Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino: A Vision of Grandeur (Part 1)

I was fortunate to tag along with Mac on this rare opportunity to go to Cebu for something else other than corporate work. Mac was invited for the Grand Launch of Waterfront's New Lobby, and he invited me.

Mac (Mac Centeno), is the in-house photographer of Ensogo Philippines, a Living Social Company. He and their company has tied up several times with Manila Pavillon for deals like buffets and hotel stays. And he has blogged about it as well. First time to be treated as a VIP, with an all-expense paid trip. Though overnight, the trip was something worth remembering and definitely one for the books.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino

This is my second time staying in Waterfront Hotel in Lahug. My first time was for work, during the Provincial Recruitment Program of Accenture, 5 years ago. Cebu was our last stop, after travelling from Davao and Cagayan De Oro. In Davao, I can also remember, staying in the Waterfront Insular Hotel, also a part of this hotel chain. My first stay, was a very good experience, so I was really excited to come back and experience the luxury that the hotel is really known for.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino

No one can miss the hotel, since it is an iconic part of the Cebu skyline already. The almost castle-like architecture from the view outside is superb, wait till you see the inside. They have already segregated entrances for the casino, the hotel main lobby and also the function rooms for better people traffic management.

Top view of the new lobby

The lobby ceiling has a very beautiful artwork painted on it. Really an eye catcher, and completes the total look of a world class hotel. There are also two installements on each side of the lobby that looks like a small bar, which houses beverages from wine, liquors, etc. The guests can actually wait and sit at the table and they can order food or drinks while waiting. For those who needs to be online, you can just ask for the wifi password the reception area. The Duty Free area is still closed for renovation at this point, so future guests can now anticipate how great that will look, since the changes have already begun in the hotel.

The ceiling with its artwork.

The bedrooms are still superb. Big windows wherein you can see Cebu City at a bird's eye view, bathroom amenities are complete and with a blow dryer (which actually was the clincher for me! :]), TV has cable, and finally, you hav free wifi in your room! Yes, you read right, free wifi in the room! :) Doesn't get better than that? They also have big and spacious function rooms, which you can actually utilize for conferences, parties, wedding receptions and even a concert! Yes, the hotel is also the home of shows for a lot of international music artists like Tears for Fears just to name one. I remembered the first time I was there for work, we've utilized several of their function rooms to serve as recruitment hubs when we were doing recruitment in Cebu before. It's massive, so it is the perfect venue for those events.

View from our room and our room

The hotel also boasts of one of the biggest and longest running casino in Cebu. Try your luck in the casino, and sit in one of the many slot machines. If you are hungry, the hotel houses restaurants from Italian to Asian cuisine, take your pick and enjoy eating as if you're in another country. The Lobby Lounge is also a part of the hotel where you can chill and order a drink or two.

So the next time you are in Cebu, make sure you drop by at Waterfront, or better yet, book a room and enjoy and experience all the luxurious and top of the line amenities and services that this premiere hotel has in store for you.

I'll be blogging about the Vision of Grandeur launch in my next post. Watch out for it.