The restaurant inside the Sunset Gardens Hotel (right next to the Petrol gas station) was fabulous. Lots of Swiss entrees but nice nipa hut type atmosphere and overlooks their clean pool. But, their food is very good and reasonable. All the Filipino, Australian, American and even Italian dishes were good.

I stayed there a week in early August. Okay food and service, but kinda high priced. I liked the open-air layout next to the pool. Lots of Germans. Menu is in German and English. When staying on Perimeter, I walk over to the American Legion for the p80 American breakfast special.

Sunset Garden Inn
Malabanias Rd
Tel: 0063 45 8882312
Fax: 0063 45 8882310

This was the first place I stayed on my virgin trip to the Philippines years ago. The pool and exterior were nice, but I didn't think much of the room I had. Sunset Garden Inn is also near the Perimeter Area bars, an area many people prefer for less noise. Personally I prefer staying near the heart of the action.

A 24 hour bar and restaurant, so no real need for in-room frig. Big deep sparkling pool with a diving board. Ya don't find those is the USA anymore. You can easily stroll to the Perimeter bars and back.

I noticed MongerX recommend this one - do they have internet access via an ethernet cable here, like Orchid? I am willing to try someplace else besides Orchid - but internet is manditory.

\m/

They have three ethernet connections in the cafe poolside that are free to use, but none in the room. Most of the time you can get one of the ethernet connections. However, I can't comment of the speed of the connection.

My reccomendation for Sunset is qualified. It's certainly not for everyone. But it does seem to be for every German who goes to AC. The rooms are large clean but dated with some of the worst examples of foam padding mattresses around. But at least you can run the AC 24/7.

And if you are going to spend all your time on Fields and none on Perimeter rd. you could end up taking a bunch of trikes you otherwise wouldn't have.

However, it has a great pool. The rooms are large enough to throw a pool party and then entertain 4 naked chicks comfortably in your room. And the location is pretty great to hit Perimeter bars with.

For me it a good hotel for a short trip but after 4 or 5 days my back starts to kill me from the crappy beds and taking trikes.

Thanks man - I appreciate it. Trikes are another thing I wont do - sorry. So I'll do the usual -Orchid Inn; and if "you know who" and I find a better room - we'll just move the party their...

thanks for the reply...
more later...

Thanks again MongerX, very helpful.

Couple more quick questions:
Type of beds?
Size on in room safe, will it fit a regular sized laptop?

Beds are typical thin foam pad mattress you get in all the 30 dollar and under rooms. No in room safe, just lock boxes (with 24 hour acceess) behind reception. Security is quite good at this hotel.

I stay at Sunset all the time. They still have a weekly discount. The food prices continue to go up and the portions down. The pool gets clorine at about 8 or 9 pm so don't swim then unless you like your eyes red.
Security: a guard always outside, the steel doors are barred at dark, when you knock to get in. a guy with a shotgun answers the door. Good security, I think so.
Also on security, no safes in the room, you can lock the clasp on the clothes cabinet if you worry about the maid or the Germans. But dumb ol'Xkansan has left the cabinet wide open with a weeks worth of party pesos lying there. No problems tho. I give the maids, who all pretend to recognise me, about 40-50 pesos every 3 or 4 days. My room is always cleaned first since the non-tipping Germans don't.

I'm not a newbie to AC, but my knowledge is limited at best having spent a total of three days there, never making it out to the perimeter bars.

Kinda silly ballpark question: If you were staying at a perimeter hotel and strolled into a perimeter bar around two in the afternoon during midweek and found three or so chicks available, how many pesos would it take to get them for about two hours to come to your hotel, peel off their clothes and entertain you?

Could this be done for 3,000 pesos ($60 USD) all-in (barfine, tips etc). Remember, three girls, two hours.

Huevon, the Perimeter Bars are still 1,000 pisos for barfine...no difference between ST or LT. I dont recommend tipping girls for ST but up to you. If you dont tip them after you pay their barfine you can have 3 girls for 3,000 pisos if you dont tip the girls after the session. Remember that the girls get half of the barfine.

Huevon, that is infinitely doable out on Perimeter road. When I stay at Sunset Gardens, I often do exactly that. But I not the pig you are and often satsify myself with just two girls.

Also for the same price you can mix in some pool time as well between rounds. But if you are a cheap charlie you might want to avoid that as you usually will end up buying some drinks and a dish of food to share with the girls. Jeez that could end up costing an extra 500 pesos!

But you forgot to include the costs of the trike!

Thanks for the info Blazers, MX.

I plan on starting my trip with a couple nights in Manila followed by a flight to Davao. While in Mindanao I hope I can squeeze in Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan (where 18-year old virgins give themselves up to middle age white guys) LOL. Mindanao needs more current info and I hope to snap a few photos this time as well and see if I can get some good, updated stuff on the board.

From there ferry up to Cebu for a week or more, which I know will be fun. Also might try to hit Tagbilaran, Bohol as I hear it's got some decent joints.

I love it now that Cebu Pacific has flights from Cebu to Clark, as AC will be my final stop. A week or so there, with perhaps a trip to Subic should just about cure what ails anybody.

What would cap the trip off for me is if "Baby" has decided to go back to work at Nifty's.

