5-Star Hotels in Cebu

Hands down, the best hotel in Cebu! The scenery is breathtaking, and the beach is incredibly long, with soft sand and plenty of fish in the water. My kids absolutely loved it, especially with the dedicated children's pool and slides. The only downside is that breakfast gets incredibly crowded; it seems like many people who aren't even staying at the hotel come just for the breakfast, leading to long queues every morning. It's quite pricey, definitely the most expensive in Cebu, but absolutely worth it. I think I'll be back!

The hygiene, service, dining, and facilities were all great. Other than seeing the whale sharks and sardines in Cebu, I didn't eat out at all; I had all my meals at the hotel. The à la carte options were exquisite, and the New Year's Eve dinner buffet was also fantastic. If I had to pick a flaw, it's that compared to the bai and Holiday Inn hotels, the Marriott doesn't have a doorman. No one came forward to help with my luggage when I got out of the car. The biggest issue was the security check upon entry; I had to unload my luggage from the car and then lift it onto the X-ray machine, which was truly frustrating.

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!

I usually travel Asia because I love beaches and sceneries. I like the view and location. I went different places in Philippines coron, siargao, Boracay and I have been in Cebu 3 times. I had a great time only this last visit was not very memorable. I usually experienced a great hospitality and friendly staff, we encountered unfriendly staff and not very accommodating staff early morning on our first day in the hotel. I was surprised because I know that Filipinos are very accommodating, cheerful and very accommodating. This staff named Anton who’s a driver of a buggy who drives around the hotel to move and to visit the vicinity. Me and my family likes to see and visit different restaurants so we could try different cuisine but this driver couldn’t even smile and keeps on rejecting our requests. We just asked to wait because my aunt needs to get her medication for her allergy but he told us that he can’t wait and they can’t even wait a little while. But because I was afraid that my aunt could have been sick so I insisted and asked him to wait just a quick one. I even informed the manager whose name was Paige regarding our concern. Your establishment should have a more considerate staff. Hope this feedback will help. Thank you.

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

The best hotel staff I’ve ever come across in any country I’ve visited. We are still in shock how good the stay was and children and adults loved the pool, private beach and everything they had to offers. Staff and the hotel was fantastic. Special th is to RJ at the executive lounge, all the staff at the Sails restaurant and all bar staff. Gotta mention that room service was awesome too and housekeeping was emasculate. Will be back as soon as possible! Charitha and Family :)

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