# The Oyster Hotel Paranaque, Manila
Today I arrived in Manila bright and early at 5:30am. I left my hotel at 3:30pm to get to the airport and was either waiting in the airport or in transit for the rest of the day and all through the night. Needless to say, when I arrived in Manila I was both tired and hungry. My neck hurt from trying unsuccessfully to sleep on the airplane and my legs were cramped from trying to sit comfortably in a middle airplane seat with people next to me on both sides. I arrived feeling cramped and miserable just wanting the hotel breakfast and a bed to sleep on. ### Enter: The Oyster Hotel Now I've been to Manila many times and I have checked out a *lot* of hotels. The Oyster Hotel isn't great. It is bad enough that I would never take my wife or parents here. I say that because I have taken them to the Red Doorz NAIA 1 airport hotel and they refused to go back. The Oyster Hotel is somewhat worse than the Red Doorz. So why on earth would I go back to a hotel if I know its not awesome? Well, if you keep reading I'll tell you and you can judge my reasons for yourself :)

# Let's see the pictures
### It is not some tiny operation. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23tmQYiLYayPBEcfiqV6pSuarE2qdTg8vS155zNGNGPuxfWG25ubSnvF6orMRPrmcNcEY.png) Now some hotels are small operations with only a few beds and run by a family. This is not. It is an actual hotel with numerous rooms, a bright shiny reception desk and a restaurant in the main lounge area. It caters to people getting out of the airport shuttle. With more time I could have gotten the shuttle and saved myself $8 on Grab fees but I wanted to get here ASAP so I just paid the extra for quick service. In addition the front desk is open 24/7. Many smaller operations do not have a 24hr front desk and they have limited check-in times. When you arrive at 5am that makes a difference. ##### First reason I booked here. * **I didn't care about great, I just wanted smooth**

### Two small beds ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/EoiVGYWxCsygJR9F6Q34iBmZabiExhSNSxXMF2JmAb6AuoyDV5QUSZJYk7bNemYvSBe.png) These beds are small. Like twin bed small. Notice how I didn't say **"Too small beds"** but rather two small beds? I'm sleepy, I'm cramped, compared to the seat on the airplane even these beds are luxury. Okay they are very soft and give little support but I'll still take one of these beds vs the aircraft seat in a heartbeat.

### A sink, shower and toilet ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23wMaXbTXjdZANRRLoFC4qGh5AuczH5Sgu2xD23pMVAnzp6w8SFZtRwLJZitzfUmr7cPJ.png) Having a private place to do my business that isn't an airport toilet or even worse aircraft toilet? A big step up. Being able to take a shower and refresh myself after a long trip? Valuable. A sink to do my morning routine (shave, wash, moisturize etc) is great.

### A fridge, a desk, windows and air conditioning ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23wMWbBpaT6p1egJE5SPfgxW9nmzcYC8iY2TNvPuvkUtVWGz5u4cAwBUDN9EZDBU1eMsQ.png) In the tropical heat of Manila AC is the difference between getting sleep and sweating it out. A fridge for cold drinks? Cold water, beer or soda after a walk in the hot Manila sun takes at least twice as good as normal. Window to let in some natural light. Not to be undervalued. A desk to write my HIVE posts on and do some work during the day? So much nicer than thugging it out on the bed. As a side note there is also a hotel safe to keep valuables. ### Focusing on the positive. Guess what? So far I have looked at the place in a positive light. From my point of view? * I get a room quickly after I arrive * I get some food to fill my stomach * I get a shower to make me feel human * I get a sink and toilet to get myself ready for the day. * I get a bed to stretch and get some rest in * AC so I actually get the rest I need * a desk to write about my experience * and a cold drink to sip on while I'm writing my blog All at a price under $20 HBD which is quite unheard of in Canada and still pretty cheap for Manila. # With a positive view? ***I can be happy with the room***

