As a frequent traveler, nothing else makes me a happy camper than discovering various ways and means to save money especially on accommodations. We all know that lodging expenses can take a huge chunk off our travel budget so if there’s a way for me to save, I’m game!
So when I heard all about this new app, Traveloka, that lets you save not only on hotel rates but also on flights, I just had to give it a whirl! Plus I had a great reason to test this hotel and flight booking platform. My mother and one of my brothers (who are both based outside Cagayan de Oro) were in town and I wanted to treat them to a mini staycation.
My hotel of choice – Limketkai Luxe Hotel.
Located along CM Recto Avenue, Lapasan, CDO, Limketkai Luxe Hotel is just a few moments away from Limketkai Mall, Gateway and Rosario Drive (where LIV Superclub CDO, Pete’s Patriots Gastropub, Starbucks, Missy Bon Bon and Robinson’s Mall are). The hotel is also across the Mindanao University of Science and Technology and Shakey’s and Siam Thai restaurants. A David’s Tea House and a 7-11 store are also conveniently located at the hotel.
Anyway, since there were 3 of us, I decided to book a twin superior room good for 3 people. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only was the room rate discounted, the special price was also a “Traveloka Member-only Deal”! Pretty neat.
I requested for a room at the upper floors. We were given one at the 9th. I also asked for a sea view room (Macajalar Bay view) and good thing it was granted.
Our room had 2 single beds and an extra bed. The bathroom, which was a bit small to my liking, had a rainshowerhead and toiletries. The sink area had a beauty mirror. Adjacent to the bathroom were the cabinets where I found hotel slippers, an iron and ironing board and a couple of hangers.
There was a small refrigerator and coffee and tea making facilities. A work desk was also available. Unfortunately, the hotel’s supposedly free WiFi Internet wasn’t working at the time so we just used one of our phones, used Globe Telecom’s LTE and tethered. Our room also had a huge flat screen cable TV.
Limketkai Luxe also has an infinity pool (side note: when the hotel was still fairly new, the owner himself toured me and other blogger friends and proudly showed off the pool. He even took pictures. He’s a pretty cool guy), a gym and wellness center, sauna, function rooms and restaurant.
I’m sure you’re wondering how much we paid for the room and how much we saved by using the Traveloka app. Let’s put it this way – the regular price for a Limketkai Luxe Hotel twin superior room is around Php 4,000. That price is only good for two people, though, and NOT inclusive of the 12% VAT, 10% property service charge and breakfast for one more person (Php 500).
In our case, I had to pay for a room good for 3 people and should already include all taxes and other charges, right? Guess how much I found on the Traveloka app? Just Php 4,667.37 and that’s already good for 3 people and all of us had free buffet breakfast the next day as well. Not bad at all.
It’s very easy to use the Traveloka app, I assure you! Just download the app (it’s available in iOS and Android).
On the dashboard, you can find 6 choices: Flights, Hotels, International Flights, International Hotels, Price Alerts, and Ongoing Promos.
Tap “Hotels.” The next page will allow you to search for your preferred hotel. You can key in your destination, check-in date, duration, numbers of guests and number of rooms. Tap “Search.”
You will then be presented with a wealth of discounted hotel room rates!
I chose Limketkai Luxe.
After you choose a hotel and the room, the Traveloka app will then ask for your contact details or special requests (remember my upper floor, sea view room request?). The next few pages will be easy to understand.
The amount changed because I indicated that there were 3 of us and that we needed an extra bed.
Once you’re on the payment page, you have various choices. You can pay via credit/debit card, over-the-counter (7-11 or MLhuillier) or via bank transfer. After paying for your room, a hotel voucher will be issued, a copy of which will also be emailed to you.
Et voila! See how easy that was? Give the Traveloka app a try and save big on your next staycation as well.
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Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]