Where to Stay: The Pine Hills Hotel - Bukidnon

We stayed at Pine Hills Hotel while in Bukidnon. It's a hotel with about 28 rooms. My boss asked our taxi driver if the hotel was a nice one on our way there and our driver said: "Maganda naman. E yun lang naman ang hotel doon." (It's a nice hotel. It's the only one there anyway.)

The rooms are moderate in size and clean. When checking in there, keep in mind that they will only provide you with soap (pero may tabo!), so make sure you bring along some shampoo and other toiletries.

For our entire stay there, we kept eating at Town Cafe and Bar, the hotel's coffee shop. When we went around, we tried asking people where we could go for a good meal. Their answer: "Sa Pine Hills Hotel." There really wasn't any commercial area or mall that we could go to in the vicinity.

The food was fine - their presentation, very attractive. Prices are not really that low though, even considering the location. A typical meal would cost a group of 3 about P1,000. Of all the food I tried there, I liked the Kalbi Kui (Korean beef stew)-- very tender and with just the right amount of sweetness.

Service at the hotel was alright though they could use a little more training answering guests' queries re tourism. I managed to obtain a Wow Philippines one-page leaflet on Bukidnon but none of the front desk personnel could answer my questions in one go. I was aksing about the Del Monte pineapple plantation and the Menzi farm - and I had to wait awhile to find out how far away these were from the hotel. They also didn't know whether I could just show up at the plantation or if I needed to formally arrange a visit beforehand.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Pine Hills Hotel is alright as your home for a few days. And there really are pine trees in front.

Pine Hills Hotel is at the P&T Town Center, Fortich St., Malaybalay City. Telephone Number: (088) 221-32-11 to 13; Fax 221-32-13

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Related Link: Malaybalay, Bukidnon Travelogue