Manila International Youth Hostel — Hotel in Parañaque

I booked this hostel as a convenient stopover for a long transit but it was a huge mistake - and I am very well versed in roughing it for a quick sleep but the location and service were so terrible I couldn't stay. The first problem was finding the place in the dark... it's on a poorly lit side street of a main highway and as a single female traveller in a taxi that didn't know the hostel location and so kept stopping to ask random groups of men every five minutes, it wasn't so comfortable. A group of drinking men jeered me just 30 seconds from the hostel entrance. ||||When I arrived at the desk the receptionist looked like she wanted nothing more than all of the guests to disappear (for some reason there were over 20 milling about with bags outside). I was told it was cash only, which was absolutely not stated when I made the reservation. I only had enough Philippine cash to get a taxi back to the airport (as I had come from Malaysia and was going to the UK) and so I asked the woman where the nearest atm was. A 10-15 minute walk away. ||||She said I needed to pay now as I was planning to check out at 5am for the next flight and when I expressed concern about walking 15 mins in the dark as a lone female clearly carrying all my possessions her response was, 'what do you want me to do about it'? Pay now or you can't stay. No offer of being walked by a colleague to the atm. No suggestion that I could pay online right there in reception (which I have since seen is a function on their website - something that booking.com did not offer), and actually just no manners. ||||I had to leave for the airport 8 hours early and sleep on the floor outside the check in desks. ||||Absolutely terrible and a real embarrassment to Hostelling International, which usually offer...

First let me start with the positives. This hostel had quite a few positives - its location is central and easily accessible to Rowas Boulevard and all the shopping one can do there. The staff are very co-operative. I met a few good travellers here to hang out with, but that's where it sends - just "a few". ||||By and large this hostel is unhygenic. I have stayed in youth hostels in North America, Europe, Morocco and even in Asia (Singapore too). This hostel is nothing even close to them. ||||I stayed in a dorm here. While I had no issues with the other inmates, as they were all friendly, its the infrastructure that was unbearable.||||This hostel had no locker facility, which meant that I could not leave any valuables behind under lock and key !! The washrooms were simply pathetic (I decided not to have a bath here). The dorm had just 1 charging point I could find and the wi-fi was only available in the ground floor and not upstairs. ||||The saving grace here was that there were "a few" people who were nice to talk to and meet. Needless to say, i checked out of this hostel on the very next day to and checked myself into a cheap hotel (which was way more cleaner). ||||Won't stay here again. If I ever do come back to Manila - I would try...

Three things I like about the hostel are its location in the residential area of Baclaran although its close to busy Roxas Blvd; friendly staff; and the atmosphere which is relatively fresh because its a fenced area surrounded by trees which reminds me of my home. It looks more like a big residential house rather than as a hostel. I tried getting a bed in its dorm years back but this year I rented a double accommodation room which had basic furnishings - hot and cold shower, centralized ventilation, electric fan, air conditioning (6 pm to 6 am), three beds (there's a fourth one which could be drawn out from bed 3), table, large mirror and to my surprise lots of outlets for me to charge all my gadgets. ||Some things that may need improvement: the same menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant (or is it a canteen ?) daily. You order one dish and rice for Php 65.00 (breakfast) and Php 80.00 (lunch/supper); Wi-Fi is available only in the reception area; and no on-line booking (I had to call the hostel via mobile phone)||With a prize of just over Php 1,000.00 for simple, quiet life in the big city where everything else is expensive, it...