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

Intercontinental Singapore Hotel

Hotel stays in Singapore don't come cheap.  Let alone booking on a long weekend so we were having a hard time deciding on which hotel to book because because we wanted to get our hard-earned money's worth.  My friend just recently stayed at the Fairmont and was a bit disappointed because of the state of the room.  After a lot of research, we decided on the Intercontinental Singapore Hotel.

Location

The hotel's location in Bugis is great.  It's right in front of the National Library, a few steps away from the Bugis Street Market, and the MRT station.  The best part, it is right smack in the middle of a mall, Bugis Junction.

Check In / Out

Standard check-in time is 3PM and check-out is 12PM. We arrived at 2PM and our room wasn't ready so we had a late lunch at Bugis Junction first.  When I got back to the hotel, I was shown to my room and there is a bit of a walk as the Heritage rooms were located in another wing.  We passed by their iconic lobby lounge where the smell of good coffee and afternoon high tea greeted me.

We also had to cross a walkway that gives you a small glimpse of the mall downstairs.

Room Size

For a basic room in Singapore, the room is big.  Upon entering, the bathroom is to your right and then you have a small parlor before getting into the actual bedroom.   

Room View

We were on the 2nd floor so there wasn't much of a view but I love the window shutters.  The room looks out to the other mall, Bugis Plus, across the street. 

Room Amenities

I loved how beautiful the room is.  They were able to marry the old world charm and modern conveniences.  I typically prefer sleek, clean and modern rooms but the Intercontinental Hotel's Heritage room showed me what I have been missing!

The classic design versus modern amenities.  They provide a mobile phone that allows you free local calls, international calls to select countries and a free data plan.  How convenient is that? Very!

Light switches by the bedside are properly labeled.  There's also a DVD player and a huge soundbar by the TV that I forgot to take a photo of. 

Bathroom

The bathroom is clean and looks well maintained.  The amenities also smell absolutely wonderful.

Hotel Amenities

The hotel has a small pool and a decent sized gym.  Good to do a little bit of cardio. 

Staff Courtesy

We had one minor issue with the internet as we couldn't get a decent connection.  Apart from the fact that it was terribly difficult to sign in as the landing page doesn't automatically load.  When I reported it late at night, they asked me to restart my computer and check again.  When it didn't work, they sent someone to our room and provided us with our very own router.  It was unexpected as I was already resigned to really slow internet.  Thank you!

We truly enjoyed our quick stay at the Intercontinental Singapore and we will be back for sure.  

Intercontinental Singapore Hotel