Grace and I departed Manila for Cebu City on an early morning Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight. This would be my first return visit to Cebu City, the place where I was born. At Mactan International Airport, we were shuttled to Cebu Plaza Hotel where we were to stay 3 days and 2 nights. This 22-storey hotel, situated atop a hill 600 ft. above sea level, within a 6-hectare hotel complex, has a panoramic view of Cebu City, the mountains and the island of Mactan.
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| Cebu Plaza Hotel |
Upon arrival at the hotel’s spacious and grand lobby, we checked in at Room 1200, one of the hotel’s 420 luxuriously-appointed airconditioned guest rooms that includes 22 de luxe suites, 3 royal suites and 1 presidential suite. Our suite had a view of the mountains and the pyramid-shaped Cebu Casino across the street from the hotel.
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| Cafe Tartanilla |
This hotel, Cebu City’s landmark business resort hotel, also has a restaurant (Lantaw Restaurant), a coffee shop (Cafe Tartanilla), a bar (Alindahaw Bar), disco (Boom), 11 function rooms, business center, 2 swimming pools and a shell tennis court. Within the complex is a picnic area and the Sugbo Village and Museum.
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| Cebu Casino Filipino |
AUTHOR’S NOTES
Today, the hotel’s management has changed hands and the hotel has been renamed the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. Still the top 5-star hotel in the city, it now has 329 rooms, 4 restaurants, a grand ballroom and 12 function rooms.
Marco Polo Plaza Hotel: Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Lahug District, Cebu City, Cebu. Tel: (032) 253-1111. Fax: (032) 234-8170.