Hotel Hopping - 1st of a series

I'm very fortunate that my line of work requires me to travel. As far as I can remember, I have been obssessed with travelling. My earliest memories are of those boarding a Pantranco bus (that wasn't even aircon yet!) from Dagupan and traversing the long highway heading to Manila. Together with my brother and my mother, we would squeeze ourselves into those old barely 3-seater seats that didn't even recline. Since my brother and I both wanted to sit by the window, we employed a democratic process of sharing. One would have the window seat first, then after the stop over, we would switch. Admittedly, as the youngest and only girl, I got the window seat a lot more than my brother did.

When I was about 4 or 5, I remember telling my dad that my greatest dream was to board a plane. I'm not even sure what was it about travelling that excited me. At that age I don't think it was about the destination, but more about the journey. Even now, I think it still is.

That said, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you one of the best things about travelling: the hotel. Yes, I enjoy staying in hotel rooms. Although they can be very impersonal and often poorly-lit (didn't you ever notice? the never have lights in the center of the room. it's always just by the side, and it's always a dim yellow.) I love the fact that whatever state I leave my room, when I return it would have 'magically' righted itself. When you've lived on your own for 15 years, coming home to a cleaned up room and a made-up bed becomes one of life's true joys.

And I love having hot water in the shower. In my normal life, I live by the time-honored tradition of pinakulong tubig na binuhos sa balde. The tabo is my friend. But hotels bathrooms have temperature control, thick fluffy towels, a well-lit mirror and it is also 'self-cleaning'. hahahaha...

This entry is the first in what I hope is a series of posts about the different hotels I've stayed in during my trips. I'm a little hesitant to call it a review, but I'll try to put in as much useful information about the hotel as I can. But mostly, I hope to share the fun, funny and spectacular things that travel can bring.

Let's start with the funny...

My most recent business trip needed me to fly to southern Thailand, to a small provincial town called Satun. I arrived at the Hat Yai airport late in the evening but still had to take a 1-hr land trip to get to Satun. The trip itself was uneventful, except for the fact that for some reason, the van hired by the agency to pick me up, was also carrying with it two lolas. One sat at the back of the van, while another sat in front with the driver. Given they were already at retirement age, they probably weren't representatives of the agency I was working with. I thought they might have been fellow travelers who were hitching a ride home, but they rode with me all the way to the hotel, where they smilingly dropped me off as if to wish me a pleasant stay.

I had been pre-warned that the hotel we were staying in wasn't in the greatest condition, but was the best option in the area. Not a fussy one, it didn't really bother me. Having arrived at 11pm, the hotel was dark and the lobby was empty. It had a built-in-the-80's-and-stayed-in-the-80's feel to it. The furniture was all dark wood, giving it a very old atmosphere. And taking the elevator felt like you could probably have beaten it to the top floor if you took the stairs.

The room I got was spacious and functional, though it too had seen better times. But since I only needed it to spend the night, it would serve its purpose. I was afraid that the bed would be hard and the pillows would have no support, but to be fair, they turned out to be quite comfortable. As I could not control the temperature of the aircon, I was thankful that the blankets were thick enough to offer warmth. Over-all, I had a good night's sleep, all 5hrs of it.

twin beds for just one me

I initially took this bed, but moved when I realized the aircon was hitting it directly

The bathroom left much to be desired. But the water was clean and I could take a hot shower. That would do.

a very unflattering flourescent lighting

close up of the sink

Another thing to be thankful for was the strong water pressure. At least I didn't have to press myself up against the wall to catch the water from the showerhead.

the showerhead

the shower controls, which worked. so that was a good thing

But the best part of that stay were two discoveries I made about my room. Thank you Lord for a sense of humor and for throwing life's little laughs along my way.

First, when I opened the room cabinet, I found this, tastefully provided for the convenience of the guest, to service their needs:

 a balde in the cabinet because.. you know.. you might need it

Then, as I looked down, I discovered this post-modernist expression of art:

a plantsa-shaped hole on the carpet!!!

wahahahahahaha!!!

Can someone please explain to me how an iron-shaped hole got on the carpet. Please? Anybody?

Hahahahaha!!!

Pinnacle Wangmai Satun Hotel is located at 43 Satuntani Road, Piman, Muang, Satun 91000 Thailand. Tel no. (66-74) 711-607-8. Website: http://www.pinnaclehotels.com/. My accommodations were at 650Bht/night (approx. USD21/night).