We cover the Shangrila Cebu in detail in our Cebu Travel Guide but here’s a broad overview of the resort in one page for those of you who find clicking tiring (you poor thing, having to click more than once). The Shangrila Cebu, officially, the Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa Cebu, is probably one of the best family resorts or hotels we’ve stayed in if you only consider the amount of activities and it’s family oriented staff. There’s so much to do at the Shangrila Cebu for both kids and adults and it doesn’t really matter how old your kids are, the whole resort is set up for kids and families.
Unfortunately the Shangrila Cebu hasn’t made any noticeable upgrades to the rooms or interiors and it’s looking a bit tired. Nothing too bad and not enough to complain about, but don’t expect any new furnishings, trendy interiors or nice rooms. The rooms, at least the Ocean Wing Premier Room that we stayed in, are fine, just a bit old and could do with a bit of an upgrade. That’s being picky though, most people will be happy here and unless you’re really expecting Ritz Carlton or Oriental Mandarin standard, you’re not going to have a problem with the rooms. Beds are comfortable, bathrooms are ok size and everything works fine in them. We had a bit of a shit view from the balcony overlooking the back of the hotel, so basically onto the lobby, but we didn’t spend much time there so no big deal.
Shangrila Cebu – Ocean Wing Premier Room
Breakfast at the Shangrila Cebu was okay, not the best, but far from the worst. Again, most people will be perfectly satisfied, you’ve got eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, asian stuff, fruits, most of the things you’l want, it’s just not that spectacular. There’s quite a few dining options at the Shangrila Cebu, Italian, Chinese, International, bars and pool snacks. As with the breakfast, they’re all perfectly fine and edible, but you won’t be raving about the food and wishing you could go back to eat it. Fine for a 3-5 day holiday though. The food service is rather slow, like 30-40 minutes for most things so get used to that, it seems to be the case at all the restaurants.
The staff here are excellent, maybe some of the best staff at any hotel we’ve stayed. They’re friendly, you get a good morning from all the staff regardless of position and will go out of their way to help you. I didn’t have any complaints during the 5 nights I was there with the staff. Well, almost! I ordered a beer by the pool and was told I couldn’t drink it from the bottle for my own safety. Of course, most people would just say ok and let them serve it from a glass, but me being the bell-end I am told the guy I had 35 + years of experience handling bottles and should be ok. He went off quietly and I took a moment to consider what a prat I can be! Other than that, all the staff, with the exception of the rather unhappy guy at the front desk, were superb and I’d say that was one of the best things about the resort.
The Shangrila Cebu has a huge property, loads of grass for kids to run around, two big swimming pools with some slides for the kids, a baby/infant paddling pool, kids adventure zone, video game room, mini golf, pitch and putt golf course, and all the regular beach activities. Probably 3 full days was enough for us, but I think most families would be happy to spend a week here. The beach at the Shangrila Cebu is excellent, tropical fish come in and swim around your legs, it’s shallow enough for young kids and the snorkelling is good.
The hotel seems to be very popular with Koreans who can’t swim. You can read more about that in detail in our Cebu Destination Guide. I’d say probably 95% of the guests were Korean, most of which were well behaved and didn’t cause any problems or noise. Overall, if you’re looking for a good family hotel in Cebu, or looking for a short haul beach resort from Hong Kong, the Shangrila Cebu is the perfect choice. I’d say it’s especially good for younger kids and babies and infants, but you’ll be happy there whatever age your kids are. We stayed 5 nights and didn’t leave the resort, there’s really no need to.
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