Our first trip this year was to Cebu for the wedding of our dear friend, Kat. She was getting married at Mövenpick so we decided to stay there, too. When you have kids with you, you want everything to be as easy as possible!
Mövenpick used to be the Hilton. They're doing extensive renovations on the place so if you plan to stay there, do ask for the refurbished rooms. The place is airy and modern. A wee bit too modern for my taste but I love how airy and spacious everything felt. Like the lobby, for instance.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
We arrived early so our room wasn't ready. It was okay since Vito and Iñigo had so much fun exploring the lobby. It was super fun just watching them jump on the huge chairs and lounges, running around the space, looking out at the pools. Beautiful place!
![]()
This is the façade of the hotel from the street. Okay, this isn't really going to be a typical review of the hotel so I won't be posting photos of the facilities. There's a ton of travel blogs that have featured really great photos of the hotel so do check those out. Suffice it to say that we loved Mövenpick a lot because our kids loved it there.
But Vince and I are kinda hotel snobs so, if it were up to us, the hotel still needs a lot of improvement. For one thing, the bathrooms. The bathrooms made me faint! The bedrooms were renovated but the bathrooms were completely ignored. While the rooms are bright and airy, all turquoise and white, the bathrooms are still from the 80s, all dark blue tile and marble. The contrast between the fresh room and the dank bathroom is startling and unpleasant.
![]()
But that's my only complaint! Everything else is wonderful. The hotel staff were so helpful and friendly. They totally doted on the kids. The food was good. Not excellent, like the food at Shangri-la or Sofitel, but good enough. Okay lang, kumbaga. There are restaurants right down the road outside the hotel and we suggest you eat there instead.
However, at Kat's wedding reception down at one of the hotel's restaurants, Ibiza, the food was OMG good. The kinilaw was the BEST EVER! I don't know if that means the food at Ibiza is really better or it was because the food was specially prepared for the wedding.
![]()
The beach is fake, of course, since Mactan is a stony island, but Mövenpick imported really good sand so we enjoyed the beach very much! Plus, we loved the thoughtful touches like toys for the kids, then a hotel staff brought us sea water in a cooler so the boys can build sand castles, then up the steps from the beach to the garden were wooden buckets filled with fresh water that you can use to wash your feet. All those thoughtful touches really made our stay special.
So will we go back to Mövenpick? YES! For the service alone, they should be loved! It's 5-star service definitely. We love all the smiles and how everyone just jumps to our needs—a glass of cold juice when we arrived, towels handed at the beach when we weren't even thinking about towels, staff looking out for the boys when they were running about wildly, a hotel staff offering to drive us to the airport himself when we realized we were running late!
If you're a mommy planning a trip to Cebu, then do try Mövenpick Hotel. I highly recommend it! I had an easy time booking our stay, and the reservations staff were so helpful even when I had so many demands (haha). Plus, since I booked early, like months before, we got a discount! We love Mövenpick! Just be a bit patient with it because they're renovating, but the service, the beach, the gorgeous lobby are fantastic. Our sons had such a lovely time! So of course their Mama and Papa had a blast, too!
More on Mövenpick at their website!
* * * * * * *
P.S.
Subscribe to my newsletter
Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Love me on Bloglovin'
Mövenpick used to be the Hilton. They're doing extensive renovations on the place so if you plan to stay there, do ask for the refurbished rooms. The place is airy and modern. A wee bit too modern for my taste but I love how airy and spacious everything felt. Like the lobby, for instance.
We arrived early so our room wasn't ready. It was okay since Vito and Iñigo had so much fun exploring the lobby. It was super fun just watching them jump on the huge chairs and lounges, running around the space, looking out at the pools. Beautiful place!
But Vince and I are kinda hotel snobs so, if it were up to us, the hotel still needs a lot of improvement. For one thing, the bathrooms. The bathrooms made me faint! The bedrooms were renovated but the bathrooms were completely ignored. While the rooms are bright and airy, all turquoise and white, the bathrooms are still from the 80s, all dark blue tile and marble. The contrast between the fresh room and the dank bathroom is startling and unpleasant.
But that's my only complaint! Everything else is wonderful. The hotel staff were so helpful and friendly. They totally doted on the kids. The food was good. Not excellent, like the food at Shangri-la or Sofitel, but good enough. Okay lang, kumbaga. There are restaurants right down the road outside the hotel and we suggest you eat there instead.
However, at Kat's wedding reception down at one of the hotel's restaurants, Ibiza, the food was OMG good. The kinilaw was the BEST EVER! I don't know if that means the food at Ibiza is really better or it was because the food was specially prepared for the wedding.
So will we go back to Mövenpick? YES! For the service alone, they should be loved! It's 5-star service definitely. We love all the smiles and how everyone just jumps to our needs—a glass of cold juice when we arrived, towels handed at the beach when we weren't even thinking about towels, staff looking out for the boys when they were running about wildly, a hotel staff offering to drive us to the airport himself when we realized we were running late!
If you're a mommy planning a trip to Cebu, then do try Mövenpick Hotel. I highly recommend it! I had an easy time booking our stay, and the reservations staff were so helpful even when I had so many demands (haha). Plus, since I booked early, like months before, we got a discount! We love Mövenpick! Just be a bit patient with it because they're renovating, but the service, the beach, the gorgeous lobby are fantastic. Our sons had such a lovely time! So of course their Mama and Papa had a blast, too!
More on Mövenpick at their website!
* * * * * * *
P.S.
Subscribe to my newsletter
Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Love me on Bloglovin'