The hotel was constructed by President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. Tacloban is the home town of the former First Lady, Imelda Marcos. Ground breaking began on January 27, 1979 and was inaugurated by the first couple on July 2, 1980.

The grounds are peaceful and safe. The view out over the water is wonderful. The swimming pool is ok. There is free wifi, but only in the lobby. The staff is very friendly.

However, I did find the price of 2,500php a bit high, in that the rooms are showing their age, water pressure was poor and hot water almost non existent in my room. The breakfast buffet which was included with the room was average at best.

Though I enjoyed the staff and the grounds, my next trip to Tacloban, I will be looking for a better kept hotel with more reasonable rate.

Here is a short video I took on the morning of June 13, 2009 from the terrace in my room.

Pictures of Leyte Park Hotel in Tacloban

The seascape along the South China Sea offers wonderful sunrises and especially sunsets.  The sand is white, though coarse.  There is a shallow area from the shore for about 100 meters which contains rocks and sea grass.  This area presents some great tidal pools to explore during low tide.  The locals take advantage of the low tides to collect shell fish.  I found it very enjoyable to walk the tidal pools and to go out to the wave breaks at the end of the shallows.

Though the shallow area makes great exploration and scenery, it is not good for those wanting to swim.  Your best bet for swimming is at the Patar Beach.  This beach has more sand and less rock.  There is a small admittance fee, less than 50php.

Accommodations vary from bamboo floored kubos to high end luxury resorts.  There are also many areas offering places to pitch a tent.

In the photos you will see Puerto Del Sol and Treasures of Bolinao for the higher end facilities.   The prices here start around 4-5,000php a night.  The rooms are top notch.  They also each have beautiful swimming pools.  For sunsets, and closeness to Patar Beach, Treasures of Bolinao would be my recommendation.  For a bit better service and facilities, I suggest Puerto Del Sol.

I stayed in a kubo at AMS Beach Resort during the week after Christmas 2008 for 800php.  This is right beside the Puerto Del Sol.  Maybe a bit rustic for some, but it is very clean and the owners are extremely friendly.  I found it to be more than adequate for my simple tastes.   They have no restauarant, so you are welcome to bring your own food, or you could simply walk a few meters over to Puerto Del Sol to eat there, or venture along to any of the other restaurants around.

Speaking of restaurants, when in Pangasinan you must try the region’s famous Bangus (milk fish).  It is always fresh and delicious.

The trip to Bolinao is made for motorcycle enthusiasts.  The roads are mostly straight and in good condition.  Of course you have the usual nuances of driving in the Philippines (Buses, trikes, carabao, etc. etc.), but with a good sized bike you can easily get around most of these road blocks.  With a motorcycle, I can suggest doing the “loop” on your travel there.  Go up through Tarlac to Alaminos and over to Bolinao.  On the way back, go down the western side of Pangasinan into Zambales and drop into Subic.  From Subic you can get the expressway over to NLEX.  Of course you will need a 400cc or larger bike to take advantage of the expressways.  Plan about 4 – 5 hours from Manila, but if you leave early you should make much better time.

This is also an easy trip for a private car, and there are plenty of buses going to the area.

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So I booked my standard room there for February 21-25.  The rate was 1,300 php per night.

Upon arrival, I was pleased to see the hotel was exactly as advertised.  The staff was warm and friendly.  The room was basic, but spacious and clean.  It had an in room safe, wifi was great, water was hot and everything worked fine.

The food at the restaurant was very good, including the generous buffet breakfast which was included in the price of the room.  An important factor for my breakfast, they have brewed coffee!

Most of my trip in Bacolod City I used the hotel’s car and driver at very reasonable rates.  The car with driver cost me about 200php per hour.  Since I could not find a single place in the city to rent a motorcycle, the car was a big help for me.

I can safely recommend the O Hotel as a good place to stay while in Bacolod City.

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