Travel | Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel
We have been here during the chinese new year of 2018, and we had a great time. Who wouldn't? Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel is right smack in the center of Ongpin Street. In the middle of the chinese new year, everyone was in a great mood. Streets were all in celebration, people were were ecstatic and we had a great time staying in this hotel then.
Fast forward a few months into the year and we were back in this hotel. With less fanfare, with less people, the hotel settled somehow as to what day to day operations would have it. The hotel showed its true charm during our visit and it was very different.
The lobby was spacious I now noticed. Staff were not neck deep busy compared to our last visit, and they were all excited to check me in. My reservation was made before hand and my name easily popped up when I registered.
After signing off, I was led to my room. The elevator or lift was still the same except for the absence of guests, and the hallway to my room was still quiet as ever. My room smelled nice going in so I felt comfortable right away.
Like an eager boy that I am, I opened right away the cabinets. Wanting to find what was in them. I was particular on getting a safety deposit box since I had some expensive equipment with me and true enough one was provided inside the room. Now I have a place to put in my camera and small laptop. I can now go out and feel safe knowing my things are stored securely.
Now the room is equipped with your usual air conditioning and hot water equipment. It offers a decent and adequate sized room along with a relatively sized bathroom. Towels were clean and fresh, there were rubber slippers available as well.
We liked the set up in the room and bathroom and the only thing that needs improvement are the TV or Cable TV channels. I can't blame them if they have a lot of Chinese speaking channels, they are in Chinatown. I am not Chinese so you understand my situation. There was only one yes one english language channel. Some channels are local Free TV but I didn't get a hotel room to watch local TV. Anyway, that was our only concern.
Staying the night here is great. The hallways were serene and quiet, giving you a pleasant nights sleep. To add more to the pleasantries is the complimentary buffet breakfast. Located at the basement, they have a plethora of breakfast dishes lined up to jump start your day.
Coffee, Tea and Orange Juice completes your breakfast buffet. If you can't find these on the buffet table, you can't. Its located near the entrance. Its an inconvenient place but its where they placed it. Similar to the buffet, you can get as much drinks you can.
Taste wise, its your regular breakfast dishes. I thought they might have chinese cuisine touches to them, but its just your normal cooking. So don't hesitate to take your breakfast here.
Checking out is normal at 12noon, but for our visit, I had to leave early at 9am as we were slated to do a food crawl in Binondo. I simply asked my concierge to hold on to my things while did the food crawl. They kept my backpack in a secure place and issued me a claim stub.
I took a lot of time doing the food crawl and I came back early evening. My backpack was still there. Nothing missing, and I left there bringing with me their smiles.
If ever you will be doing a staycation with Binondo in your mind, we suggest staying here at the Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel. It's in the heart of Binondo so its a great way of experiencing the old Manila with a Chinese Touch. It's a wonderful experience and different from your usual kind of living yet not fully detached from your roots. Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel, make it your next staycation.
For reservations and inquiries, you may contact them via their facebook page here
