairs

the restaurant and coffee shop has fre e wi-fi. There are just

two budget fan rooms (P1000). P1500

EATING, DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

These days Tacloban has a pretty sophisticated restaurant scene, and in between meals there are plenty of local

specialities to snack on - binagul , a hot sticky concoction made of coconut and nuts, and chocolate meron can be bought

freshly made every morning from hawkers along Rizal Ave. Most of the places below were flooded during Yolanda, but

aside from Café Libro , all were fully operational at the time of writing.

Café Libro P. Gomez St. Quirky little café with good cakes

and a book exchange. Closed at the time of writing but

should have reopened by the time you read this.

Dream Café 222 M.H. Del Pilar St T 053 325 8222,

W dreamcafe.ph. Australian-Filipino-owned, this clean

and friendly little diner serves burgers (P145-215), sand-

wiches (P70-120), soups (P95-275), Aussie lamb chops

(P850), tasty carrot cake (P98) and even imported wines.

Free wi-fi. Daily 6am-11pm.

★

with live acoustic music on Wed, Fri and Sat nights from 9pm.

Drinks are reasonably priced (San Mig P50) and they also

serve simple meals (P185). Daily 11am-midnight.

Ocho Senator Enage St T 053 823 0211, W ocho.ph.

Stylish restaurant where you choose from super-fresh

salads, fish, fruit and desserts laid out at the back of the

restaurant; your main course is cooked to your taste. Two

can dine for around P500. Daily 10am-9pm.

Stephanie's Smokehaus Ave Veteranos T 053 325

3797. Popular and cosy buffet restaurant, where P200 buys

a great-value all-you-can-eat spread. Daily 7am-10pm.

Uncle Sam's P Gomez St T 0917 820 9620. Philly steak

sandwich (P165) and mac and three cheeses (P175) are

some of the menu highlights at this American-themed

diner painted bright red and decked out with classic movie

posters. Daily 10am-9pm.

Giuseppe's 173 Ave Veteranos T 053 321 4910.

Genuine Italian food in sophisticated surroundings. The

stone-baked pizzas (P350-600) are as good as you'll find

in this part of the world, and there's also ravioli ragu,

spaghetti marinara, tiramisu, good coffee and free wi-fi.

Daily 11.30am-2pm & 5-10pm.

Julio's Buffet & Jazz Joint P. Paterno St. Cosy little venue