Something is Fishy in our Hotel Room

We normally do not stay in top hotels during vacation. Amenities look good on paper, but in most cases, we only use the hotel to sleep, take a bath, change clothes, and eat breakfast. Most of the day is spent touring outside. However, that changed when we booked at Hotel H2O recently.

Our son loves fishes. The last time we went to the Manila Ocean Park, he insisted that we let him touch the rays. It is no surprise that he likes the idea of celebrating his birthday in a room with fishes. We are not talking about the Oceanarium. He has been there a few times. We are referring to Aqua rooms—those that have a fish aquarium in its rooms. Hotel H2O boasts to be the only one in the Philippines that offers this.

The Aqua room

Inside our room are a queen-sized bed, a big LCD TV, a safe, and a small refrigerator. What sets it apart from other hotel rooms is a long aquarium at the upper part of one wall. I initially assumed that each room has its own individual aquarium, but I was surprised to see fishes coming from one side and swimming to the other side. It is a long aquarium spanning across several rooms!

We came prepared. If you are wondering how we are able to take those beautiful family pictures posted in my Facebook page, our secret is a tripod and a wireless remote shutter release. Just put the camera on the tripod, adjust the camera settings, connect the remote shutter release, do plenty of poses, and fire away! It was fun waiting for the big fishes to pass by and hoping to capture them on camera. Our son enjoyed taking pics with his phone so he can show the pics to his friends. Of course, I also took close up pics of the fishes. However, there were shy fishes that immediately swim away if you try to get near them.

Lights are off at around 9pm for the aquarium. However, you can still see them swimming around with your room lights on. You can also pull down the blinds on the aquarium if you want some privacy.

Feeding time

Feeding time is in the morning, around 10am in our case. Small shrimps are dropped from the top of the aquarium, and fishes rush to eat. I was not expecting it and my remote shutter release was not ready. Luckily, I was able to take a few shots before the food ran out. Make sure that you are in the room during feeding time!

The bathroom

This is where it gets confusing. With the fishes as an attraction, I thought that the Aqua rooms’ target markets are families wanting to spend some relaxing time together. However, the bathroom walls are made of clear glass, with only the door having frosted stickers in the middle. The room is ideal for couples, not parents with children. I was also informed that the jellyfish rooms have the bathtub outside the bathroom, near the jellyfish tank. I suggest you bring some wallpaper and temporarily cover the bathroom walls if you want some privacy from your children.

/royc