Two-Base Living Begins: Part 4

Date: 2024-11-28

Staying at The Reef Island Resort, Mactan, Cebu

Our hotel for the first three nights in Mactan was The Reef Island Resort — located about 20 minutes by car from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, right on the seafront.

This stretch of coastline is lined with resort hotels one after another. The Reef is the newest among them, operated by the Abacá Group — a Cebu-based hospitality company known for its restaurants, cafés and bakeries. Their most famous brand is the Abacá Baking Company (ABC), a popular upscale bakery celebrated throughout Cebu for its quality. One of the hotel's biggest draws is that the ABC breakfast buffet is included in the room rate — fresh pastries and bread from ABC, available at will.

Infinity Pools and the Sea

On the ground floor, facing the ocean, the hotel has three infinity pools. The view from the pools — emerald-green sea stretching to the horizon — is simply stunning.

From the level below (the car entrance), a path leads directly to the private beach. Snorkelling equipment and life jackets are available to borrow, so guests can swim alongside tropical fish in the coral waters. According to the beach staff, from 3pm onwards is the ideal time to be in the water: the sun is less fierce, and the building casts shade over the beach, making it much more comfortable — especially for those who would rather not come home deeply tanned.

A Gentle Start to Four Months

Arriving in Cebu with a few days in a resort hotel before moving to our longer-stay condominium gives us time to decompress from travel, adjust to the humidity and heat, and ease into the pace of island life. After the cold of the UK winter, the warmth is immediately welcome.

Three nights at The Reef was a perfect transition.