ALL roads shall be leading to Cebu on the third week of this month, January, as the Queen City of the South gets ready to stage its annual Sinulog Festival in honor of Sto. Nino, the Child Image of Jesus Christ. And one of the best places to stay in Cebu is Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu.
Movenpick is located on the lush and tropical resort island of Mactan and is just 10 minutes away from the Mactan International Airport. It is a five-star Mediterranean-inspired beachfront hotel that underwent an extensive, multi-million-dollar transformation before it reopened to the traveling public on December 15, 2012, and surprised everyone with its total change in look and feel.
Almost everything about it is hip, chic, modern and, should I say, even futuristic. I was completely taken aback when I saw it for the first time last November, 2013, when I stayed with my husband Raff at the hotel for three days upon the invitation of Movenpick’s PR manager Laurie Reyes. We met Laurie years back when she was still working in a hotel in Manila, so when she arranged a media fam tour to introduce Movenpick to Manila-based media and invited us over, she didn’t have to ask twice. The fam tour was supposed to be held at an earlier date last November but was postponed since our flight to Cebu would have run smack into Supertyphoon Yolanda’s ‘arrival’ in Cebu, so the original invitees had to reschedule our flights to Cebu in the weeks that followed on a staggered basis, depending on our own availability. Poor Laurie had to entertain guests for the next three weeks or so.
COOL, HIP CONCEPT
Anyway, I didn’t expect Movenpick to be the grand hotel that it is. So the moment I stepped on the hotel grounds, I was awed. The lobby was a grand architectural showcase, all white, with high ceiling, avant-garde chairs and couches in basically white and turquoise blue-green. Even the reception, which was hidden in a corner of the lobby leading to the guest lifts, was surprisingly hip. It wasn’t the usual long counter with the front desk officers standing at the back, but was a series of three short ‘tables’ that looked like giant capsules. And, while waiting for the final clearance and room details when checking in, guests can relax at the ‘bed-type’ couches in the waiting area.
Even the powder rooms of Movenpick would spring a surprise on guests. As you enter, you’d think you’re in a bar area with giant ‘speaker-type’ water faucets. These faucets are sensor-activated, so all you have to do is put your hands underneath one and water will flow. As for the cubicles, well, the ones for men and the ones for women are still on separate sides, but in a common area. The cubicles just say “female,” “male,” “urinals” and “handicapped.”
As for the rooms, Movenpick has 245 luxury guestrooms and suites, and most of these offer a spectacular view of the ocean as well as a unique vantage point overlooking Hilutungan Channel. Some of the rooms we went to for a shoot of the interiors had a breathtaking view of the ocean, with the hotel’s Ibiza Beach Club, “carved” out of the sea to offer a truly unique beach club experience, and the hotel’s beachfront, right in front of us. Our own room, though not offering a view of Ibiza and the beach, still gave us a good view of the ocean.
Besides the lovely bed, each guestroom comes equipped with amenities such as flat-screen TV, mini bar, hair dryer, safety deposit box, tea- and coffee-making equipment, Chopard luxury bathroom toiletries, and complimentary Wi-Fi access. Even the work table cum dresser had a hip and chic round chair in turquoise shade which I enjoyed sitting on while working on articles and blog posts on my laptop. I could just stay in the room all the day and have a good time.
FUN AND LEISURE
But Movenpick is not designed to just keep its guests in their rooms. Management has made sure that they’d have all the facilities they need to have fun and leisure during their stay.
For one, there’s the swimming pool right at the back of the spacious lobby, surrounded by tall palm trees. It’s an infinity pool where a portion has sunken chairs where swimmers can sit and relax while being half-submerged in water. Right beside it is The Forum, an open bar type of relaxation place overlooking the hotel’s landscaped gardens. It features an open space layout floor to ceiling windows and natural daylight, with an al fresco dining area and lounge.
Right below the pool is the beautiful landscaped gardens of the hotel that leads to the beachfront. The sea water is shallow, so guests can go out to the sea safely on foot. There is also a rock formation by the beachfront, which is a favorite of guests, especially since it looks out to Ibiza Beach Club. The beach garden often serves as venue for kids’ activities, such as starfish and shell painting, sand castle making, balloon twisting, fish feeding and swimming lessons, among others. Water sports facilities are also available at the beachfront and can be arranged through Movenpick’s Lifestyle Concierge, who is stationed at the lobby.
Speaking of Ibiza Beach Club, it is Movenpick’s unparalleled beach club facility that’s also unique to the Philippines, as it has been specially constructed to be the hotel’s ultimate gathering place.
