Accommodation plays a role in your overall trip experience. Whether you’re staying at your hotel/hostel/guesthouse/b&b/resort the whole day or just sleeping there, it would still impact how your general feeling about the place. I guess one of the reasons why I enjoyed my Donsol trip so much was because of the overall feel and the lovely people at the Amor Farm Beach Resort.

 
One of Donsol’s first resort, Amor Farm Beach Resort is listed as Lonely Planet as its second choice. LP describes Amor as: “right next to the vistors centre, this is a peaceful place, albeit not quite as well kept as Woodland.” They’re right about it being a peaceful place, but it seems the tourist center has moved, because it’s now a 5-minute walk from Amor.

Yay for clean bathrooms! (I had my share of memorable toilets, and this is one of the rare toilets I can remember in a very positive light)

The resort is very rustic, very natural and very Filipino. The cottages have thatched roof, the rooms are spotless and the staff are very friendly. The resort is filled with greens, save for the basketball court (which used to be a place to dry their palay). Amor also has a restaurant serving good Filipino and western dishes at reasonable prices.

Left your book at home? Amor has some reading materials you can borrow.

 
Amor’s restaurant also serves as the resort’s common area. There is a TV (which seemed to be always tuned to ABS-CBN — kapamilya sila!), a a component (for videoke, perhaps?), a table laden with books and magazines from around the world (Harry Potter in French, anyone?). If you’re traveling alone and looking to chat up with other travelers, just hang out at the restaurant and you’ll surely find someone to talk to.

The ever wonderful Agnes who welcomed us with open arms *drama* It’s really the people at Amor that made this stay so enjoyable.

 
Being listed in the Lonely Planet Philippines meant that most travels head to Amor Beach Resort when traveling in Donsol. If you’re going during the peak season (December - May for Donsol), better book a room beforehand because they fill up very quickly. When we were there, a room would only be unoccupied for less than an hour (just enough time for the housekeeping crew to do their job) before a new guest would settle in. Amor is the accomodation of choice for plenty of travelers who has gone butanding watching in Donsol. It’s also my choice.

I saw a frog there one evening *cringe*

 
Amor Farm Beach Resort
Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile: +63 910-4762176, +63 910 4586140
E-mail: lyn_amor0122@yahoo.com, rasyl_r_amor@yahoo.com

Room rates (as of February 2008)
Airconditioned rooms (king-size bed, ensuite toilet and bath) - Php 1,500
Fan room (1 single bed and 1 double bed, ensuite toilet and bath) - Php 1,000
Fan room (1 double bed, ensuite toilet and bath) - Php 800
Fan room (2 singe bed, enquite toilet and bath) - Php 800
Extra matress - Php 150

Popularity: 36% [?]

Can lah, with TuneHotels.com!

I was floored when I saw the picture of the hotel on Ajay’s flickr, and flabbergasted when I read her entry about TuneHotels. RM9.99 for a hotel room. A hotel, not a hostel!
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Popularity: 64% [?]

It was hard picking a hostel in Sydney. Of course there are hostels that has the worst reviews, but there’s also plenty that get raves from both hostel booking sites and guidebooks. I ended up picking the hostel that has a great location, free breakfast, free luggage storage and female dorms: Big Hostel.
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Popularity: 48% [?]

I picked Baan Panburi to stay in Thong Nai Pan Noi in Ko Pha Ngan for two reasons: I heard that the restaurant is good, and they have a website. Being one who practically grew up online, an accomodation with its own website gets higher marks than a resort/hotel without. I know it doesn’t mean that those without websites aren’t as good, but it’s one way of getting a feel of the place.

Baan Panburi has made some changes through out the years, which resulted to having two types of accomodation: the Old Island Huts and the New Island Huts. There is a THB 100 price difference between the two kinds, and I spent weeks trying to decide whether to be cheap or take a chance with a newer hut, hoping it has better facilities. I went with the latter.

Then there’s the debate if I’ll splurge on a beachfront hut or be contented with a seaview. The price difference was bigger, so I opted to be cheap this time.

