PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn

Our Puerto Princesa Palawan trip, all in all is 4 ½ days, it was supposed to be just 4 days but our flight back home was moved to an earlier flight and on our last day we still have scheduled activities so we opted to take the next earlier flight the following day (from the day of our original flight sched). I don’t want to go into detail on what had happened because I’ll just get pissed all over again with Tiger Airways and I’ve promised myself to always look onto the good things that life (and God, of course) has blessed me.

Since our free accommodation at Legend Hotel Palawan through Club Astoria entitled us for a 3 days and 2 nights stay only (which I kinda overlooked when we booked the flights), we needed to transfer to another hotel. Weeks before we leave for this trip, I scoured the net  for affordable and decent places to stay in PPS. I’ve seen a lot but only one really caught my eye and strongly agrees with me on this. Well, on our last 1 and ½ days in Puerto Princesa, we chose to stay at Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn.

I've been saving this last two blog posts for Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn and its in-house restaurant White Fence Café, because I really want to give then justice. We really loved the place and the service that I want to give it the best reviews that I can give and I hope I can do that.

The Hotel/Inn

After our Honday Bay Island Hopping Tour, our van service dropped us off at Legend Hotel Palawan. Since we already checked out that morning, before we went to Honda Bay, we left our luggage at the front desk and they allowed us to freshen up by using the shower rooms at the pool area. Once we were done, I texted Purple Fountain that we are ready to be fetched so we can transfer to their hotel. A few minutes later, an Avanza arrived and took us to Purple Fountain.

Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn is an 11-room  quaint budget hotel in Puerto Princesa that opened in 2012. It is located 3-5 minutes away from the airport in a quiet neighborhood along Manalo Extension. As young as this hotel is, they already received Tripadvisor.com’s seal of approval  because of the numerous favorable reviews that they have received from people who have stayed with them. We enjoyed our stay there too, and because I really love this place I will add to that growing number of great reviews for Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn.

Upon entering the compound, I was easily captured by the beauty of the place. The very playful colors of the exteriors of the structures isn’t hard to miss. I love the combination of the rustic, vintage, shabby-chic and native Filipino elements that constitute the over-all look and feel of the interior design of each and every area of this bed and breakfast place.

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There are a lot of native Palawan carvings and statues all over  mixed with vintage items, that you never thought would look good together. The windows are Capiz or stained glass, but the architecture is country. I noticed that the roof of the reception area is made with Nipa, cool huh? And most of all, paintings of a well known local artist,  Elay  are everywhere. These are similar paintings created by the same artist that also adorn the walls of Kalui Restaurant.

There are several cozy seating areas around Purple Fountain, but the two most that I loved staying were the gazebo in front of our first room and the porch just outside the reception/front desk. Being inside this place will make you forget you're in the heart of the city because of how relaxing the ambiance that it gives off.

 

Kids will also definitely love this place because there’s a  jungle gym  and  sand box  here too. I was tempted to play with the sand but the play area was always full of kids hehehe…

The Rooms

We booked 2 rooms during our stay at Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn, a Standard Room with Porch for our first night (wherein the porch overlooks the courtyard where the gazebo is and purple fountain stands) and a Standard Room for our second night (since our flight was moved the following day, and btw, this is at our own expense because Tiger Airways won’t pay for it even though it was their fault).

Room Rates at Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn includes:  Air conditioning, Ceiling fan, Private toilet and bath, Hot and cold shower, Cable television, Free Wi-Fi access, Electronic safe, Daily breakfast for two and Complimentary Airport transfers.

There was not much difference between the Standard Room with Porch and a Standard Room except for the price and the large seating area that comes with the former. When we transferred to the Standard Room on the second floor, we still have a mini porch, although the seats doesn’t have comfortable cushions anymore, but were good enough and we have the best view of the courtyard.

Standard Room with Porch

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I just like how the rooms are tastefully and minimally decorated, and the walls are unfinished but are painted with colors that you wouldn’t imagine could go well together. There’s also always a painting by the local artist, Elay, that adorn one of the walls. I simply just love the vibe of the rooms, you will really believe that you’re someplace else and not in the heart of Puerto Princesa.

