Cebu Parklane International Hotel & Crown Regency Hotel and Towers – Our Philippines Stay

Date: 2019-08-27

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We had business to attend to in Cebu City, the Philippines' second-largest city, so we stayed at two different hotels. Neither was particularly luxurious, but each had its own merits, so we'd like to share our experience.

First Stay: Cebu Parklane International Hotel 4★

Plus Room, King-size bed – 7,579 yen per night, breakfast included (2 guests, 1 room). Booked via Hotels.com.

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The Ayala Mall, said to be home to the best shops in Cebu City, is just across the intersection – a 3 to 4 minute walk to the mall entrance.

The Plus Room is similar to a Club Room, granting access to the lounge on the 14th floor. Additional perks for Plus Room guests (upper floors 14–16) include: cocktail service at the exclusive lounge, unlimited drinks from the in-room mini bar (fridge), one free ironing service (suits, etc.), use of the exclusive lounge, 2 hours free use of the lounge meeting room, and 15% off business centre charges. The room itself is spacious for a city-centre hotel.

What does the room look like?

The juices, beer, and snacks in the fridge are complimentary. Lounge staff or the front desk will refill them as many times as you like. Bottled water is also replenished daily.

San Miguel, the Philippine beer, is available too!

The bathroom has both a shower booth and a bathtub. The bathtub comes with a jacuzzi function.

A hairdryer, toothbrush set, and other essentials are all provided.

There's also a safe inside the wardrobe.

We used the laundry service – handed items in the morning and got them back by evening. The price was reasonable and the results were excellent. The laundry staff called the room in advance to quote the price, and we paid in cash at delivery, adding a small tip.

Our impressions of the stay

The hotel opened in 2006, so you can feel its age, but it's clearly well-maintained and kept clean.

The lounge offers a simple breakfast from around 9am, though the ground-floor restaurant has a wider menu. During lounge opening hours, a member of staff is always on hand to help with requests. (We tipped around 40–50 pesos for various requests.)

On this trip, the lounge's meeting room proved invaluable for business meetings – staff even provided drinks for our guests, and we were granted a late check-out until 5pm. The Plus Room upgrade was absolutely worth it!

There's a pool and gym on the 4th floor.

Dining options include a buffet restaurant on the ground floor, a Cebuano (local Cebu-style) restaurant on the 4th floor, and a café beside the main entrance.

Internet connectivity has improved considerably compared to previous visits. Wi-Fi is free for all guests.

With Ayala Centre right next door, shopping and dining are easy, and taxi drivers all know the hotel by name.

The affordable Japanese-owned massage chain "Nuat-Thai" (Ayala branch) is just 3–4 minutes' walk away. Their top 90-minute course costs around 550 pesos (approximately 1,140 yen), plus a 50–100 peso tip for the therapist. Affordable enough to visit daily – perfect for relieving everyday fatigue.

Behind Nuat-Thai is Lechon House, said to serve the best lechon (whole-roasted suckling pig) in Cebu. For city-centre accommodation that is comfortable, conveniently located, and reasonably priced, this hotel is an excellent choice.

Second Stay: Crown Regency Hotel and Towers

Room rate: £85.50 (approximately 11,290 yen).

We suddenly needed two more nights and booked on the same day online. There appeared to be a large event in Cebu that day – every decent hotel was fully booked, and this was the only one with availability, so we reserved a Deluxe Twin Room.

The two towers rise near the large roundabout called Fuente Osmena Circle in central Cebu City. The taller of the two is the 40-storey hotel tower. The shorter building is a condotel (a condominium with hotel services). The lobby is lively – the majority of guests were Chinese visitors. There's a Starbucks near the exit on the ground floor.

Our room was on the 36th floor. There were four lifts in the lobby – two serving floors 1–19 and two for floors 20 and above – but the upper-floor lifts were almost always stopped, apparently to conserve energy. We therefore had to take a lift to the 19th floor and transfer to an upper-floor lift to reach our room.

On the 19th floor there was a reception desk for "Sky Experience Adventure," an attraction using the building's height. The brochure listed a Skywalk (a glass-floored walkway at the 40th floor level, navigated with a safety rope), an Edge Coaster (a roller coaster that tilts at an angle), and a zip line spanning 40 metres between the two towers. As someone with a fear of heights, I had absolutely no intention of trying any of these – but they'd be great for thrill-seekers! For more details, see the link below: https://www.travel.co.jp/guide/article/11860/

What does the room look like?

Our room had two double beds. It was spacious, though not quite what you'd call deluxe.

From the window straight ahead, we could see Cebu City, the sea, and Mactan Island beyond.

The view from the 36th floor was, unsurprisingly, impressive. The doorman described it as a "City & Sea View."

There were bottled water, instant coffee, and tea. The fridge was empty, so we bought beer and drinks from the supermarket on the ground floor of the adjacent Tower 2 and kept them in it.

The hotel reportedly opened in 2007. The interior is showing its age and could do with refurbishment – which, apparently, is already underway, with renovation progressing floor by floor.

The bathroom had only an overhead shower, so we missed having a handheld one. The marble-style bathroom walls, however, managed to look quite elegant despite the building's age. Money well spent in the right places doesn't show its wear!

Shampoo, shower gel, cotton buds, soap, and a toothbrush set were provided.

A hairdryer was also available.

The linen was clean and the bed was reasonably comfortable.

The hotel is officially 4-star, but based on the room alone, we'd place it closer to a slightly tired 3-star. It would suit families with children or lively groups well. Rooms come in a variety of types at different price points.

Centrally located, it's close to attractions such as Magellan's Cross and Fort San Pedro (though you'd still need a taxi), and surrounded by shops and shopping centres. The hotel itself has children's play facilities and a pool, so when the heat outside gets too much, you can stay in.

What are the hotel restaurants like?

There are two buffet restaurants: a Chinese restaurant and an international restaurant. The photo below shows the menu for the Chinese buffet "Wang Shan Lo" on the 20th floor of Tower 2: 500 pesos for lunch (approximately 1,000 yen) and 650 pesos for dinner (approximately 1,300 yen, including unlimited iced tea) – good value for a hotel restaurant.

The second buffet restaurant is "Sparks Bar" on the 37th floor, open for dinner only from 6pm to 10pm. It's a popular spot for dining with views over Cebu's night skyline.

Our impressions

This is essentially a hotel that crams everything into Cebu's tallest buildings. It would suit young couples, groups of friends, or families with children. It's also close to Mango Street, Cebu's famous entertainment district, which makes it handy if nightlife is on the agenda. As a couple in our 50s who prefer an early night, the Parklane was the more practical choice of the two. Both are budget-category hotels – we hope this guide proves useful when planning a trip to Cebu City.