After our trip to Mount Samat National Shrine, we killed time at Vista Mall in Balanga City, and also bought rash guards so that we can swim at the pool in the hotel.
The hotel is an hour drive away from Vista Mall, and let me warn you, almost majority of the route is under road repair, so you're in for a very bumpy ride. I drove for this leg of the trip and all I can say is sorry to our car. Hahaha. Combine roads that are not well-paved with sharp turns, steep descents then you arrive at The Oriental Bataan.
I first saw this hotel through Agoda, but I didn't book through them because I saw that the hotel's actual site offered cheaper rates. I booked their Deluxe Queen Room for around PHP 3,000.00, which is good for only two persons, so we had to pay an additional PHP 1,500.00 for them to accommodate 3 persons. The PHP 4,500 total is inclusive of the hotel room, buffet breakfast for 3, access to the pool, and cliff lounge.
Upon entering, you get to see this green wall with the signage of the hotel. This is also the backdrop of the reception/front desk where you check-in.
At the back of the green wall, is the buffet restaurant. While on the road on the way to the hotel, we saw posters that they are the largest buffet restaurant in Bataan City. Sadly, we weren't able to try it because the dinner buffet is only available on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
The overall aesthetic of the hotel is Asian and Tropical, with prominent inspiration from Thai culture. They also have these old-school arcade games that guests can play with.
One feature that is also unique with this hotel is instead of going up to your rooms, you go down to access your rooms. And they also don't have elevators, so I suggest that you pack light.
Now, let's talk about the pool. It is the one that convinced me to urgently book this hotel.
It's not a very big pool, but I had high hopes that it won't be crowded since summer is over.
We opted for a night swimming (the pool is open from 6:00 am - 10:00) since we don't want to get tanned or burnt skin. The pool water was really cold at first, but you get used to it. They also have a poolside bar, named "Liquid" and a Thai-inspired restaurant called "Cocoon". You could order food and drinks from them and eat by the pool in between swimming and lounging.
I forgot to take pictures of the food we ordered, but as far as I can remember we ordered a Clubhouse Sandwich, soda, and I think a Vietnamese Spring Roll and our total bill was just around PHP 728.00, which is relatively cheap for hotel food.
After wading and wading for hours in the pool, my mom and dad decided to try out their spa, which is also Thai-inspired. The spa is open from 10:00 am - 12:00 mn, and you just have to notify the staff for a slot reservation. My parents availed the Spa for Two promo, which includes hot stones, shiatsu massage, head and facial massage, as well as access to the pool spa.
Inside the spa, it really takes you away from everything. Since it was night time, I could really hear the crickets. They also told us that the water in the spa pool is different from the water in the hotel's pool. The water in the spa is all natural, no chlorine or other chemicals. Also, since there were no other people at that time, I had that pool all to myself... which is also quite sad. Hahaha.
After mom and dad's spa time, we had dinner at Forest Grill, since it's the only restaurant that is open until midnight. Basically, it is an open-air dining area that gives you a view of the mountains of Bataan.
We ordered Pakbet na Bangus, Honey Lemon Chicken, Garlic Rice and of course, Coke. The food was good, and again in-line with the theme of the hotel, Asian-Filipino food were on the menu.
After dinner, we decided to call it a night. Then we just woke up for breakfast, took a few pictures then checked out because we had to be back in Manila by 4 or 5 in the afternoon.
I would definitely go back to Bataan, there are still a lot of sights to see and explore.
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