We arrived before 12 PM at Widus. We lined up at the reception area hoping to be allowed for an early check-in. I am not sure if Widus is owned by Koreans or if that part of Pampanga has generally a large population of Koreans. There are Korean translations everywhere in the hotel. And they even have Korean receptionists. Joie happened to talk to a Korean receptionist, who I believe does not understand Filipino. So in case you have plans of going to Widus, make sure you go directly to a Filipino receptionist. Iwas nosebleed! :p
We settled everything, but we were informed that our room wasn’t ready yet so we decided to have lunch first at Binulo Restaurant which is just a few minutes away from Widus.
Before going to Widus, Joie and I checked for some online reviews. There aren’t many, but the very few reviews I read are mostly positive. These raves and the very beautiful photos on its site gave me very high expectations. Those who have been reading this blog for years already know that I give honest and unbiased reviews. So now, allow me to tell you the hits and misses of Widus.
I think the hotel has two wings, and I read that the hotel is relatively new. I am not sure though if both wings are new. But still, our room gave us a great first impression. Our room is cozy and very spacious. And as expected, the comfy bed, the bouncy pillows and the fresh-smelling linens worked hand in hand in giving us a good night sleep!
Beside the bed is a couch so snug that my husband spent most of his waking hours sitting there while watching TV. That only meant that I had the large bed all by myself when I decided to take a nap that afternoon.
Placed on the opposite side of the bed are the television, a table and a chair. The cable TV had very poor reception. Thinking that it was normal because we’re in Pampanga, we let it go. But when we went to Jeff and Joie’s room, we noticed that theirs was just perfect! We then reported it, and someone from maintenance had it checked.
This side of the closet houses the safety deposit box, an emergency flashlight and the laundry bin.
This side has the bathrobe and some hangers. I have been to a number of hotels before so I know that most of the things come in pairs. I noticed that there is only one bathrobe. I let it go because we wouldn’t be using it anyway. However, my husband noticed that they failed to provide complimentary slippers. I told my husband to let it go, but he said that we paid for it so we deserve to have it. And so, we called the reception once again.
Fortunately, they have a complete set of complimentary bottled water! :p
Okay... Let’s go to the bathroom. I’m very meticulous when it comes to this part of the room. The bathroom is just okay. It’s not as spacious as I hoped it to be.
I also noticed that there was no bidet installed, so I told Joie how disappointed I was. I was so surprised when she told me that their bathroom has a bidet. So you probably know what happened next. My husband demanded for a bidet to be installed. He actually waited until the maintenance guy finished installing it. :p
And that’s not all. Notice the rain shower head installed. Well, the water only comes out of three holes. Parang sprinkler lang. I noticed it when I was about to take a shower that night. We didn’t mind calling the receptionist for the nth time so we ended up using the handheld shower instead. If there was any consolation, the complimentary soaps were so fragrant! Super bango!!!
You’re probably thinking how lucky Jeff and Joie were because their room was way better (and complete) than ours. Well, their air conditioner was almost non-existent. They had it set to the lowest temperature but to no avail. At least nagamit ko ‘yung comforter namin sa lamig! :p
The photo of the swimming pool on their website was one of the things that convinced us to try Widus. But when we checked it out around 4 PM, the pool was just packed! Super daming tao. Pwedeng mag-untugan kapag lumalangoy. That was when we just decided to stay at Jeff and Joie’s room (because their room was in the first floor just a few steps away from the pool area) and watch TV. That was also the time when someone from maintenance checked our room to fix the cable reception and install the bidet.
Nauwi sa selfie ang dapat swimming! :pWe decided to swim a little past 5 PM. There were still a lot of people, but we were hoping that it wouldn’t be as crowded when dinnertime comes. And by 6 PM, we finally had the luxury to do some laps because everybody probably started preparing for dinner. The three photos of the pool area below were taken the following morning, just so you will have an idea of how it looks like without the crowd. =)
Although there were a few misses on our rooms, we had some consolation with the food. Because we decided to swim until dinnertime, we opted to have dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Until now, I can’t stop thinking about the grilled pork chop and mashed potato that I had for dinner! Amazing sa sarap! I also noticed that the menu is diverse and aims to cater to Filipino, Korean and other Asian guests. They serve Western dishes, too.
Our accommodation already includes buffet breakfast. The spread is quite extensive although I’ve been to other hotels which offer more. But still, the food was good. I specifically loved the breads, sausage, bacon and waffles.
After we checked out the following day, we decided to go to the casino. I remember a security guard denied me to enter the premises while pointing at the sign saying, MINORS ARE NOT ALLOWED! Mwahahaha!
We tried out some slot machines, and Joie played something which I could not understand. Basta nasa table tapos may pustahan! Nyaha!
Widus Hotel & Casino has great service and good food. I actually liked our room, but there are definitely a lot of things that they need to improve. I guess they need someone to "QA" (Quality Assurance) their rooms just to check if everything is working and all the complimentary things are provided. Despite the misses, we still enjoyed our quick stay at Widus!
Widus Hotel & Casino
5400 Manuel A. Roxas Highway,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
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