One thing I love about having golfers in the family is that we get to go on “golf holidays” whenever there are tournaments. Over the weekend, my son played at the 14th Anniversary Golf Tournament of The Cliffs Golf Course & Beach Club located inside Thunderbird La Union. Since we were there already, we figured we’d stay at the Santorini-inspired hotel so the other kids can enjoy the beach and pools while their brother plays.
Accommodation & Facilities
We normally get two rooms for our family of six, but when I booked, the reservations officer recommended that we can stay in one room. We got the Deluxe Room (Php8,500/night), which has two queen beds, a bath tub and shower area, and a balcony overlooking the ocean. Breakfast for two adults is included. Kids aged 5-12 are half price and kids 4 and below can eat free.
There are bigger rooms available, as well as villas for bigger groups.
The resort has a huge interconnected infinity pool, which is perfect for adults and kids alike so everyone gets to enjoy their dip. It overlooks the ocean, a nice add-on to the experience if you want to chill by the pool with refreshments.
Thunderbird La Union also has a beach, however, we did not bring the kids there anymore since it’s quite rocky and we didn’t have aqua shoes with us.
For golfers, they have The Cliffs Golf Club within the resort. Note that this course only offers nine holes. It’s quite hot and humid, too, so be sure to put on sunscreen and bring an umbrella. There’s a cafe at the golf club where players can cool down and rest after the game.
They also have a casino, but we didn’t visit that anymore.
The resort supposedly has other recreation areas, but most are under renovation according to the website. There are, however, lots of Instgrammable areas around the resort that you can explore if you want to fill your ‘gram with Greece vibes.
Food & Dining
Thunderbird La Union has two dining options available near the room areas – both located by the lobby.
The main restaurant is Olives Restaurant, which serves Mediterranean cuisine. Because we like to stay in hotels for at least two days, one of the things we look forward to (aside from the accommodation) is the food they serve. Our kids don’t like leaving hotel premises once checked in so we appreciate it when hotels serve really good food.
To be completely honest, though, we weren’t very impressed by Olives Restaurant. While price is not an issue for us, the food was a bit of a let down considering the price. We tried to dine there on our first night, but the kids and I weren’t very happy with the limited options in their buffet and the taste. Considering we just came home from another staycation at Seda Nuvali, there was a huge difference in the dining offers that we couldn’t just stop ourselves from comparing.
We ended up buying food outside of the hotel the rest of our stay because the kids just wouldn’t eat the hotel food, unfortunately.
The other dining option near the rooms is Pianosa Deli Shop. This one is much better than Olives, although they only serve coffee, bread, and cakes. The kids really love their oatmeal cookies and cheese pandesal (for pre-order fyi) and I really enjoyed their Caramel Coffee Nut Frapuccino.
Our Overall Experience at Thunderbird La Union
While we love the spaciousness of the room, the facilities, and the lovely view, we can’t say Thunderbird La Union is a resort we’ll be going back to any time soon.
There were quite a bit of disappointing experiences during our 3-day stay, which should be basic services in a hotel especially at their price:
For one, the concierge doesn’t seem to be fully informed about the events going on in the resort. When we asked where the awarding ceremony was for the golf tournament, the receptionist told us it’s happening at The Cliffs. Turns, out it was actually going to be held at the Agora Event Center. We wouldn’t have known until we asked her to call the golf club to clarify.
Housekeeping is also a bit disappointing. In the recent staycations we’ve had, housekeeping automatically cleans up rooms and replenishes toiletries and towels. In Thunderbird La Union, you have to request for these. We don’t mind requesting – the thing is, we requested three times, but it took so long for housekeeping to respond to our request.
The first time we requested was from the housekeeping ladies who we saw cleaning the room next to ours. They said they will clean our room, but when we came back, it wasn’t cleaned.
The second time we requested was from the concierge. Housekeeping cleaned the room, but not the bathrooom. They also did not replenish our toiletries. Trash bins were also not emptied. This was day 2 of our stay.
The third time we requested was at the concierge, already on our third day, and it was only then we got our toiletries and new towels. The bathroom was still not cleaned and trash bins not emptied.
With previous hotel stays, these are basics when it comes to giving guests a premium experience. Unfortunately, Thunderbird La Union wasn’t able to live up to that expectation. Hopefully, they can look into developing better systems and staff training to improve services.
Hotel Information
Thunderbird Resort Poro Point
Poro Point Freeport Zone San Fernando City, La Union
Philippines 2500
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