Dolce Vita

I desperately want to warn as many people as possible about the Dolce Vita Hotel in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. Like most people, my wife and I saved our hard earned money for quite some time in order to go on "her" dream vacation. My wife was born and raised in Palawan and of course speaks the language fluently. First, the manager berated the clerk who checked us in (right in front of us) because she failed to inflate our room rate since I am an American! Ironically, it was not the clerk's fault because I always have my wife book the accomodations by herself. We were also outright lied to by the hotel staff. Before we checked into the Dolce Vita we asked whether they allow guests and more specifically we inquired about the use of the pool. We were told there was no problem having guests (my wife's family) visit us at the hotel and that they could absolutely use the pool. The only restriction was the 10 pm curfew for all guests.

The first night was uneventful and we managed to host a nice party for her family. The next day, however, we were told that a child had drowned in the pool (a terrible tragedy) and the pool would be off limits to all guests for the duration of our stay on the island. I am not going to comment on the exact details of this tragic accident BUT I do know for a fact that it occurred before we showed up and before we inquired (in person) about the hotel’s accommodations. We were blatantly lied to by the hotel staff – point blank – no excuses. In fact, they even admitted they had lied to us and apologized for it! My wife had not seen her family in several years and this was supposed to be a very special reunion.

The hotel and accommodations were adequate. No fridge but room service was prompt etc. However, since we lost an entire day and a considerable amount of money due to this incredibly frustrating experience I feel it is my duty to warn others. A 7,000 mile trip can be quite an undertaking and every moment at your destination is precious – especially in our situation. I understand they want to generate income but there is simply no excuse for treating guests this way. There are plenty of other hotels that will gladly treat you with respect and accommodate every reasonable request – just beware of Dolce Vita.

Unique Quality: Vegetation is out of control and there were huge spiders in the trees (right over head). Also, there were ants in both of the rooms we stayed in. Despite everything previously mentioned, I cannot deny the hotel is fairly new and the rooms were visually appealing.