Philippines and cities such as Cebu were on the top of our list but I must admit I was a little bit reluctant to go during our first 2 years in Asia as it represented ‘only’ beaches and warm sea for me. I was all wrong!

Movenpick Cebu, February 2018

We chose to go to Cebu for a 3-day week-end, focusing only on relaxing and not traveling around as we generally do. As February was full of celebrations with L.’ s birthday and our 3-year anniversary (and Valentine’s day… no I’m kidding on this one!), we chose a nice resort and stayed at the Mövenpick.

The hotel is modern and very #design, all in white and playing with the concept of boat (‘Sails’ restaurant, sails decoration, boat-like floor in the bar). It has a pretty swimming pool with some seats in and a private beach with various water activities (jet ski, scuba diving, parasailing, etc.). We had the chance to be upgraded into the Peninsula Suite, with a very nice view on the sea and a bathroom as large as our Hong Kong apartment!

As the goal of the week-end dictated, we spent most of the time chilling by the pool and on the beach, and eating wonderful food! Special mention to the Angus burger of ‘The Forum’ restaurant and the Balearic 15-courses menu featuring barbecue seafood and various meats. We were lucky (and it was really surprising!) to have a free bottle of wine offered by a pilot with whom we talked for 15 minutes…).

The ‘Ibiza’ restaurant is also a bar offering sweet happy hour to enjoy the sunset in the jacuzzi or on the overhanging small corner of its desk. 1 jet ski ride, 2 chess games and many dives in the sea later, we came back to Home Kong fully rested and lightly tanned from our wonderful getaway. I can also add that people in Cebu are really nice and always thoughtful and that was the cherry on the cake.

Shangri-La Mactan Resort, September 2019

We went back to Cebu in September 2019 for a long weekend of 3 days and went for the luxury experience of the Shangri-La Mactan Resort! The resort is amazing however some of the facilities in the resort are a little bit old and we thought it was a shame for the price paid.

Funny fact: before entering the hotel, you have a dog sniffing your luggages as if you were in an airport… The swimming is very big and has 2 big pools and a slide for children. The private beach as very thing white sand and the restaurant near the sea is wonderful for a romantic dinner.

It was a very relaxing stay with lot of fun and we fully enjoyed the resort and tried amost all the restaurants. However, if we go back to Cebu, we would choose again the Movenpick which we prefered in definitive for the contempory aspects of the facilities.

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Highly recommended for a chilling week-end where you will indulge your body and your mind. I can’t wait to go back to Cebu and explore the rest of the Philippines, with more tropical beaches, sunsets and relaxing times to come.