L7 Hotel Myeongdong

Location

We lucked out on the hotel's location as it is literally about 5 steps away from the Myeongdong subway station (take exit 9).  If you're visiting the city for the first time, you'd want to be near the train station so you can easily move about.

The hotel is also a few steps away from the famed Myeongdong shopping street.

There's also an Aritaum that's connected to the hotel lobby to jumpstart your shopping adventure.

Finally, the airport shuttle bus stop is also a few steps to the right of the hotel. This saved us a lot of money and unnecessary stress trying to get to the airport.

Check In / Out

We arrived at around dinner time so the front desk located on the third floor was not busy.  Checking out was pretty efficient as well.

Room Size

The room size was a little small so we were surprised to see a tub in the bathroom.  Great use of space and is perfect for a hot soak after a tiring day.  We also liked that they have a heated toilet seat.

The room also has a small window that you can actually open if you want to get a breeze of the cool air outside.  

There's a sufficient number of ports and usb charging outlets as well.

I also particularly liked the magnetic instructions that you stick outside your door.

Hotel Amenities

We loved how modern the feel of the hotel is with the muted colors and the stark yellow contrast throughout the entire hotel.

The hotel has a rooftop bar and what makes the bar unique is that they have a foot spa.  The really cold air, cold drinks, amazing views and a hot foot spa are a combination that's certainly unique and heavenly.

The hotel also has a laundry area that we used so we get back home with clean clothes.

They also have an ATM shop, essentially vendo machines selling all kinds of souvenir items, snacks and cute items located on the 4th floor.

They also offer tours within the area via their yellow tuk-tuk. Details and rates are available on the hotel's website (link below).

There's also a business center right by the front desk.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at the gorgeous Villa de Chalotte on the 2nd floor.  I took pictures of the restaurant without realizing that I forgot my camera didn't have a memory card that day, so sadly, I'm not able to share any photos here.  They have a decent selection, not a lot, enough to get you going.  They don't change the menu so we ended up skipping breakfast for a couple of days.  Paris Baguette is next door and Angel-In-Us Coffee so don't fret.

Staff Courtesy

Their staff speaks good English so we had no issues trying to communicate with them.  Everyone was very helpful from the hotel staff on the ground floor who has a welcoming smile and goes out of his way to press the elevator button for the guests to the front desk staff who bid us a very nice farewell down to their housekeeper who was very cheerful.  They also make up your rooms early in the morning.  We'd go down for breakfast and get back to an already made-up room.

If you're visiting Incheon and you intend to explore the city and shop, L7 Hotel Myeongdong is the perfect hotel for you.  Room rates are reasonable, location is perfect, amenities are up to par, and service is excellent.

L7 Hotel Myeongdong

Shangri-La's Mactan Resort

Location

Shangri-La's Mactan Resort is about a half hour drive from Mactan Cebu's International Airport. There are several other resorts in the area and right in front of the resort are two restaurants, a surprisingly good Spanish restaurant and a Korean restaurant.  There are no convenience stores nearby and the malls would take about 45 minutes to an hour to get to.  Best to bring your essentials with you before you get to the resort.

The resort provides shuttle service to SM and Ayala malls but it's chargeable at 150 pesos per person per way.

Check In / Out

Early check-in and late check-out are chargeable but check with the hotel for availability.  We were given a late check-out till 2pm without additional charges.  If you're arriving early, they allow you to start using the facilities and the health club toilets if you need to shower.

The lobby is spacious but was stiflingly hot when we were there.  It's also very busy but the front desk staff always has a ready smile and very friendly dispositions. 

Room

We booked the Deluxe Seaview King rooms and it gives you a partial view of the ocean.  The view isn't bad but if you really wanted a view of the ocean, best to book the Ocean Wing rooms.  

The room size is adequate even if you have a third bed set-up.  You also get a balcony with a drying rack for all your wet clothes. 

Bathroom

The bathroom has a tub but there's no separate shower stall.  I would've preferred that so you don't have to clean the tub of sand when you want a bath. 

The bathroom amenities provided to one of our rooms were L'Occitane's Jasmin and Bergamot.  The other rooms had the basic Shangri-La green toiletries.  They were kind enough to change them when we requested but I was told that the premium toiletries are only provided to the Ocean Wing rooms. 

I would say, it's better to book the Ocean Wing rooms as the basic rooms were a bit cheaper than the room that we got and you also get exclusive access to the Ocean Wing pool.  I didn't book those because they didn't appear to be renovated rooms when I checked Shangri-La's website. 

Ocean Wing Pool

Hotel Amenities

The resort has a health club, adventure zone, kids zone and even a Timezone that I didn't take pictures of.

The property is huge and you have your own private beach and a big pool.  

There are also plenty of lounge chairs scattered around the area if you want to bake under the sun. 

The beach tends to get a little crowded and during our first day there, there was a wedding reception being set-up which added to the chaos.  

Early mornings are better as you can see from the photo.  

I also loved the fact that the beach has a very beautiful marine life.  The moment you step in the water, you get surrounded by beautiful fishes. 

The package we booked has non-motorized water activities all free so rentals of the snorkeling gears and the aqua shoes are free.  If you have your own, make sure you bring them as there are a lot of corals. Don't forget to check schedules of the water activities as they have a lot of activities for guests to enjoy. 

Breakfast

We had breakfast both mornings that we were there at Tides being the bigger restaurant.  You also have the option to take it at Aqua in the Ocean Wing.  As the resort is always busy, take note of the best times to enjoy breakfast away from the crowd.  

Selections were okay but I enjoyed the dinner buffet more.  Check with the front desk as you get discounts when dining in at the property if booked with the front desk staff.  Our dinner buffet came to P1750 per person from the usual P2300. 

There are fresh and grilled seafood available.  There's also lechon and roast beef (not in photos).

Staff Courtesy

Our encounters with all the hotel staff have been very positive except with their telephone operators. We called twice because the third bed in one of our rooms wasn't set-up.  We had to go down to the lobby before we finally got someone in our room.

All the front desk staff have been very accommodating and helpful.  I don't remember their names except for Mae who assisted us while we were checking in and checking out.  Their lobby lounge staff has been very friendly as well. 

If I can comment on areas of improvement, it would have to be with Tides.  Service was a bit slow and we always end up with piles of used plates on our table.  There also wasn't much service provided by the beach.  Comparing it to the Boracay resort, there were available staff handing out water and fresh fruits. 

Overall, we all had a great time and we enjoyed our time at the property. 

Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa

Punta Engaño Rd, Lapu Lapu, 6015 Cebu