Philippines: Pacific Cebu Resort Hotel Stay

Date: 2018-11-26

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Location

Pacific Cebu Resort Hotel opened in 1992 under Japanese ownership, changed to Filipino ownership, and was refurbished in 2014. It occupies the westernmost tip of Mactan Island — a 3-star resort on a peninsula.

We chose it for the final night of a 10-day Cebu trip before flying home — a chance to finish by the sea on Mactan Island. When the Shangri-La Mactan couldn't offer a suitable 3-person room, we searched Hotels.com for alternatives. Pacific Cebu Resort was the only property with a 2-bedroom suite option, so we booked it.

Arrived by Grab (the Philippine equivalent of Uber) from Cebu City — 447 pesos fare, 500 pesos total with tip (~¥1,070). Roughly 40 minutes without bad traffic.

The Property

7 hectares of grounds. Cars do not circulate inside — the grounds are pedestrian-only, making it safe for children. Buildings include two-storey guest blocks and ground-floor cottage-style double rooms.

The beach: The hotel has a private beach, but it is inside a bay. The water in the bay is not clear enough for swimming. At the end of the pier (600m long), the sea is clear and shallow — tropical fish visible in the coral between stones. The bay view from the restaurant is scenic.

Swimming: The pools are the main option. Four pools: 2 infinity pools (one for hotel guests only), 1 children's pool, 1 3-metre deep training pool for scuba divers. An in-pool bar under a thatched roof is accessible directly from the water.

Sunbed rental: Pool-area sunbed sofas available at 500 pesos/day (~¥1,070).

Diving: Pacific Cebu Divers on-site offers full scuba certification through to island hopping, all instruction available in Japanese.

Other facilities: Massage room, air-conditioned indoor children's play room, dive shop, poolside bar, outdoor restaurant.

The Room

Family Suite: rooms 703–704, ground floor (Dolphin building). 74 sqm total. Two bedrooms connected by a shared living room, each bedroom with its own bathroom. Two separate entrances. Children's pool directly outside the bedroom terrace.

Cost: £156/night (~¥22,700) for 3 people.

Bedrooms: Clean, spacious, well-maintained. Each has tea/coffee, kettle, TV, and refrigerator. Air conditioning units are the local wall-mounted style: a little loud, but adjustable.

Bathrooms: Washbasin, toilet, small bathtub. Amenities: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothbrush set.

Living room: Large L-shaped sofa. Shared TV. Air conditioning.

Restaurant Dinner

Overlooking the sea. Informal but scenic — the open-sided structure lets the sea breeze through. Menu ranges from burgers, pizza, and pasta to Filipino and Korean dishes.

Highlights:

• Cucumber and mango salad — refreshing
• Sisig (spiced pork and vegetable stir-fry with chilli and egg) — a signature Filipino side dish; excellent with rice
• Stir-fried squid with mango — excellent; Cebu mango is outstanding
• Prawn chilli stir-fry — sold out fast; spicy and excellent with San Miguel beer
• Adobo (pork marinated in vinegar then braised with soy and sugar) — the quintessential Filipino preparation
• Garlic rice — served throughout; the best complement to everything else

Iced tea with calamansi (local citrus rich in Vitamin C, used in drinks, over meat, over fish, in everything) available by the jug.

San Miguel beer is brewed in Mandaue, just across from Cebu City — fresh and appropriate for the climate.

Breakfast

From 5:30am. Bright restaurant with morning light. Standard range: sausage, bacon, salad, bread, cheese and ham, congee, egg station. Less extensive than the larger Cebu hotels, but adequate and well-served.

Rating: 3/5

Bring insect repellent — the restaurant is open-sided outdoors and mosquitoes are present, especially at dinner. Pack antihistamine cream as backup.

The hotel is at the far tip of Mactan Island — nothing within walking distance. Transport by Grab to Cebu City: 40–60 minutes depending on traffic. Mactan Island shopping centre: approximately 30 minutes.

Best use: families and couples wanting a low-key resort experience with marine sports, pool time, and casual dining. The friendly staff (many speak some Japanese from the original ownership era) and genuine resort atmosphere make it a comfortable, unpretentious choice.