5-Star Hotels in Cebu

Reception was a bit cold. Emailed them we’re celebrating our wedding anniversary and requested a surprise room set up for my husband yet the manager does not read email on time as they knocked on the door at 6pm to offer the “surprise”. Bathroom toiletries are ill equipped— for the price of the room I don’t want to be asking room services for lotion or earbuds! Booked a celebratory dinner at Dip, their open wines are past their acceptable rate, we requested to open a fresh bottle. Surprised to see them return the “expired ones” back on shelf after using an “oxy vacuum machine”. Sad. Our server is very good and polite, a snappy young man (sorry forgot his name). Thank you dong, you’re really attentive. Food: Beef cheek was good, but not the Wagyu beef, it has a lot of inedible parts— disappointing for the price. The side dishes were good. Breakfast is an okay spread.

The hotel is located on a private island. Getting there isn't too difficult, but all the main attractions (sardines, sharks, canyoneering) are quite a distance away. This hotel seems to have been designed for guests who don't want to leave it – a small 'Bounty island' vibe. But it didn't quite hit the mark. The staff here are constantly smiling. As soon as they see you, they drop what they're doing to greet you. During meals, they approach you every minute to ask questions and tell you about the free 'entertainment' planned for the day. Honestly, it's annoying and doesn't match the status the hotel clearly aims for. In a good hotel, staff are incredibly helpful yet discreet. Here, they can't even clean the room without being noticed. However, you can tell they've been trained this way, rather than it being their natural work style. So, if they were trained differently, these young people would significantly improve the service quality. Also, don't expect quick responses or help from anyone. It's better to go directly to reception and sort things out yourself. That's the most effective way, otherwise, you might drown in a Kafkaesque castle with a British surrealist twist. The room we stayed in was magnificent in terms of size and cleanliness. The shower wasn't working well, but they replaced it quickly. When walking around the room, the wardrobe wobbles and makes noise, but these are minor issues. I noticed signs of wood-boring insects in the safe cabinet, but didn't see the insects themselves, so they didn't cause any trouble. Food. The food here is very poor, compared to all the other places I've visited in the Philippines. A hotel aiming for a high rating shouldn't be serving microwaved store-bought pizza at such a price. If the food is cooked properly (grilled chicken breast, for example), it's invariably oversalted or overspiced. Or both at once. I couldn't find a single dish on the menu that was worth its price or genuinely tasty, except perhaps for the scrambled eggs at breakfast. But that's not enough if you plan to stay on the island all day, is it? Snorkeling costs 1000 pesos per hour for the boat and 100-200 pesos for equipment (each item separate: mask, fins, aqua shoes). The hotel staff claim the equipment is new, but that's not true. Aqua shoes are essentially unavailable in adult sizes (from 40 and up, we found only two old and torn pairs). The coral reef is dying after the typhoon, but there are still beautiful spots, and my wife and I don't regret snorkeling here. Especially since it was the only activity available on the island. To sum up, this hotel might suit those who want to isolate themselves from the rest of the world for a resort-style vacation with an average level of service but rather high prices for that level.

If you can get a direct round-trip flight with China Eastern Airlines, I genuinely recommend trying a vacation in Cebu. My first choice was the Shangri-La Hotel, but they didn't have any rooms available at the time. So, I booked this J Park hotel instead, and I ended up feeling like I made an excellent choice because it's truly perfect for families with kids. I'm talking about slightly older kids, maybe 6 and up, as they have a ton of water activities, similar to hotels like Senbo in China. But what makes it even better is its beachfront location. So, if you want to play in the sand or go snorkeling, they offer free equipment rentals, or you can bring your own. And if you're into swimming pools and water slides, there are plenty of those too. I also highly recommend their suite with a separate living room and bedroom. The price for these suites isn't exorbitant, it's super convenient for a family to stay together, and it even has two bathrooms. It's ideal for families traveling with both elderly relatives and young children. And here's a little tip: in Southeast Asian countries like this, if you can negotiate with the staff, you often won't have to pay an excessive amount for an extra bed. I can't go into too much detail, you know what I mean; check other reviews, and you'll get the gist. The hotel breakfast does get very crowded, so I suggest either going early or waiting until later. The hotel's location is also fantastic, with a supermarket and several restaurants right outside. Plus, taking a taxi around there is very affordable; just download the Grab app. There's a massage parlor called Gold Moon directly across from the hotel. This place is excellent; among all the places I tried, their ambiance was the best. Also, in the shopping area across from the hotel, there's a nail salon that is incredibly cheap. For my daughter and five other girls, getting 'QQ nails' cost only about 50-60 RMB each, so it was super affordable. And you can choose from really pretty designs; my daughter said her designs were intricately done, which you can see in the photos. I'm not sure why durians are so expensive in Southeast Asian countries like this. Everyone says you can eat durian in the Philippines, but I didn't find any good ones. However, you absolutely *can* eat excellent large crabs in the Philippines – like the Singaporean chili crab, made with Sri Lankan mud crabs; they are delicious and very reasonably priced. We tried one place opposite the hotel and also took a taxi to the popular Red Crab, which was trending on Xiaohongshu. Personally, I found Red Crab to be tastier and more professional; they also had a wider selection of crabs. If you try both, you'll understand what I mean. Overall, I really liked Cebu's J Park hotel. It's a high-value, safe place with great service, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for families with kids. I heard they even have a babysitting service for infants. One small complaint though: when I booked, I communicated with Ctrip, and it was agreed that we'd get two hours of park playtime daily, but the hotel later denied it. To my surprise, Ctrip directly compensated me. Ctrip is truly amazing; I'll only use Ctrip for future travels!

The hotel is about a 30-minute drive from the airport. While the location is a bit secluded, the resort offers complete facilities, so you don't necessarily need to leave. It boasts a private beach, and right next door is a public beach with a pier, making boat trips and diving very convenient. The breakfast selection isn't huge, but they have a different theme every day, so it doesn't feel monotonous. It's worth noting that the resort doesn't have a tipping culture, which is quite rare for Southeast Asia.

Great views and a secret beach, but the pool is absolutely amazing! The interior looks a bit dated, but it's very well-maintained. The staff are friendly too; truly a place I'd recommend for a lifetime.

This turned out to be an incredible choice for our family; Though it is a refurbished property, the rooms' size is very good. The beach was nice and the most astonishing thing for us was the small rock formation near its beach, which hosted an incredible variety of fish and other forms of life. Just a pair of swimming googles or the snorkeling rental equipment here could get one ready in a matter of minutes from your room. The breakfast spread was good and the 'chocolate hour' in the afternoon was a hit amongst all kids and adults.

Kandaya is kinda pricey but we get the service worthy for the price. All the staff are friendly, reliable and fast. We never had any single problems or concerns during our stay. We just need more time to explore the resort more. Everything was perfect

Okay naman yung hotel ang problem lang is 3days yung stay pero dapat may extra bedshit kumot and towel po sana HAHAHAHHA kase parang isang towel lang ma use in 3days and the bed di ma change yung bedsheets