From the lobby, guests walk down the pool area and stroll down a wooden beach deck, surrounded by tropical trees, towards the sea, where Ibiza stands right smack in the ocean. Ibiza Beach Club embodies the sophistication and lifestyle of the renowned party capital of the world, Ibiza, which can be found in Spain. No doubt the trendiest beachside venue in Cebu, with glitters of moonlight in the ocean for a view, Ibiza Beach Club has an intimate air-conditioned dining area where guests can enjoy Mediterranean tapas and Asian fusion cusisine complemented by an impressive selection of fine wines and cocktail drinks. On the first night we were at Movenpick, we had dinner with Laurie and some fellow blogger guests, including good friends Richard Co, Melo Villareal and Spanky Enriquez plus Jane, Ritchie and Eugene.
We had Garlic Shrimps, Three Kinds of Dips (Beetroot, Chickpea and Pumpkin), Marinated Mushrooms, Lamb Skewers, Jamon Serrano Bruschetta, Italian Meatballs with Parmesan Cheese, Spicy Siomai with Rice Wine Vinegar Dip, and Seafood Paella. My favorites were the Garlic Shrimps, Marinated Mushrooms and Seafood Paella.
Ibiza is also home to the Brazilian Churrasco. It’s where guests can enjoy the unique dining experience of eating Brazilian-style barbecue to their hearts’ desire. The mouth-watering fire-roasted meats and seafood, cooked in a churrasco grill and skewered into huge sword-like skewers, are served tableside at Ibiza. The servers will bring the huge skewers of meats and seafood, which are barbecued and basted with Brazilian marinades and spices, to the tables one at a time, and diners can have as much as they want of each type of barbecue. There are some 13 types to partake of: Beef Ribs, Lamb Leg, Squid, Lobster, Prawns, Filet Mignon, Pork Ribs, Chicken Thigh, Parrot Fish, Pork Belly, Rib Eye, Lamb Rack and, yes, even Ostrich. Ostrich is healthy, by the way. The barbecues are served with a variety of salads at the salad bar.
On our second night at Movenpick, we had Brazilian Churrasco dinner, this time not just with the group of bloggers but also with a few other media guests from Philippine Tatler and Business Mirror. I personally tried the Squid, Lobster, Prawn, Chicken Thigh and Parrot Fish, and they were all good.
How does the Brazilian Churrasco work? As soon as guests order Brazilian Churrasco, they are given two colored coins – red and green – which the guests use to indicate to the servers whether they want more barbecue or no more.
Besides serving good food, Ibiza Beach Club boasts of the very best in dinner shows and daily live entertainment, which includes retro pop, latin and disco. The al fresco area is crowned by a hip bar with an egg-shaped tent, and a similar stage where live entertainment is rendered. Ibiza has a resident DJ, international DJ Toni M., playing his specialty house music for guests to dance to.
On the night we had Churrasco dinner at Ibiza, entertainment was varied. It ranged from dance numbers to songs rendered by a pair of lounge singers, firedancing and, finally, house music by DJ Toni M.
UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE
Aside from the Mediterranean tapas and Brazilian Churrasco available at Ibiza Beach Club, Movenpick is also proud of The Sails, the all-day dining restaurant which is located at the lobby level and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast buffet spread at The Sails is one which Executive Chef Aaron Foster is particularly proud of. It showcases live show kitchens serving a wide range of Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other international specialty dishes. It’s complete with a bread and pastry area, appetizers (The cold cuts are presented in whole slabs and chunks, which are sliced when guests request for them), soup and congee, a salad bar, hot dishes with a ham carving, an egg station, juice dispensers and a dessert buffet.
Then there is the Lobby Lounge in a beautiful setting of stark-white, Ferrari-branded parasails adjacent to the main lobby. It has, serving as the focal point of the lobby, a towering Venus espresso machine by Victoria Arduino. It’s where the Lobby Lounge brews elegant cups of impoted Movenpick specialty coffee. The machine, by the way, is crafted by master artisans in the small village of Macerata in Southeastern Italy and is the same espresso machine used at the Vatican.
Light meals and snacks are also available at The Forum,which also serves as the Pool Bar.
WELL-ROUNDED EXPERIENCE
Since Movenpick is just a 30-minute ride to the metropolitan center of Cebu City, Laurie arranged trips to the city proper for the media group during our stay, and we got to visit the Heritage Monument, the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House that dates back to the 17th century, Magellan’s Cross and the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod. She also took us dining in a sutokil (sugba, tinola and kilawin, which refers to fresh seafood that is served grilled, cooked into a flavorful soup and served ceviche style) restaurant, which is a must-try when in Cebu. Island hopping to San Vicente, Cauhagan and Hilutungan Island was also possible, but Raff and I opted not to, deciding to stay in the hotel to relax in the room and accomplish some writing chores.
Whatever you decide to do, wherever you decide to go, however you decide to spend your stay, Movenpick makes it all possible – and you end up enjoying your stay just the way you want to. I enjoyed my three-day stay, which was a welcome respite before the holiday rush last December.
(Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu is located at Punta Engano, Mactan Island, Cebu. Its Manila sales office can be found at 12/F, Area C, Allied Bank Center, 6754 Ayala Ave., Legaspi St., Makati City; with telephone number 804-3620.)
