Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: Pechelito’s Hotel Naga: Half Done Rooms Caught in a Time Warp

Pechelito’s Hotel Naga
Half Done Rooms Caught in a Time Warp

I have blogged about Pechelito’s Place in Magarao when
we were invited by a sister- in- law in one of their family
outings in the past and found it sleazy and dreadfully chaotic.

It was populated with drunk guests singing at the top

of their voices in every nook and corner of the resort

and everyone seem to have their own karaoke machines.

This time we were again invited by my sister- in- law as her daughter was giving
a treat. I impishly smiled at the back of my mind when she said Pechelito’s.
No, not the one in Magarao, but Pechelito’s Hotel, the hotel in Naga this time.

I got really curious that there must be something that

makes her a regular and loyal costumer of Pechelito’s.

There was a pre- announced city- wide maintenance brownout that
day so we book a room for the kids to stray when they confirmed
that they have a generator. To our horror and disappointment,

they never turned it on so we stayed home and returned in the

afternoon to join our relatives swimming on the hotel pool.

Stay

Pechelito’s Hotel used the be the Hotel Mirabella,

a lovely garden hotel in the late 80’s and closed down

in the early 90’s, located in Liboton, Naga City.

It reopened sometime last year as Pechelito’s Hotel,

managed by the same people of Pechelito’s Place in

the nearby Magarao town, which I blogged in the past.

The kids have already checked- in earlier but we decided to take them home,
as it was a day long brown- out. Although they assured us of having a generator,
the hotel, just like the rest of the city also did not have any electricity. What I noticed
though, they have a lot of alcoholic drinks on display at the check in counter,

...reminiscent of Pechelito's Place in Magarao which also had
a lot of alcoholic beverages for sale but did not have any diet soda.

When we returned late in the afternoon,

... that was the time we got to
take a close look of the room.

It was a plain square room with green

accents with a double bed on one end,

…and a flat screen TV in front.

…there was a hanging utility counter

at one corner of the room near the TV.

Near the entrance was an empty, unlighted closet,

…and a vanity area that could also

serve as a study and reading nook.

Right beside it is a green colored toilet,

…provided with basic toiletries,

…and just like the original Pechelito’s Place

in Magarao, this one also had a dipper.

The shower had three knobs, one of which

was meant for the hot water but what came

out was tap water as the hotel has no heater.

What caught my attention was the filthy window screen

that had all the nasty grime, dirt and dust sticking on it.

I suspect that these were the original window screens

of the old Hotel Mirabella that shut down two decades

ago and was never been replaced by the new owners.
The screen locker was also broken and was never fixed.

The room's window type aircon unit lies right above the bed
headboard so one could hear the whirring noise, feel the
vibration and the bed trembles with the wall once it is on.

The bedside table had a lamp, and it
appears okay but on a closer look,

.... the edges are broken and was never
repaired during the renovation.

There was also a pair of light switches on the front side but
they're working, and might have been a central lighting
control of the old Mirabella Hotel and were not reactivated

Just like the window screen, this table might have

been a remnant of the old hotel and the contractor

had done a sloppy job during the renovation.

Even the broken door locks were neither repaired

nor replaced and had it happen to our house, I

would have fired the foreman for not doing his job.

The room is just half done. I believe there are still a lot of things

to be done and the room seem not ready to accept guests yet.

Stray

The hotel is located in Liboton, way off in

Magsaysay Avenue Extension but still close

to some of the city’s famous tourist attractions.

It is a block away from the Penfrancia Shrine,

…within walking distance to the
glittering Magsaysay Strip,

…and the Penafrancia Basilica.

Source: TRIPADVISOR

It is in front of a satellite market and

just across a 7- Eleven store in Liboton.

Play

There is really nothing much to do in the hotel

as the amenities were limited. The kids were

invited by their relatives for swimming but the

pool looked desolate and far from inviting.

What used to be a the old Hotel Mirabella pool

located in a lush and lovely pool side garden was
replaced with a dreadful and ugly concrete pavement,

…all the way to the small clubhouse.

Since no one of us was interested to swim,

we decided to stay in our room to rest.

W were lucky as it was the finale for

‘Asia’s Got Talent’ and the show kept

us entertained on what was supposed to

be a tedious evening in a boring hotel.

We checked out after the talent show was over and we were
thankful as we could finally comfortably rest at home.

Feast

Our relatives brought food to eat in the hotel

clubhouse but we already had a dinner before

coming so we just feasted on finger foods and soda.

The hotel otherwise had an in- house restaurant.

...but we never tired it as no one was hungry.

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Pechelito’s Hotel, would have been a welcome

addition to mushrooming budget hotels in the city,

…and I had high expectations on this hotel as it used to be

the beautiful and charming Mirabella Garden Hotel, one
of the loveliest in the city in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

We booked a room for the kids due to the day long brownout as they
confirmed that have a generator, but just like other parts of the city-
they also did not have electricity, so we had to take the kids back home.