If you compare the two pictures (the first was of my seaview hut, the 2nd is the beachfront hut), the additional THB800 was for the extension on the side where you can hangout while having a view of the beach or the pathway. You also get a window with a glass and curtains, whereas with the THB 500 hut, you get a small porch and a wooden window, which you have to open if you want some natural light inside your hut and which you have to close if you want to change your clothes (unless you’re an exhibitionist) or if you want to keep the insects (and unwelcomed humans) out of your hut.

Unlike Moonhuts Bungalows, their huts are made of natural materials, similar to the Philippines’ ay kubo. I had many gripes about my hut: it was too dark, little natural light coming in, there are crevices which lets insects and bugs in, the window doesn’t have a screen, so you can’t leave it open at night when you sleep, the bed was too hard, and ugh, it goes on.

Its saving grace is its beautifully landscaped gardens, gorgeous beachfront (inhabited by friendly dogs), the courteous and friendly staff, and its wonderful restaurant.

Thong Nai Pan Noi is pretty small, and while there’s ample restaurants around, most of the tourists head on to the Sala Rim Nam Terrace Restaurant. They offer a wide variety of dishes from native Thai cuisine to Western staples like hamburger, pizza, and a sampling of Asian dishes as well. The dishes are moderately and reasonably priced: the food’s delicious and served in a timely manner. A little precaution when ordering though: If you’re thinking of ordering dishes that starts with “Fried Chicken with…” clarify with the server how the dish is cooked. I ordered Fried Chicken with Pinapple and added an order of Mashed potatoes to go with it and got chicken stir-fried with pineapples. While the dish was delicious, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Their Cheeseburger and Spaghetti with Garlic and Basil is a winner in my book. Try it!

Another great thing about Baan Panburi’s restaurant is the overall ambiance of the restaurant. There are no walls in this restaurant; you’re offered a gorgeous view of the beach or the gardens anywhere you turn. In case of rain, they just roll down a tarp on all the sides. You can choose to sit at a table nearest the beach, a table for two near the center, or relax in one of the wooden beds with a group of friends.

When you’ve gotten tired of relaxing at the beach, they have a cabinet filled with toys and games you can borrow. I think there was a chess set there, as well as dominoes and probably a badminton set. They also sell junkfood, souvenirs, postcards and books in their gift shop. There wasn’t much difference in their prices with the stores outside the resort, though their Internet is priced higher and has a sub-par connection. And it’s running on Windows Vista.

So would I stay again at Baan Panburi? To answer this question, I’ll ask you, dear reader, to answer one of my own: Would you judge a resort by its toilet? I enjoyed my 4 days in Baan Panburi, but this toilet is really something I don’t want to encounter again.

I hear they’re making a lot of improvements in the resort, including expanding unto the land across the road near the mountains, and adding in a swimming pool (probably where the Old Island Huts used to be). Maybe they’ll have better (read: cleaner) bathroom facilities by then. But I think I’ll try out the other resorts in the area and just go there for food.

Baan Panburi Village
Amphur Baan Tai, Thong Nai Pan Noi
Koh Phangan, Suratthani 84320, Thailand.
Tel: + 66 (0) 7723 8593, + 66 (0) 7723 8599, + 66 (0) 7744 5075
Fax: + 66 (0) 7744 5076
E-mail : reservation@baanpanburivillage.com

Popularity: 48% [?]

When I was still on the planning stage of my trip, I discovered Shambara Guesthouse. It looks great in the pictures, and every site I came upon have rave reviews for Shambara, from travelers who have stayed there before. I wanted to stay in Khao San Road, and Shambara’s the best guesthouse in the area for me.

However, I learned that neither the BTS or the MRT have a station anywhere near Banglamphu. I don’t want to depend on taxis to get around Bangkok, and I was still wary about the Chao Praya River Express. But still, I wanted to see what’s all the fuss about Shambara. Luckily enough, the Lomprayah bus that I will be taking from Ko Pha Ngan will have its last stop at Khao San Road, so I reserved one night in Shambara.
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Popularity: 63% [?]