Hotel Essencia

I recently stayed at Hotel Essencia, and overall, it was a pleasant and practical experience. The hotel is older and its design clearly reflects that, but it is well maintained and offers a pretty decent room for a very reasonable price. If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay without unnecessary frills, this hotel is a solid choice. The room was clean, comfortable, and spacious enough for a short to medium stay. All basic amenities were in working condition, and housekeeping did a good job keeping everything tidy. One nice bonus was the free breakfast, which was simple but satisfying and a great way to start the day without extra cost. Another highlight is the hotel’s location. It’s within walking distance of the boulevard, making it easy to enjoy seaside walks, nearby restaurants, cafés, and local spots. Convenience stores and transport options are also close by. The staff were friendly, polite, and always willing to help. While Hotel Essencia is not a luxury hotel, it offers good value, comfort, and a great location. I would recommend it to budget-conscious travelers visiting Dumaguete.

The room was a good size and generally comfortable. However, the one we were given didn’t have a proper outside window—just one facing a lit light well. Unfortunately, this meant no fresh air, and the room often felt quite stuffy. The bathroom was decent, although oddly the toilet was positioned quite far from the back wall. On the plus side, the water pressure was strong and there was reliable hot water throughout our stay. The Wi-Fi, however, didn’t work at all while we were there. Despite several days of trying, the issue wasn’t resolved. In 2026, that’s simply not acceptable. The buffet breakfast was very good, with plenty of variety. A few dishes needed replenishing at times, but the kitchen staff were friendly and helpful when informed. The location is convenient, just a short walk to the boardwalk and ferry port. I’d also recommend stopping by the local donut shop nearby — they were absolutely delicious. One final tip: if you’re arriving from the airport, avoid the trikes waiting directly outside as they tend to overcharge. Walk a little further out for a much better price, or take an easy rider if you’re travelling light — it’s even cheaper.

Spent 3-nights here on business and it was perfect for the duration. The rooms are larger than most, come with a kettle, android TV, a great spacious shower and real black-out curtains. The A/C was super efficient and as the room really holds the cold air in well, you can turn off the A/C for long periods at a time given the room remained cool. The rooms are starting to show their age but they are well maintained and the rooms relatively clean. I say "relatively" because long hairs were all over the bathroom and hotel room floor. Jollibee and a 7/11 are a 3-minute walk from the hotel. The breakfast buffet is local style fare which is fine but it was a limited choice. They take on a lot of interns so the front desk isn't the most efficient and questions to them get tossed around from person to person as they weren't being supervised by senior staff. The service crews in the hotel restaurant were excellent and attended to the guests well. Be advised to download the Grab app to your phone if you don't already have it. Grab triclyes are readily available contrary to what hotel staff tell you. I took a Grab tricycle to the airport and it only cost PHP 77. Haggling with the tricycle drivers will only cost you 3 or 4 times more otherwise. I'll definitely stay again on my next business trip.

Positive: Great location, very accommodating staff Negative: Hot water for shower was not reliable. Told staff, they fixed it but still could not have consistent hot shower. They don't provide iron but offer ironing services. Real St vehicle noises heard from room.

The hotel exceeded my expectations in every way. The staff were friendly and attentive, the room was clean and spacious, and the amenities were top-notch. I especially appreciated the convenient location, delicious breakfast, and comfortable beds. Overall, I'd highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great place to stay. I'll definitely be back.

Day 1 No Hot water day of arrival Room unclean - (used birth control packets beside the bed) Day 2 No wifi - Most of the 6 days here no wifi (little interest from front desk to resolve or give updates to customer about restoration) Clearly they as a hotel have no service level agreement with the internet company PLDT that ensures rapid resolution, that or they cannot enforce its terms. This Hotel is “supposed” to be one of Dumaguetes better hotels. I’ve stayed in about 20 hotels in Dumaguete across several years - Hotel essencia “does not” rate well for the reasons above. Now for the good news. In room cleaning team are professional and responsive. Hotel doormen and security very professional and courteous, making eye contact, acknowledging us every time in passing, opening door and even pressing elevator call button even if that wasn’t requested. They will carry your things to the room, as I observed their for one older lady. Breakfast buffet is busy and food not bad, (don’t expect bacon but you will get scrambled eggs) The service team in the restaurant are great they clear tables to slow for you to add plates they engage with you are very well presented and spoken also. (English is 7/10 which is good for the Philippines). Car parking underneath and free which is good for Dumaguete compared to other locations like Marina Spatial (appartments) that won’t allow onsite parking. If the wifi and hot water was working and consistently they would have received a 4.5 star rating. To The Owner and Management: Your Hotel needs a service agreement with PLDT that ensures rapid resolution or you need to get a new supplier that will provide the service for your paying CUSTOMERS! No excuses accepted - Fix your hot water issues - Don’t talk to customers and blame it on solar panels or anything else - we do not want excuses we want service. Your reasons are not reasons they are excuses.

This hotel is my "go to" hotel here in Dumaguete. Good breakfast, good selections of ala carte order. Tried tinolang manok, bulalo, crispy calamare, broccoli- better compare to other restaurant around. Wifi must be improved - intermittent signal and slow.

I recently stayed at Hotel Essencia and overall, it was a nice stay. The WiFi required an additional payment, which was a bit disappointing. The breakfast buffet was just so-so—nothing particularly special. The bed was quite firm, but still manageable for a good night’s rest. What really stood out was the staff. They were extremely helpful, especially during our transfer to another hotel. They also assisted us with storing our luggage while we went on our Siquijor trip, which we truly appreciated. Overall, despite a few minor drawbacks, the excellent service made our stay pleasant.

Front desk staff was welcoming and the included breakfast buffet was decent- that is the only reason I gave this place 1 star. With that being said, I don't think I need to explain any further after saying I was pestered w bed bug bites during my stay. Find another place, unless you enjoy red itchy welts all over your body during your vacation. And possible i fest and carry them back home with you.

This hotel doesn't give refund for the recent outbreak even if the airlines can't fly here. This place sucks! Bad business policy's STAY AWAY!