Still very good, but needs to be more prepared for the holiday rush.

I reviewed the Shangri-La Mactan in-depth earlier this year, and the general takeaways were…

• Very easy to get to from Manila and only 15 minutes travel time from Cebu Airport
• Check-in can be a little slow and frustrating
• Ocean Wing grants you exclusive access to the Ocean Wing pool which has fewer children
• Large selection of restaurants
• Nice grounds

For my resent stay last week I would basically just add…

Overall the resort is excellent with a large choice of dining options and very nice grounds. I have stayed at the hotel on multiple occasions, but this time I felt that the rooms are in need of a refresh and that the resort was woefully understaffed for the number of guests over this holiday season.

There were many times by the pool that you were left wandering around for someone from Acqua to take an order. Almost all the restaurant’s food came out late, or cold, or not at all without reminders to the staff. I appreciate the holiday season is busy but there is no excuse for a Shangri-La to not have the correct number of staff, especially when a single night’s stay easily pays the wages for two local staff for a couple of weeks.

Despite the last line, there was one big difference and that was the bar at Cowrie Cove. The staff there were excellent, incredibly attentive, and went well above and beyond their duties. A specific shout out to Cowrie Cove bar staff, Joanna, who was so kind and friendly, Jeffrie, who was always happy to accommodate mixing any type of cocktail, and DJ Mish, who was more than happy to spin any tune requested.