(Message edited by huevon on February 10, 2007)

I am writing from Sunset Gardens. Third day here. Friendly staff and no troubles.

notes..
-They now have wireless internet. Good strong signal in my room, and the pool/ bar area. 54.0 Mbps right now.
-They have digital safes in the rooms. Not big enough to hold a laptop, but good size.
-Shower water gets nice and warm and aircon cold as you want.
-Hotel exchange rate just a hair less than best rates I have seen around town. So small a margin common sense tells me to just exchange here rather than carry a wad of cash out into the wilderness.
-Cleaning staff does a great job and everything is maintained well. No worries about air conditioner mold. I have been seeing a maintaince guy doing full cleaning with units out of the wall. My maid took the filter out of mine yesterday without my asking and cleaned that and wiped the rest down.
-I love the diving board. Nice deep clean pool
-Pool tables in good shape. Only hitch is that they are 1p per minute.. still cheap though
-The gym looks far better in person than on the website
-Food is pretty decent. Probally not the cheapest, but nice. Newspapers and some magazines in the resturant.
-CR (toilets) in bar / pool area kept very clean
-Most of the guests are German it seems. Quiet mellow crowd. A couple with honey-kos and small kids. Most seem to have been here a few times.
-A little road noise, but not bad at all. Fan turned on the air-con unit covers up anything.
-Easy walk to several bars. Have BF'd out of Emotions and Bubbles so far. Short trike or jeepney to fields. Seems almost always to be a trike right outside. If not, the door guy will gladly get one yelling aound the corner to the Petron gas station.

Overall the place seems much nicer than on their website. Very happy staying here. I'll post up some pics soon into this thread.

Keeper,

Any comments re the beds? That seemed to be a negative on previous reports.

Still no issues bringing multiple guests?

Just want to repeat that the pool area here is really great. The ball-and-chain and I went for breakfast and an early AM swim, and had a damned good time (once I sent my food back so they could pick the ants off. GRRRRRR!). While we racked up a p500+ bill for breakfast and drinks, I'm pretty sure we weren't charged anything for swimming, something other hotels with nice pools in town (Wild Orchid, Clarkton) have ominous signs warning you that you will be charged.

Room price for 1-night stay now p1220, which is about 27 USD a night. Can stay at Central Park for 29 and avoid all trikes and jeepneys and have all the Fields bars and restaurants just steps away. These rooms were a value at 900-1000 a night, but if they're pushing close to 30 bucks, I'd certainly recommend staying elsewhere.

Yeah but that free airport pick-up and drop off from Clark airport offered by Sunset garden will save you 800 pesos PER PERSON over the Central Park service. That pays for a lot of Trikes and Jeepneys. Plus Nifty's and Rio right around the corner!

But I agree with you, $27 a night ain't no bargain for those rooms. But I have many pleasant memories of good times by the pool.

Various photos:

I really liked the place and the walk is not bad and it gives you a chance to poke your head in at the different small bars along the way.

They flaked on picking me up...but the owner came big for me by sending me a personal item I forgot in the safe. Shipped it UPS without asking for money ahead of time, very classy.

The rooms are functional...I think the pool is great, the girls love it.

I just booked them again for Nov 4-15. Standard rooms booked up and all that is left are the Deluxe rooms at 1730 on the weekly rate. They look to be a little bigger with updated CR, fake wood floor, more modern furnishings, and a wall mirror for perverts. Not sure if it will be worth the 500p extra a night over the standard room, but options limited at this time.

Goal on this stay is to sample food at Phoenix and the new Puzzles Deli across the street. Report to follow of course.

This place has such a nice ambience for early morning breakfast. Out by the pool is such a nice little sanctuary to surf the internet or chat with your sweety at the beginning of a day.

yeah, fuck looking at options. You are right on the money Lancer. That is exactly how I spent my mornings and will again.

I forget if the bikinis they sell there are cheap in price. Anyone recall or suggested to bring a couple spare pinay sized ones?

Just a heads up, on another board there were some complaints recently about the quality of food at Sunset. I haven't ate there in years, but I remember I did like it then.

As far as bikinis, there are several shops in the Field Ave. area with very cheap ones, P100 and up.

I ate there a few times and, while not superb, the food was quite acceptable.

I am w/o a doubt staying there again...I still owe the manager for sending me my stuff...what a legend!

Just a slight area of concern here: the hotel is located on a triangular-type of intersection where early morning traffic wakes you up, especially the noise of those motor scooters.

The hotel's web site shows a nice photo of the pool area, however, its not as isolated or as quiet as one might assume. Nevertheless its clean and comfortable. As for the food, mediocre at best. Nothing great.

Lots of old white guys (and I do mean old)with pretty young Asian girls. I guess I don't feel too uncomfortable with my little eighteen-year old spinner hanging on my arm everywhere I go.

Master Bates.

You'll find more geezers hanging out along Perimeter Rd than you will along Fields. Not sure why. Maybe the geezer set likes the cheaper drink prices out there.

Stayed here for 7 nights. Near the Perimeter bars. Took a jeepney to Fields and sometimes a trike back. Superb pool area that is beautiful at night. Lots of daytime action with barfines swimming and their German barfines tanning in their speedos. Paid 1,600 pesos to stay a week and I believe it's 1,700 nightly. Rooms were fairly small but great beds and an incredible shitter. Girls loved the pool but I would return to Pacific Breeze next time. I liked being away from the main bar area but the rooms were just not big enough IMHO.

Thanks for not including pic of Germans in speedos

EA