My wife and I have stayed in the Standard Room of GV Hotel in Catarman, Northern Samar Province every summer over the past several years, usually, 3 nights per stay. The price had risen to 825 Philippine Pesos per night, about $17USD during our most recent stay. Payment is cash only but guests need only pay 1 day at a time. There is a 200 peso room card deposit refunded upon checkout. The room card is needed for electricity, so the room will heat up during vacant periods of a few hours (however, we found our Makati Shangri-La room card would work in the electricity slot). The rooms are minimal: almost like camping out with air conditioning. One double bed with a couple feet of space around bottom and one side. Two tiny bars of soap, a couple fresh towels and a roll of toilet paper each day if you ask for them. There is no hot water and no shower, one ladles water from bucket of cold water; this is refreshing. “Running” water in sink was more accurately termed “trickling” water. This visit we had problem the entire day with toilet that won’t flush. After several rescues with a plunger, Manager Roy suggested we do not put toilet paper into the commode; soiled TP goes into trash basket. Even that did not work, and we finally gave up and left plunger in BR so we could unplug it ourselves. They did offer to change rooms on the 2nd day but we elected to tough it out. Be careful on the stair case: poorly lighted, steep and the pitch is almost 1 foot per step; results in a nice workout for the buns if your room is on the 3rd or 4th floors— no elevators— but a fall would ruin a visit.
