Tuguegarao is said to be the hottest city in the Philippines. Las Palmas de San Jose is a good place to cool off. It is really built within and around palms! Palms are even integrated into the buildings and the swimming pool. The hotel is very nicely and carefully designed, inside and outside. There are some rooms with direct access to the pool. The water temperature of swimming pools in the Philippines is sometimes almost hot. Here the shade of the palms keeps it at a very agreable and refreshing temperature. We arrived here after a spectacular bus ride from Bontoc along the Chico River with great views again and again (you shouldn't miss this, see picture of our bus crossing fallen rocks) and stayed for two nights. The hotel is outside the city in a quiet residential area but easy reachable by Tricycle. We enjoyed the nice swimming pool, the shade of the palms, the good food and the hospitality at this place. And the price/performance ratio is excellent. The second evening, when we ordered our dinner, the owners, Bob and Myrna Guzman, greeted us and invited us spontaneously to a dinner party they gave for the newly elected Mayor of Tuguegaro, Jeff Soriano and for one of their granddaughter's birthday. For us it was a nice and unexpected experience to meet the Guzman and Soriano families and we had a good time with them. For all those who...Tuguegarao is said to be the hottest city in the Philippines. Las Palmas de San Jose is a good place to cool off. It is really built within and around palms! Palms are even integrated into the buildings and the swimming pool. The hotel is very nicely and carefully designed, inside and outside. There are some rooms with direct access to the pool. The water temperature of swimming pools in the Philippines is sometimes almost hot. Here the shade of the palms keeps it at a very agreable and refreshing temperature.

We arrived here after a spectacular bus ride from Bontoc along the Chico River with great views again and again (you shouldn't miss this, see picture of our bus crossing fallen rocks) and stayed for two nights. The hotel is outside the city in a quiet residential area but easy reachable by Tricycle. We enjoyed the nice swimming pool, the shade of the palms, the good food and the hospitality at this place. And the price/performance ratio is excellent.

The second evening, when we ordered our dinner, the owners, Bob and Myrna Guzman, greeted us and invited us spontaneously to a dinner party they gave for the newly elected Mayor of Tuguegaro, Jeff Soriano and for one of their granddaughter's birthday. For us it was a nice and unexpected experience to meet the Guzman and Soriano families and we had a good time with them.

For all those who go to Banaue and Sagada we can only recommend to do afterwards the bus ride from Bontoc to Tabuk (via Tinglayan, departure 9 am.) and van to Tuguegarao (tell the bus driver to drop you off at the Van Terminal in Tabuk) and relax afterwards in Las Palmas de San Jose. It's really worthwhile! Furthermore, from Tuguegarao there are daily flights to Manila and the hotel has a free shuttle to the airport.More