Hotel and Inn Review: The Hotel Sophia (Cauayan City, Isabela)

Date of Stay: January 27-31, 2020

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: ********

Condition and Cleanliness: *******

Staff Performance: *******

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: *****

Other Amenities: *******

Value for Money: *******

The Hotel Sophia

This 3-star, 3-storey boutique hotel, with its chic, dark brown and white motif, was named after owner Theo Garcia’s and Angela Bernardo’s daughter.  Opened in 2013, it currently has 110 air-conditioned non-smoking rooms.  

Rates (promo and regular) are Economy (PhP980-1,100), Standard (PhP1,500-2,200), Standard Room with Terrace (PhP1,650-2,500), Standard Twin (PhP1,800-2,600), Matrimonial (PhP1,800-2,600), De Luxe (PhP1,980-2,700), Triple (PhP2,400-2,800), Superior De Luxe (PhP2,400-2,800), Superior De Luxe Twin (PhP2,500-3,200), Family Room (PhP2,900-3,600), Superior Pool View (PhP3,200-3,800) and Presidential Suite (PhP6,000-8,200).  All room rates are inclusive of breakfast and pool access.

Lavende Suite (L25)

Our 20-man media group, covering the 2020 Bambanti Festival in nearby Ilagan City, stayed in the recently built but partially furnished Lavender Suites.  The suite I stayed in (L25) had a magnetic door lock, a king-size bed and a flat screen TV with 9 cable channels (7 local and plus Kix and Cartoon channel).  

Lavender Suite bathroom

It had a still unfurnished area for a living room.  Outlets suggest a future NDD/IDD phone, a mini fridge and possibly an in room safe. There might probably be a provision for an executive work desk too. Other rooms still didn’t have a TV installed.

Lavender Suites (L25) 

The only window is found in the bathroom and I could understand why as my room faces the nearby airport’s runway, thus necessitating blocking jet noise by using the bathroom as a buffer.  The rooms on the other side of the hallway have openings to the outside (but smaller bathrooms) as they have a poolside view.

Shower stall

My ensuite bathroom was huge, with a bidet and complimentary toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap and toothbrush) but still no mirror (it seems the window above the lavatory won't allow for it) installed.  

Lavender Suite

My glass shower enclosure had a rainshower head and 6 body sprays.  Hot water, though available to the rooms at the end of the hallway, never reached my shower. This, as well as slow draining floor drain, has to be remedied.  An electrical outlet and a water supply stub out at the back end of the bathroom suggests a future whirlpool tub.

 

Poolside view rooms of Lavender Suites

Nighttime view of Lavender Suites

Armchair recliners

Rooms at the Lavender Suites have wall-mounted split type airconditioning but the older rooms are said have, according to previous tenants, window-type airconditioners which are located so high up for average-size persons to reach for the controls.  Airconditioning temperature in our rooms was very good.  Some public areas have a number of armchair recliners.

 

The 24-hour Front Desk

Free WiFi was not yet available in our rooms but was available at the older rooms and the public areas. It was spotty at best. To avail of it, you have to get a password from the 24-hour Front Desk.  

The internet was good for two days only and you have to secure a new password when it expires. The magnetic door lock card key also has to be renewed after three days. It seems, housekeeping is only available upon request.

 

The current on-site restaurant

Function Room

Function Room

The on-site restaurant was small with seating for possibly 20 people.  It had a flat screen TV where you can watch the morning news while dining.  However, you can dine al fresco at the trellised outdoor dining area.  

We only dined here for breakfast in the morning and I noticed that the menu choices was very limited – soup, coffee (3-in-1 only, brewed was ordered a la carte), sliced bread, fried or hardboiled egg, fried or plain rice and one or two viands (fish, vegetables or meat, I thoroughly enjoyed the Isabela longanisa though). Not much choice for a foreigner used to Continental fare.  Things may change as soon the new, bigger restaurant (plus additional rooms), currently being constructed, will be opened.

The grand hotel lobby

Hallway

Stairway

The new hotel lobby (the old lobby was located where the function room is now) was huge, with several seating areas, comfortable sofas, area rugs, high ceiling, gold trim, ritzy chandeliers, winding stairway, fanciful artwork, flat-screen TV and 24-hour Front Desk. Complimentary iced tea is also available here.

During the duration of our 4-day stay at the hotel, a number of oil paintings, done by Isabela-based artists, were on display (and for sale) at the lobby.  Hotel security was top notch, with luggage X-ray machines and metal detectors provided at the entrance. There was parking for possibly 8 to 9 cars at the front.  

On our last day in Isabela, we had a farewell brunch, with Vice-Gov. Faustino "Bogie" Dy II, at the aforementioned 30-pax, airconditioned function room.

Secondary seating area at lobby

The spacious main seating area

There were also two swimming pools (adult and children).  

The adult pool had a poolside bar, sun loungers, cabanas and a monster-size flat screen TV beside it. The terraces of some of the ground floor rooms open up to this swimming pool. 

The adult swimming pool with its poolside bar (left) and big screen TV (at the end)

Poolside cabanas

Children's pool

Cauayan Airport is just a few steps (300 m.) away but The Hotel Sophia  is 5.2 kms. (a 15-20-min. drive) to the city.  

However, tricycles are available for those wishing for a night out or shopping (at SM Cauayan) in the city.  The hotel is also located 33.3 kms. (a 55-min. drive) to the City of Ilagan, 38.3 (a 1-hour drive) to Gamu, 61.6 kms. (a 1.5-hr. drive) from Tumauini Church and 85.3 kms. (a 2-hour drive) to the San Pablo Church Ruins.

The hotel's interior court

The luggage X-ray machine

The hotel, being near the airport, is very convenient (land travel takes nearly nine hours and 400 kms.) for those flying in from Manila.  Cebu Pacific Air has one-hour, 15-min. morning flights from Cauayan (CYZ) to Manila's (MNL) NAIA Terminal 4.  

As soon as hotel hotel management can iron out some of these major and minor hiccups and the hotel expansion is completed, The Hotel Sophia has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, hotel accommodation in the whole Cagayan Valley Region. 

The author (second from left) relaxing with other media colleagues by the pool

Media group with our hosts posing at the hotel lobby

The Hotel Sophia: Airport Access Rd., Brgy. San Fermin, Cauayan City 3305, Isabela.  Tel: (078) 307-5184. Mobile number: (0917) 881-2379. E-mail: thehotelsophia@yahoo.com.