Inside the standard rooms, there are 3 beds: 1 double sized bed, one single bed and a day bed. Each room can accommodate 4 people. For less than PHP 2,000 (around USD$45)with that many people who can fit in a room, well don’t you think it’s already such a great deal when most hotels would only allow 2 persons in a room and you have to pay extra for each additional person. Since it’s just us, we put all our stuff on the single bed so that we don’t need to use the closet in the room anymore.

Standard Room (2nd floor)

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The mattress is ok, but don’t expect 5-star quality ones. Rest assured though that the linens and beddings are fresh and clean.  The hotel rooms are well maintained and clean, if you want to have them made up, just let the staff know, they don’t do it unless you ask them to, probably for security purposes. What I noticed though is that they do not have a coffee-making facility inside the room, unlike in most hotels, but it was ok with me.

The Bathroom

The Standard Rooms' toilet and bath have adequate space to move around; there’s hot and cold shower  and bath towels are available too. When it comes to the toiletries, from what I can remember only a bath soap was provided. I didn’t mind it though since this is not a full-serviced hotel, but a B&B, besides I always bring my own toiletries whenever I travel.

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The bathroom share the same design concept as the rest of the place. It is clean, I didn’t spot any molds and mildew on the tiles or shower curtain and no funky smell as well.

The Service

When I started communicating with the staff of Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn through email, I easily sensed that they’re well-trained with proper customer service skills; especially by the way they answer emails, text messages and how they respond promptly. They were also very helpful when I made a last minute reservation when our flight back to Manila was rescheduled. 

Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn offers the following facilities and services: Restaurant (White Fence Café), free round trip airport shuttle services, massage service, front office assistance, room service, free wifi access, ample parking space, 24-hour standby generator, 24-hour security guard on duty and tour assistance/arrangements. 

The staff are very friendly, polite, efficient and helpful; they always greet you whenever you see them. I’ve asked for their assistance several times and they were glad to help me out: I borrowed a socket adapter for my camera, packing tape & marker and the front desk handed me one asap;  I asked for hot water so I can make coffee for me and the staff came back with hot water in an electric kettle and tea set; when I ordered drinks they served it on our room’s patio; when I asked them to serve our breakfast in one of the gazebos they happily obliged. They are also always visible around the hotel premises so when you need something you can be sure they’re there to assist you. 

I really really loved our stay at Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn! I know I’ve said that over and over again, but can you blame me? Purple Fountain is truly an eye-candy, with super affordable & quality  accommodations, awesome service and comfortable atmosphere! If ever I’ll go back to Puerto Princesa sometime in the near future, I already know where I’ll be staying…

I know it's quite a lengthy post, but Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn deserves it! :)


Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn
296 Manalo Extension, Bgy. Bancao-Bancao,
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines
Email: purplefountaininn@gmail.com
Mobile 1:  +63 917 537 2772 (Globe)
Mobile 2: +63 999 882 5800 (Smart)
Mobile 3: +63 925 722 2772 (Sun)
Telephone: +63-48-434-2430
Website: purplefountain.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PurpleFountain


Read about my Puerto Princesa Travel Diary blog posts here:

Go & See:

- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Kuyba Almoneca, Your Alternative to the Palawan Underground River
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Plaza Cuartel, & - Puerto Princesa Baywalk
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Palawan Special Battalion WWII Memorial Museum
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Emerald Playa Beach & Nature Park
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Dos Palmas Island Resort
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Where to Buy Souvenirs
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour Part 1
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour Part 2
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Irawan Eco Park and Zipline
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Crocodile Farm and A Peacock I've Never Seen Before
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Mitra's Ranch & Baker's Hill
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Binuatan Creations Handloom Weaving 

Eat:
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Badjao Seafront Restaurant
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: KaLui Restaurant
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Bona's Chaolong
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Kinabuchs Bar & Grill
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Rene Saigon Vietnamese Specialties
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: White Fence Country Cafe

What I wore:

- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: What I Wore #1

- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: What I Wore #2
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: What I Wore #3

Sleep:
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary:  The Legend Hotel Palawan
- Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn

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