Lovely grounds, nice variety of food & drink, try to avoid the crowds.

I’ve stayed at The Shangri-La Mactan three times now, and it is one of the largest resorts I’ve visited in the Philippines. It has 4 or so restaurants, 2 bars, a separate pool away from the kids, a pitch and putt 9-hole golf course, and is about 15 minutes from Cebu-Mactan International Airport. At times, it can be super busy, but if you time your trip right, then you can avoid the crowds and enjoy the large grounds.

Getting to the Shangri-La couldn’t be any easier and is one of the reasons why I find it an easy choice to keep coming back to. If you are flying domestically from Manila, then it is about a one and a half hour flight from Manila into Cebu-Mactan Airport. From the airport, there are usually plenty of local taxis that will take you to the resort. Or if you prefer comfort and safety (I do), then you can book a private hotel car or shuttle and someone from Shangri-La will be there to meet you as you exit departures.

Checking into the hotel isn’t the fastest experience. They have enough room for desks, but they don’t seem to be very efficient, especially when having to deal with guests who don’t speak or understand English particularly well. You do get your usual welcome drinks though, and there are sofas that you can sit on whilst you wait to check-in.

Onto the rooms, if you haven’t got children then you absolutely want to be staying in the Ocean Wing as this affords you access to the Ocean Wing Pool, which for the most part tends to be void of children. We like to stay in the Panorama Ocean Wing room as it does give you a lovely view of the sea and the room is nice and spacious. The bathrooms are a little dreary and are starting to look dated, with the less said about the pathetic shower the better, which really does let the whole room down.

As mentioned, if you picked the Ocean View room, then you get access to the ocean view swimming pool, which is entirely separate from the main pool area where all the kids and families tend to congregate. From there, you have easy access to the man-made beach, and whilst not talcum white sand, is pleasant enough. Be warned though that the beach water is quite rocky, but once you go far enough out, you will start to see some marine life that is very colorful.

Unlike others, I’ve not really had a bad experience at any of the restaurants, the choices being Chinese, Italian, International Buffet, and Seafood. The seafood restaurant is connected to a small bar area that has a house DJ most nights and stays open until about 1 am on Friday/Saturday nights. If you order your drinks before they stop service, then the staff will let you sit there for another hour or so whilst they close up. The other main bar is in the lobby and is a little lacklustre, to be honest. There is a band that will usually play, but outside of that, there is no music and it can become quite a sterile environment, especially when it closes early at around 11 pm.

The grounds of the hotel are quite zen, with plenty of grass and there is a small 9 hole pitch and putt golf course. I think the price is a little steep at 900 PHP per player, but it is nice to just walk around hitting the ball as you please. There is also an arcade area with billiards/pool for the kids, and plenty of activities going on in one place or another.

As you would expect in the Philippines, the staff are super friendly and for the most part, speak excellent English. Check out was much swifter than check-in and the shuttle will whisk you back to the airport in 15 minutes.

In closing, I’d say that I always enjoy staying at this resort. The variety the restaurants offer, chilled out bar area, and Ocean View pool greatly appeal to me. I can see why families may find the pricing to be a little unreasonable, and people may score lower for a large number of guests, but for a childless couple who usually hates being around kids, we had no issues with the crowds if you choose to stay away from them and dine a little later. I’ll continue to frequent this resort considering how easy it is to fly to and from.