Hotel Review : Radisson Blu Cebu, Philippines

Among all the 7,107 islands or rather the 81 provinces in the Philippines, Cebu holds a special place in my heart. It's the place where I had so much fun dolphin watching when I was a kid, eating to my heart's content every single time and the Cebuanos are just so hospitable and warm. I've visited numerous times but I still get excited whenever the opportunity comes for me to go back again.

So, last December, Paul and I took 4 days out of our 2 weeks long holiday visit to the Philippines to relax and spend some quality time in Cebu. It was Paul's first time so I was really excited to show him around and hopefully he'd fall in love with Cebu just the way I did before. After booking our flights, the next step was for me to do a full research on where to stay. The choice was either to stay in Cebu City where we can visit the malls and a number of the famous touristy spots or to enjoy and chill out at the beach in Mactan. We went for the first option and I relied on my favorite travel guide, TripAdvisor, in helping me choose our accommodation.

Call me a fussy traveler but I can be quite picky when it comes to hotel accommodations. Sure, you get to stay in your room for 10 hours max a day but I do value comfort above anything else. I always believe that your accommodation can make or break your trip. Imagine the comfort that awaits you at the end of a tiring day. I also love checking out the amenities and special add-ons that we sometimes get in our room. Little things like a welcome snack or some good night cookies are major plus points for me.

Radisson Blu was our choice for this particular visit. It's located right beside SM Cebu making it so accessible to restaurants, cinemas, a bowling alley, shops and more. We availed of the airport pick-up as we didn't want to go through the trouble of hiring a cab upon landing in Cebu. Our flight was a bit delayed but as soon as we got to the conveyor belt area of the airport, we saw a man holding a laminated signage with the hotel's logo on it. After giving him our names, we were led to our car which was waiting for us at the entrance. I just love the speedy service! Time is indeed very precious when you're traveling.



After 20 minutes, we arrived at the hotel. We were impressed with the huge lobby that greeted us. Yes! We made the right choice. :)

Checking in took a bit of time but it was because the hotel was having a rather full occupancy since it was the holiday season. No worries as Paul was busy taking a million shots of the beautiful lobby. Soon after, we were handed our keys to our room. We got the Business Class Room (S$240 / approx. Php. 7,900) as we wanted that additional privilege of having access to the lounge. I loveeeee how spacious our room was. We enjoyed the comfy king-sized bed, the iPod dock which Paul immediately plugged his iPod into, and the huge storage areas provided.

The best thing about it was the view! We were given a room that was overlooking the Mactan channel. How awesome is that?

Look what was waiting for us as soon as we got to our room! A delicious welcome treat which was a moist chocolate cake topped with sweet Philippine mangoes. Ohhh I loved this! If only you all know how much we miss eating mangoes. We ate this so fast and just can't stop swooning in every bite.

Our bathroom was quite big and complete with more than the usual toiletries. My only complain was the lack of a bidet. I really have a thing about hygiene but I guess not a lot of hotels in the Philippines have bidets installed. Guess that will take some time. :) Other than that, I was really happy at how modern-looking, clean and spacious the bathroom was.

Check out the mini bar. We didn't get anything in here but it's nice to see a well-stocked fridge. The only thing lacking in our room is a Nespresso machine. That would have made it really perfect!

Since our room came with the option to use the Business Class Lounge, Paul and I would hang out here in the morning, mid-day or late at night. We enjoyed one breakfast here as well as the afternoon cocktails too. Dress code is strictly observed at the lounge so no shorts or slippers allowed. They won't turn you away though but you will have to stay at a designated area which was quite far from the buffet area. Not so bad but do keep this in mind for convenience sake.

The breakfast options were quite limited but if you're not a heavy eater then it would actually be nice to have your breakfast minus the hustle and bustle that you'd get at the hotel's restaurant -- Feria. You can enjoy the nice view or read the morning paper in peace while enjoying your plate of bread, fruits, cereals and some meats as well.

Meanwhile, the afternoon cocktails is something you shouldn't miss. There's salad, cheeses, some nuts and chips, warm entrees and sandwiches. It can be quite filling actually that we ended up having a late dinner as we were just so full after enjoying the cocktails. They even got sushi too!

You can also make your own drinks too!

I tell you, all we did in Cebu was to Eat and to Sleep that at some point Paul and I felt so guilty that we went to check out the gym. Sadly, we forgot to pack in our rubber shoes and they're quite strict about that too. Too bad as the gym looked quite nice.

Nonetheless, we wanted to eat more minus the guilt so off to the pool we went! Look how inviting the pool looks. It's one of the nicest free-form hotel pools that I've seen locally. We were also impressed at how attentive the pool attendants were. Giving us extra towels and checking on us from time to time.

It's no wonder that Radisson Blu ranked as the best hotel in Cebu City. The spacious and comfy rooms, impressive service, delicious food and having a good location -- really, there's nothing more that we can ask for. Needless to say, we had an amazing time at Cebu and felt so relaxed after. I can't wait to go back!

Check out Radisson Blu Cebu at Serging Osmena Boulevard Corner Juan Luna Avenue, Cebu City. Visit their official website for more information.