Philippines (Cebu): Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort — New 5-Star on Mactan Island

Date: 2019-08-18

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About Dusit

Dusit International is a Thai hotel group operating across six brands in Asia and beyond, headquartered in Bangkok. Dusit Thani is the group's flagship 5-star brand — the name translates from Thai as "City of Heaven."

Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort opened in April 2019 in northern Mactan Island, approximately 11km from the airport — 20–30 minutes by taxi in normal traffic. The hotel faces the Magellan Strait, with Cebu City visible across the water.

We discovered it through Cebu Pot, a Japanese-language information magazine published in Cebu. The hotel was still in soft opening when we visited — not yet listed on standard booking sites, so we booked directly through the Dusit website.

Arrival

Grab from Cebu City took about an hour due to the city's notorious traffic. The hotel entrance opens directly onto an unobstructed view through to "The View" bar and the sea beyond — the kind of arrival that immediately signals a resort hotel.

Check-in was efficient; they handed over room keys two hours before the standard check-in time. Welcome drinks: cold fruit juice made from local Cebu mango and papaya. The lobby staff wore Thai silk traditional dress — a graceful detail that signals the Thai ownership's identity.

The Room

Room 2321, 3rd floor. Deluxe Sea View King. 32 sqm.

Rate: PHP 12,400 (~¥25,650) per night for two, including breakfast. Early booking discount applied.

The terrace faces directly over the 100-metre infinity pool and, beyond it, the sea. The first view stepping onto the terrace is the one resort hotels are built to create.

Interior: Fabrics made by Cebu craftsmen, used in the headboard and chair upholstery. Lotus flower artwork on the wall — the lotus is the defining flower of Buddhist Thailand. Orange accent cushions provide the colour note in an otherwise calm palette. Bedding: Egyptian cotton with a light starch finish, cool and smooth.

The TV welcomes guests by name on the screen.

Furniture: Desk and chair only (the armchair and ottoman listed on the website were not yet installed — soft opening). Under the desk: kettle, instant coffee and tea, and a mini fridge (note: the fridge was not cooling — Cebu's electricity costs are high and eco mode appears to be the default).

Room snacks for sale: Cebu dried mango and banana chips — the two classic Cebu souvenirs. Also a Korean instant noodle cup, which reflects the significant Korean visitor population at Mactan resorts.

Complimentary: Daily mineral water bottles replenished.

Closet: Two sections (open and closed). Bathrobe, slippers, and safe in the open section. Iron and ironing board in the closed section.

Bathroom: Washbasin with magnifying mirror. Face and hand towels stored underneath. One complimentary water bottle left at the sink.

The shower uses a glass panel design without a curtain — water spilled from the drain area onto the bathroom floor during use. The bathtub became the preferred option for the remainder of the stay. (This issue is common to the glass panel shower design increasingly used in newer hotels — visually clean, but drainage execution matters.)

Amenities (Dusit original brand): Sulphate-free, paraben-free, not animal-tested, plant-based. Scent: lemongrass with unidentified herbs — subtle, unisex, appropriate for a tropical resort. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, soap. Plus: toothbrush set, comb, nail file, razor, shower cap, cotton tips and balls.

WiFi: Free throughout but slow — high-speed internet had not yet reached northern Mactan Island at the time. Adequate for email; impractical for image-heavy use.

The 100-Metre Infinity Pool

The headline feature. 100 metres long, facing west. Pool temperature: warm from the sun. Staff provide beach towels on request at pool number given.

At sunset, the pool faces directly into the declining sun over the Magellan Strait. Remaining in the water as the sky changed colour was one of those experiences that makes the journey feel entirely worthwhile. The pool is the reason to book a sea-view room on the upper floors.

Dinner: Seabreeze Buffet Restaurant

The indoor buffet restaurant faces the lobby from the opposite side. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Highlights from the dinner buffet:

• Cebu California Roll: Mango, cucumber, and crab stick inside-out roll. The mango gives it a freshness that works well.
• Lechon: Whole suckling pig roasted on a charcoal spit until the skin is completely crisp. Served on banana leaves with sweet-sour sauce. Cebu lechon is famous throughout the Philippines — people travel from Manila specifically to eat it here. The hotel version was correctly made.
• Parrot Fish: Whole charcoal-grilled, approximately 50cm long — a large tropical reef fish caught from nearby islands. White, thick, mild flesh. One fish served around 20 people.
• Spicy prawn stir-fry: Crispy fried onions, chilli, the prawns cooked through hard. Intensely flavoured — designed for rice, as Filipino food consistently is.
• White fish fillets: Battered and fried, with both spicy and sweet-spicy sauce options. Accessible, well-cooked.
• Local desserts: Glutinous rice preparations, purple yam (ube) sweets, tropical fruit. Mango, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, dragon fruit, lychee, mangosteen — each perfectly ripe, each better than anything available in a northern European supermarket.
• Salad section: Fresh vegetables are a genuine luxury in the Philippines (the tropical heat makes leafy greens difficult to grow). The crisp salad available here was a pleasure precisely because it's not always easy to find.

Breakfast

Taho: Served from a trolley in the Seabreeze restaurant. A Filipino street food tradition: warm fresh silken tofu with tapioca pearls and sweet molasses syrup. Similar to Hong Kong's tofu fa. Energising and light — exactly right for a morning before a pool session.

Filipino breakfast plate: Rice with corned beef stir-fried with vegetables, a fried egg, and small dried fish crisped in garlic oil. The dried fish was a new discovery — tiny, intensely flavoured, excellent over rice.

On the final morning (early flight, no time for breakfast), the hotel prepared a takeaway bag: fruit, bread, and juice packed for the taxi. A thoughtful gesture that required no asking.

Overall Impression

The staff energy throughout the stay carried a clear quality: everyone appeared to be working to demonstrate what a new 5-star property in Mactan could achieve. Dusit International recently opened a large hotel education facility in Manila — the investment in hospitality training was visible. The welcome, the attention, the small extras all felt considered rather than scripted.

When the soft opening phase completes and the additional wings and private beach open, this property will be considerably stronger still. We want to return.