# But what if I look from a negative point of view? However, I could just as easily look at the negative points for the hotel. ### Check-in wasn't smooth When I arrived at first I got the "Your room is ready but housekeeping needs to give it a final check". Which is funny because I was supposed to arrive at 3pm on March 3rd but I actually arrived at 5am March 4th. Surely they had enough time to get my room ready. I was asked to sit and wait a bit..so I did...in a boring white hallway (you saw the picture above, right?) I was called about 10 minutes later to say my room was ready. However, at the front desk I still had to wait for my key. They were looking for the keys to my room (237) but I heard them speaking in Tagalog ("The key isn't here, where is it"). It seems that they mixed up the keys for room 327 and 237 so I waited another 10 minutes while they tracked it down. I get to the room and the doorknob is wobbly. Ugh. But I throw my stuff on the floor, lock with door with an old style key (I miss keycards already) and head down to the restaurant for breakfast. After 6 weeks of Marriott buffet breakfasts I get this : ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23uQzddmyXfPHWkPv6s6TzLp4GTGwBEP23egHEdoftw7yXvn8vn8yYvJMMzAs5mx5bWKY.png) Yes, it was a perfectly edible bacon and egg sandwich with hot chocolate. I ate it fairly quickly and was bushed so I went up to sleep. * The bed was really soft for my liking. * The AC kept things cool but it wasn't that strong * Windows are great but not when its morning and you want to keep the light out. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23vhui4Hz5yjWAdSNfYwUfjQZjkQtkYKVSKbGBHEaz5c6WhjxVFEFxTSevKYZHRq4toN1.png) * It is on a major road so road noise kept me up ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23viAKosEsr9Rn7yzsfQqYDDqnDFfoJZpTPAJZ2wKwH27igPAQDkcFvgeHyragPDath6T.png) * The ceiling had stains and a hole ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23w2uVrhJdrwaAHGQNi5fMMMET9tvhcExTJnhVXpi51M8tAvCGEdysxPurzr2t4U5wvTE.png) * One of the wall lights didn't have the diffuser / shield overtop... and it didn't work. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/244odGR3GD4ygTzqBPjPS6fsWbGB5Nfzvhn8pxSN4uSjiBqrngDnb3Ns8is9tkbxranLi.png) * There is only one electrical outlet in the room and it seems oddly placed, especially when plugging in your cellphone to wake up in a few hours. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23xAVbtB4u3x5gnhpviaYj8gwJsUVHy6DfDDntHiUbQKE7hDS8YnAvbPJhwDo23jPgifW.png) * The electrical in the bathroom looks a little sketchy. Especially for the hot water heater. I shouldn't have worried though as the hot water heater doesn't work and you can only take a cold shower. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23xpAhriNY3Mkx1tuvgwSw9ibXWjxc3Jd2awTw2oMuhH2tZGiHRp9PSZFLyB5iWAMKApD.png) * Notice the extra economy toilet bowl flusher? ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23tSar2T1TfP8qLPcD5vACLsyfQWBn6u17ghhrfzaBn1w7p4YiCQh14w5fMPjukj9H2zh.png) * The cleaning crew felt extra generous and left me an empty packet of shampoo ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cinderclaw.gld/23wC7dqHz39rTKtTMXuFfViU2pS79bTcpLVqcvRAKh8ApoMXhoX6AjnafwftxveW9TXHT.png) * Is that mildew, mold, a stain, I don't know but it isn't appealing. Now I could grumble and moan about a lot more things in the room but that isn't the point I'm going to get at. The main point is that after reading the second section you would probably go "That place is awful, why would I go there?". Notice how it sounds totally different than the opinion from the first section. ### The difference is viewpoint

A positive frame of view If you ask me? I always try to look at the positive. Did I wait extra time for the key? Yes. When smiling and chatting with the front desk clerk...she was at the end of a 12 hour overnight shift and was really tired. If I got mad I just would have made a tired person have an even worse end of the shift. When I went to the room if I focused on how much more comfortable and nicer it was than the airplane I could get some sleep and smile at the end of it. I would awake refreshed in a much better mood. If I focused on the negative I would have just gotten lousy sleep and woke up grumpy. If I focused too hard on the fact that there was no hot water? Well, I wouldn't have a shower and feel grimy now. However, lots of people take "brisk" showers in the morning and it can be beneficial for the system. Besides even "cold" water in the Philippines isn't *that* cold compared to cold Canadian water. Either way: The room doesn't change at all. Only my viewpoint. ### Viewpoint matters I've learned long ago that how I look at the world determines a lot of how I feel inside. ### Ask yourself : Would you rather feel happy or grumpy? Personally I choose happy. If I focus on the good in the world? It's a lot easier to feel happy during much of my day. Of course it isn't foolproof by any stretch. Bad things that I simply can't dismiss happen fairly frequently. However there are enough times in my day where a simple attitude change on my side makes all the difference in how good my day goes. ### Is my room great or awful? As I said before: I'm not inviting my wife here because she hmm.. has a hard time overlooking small details. Am I happy here? Yeah, its OK, I'm content. It is a great room? Well, I'm also not blind :) ### Final thoughts? Outlook is more than just about hotel rooms. It affects every part of your day. For example this is Day 7 of my "make something from nothing challenge". I could focus on how I've spent 70 HELIOS tokens and a bunch of time writing with nothing to show for it. However, I can also focus on the fact I've enjoyed writing some articles. I've used HELIOS for upvotes that will start paying out in a day or so time. I haven't made much but I've made a start. * The seed is growing and I'm looking forward to see what it turns out like. **OR** * I've worked so hard and don't even have enough for a soda. Guess which viewpoint makes me happier. I think you know that answer if you have read this far. Either way? Thanks for reading and as always feel free to leave a comment :)

Men's room in a hotel