Island Garden Hotel — Hotel in Koror

I've read the sparkling review of the hotel in the last copy of the Lonely Planet, last updated 5-6 years ago. Much has changed since then. The hotel has gone under bank management following the last owner's debt problems, the website no longer works, and it's evident the hotel has been neglected for some time.||||The exterior and location of the hotel is still great. It sits not far from the town centre and the museum, but away from the noisy and congested WCTC mall area. And it probably is still the cheapest place you can stay in Koror. The rooms are however looking gloomy, with dark wooden walls and a very basic setup. The shower tap was kind of cranky, air-conditioner noisy (but working) and there seems to be an ant problem which ate away at the wooden windows and shelves. The shelf had a single hanger. There are also sensitivities when parking in the property as the first owner still stays there, and the property is partially rented out, but there is sufficient parking space.||||The cable tv works though and the bed is comfortable to get a good sleep, so we're not complaining for a short stay. The towels are those you can expect from a luxury hotel. It also has a common phone in the corridor which can be used to call anywhere in Palau, useful when making arrangements for trips and car rentals.||||What made up for the rundown hotel is the valiant effort by the staff. A full-service hotel it is not, but the manager (Larry) makes the best of what is essentially a one-man show. He is very friendly, chatty and can provide guests all types of advice on Palau. He also helped us get an affordable car rental service. They try their best to keep the property in the ||cleanest state they can. Larry personally picked us up at the airport late into the night even though the hotel office is closed (and past their working hours). He is also supposedly reachable on his cell anytime throughout the day if they encounter problems. My wife and I would have left for other hotels if not because Larry is such a nice guy.||||So I would advise that while Tree D not be the best value of stay options in Koror, if you are not intending to spend too much time holed up in the room and need a cheapie to crash (USD55 a nite) Tree D is a possible option to consider. To find their contact detail, look in the Palau Visitors...

We exchanged several emails with this property and made a reservation by email with Larry. We sent our flight information and he confirmed we were going to be to pick up at the airport. Our flight was cancelled and we had to travel next day on a different route. We emailed Larry letting him know about the new flight details and about what happened and got no answer. When we arrived to the airport there was no one waiting for us. It was really late at night and there were no taxis. An officer from the airport kindly offered us to take us to the hotel. When we arrived there was no front desk. The guardian called Larry and he just said the hotel was closed at the moment and that was all. By now it was like 3am in the morning and we had to look around for accommodation. We were so embarrassed with the officer from the airport but luckily people from Palau are just this helpful and nice. Anyway don't book with this Navigator. Also the location was not great. Too far from the town. We were lucky to find a...

I really enjoyed my time here. ||The town centre is walking distance but all tour operations do hotel pick ups, so don't worry if you can't be bothered. ||There's a supermarket right next door.||||But this really is a budget hotel... just a bed, windows you can't open but some how mosquitos get through anyway. Not an amazing shower but it works. ||Laundry is also very cheap too and you will need it because even if you rinse your clothes, the humidity in Palau will mean that they won't dry for days.||||Its great if you're wanting a cheap hotel and Larry is incredibly friendly and helpful and works ridiculously hard, but like all Palauans, will help you with everything and anything, he even offered to lend us his car.||||for $45 (+$5 tax) per night you can't get better on the island... although if you can afford up to $63 (incl tax) then I recommend the West Plaza hotels (particularly the By...