Living in the outskirts of Quezon City, I (now) find a lot of places too far or too inaccessible to me. Nowadays, I often just venture out to places I can easily go to.
Hotel 878 lobby
The same goes when I travel: I pick places that are either centrally located, near a transport hub (preferably a train station), or within easy access to the main purpose of my trip.
When I got the invite to stay overnight at Hotel 878, I jumped on the opportunity to get out of the house, though I had to think what makes it a good accommodation option for any traveler. For me, Libis is one of those places that’s too far. There are no trains going there, and the cost of taking a taxi is as much as much as going to Makati. Why would people want to stay there?
Why are daybeds called daybed?
The answer came to me as I was on my way to the hotel last Friday. Say you’re in town for wedding in Eastwood, or a convention in UP, or an entrance exam at Ateneo or at Miriam College. Taking into account Manila’s horrible traffic situation, you’d want to stay somewhere near to avoid getting stuck in traffic for too long.
Going to Eastwood is just a jeepney ride away, around Php 60 if you’re taking a taxi, or maybe 15 minutes if you don’t mind walking. Provided you don’t get stuck in Katipunan’s infamous rush hour traffic (a near constant during school days), travel time to UP Diliman is around 20 minutes by car.
You can’t see it, but right beside the bed are FOUR electrical sockets. Happy.
I arrived at Hotel 878 around 3 pm, grateful to have managed to avoid the worst of the traffic brought on with having the trucks on the road. I was met with smiles from all the staff in the lobby. Check-in was quick and I was going up to my room in no time. By the way, there are no elevators in Hotel 878, so if you have mobility issues, be sure to request for a room on the ground floor
I was given one of their loft-type rooms on the third floor. There was a day bed, a table and chair, a kitchenette, and the toilet and shower on the first level. The bed, a desk, wardrobe, TV, and the air conditioner is on the second level. What’s great about this set up is that if you’re traveling with someone, it gives you a feeling of having your own space when your companion is on the other level. The downside is that since there’s only one air conditioner, you have to set the temperature really low to enjoy the cool air in the living area.
Chicken tocilog for breakfast
One by one, my friends started arriving. As we got comfortable sitting on the bed, watching tawdry television shows in air conditioned comfort, summoning the will to go out, brave the heat, traffic, and the crowds at Eastwood, was an exercise in futility. Thank goodness for room service and fast food delivery.
Breakfast the following morning was at their cafe on the second floor. We got served their breakfast plate of the day: chicken tocino with egg and rice.
The hotel offer long-stay rates, so if you need to be in the area for an extended period of time, Hotel 878 is one of the places you can consider staying at.
Hotel 878
878 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue
Bagumbayan, Quezon City
Phone: +63 2 709-0154
Website: www.hotel878libis.com
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