Top 3 hotels in Cebu, Philippines
If you haven’t been to Asia, you should! It’s cheap and gorgeous. Most importantly, if you like the beach vibe, this is the place to be. I grew up in Cebu, Philippines and recently vacationed there again. I stayed in three hotels in the city and one in Boracay (another island in the Philippines, next post). Here are my thoughts on my Top 3 hotels in Cebu, Philippines:
When I was little, this hotel was very well known as the place to stay and many years later, it still has the same reputation. This place is perfect to bring in your large family since the property is huge.
Here are the GOOD:
*Security–It has one of the best hotel security measures. The hotel entrance has a few guards with K9 dogs to sniff your vehicle. Once inside the entrance/lobby of the hotel, your bags are put in the X-ray machine (similar to the airport) for inspection. Like wow! Who does that? haha
*Location–The place is close to the airport and most rooms have ocean views. Their beach is the best of the three hotels I stayed at. There are fishes everywhere and you can even feed the fish. It was actually very fun for kids and adults as well.
*Property–The property is very vast. It consists of a few pools, kids play area, lush greens and plenty of chairs to lounge in. It’s absolutely gorgeous to say the least. This hotel is perfect for an Instagram model or people who have kids. haha!
*Service–The service is great. There’s always someone to help you. The beach bar staff were amazing. They even delivered drinks while I was in the beach/water. Now, that’s service!
*Breakfast buffet–The room rate includes free breakfast buffet for two people. In Asia, breakfast food is like lunch/dinner. You can get rice, pasta, meat, etc. I enjoyed their wide selection of food including dessert. Don’t forget to try the Filipino mango and ube ice cream!
Here are the BAD:
*Price–it’s the most expensive hotel in the city particularly their hotel room rates and food/drinks. Even if you don’t have an ocean view, it’s still very expensive in terms of comparability to other hotels.
*Rooms–their rooms are nice but it has an old feel to it. It hasn’t been updated for years. I expected more from a hotel that’s expensive and well known. Also, you are able to hear every little noise outside of your room. Unfortunately for me, it was a baby crying all day. Speaking of baby, check out Albee Baby for travel essentials.
*Guests–their guest policy is ridiculous. If you have family over as guests, they will charge you over 2K pesos per person if they use the facility (even if they’re only there for an hour). TIP: You can have your guest in their restaurant area which includes the beach bar and you won’t be charged.
This hotel is perfect for those who like to stay in the pool instead of the beach. This is also perfect for families since this is somewhat tailored for kids.
Here are the GOOD:
*Pools/Rooms--The hotel rooms are surrounded by large pools/lagoons which are quite pretty. I suggest getting one of the lagoon rooms since you can access the pool from your hotel patio and it’s open 24/7.
*Swim up bar–This place has a swim up bar which I always like. However, keep in mind that this area is not adults only so you will be hanging out with kids. haha
*Bike–The hotel’s pathway is in a circle from the hotel lobby to hotel rooms/restaurants. You can get a bike and ride it around the hotel and enjoy the view.
Here are the BAD:
*Beach–Their beach area is very small and the sand is uncomfortable (lots of stones). I actually just checked it out and head to the pool instead. Also, no one took advantage of their beach while I viewed the area. That should tell you something?
*Restaurants–There is limited selection for food. At certain times of the day, there’s only two maximum restaurants that are available. Since you’re far away from most restaurants outside of the hotel, you have small options. However, their Spanish restaurant was really good.
This hotel surprised me the most, in a good way. This is the first time I’ve stayed in this hotel. Honestly, I loved it a lot!
Here are the GOOD:
*Price–The hotel rate is affordable. They even have spa specials where an hour massage was only $50 (maybe less!). Sign me up!
*Hotel room–Their hotel is like little villas where you don’t have neighbors on top or below you. Luckily, I was in the far end of the rows of villas so I only had a neighbor to my right (couldn’t hear them either). My room was big and updated/modern which I liked.
*Breakfast buffet/Food--Their hotel room rate includes 2 breakfast buffet and let me tell you, it is the best. They change the food selection daily. There aren’t too many people in the area (unlike Shangri-la). I took advantage of my fave Filipino food which are dried fish and fresh mangoes. Yum! Additionally, the rest of their restaurants have reasonable price and very delicious food.
*Property–The property is smaller than Shangri-la but it is still gorgeous. The property is surrounded by beautiful trees and villas. Also, the hotel has an infinity pool and beach bar, a small property feel to it. The beach is nicer than Plantation Bay but lesser than Shangri-la.
Here are the BAD:
I honestly can’t think of anything bad about this hotel and I certainly approve of every single aspect of this property.
Overall, I love Cebu and I enjoyed my stay at these three hotels. If I were to go back and look at the overall value, I would pick Crimson Mactan. Have you been to these three hotels? Which one do you like and why? Have you stayed at other hotels than the three mentioned above? Leave in the comments below.
If you like Asia, check out my blog on Best Places to Visit in Hong Kong.
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