Our love for the Philippines is the main reason we return to the country again and again to spend long stretches. We like uncovering all its secrets and new destinations, as well as making the most of the better-known ones, since even there there are new things to discover. In addition, when it comes to accommodation, we always try different places in every destination we visit so we can offer you alternatives, whatever you are looking for on your trip to the Philippines.
So, on our latest visit, besides spending a few days at the beautiful and famous Fox & the Firefly Cottages, we set to work to also suggest a more budget-friendly alternative for where to stay in Loboc. After studying the options on the ground, we found this guest house where we felt super comfortable at all times and which we recommend: Michelina Princess in Loboc.
Location of Michelina Princess Guest House: Loboc town center
The most popular places to stay in Loboc—let’s not deny it—are those located right on the banks of the Loboc River. Many travelers want to wake up near this picture‑perfect spot that’s so reminiscent of Kerala’s famous Indian backwaters. But, obviously, that extra closeness to the river comes at a price.
On the other hand, the main drawback of that kind of lodging is that you depend completely on your motorbike to go out for dinner at night or pop out to buy anything you need. Plus, being realistic, unless your plan is to spend the whole day on the river, that location won’t be so important if you’re going to spend the day exploring everything Loboc has to offer—which is a lot!
If you’re the kind of traveler who’s looking for an affordable place to drop your bags and explore the area from there, the Michelina Princess Guest House is a candidate well worth considering.
Its location, less than 5 minutes’ walk from Loboc’s center, guarantees you’ll have a 7‑Eleven and several sari-sari stores a stone’s throw away to buy whatever you need, a motorbike rental shop, and the main jeepneys and bus stop in Loboc. Doesn’t that sound great?
Michelina Princess Guest House: a recommended place to stay in Loboc
Michelina Princess offers two room types: double and family. Although we spent 3 very pleasant days in the double, the friendly owner also let us take a look at the family room so we could show it to you in our review. Thus, the photos you see in this article belong to the double room, while the video we’ve prepared for you below was filmed in the family room so you can compare. Although it’s a modest place, the owner lovingly looks after both her guests and the rooms—and their cleanliness.
The first thing you find when you enter the room is a double bed which, while just the right size for two people, turns out to be really comfortable after a day of adventures around Loboc. The sheets—unlike other budget lodgings we’ve come across in the country (and which we obviously haven’t recommended)—were new, soft, and clean. Given the bed’s size and a room that truly has space to spare, the first thing we did was move it toward the center to leave the room completely to our liking so both of us had space to move on either side of the bed.
Although the style of the furniture and décor at Michelina Princess isn’t the most modern, it’s clear from the outset that it’s a new property. The walls (some “very” colorful) looked freshly painted, the wooden furniture still had that just‑bought sheen, and the décor—even if the style might not have been our favorite—was clearly very recent.
All rooms, both doubles and families, have those newer air‑conditioners that cool really fast (much needed in this very hot part of Bohol) and neither make noise nor smell dusty. The room’s furnishings are completed by a small shelf where you can leave things like your toiletry bag or camera and a table that will serve to hold larger items.
You’ll also find a small balcony to sit and relax on in both room types. That said, in this category the Family Room at the Michelina Princess Guest House wins by a landslide. While the Double Room faces the access street to the property, the family rooms have direct views over a beautiful rice field worthy of those bucolic Bali resorts. When we went in to see the family room, the sun was filtering through the palm trees, creating a gorgeous scene that left both of us in love with the place.
The funny thing was that when we told the owner about the treasure she had there—with those amazing views—and asked why none of the photos on the booking sites advertised it, she said she didn’t know that would be something that could be attractive to travelers. What a surprise we got!
The bathroom, which we’ve left for the end of this tour of the rooms at Michelina Princess in Loboc, might be the point that, as of today, could convince some people a bit less. Although it’s a clean bathroom with the typical ammenities, clean towels, a mirror, and a shower… there’s no hot water. For us, honestly, it wasn’t a problem at all, because during the days we stayed there it was really very hot and the water didn’t come out cold anyway, but we’re aware that depending on the kind of traveler you are, that might make you rethink whether to stay here or not. When we visited this budget accommodation, they were finishing an annex with more rooms and their idea was to later equip all the bathrooms with water heaters. So perhaps, by the time you’re reading this, you might already be able to treat yourself to a hot shower there.
Common areas and useful info at Michelina Princess Guest House
Before you reach the rooms at Michelina Princess in Loboc, you’ll find a small space with chairs and tables where you can sit—either to hang out or to have the breakfast they serve for a very modest price. There, as in the rooms, you can use the powerful free Wi‑Fi, which far exceeded that of other, much more expensive lodgings we’ve tried in the area.
In the corridor where the rooms are located, you have at your disposal a drinking‑water dispenser from which you can serve yourself—free of charge and all day long—both cold and hot water. They also sell, at a very affordable price, products like instant noodles in case one night you don’t feel like going out for dinner and want to fill your stomach quickly, easily, and cheaply.
On the lower floor, they have different motorbikes and helmets that you can rent to explore Loboc at a really affordable price compared with other hotels. In our case, when we had to go pick up our luggage from the hotel we’d previously stayed at, they let us use their bikes at a veeeery symbolic price—Gemma is a 10/10 host!
Video overview of Michelina Princess in Loboc
So you can see Michelina Princess Guest House in Loboc “live,” in addition to the photos of the double room, we’ve prepared this video in which you can see the family room, its lovely views of the rice fields, and other areas of the property.
Final verdict on this guest house in Loboc
Now that we’ve told you all the details about Michelina Princess, we can confirm that we would stay there again if, on our next visit to Loboc, we’re looking for something budget‑friendly. These are its strengths and weaknesses:
Pros:
- The value for money is very good
- Perfect location near the town center and shops and restaurants
- High‑speed Wi‑Fi
- On‑site motorbike rental at a good price
- The owners are a very, very friendly Filipino family
- The family rooms’ views over the rice field
- Clean, spacious rooms with air‑conditioning
Cons:
- No hot water
- Although the rooms are large, some don’t have a wardrobe to store luggage
- Slightly tight size of the double bed
Final score: 7’7/10 Filipino suns
Check prices and book
From here you can check Michelina Princess’s availability and prices. If you’re looking for more options, don’t miss this guide to Where to stay in Loboc with other suggestions that you’ll surely find interesting. We also recommend reading How to get to Loboc to have all the transport information you need.
