Hotel Hopping in Cebu

If you are planning a future trip to Cebu, the Paranoid Traveler has some useful information to help you decide on the best place to stay. From budget bargains to a taste of luxury, the Paranoid Traveler introduces you to a sampling of the diverse range of accommodations that Cebu has to offer...

Image Source: Wikimedia

I love Cebu. It has that cosmopolitan feel to it while retaining an insular provincial atmosphere. One can unwind without deflating from boredom while at the same time, still feel connected to “civilization.” And to show how much I love the Queen City of the South, I keep coming back to it (“Hinahanap-hanap kita, Cebu…” Ooops, wrong song.) but the same cannot be said to all the hotels I have stayed. There are some I swore off and then there are some that I am just waiting for an excuse to come back to.

Islands Stay Hotel

Archbishop Reyes Avenue

Image Source: Agoda

This is the cheapest one in this list and I tried it only because a friend found it satisfactory during her long two-week stay in the city. 

• Service: Very friendly and helpful staff
• Room: Small with minimal walking space. Bed was kind of cramped and hard.
• The Best Part: Its cheap rates
• Will I Return? Not really if only because I like big comfortable beds.

CastlePeak

F. Cabahug St

This was my very first hotel in Cebu and for the first two visits, I was generally satisfied with its affordable rates and spacious rooms. However, the third visit did it in for me. Upon check-out, I was being billed for a beverage that I had not consumed from the mini-bar. They said I tried to hide it by replacing it with another flavor of the same brand. I did not touch the mini-bar throughout my brief stay there. Not only that, I don’t even like the brand. So I explained that it was probably the previous guests who did the “misdeed” and that housekeeping failed to notice the switcheroo before I was checked in. But still they refused to let me go until I had paid up. Out of disgust, I relented but said goodbye to it forever that I won’t even bother with a point-by-point review here.

The Hotel Elizabeth

Camputhaw

Image Source: Agoda

I tried The Hotel Elizabeth because I bought a gift certificate from a travel fair that offered cheaper rates than the published ones which I found to be kind of expensive from its three-star feel.

• Service: Friendly and attentive staff particularly the concierge
• Room: Very spacious that I even had a couch. Big comfortable bed
• The Best Part: Very affordable in-room facial and massage service
• Will I Return? Probably not as I can find better hotels at the rates they’re charging

Quest Hotel

Archbishop Reyes Ave

Image Source: Agoda

I was probably one of its first hundred guests as I stayed there the week it first opened. And this was why I was able to try their breakfast buffet as part of their opening promo.

• Service: Attentive staff but kind of robotic which is unusual for Filipino hotel staff 
• Room: Standard-sized room with very comfortable bed
• The Best Part: The Ayala Mall is right across it.
• Will I Return? I have and I will.

Mandarin Plaza Hotel

Kamagong

Image Source: Agoda

Like the Quest Hotel, I was also one of its first hundred guests as I was billeted there during its opening season. I only gave it a try because I noticed it during my stay at its next-door neighbor, The Quest Hotel. The interiors reminded me of those big hotels in China and sure enough, I found out that the owner was a Chinese national.

• Service: Okay and attentive staff
• Room: Spacious and comfortable
• The Best Part: Right across the Ayala Mall
• Will I Return? I will especially if its rates continue to be lower than Quest’s

Cebu City Marriott Hotel

Cardinal Roces Avenue

Image Source: Agoda

I was able to stay at this five-star hotel only by happenstance. I had accumulated enough points from a hotel platform and I wanted to treat myself to a nice hotel, for a change---if only for a night.

• Service: Just okay; I’ve had better service at cheaper hotels
• Room: Nice bed, nice room, nice everything! 
• The Best Part: Its next-door neighbor is the Ayala Mall! No need to cross the street anymore.
• Will I Return? Probably not since it is pricey

Plantation Bay Resort & Spa

Marigondon, Mactan Island

Image Source: Agoda

This is the granddaddy of all hotels and resorts down south. This is the way to relax and unwind! The only reason I was able to stay here was because I attended an expense-paid business conference. I couldn’t concentrate at all during the seminars as I just couldn’t wait to explore and enjoy the facilities.

• Service: Very friendly staff with the fastest check-in process I have ever experienced. Upon arrival at the counter, they simply pulled out an envelope with my keycard in it and that was it! 
• Room: Super spacious, comfortable bed, bathroom had a Jacuzzi(!) 
• The Best Part: The facilities will really lull and spoil you that you won’t want to leave.
• Will I Return? I’m packed already!

Image Source: Wikimedia

If you noticed, I didn’t mention anything about Internet access as I always bring my pocket Wi-Fi on my domestic travels so I don’t bother with whatever the hotel may or may not offer for internet access.

All of the Cebu hotels listed here have easy access to public transportation. You just step out and voila---lots of taxis and jeepneys vying for your attention. All except Plantation Bay which is situated far from the city although they make up for it by offering free city shuttles.

Conversely, as all hotels except Plantation Bay are in the city, they are all thirty minutes away by car from Cebu Mactan International Airport whereas Plantation Bay takes only fifteen minutes and they offer free airport transfers.