Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines | (541) 362-3741
In a busy area, within walking distance of a few restaurants
Wide range of rooms and suites with minibars and air-conditioning
24-hour casino with variety of table games
Enormous, high-end gym with huge selection of classes and machines
Lovely outdoor lagoon pool with waterfall feature
Spa with massages and basic beauty treatments
Extensive dining options include Japanese, Italian, and Chinese restaurants
Multiple bars plus a French bakery
Event spaces consist of huge ballroom with regular concerts
Ambassador Lounge executive club with business facilities and free breakfast
Free Wi-Fi and on-site parking in underground lot
Room decor is dated and generic
Business center closed on Sundays
Guests may be disappointed by lack of bidets
This enormous upper-middle-range casino and convention hotel in Cebu has 562 rooms and suites, most of which have dated decor and could use an update. Standard in-room amenities include minibars and air-conditioning, and most room types have separate walk-in showers and soaking tubs. However, it's the hotel's facilities that really stand out, including a 24-hour casino with all sorts of table games, an enormous fitness center with its own boxing ring, a lovely outdoor lagoon pool, and extensive meeting spaces. There are also extensive dining options, ranging from Japanese and Italian to Chinese cuisine. Travelers wanting something more modern should consider the Radisson Blu Cebu, which offers similar features.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Huge convention and casino hotel with large landscaped grounds and a busy vibe
Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is an enormous casino and convention hotel situated on a huge expanse of land surrounded by trees and gardens. Due to its extensive meeting facilities and large room inventory, it regularly gets large conference groups and the overall atmosphere can feel quite busy and impersonal. From the outside, the hotel looks a bit like a modern take on a Viennese castle, with turret-style domed towers and a moulded, Corinthian-style doorway. Inside, the predominantly marble lobby has dated seating areas with earth-tone chairs and tables, plus a few classic nautical murals on the wall and a huge vintage-style world map on the ceiling. Modern lounge music plays throughout the day, and on weekend evenings live bands perform. The hotel attracts a diverse array of visitors, from convention-goers and vacationing families to couples on their honeymoons and hardcore gamblers.
Location
In a commercial area across from an I.T. park and easy drive to area attractions
The hotel is located in a commercial area with plenty of other hotels, plus a mall nearby and an I.T. (business) park with a Starbucks and an American-style chain steakhouse -- Casa Verde -- just across the street. It's about a 15-minute walk to the University of Southern Philippines. The Taoist Temple of Cebu takes about 25 minutes to reach by car, while it's just a bit farther to reach the Cebu Zoo, northwest of the temple. The Cebu Country Club can be reached in as few as 10 minutes, while it takes about 15 minutes to get to Cebu Memorial Park.The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a 30- to 40-minute drive away, but can take significantly longer to reach during periods of peak traffic. Free parking is available in an underground lot.
Rooms
Huge variety of rooms and suites, though most have dated decor
The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel offers a wide variety of rooms and suites, ranging from 29-square-meter (95-square-foot) Superior Rooms up to a 247-square-meter (810-square-foot) Penthouse Suite. Rooms and lower-category suites have disappointingly dated decor for a property that otherwise leans toward upscale, with old patterned carpets that are in dire need of replacement, medium-brown wood furniture, and a general bland atmosphere that's not helped by the marked absence of wall art. However, the living rooms in some of the suites are a bit nicer, and some have marble floors or contemporary decor pieces and modern wall art. Bathrooms vary, but most have separate tubs and walk-in showers, and toiletries, hairdryers, magnifying mirrors, and scales are provided. Some guests may be disappointed by the lack of bidets. All rooms have minibars, flat-screen TVs with cable, safes, and individually controlled air-conditioning.
Features
Fitness center with classes and trainers, pleasant outdoor pool, extensive business facilities
There are an array of amenities offered here for guests of all ages. The 24-hour PAGCOR Cebu casino on the second floor is a star attraction for many guests, and provides all sorts of table games, including baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette. The outdoor lagoon-style swimming pool is particularly impressive and is split into two parts, with a pavilion bar at the middle. The pool has a small slide plus a covered hot tub built into the side of a faux-rock wall behind a waterfall feature. Another quality amenity is the large, 24-hour fitness center -- CITIGYM -- with all sorts of cardio machines and weight-training equipment, not to mention a small boxing ring. The gym offers all sorts of classes and personal trainers are on hand for guests. Note that locals can purchase a gym membership, but it's big enough that there's plenty of equipment to go around. There's also a spa with massages and beauty treatments, and the hotel even has its own duty-free shop plus a branch of Victoria's Secret, a jewelry shop, and a convenience store. The hotel is popular with conferences and offers a good range of business and event facilities, including 10 function rooms plus two ballrooms, the largest of which -- the Grand Ballroom -- can seat up to 3200 people theater-style and hosts regular concerts. There is also a business center with a few computer stations and printers (closed Sundays), and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. The executive club -- Ambassador Lounge -- is for guests staying in rooms and suites on the Ambassador floor; perks include a free continental breakfast, free evening cocktails, a separate business center, and express check-in/check-out. Other facilities include an ATM and even an on-site health clinic.
All-Inclusive / Food
Several dining and drinking options, including Italian and Japanese specialty restaurants
The hotel offers several good-quality dining options. The buffet restaurant, Uno, opens at the break of dawn and stays open until late, serving food from around the world at its buffet stations. There's also a 24-hour restaurant, Cafe Fortuna, located right next to the casino. La Gondala is a bit more upscale, serving Italian food (including wood-fired pizzas) at lunch and dinner. Tin Gow is also open for lunch and dinner, with Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine on the menu, while Mizu operates a similar schedule and serves Japanese food. Bar options consist of the Lobby Lounge, which features live music performances every night, while Treff is a more elegant lobby-level alternative, specializing in wines and liquors. There are also a poolside bar and French bakery, Madeleine. Room service is available around the clock.
