Amakan — Hotel in El Nido

Worst value for money I have ever seen in the last 6 months of my trip in East Asia. So many things were wrong in our stay. Instead of paying on booking.com, you have to pay at the property, which is understandable, however, they have you pay them a deposit payment a few days before check-in. I was sent an email with the property's bank information. I did everything right and used the correct information of the property. On arrival, they accidentally billed me the full price without excluding the deposit payment for it did not arrive yet. After doing so, we cancelled the payment, and I was told that I would need to pay instead on check-out; either the full price including the amount I sent for deposit or lesser price, not including the amount I sent as a deposit - all depending on whether if my deposit goes through or not. A day later, I was sent a message from my bank that my deposit payment was transferred successfully into the hotel's bank and I saw that my account was charged for it. Not thinking of it, I continued with my stay, although having many problems with the property (see below in the rest of the paragraph), but also really enjoying my time in El Nido whenever I was out of Amakan. On the day of check-out, I was told by the reception that my deposit payment has not arrived in their bank account. I was a bit shocked, knowing that I already saw that the payment went through successfully. When I asked them why did it happen they informed me that "their bank is picky with international payments" The staff informed me that I had to pay the full price even though I showed them that my bank account was billed. Though I demanded that I should be compensated for it, the staff refused and told me I wouldn't be able to leave the island unless I pay the full price. While they were arguing with me, they showed me the hotel's transactions in the last week, and they pointed out the fact that no deposit was entered in the last days, even though my account was billed. While seeing their transactions I saw that not one deposit payment went through into their accounts; having wondering if the account that I payed the deposit for is even the same account they showed me. Later I was even told by someone that it happened to him also. Having to deal with trying to refund the deposit payment through my bank (if I'm even going to get it back) is a huge waste of time for me because the only way I can contact them is through their phoneline and I won't be able to do it if I don't sit idly near a wifi spot because if not, I would be charged for calls and I won't be back home in at least a month and half. Speaking of WiFi. There's no WiFi in the rooms. There's only WiFi in public areas of the hotel which barely and you have to deal their with an unbearable amount of mosquitoes. It is generally better just going to a coffee shop that has internet. Not having wifi in the room was annoying because the cell reception wasn't really good there also. When I asked why there was no WiFi in the rooms, I was told that it was because the town provides free WiFi, which is true, but only if you're 150 meters from the beach, and the hotel is not. Other facilities that are very much lacking include, but are not limited to: the fact that the warm water wasn't working properly in a way that you either had boiling hot water or just cold water, the shower head was also broken, I know that the water systems in El Nido aren't very good, but the plumbing work makes it so that the bathroom was smelling like sewage. Apparently there was supposed to be breakfast in the hotel, but their kitchen is not working right now. Instead they only have a coffee station which only has warm water and warm ginger tea, not even coffee not sugar; which is a bit odd. El Nido is a pretty pricy town, but with the amount I payed for my room, I was better off staying almost anywhere else in El Nido, getting more for far less. Alternatively if you're seeking a more high end property; you could pay just a bit more than the price for Amakan and have a really...

I booked a family room for myself via booking.com for 3 nights and I was pleased with the size as it can fit a family of four. It had two split type AC and a wall fan. There are a lot to be improved though. The room has its own bathroom,it slighlty reeks a weird smell but good thing it doesn’t smell in the room. The bathroom was spacious and they provided small bottle of shampoo and bath get good enough for my stay. They have clean towels too. The bidet didn’t have enough water pressure even if I adjusted the knob. It was useless. The room has 1 big bed with 6 soft clean pillows. There was a small bed with a pull out bed. There was a few instance that the electricity went out early morning. There were few of mosquitoes in the room too. It could’ve been better if there was more vetilation it the room. As I cannot open the window. - else the mosquitos will swarm inside the room. No mini fridge but they provide free ginger tea and drinking water. There is a leak from the ceiling as well which needs repair.|The room had a tv and clothes rack. There is a common area outside the rooms to hangout but since is it mosquito season- it is not recommended to stay there. They have motorcycle parking if you wish to rent one. The accomodation has a coffee shop and motorcycle rental across. Beside it has a mini drustore. It is walking distance to everywhere and to|The tour boat area. The staff are nice too. They gave me access to the wifi but the password didn’t work. The smart mobile data is weak, I guess it is like that for the whole island. 1 or 2 bars only but still works. No curfew.|It could’ve been better if they start serving free breakfast. They have a lot of cctv. Overall, It was still a good stay and I think it is better than the other...

It's Holy Week 2024 and I'm being rejected from even $300/night hotels that list non-existent rooms on Agoda. Everything's booked, but finally I come across the Amakan, one of those places you only stay in a pinch after reading the reviews. ||But here's the thing - this place, at least room #302, just isn't that bad. And at $60/night during Holy Week, it was a steal. As others have mentioned, the location is perfect - on a quiet side street, but right in the center of town. ||To respond to some older comments here: 1) they happily took credit cards with no surcharge 2) Room 302, while small, had high ceilings and was not claustrophobic 3) The A/C was quiet and worked well 4) Yes, there is no wifi in rooms, so you have to go to the common area, so not the place to stay if this is a big issue 5) Yes, there are mosquitos, especially in the common area (lots of plants) but we didn't see any in our rooms. I got a few bites, but this could have been from anywhere on El Nido. ||This place is in no way a five star hotel - it's aging, and the money to renovate it to 2024 standards isn't there. Your sheets might have a small stain or two (they were washed, the stains were just permanent). The shower might flood the bathroom (but it will have hot water and good pressure). Also, they're nice people who respond to emails and turn on a fan next to you in the common area when you sit down. There's also ginger tea in the lobby 24/7, which was a lifesaver when I had a cold. ||"I could stay here again" said my picky girlfriend - the ultimate seal...