General Information

[QUOTE=Mattrick]Waterfront is Cebu's most opulent hotel. Huge property with casino and shops. Great amenities including swimming pool, gym, buffet and lobby bar. Freelancers sometimes hang in the lobby. The rooms are a bit small and dated though. Located in Lahug very near most anything in the city. Unless you can get a discount, it is over your stated budget.[/QUOTE]

Actually hotels.com seems to have rooms there for pretty cheap. Superior rooms are $73, and deluxe rooms are $81 right now. Too bad I didn't notice this sooner...already booked another hotel...but what the heck, at least I'm going!

Gents,

Thanks for the hotel suggestions. I think the Parklane fits the bill.

I am looking forward to this trip to Cebu. I will go to AC for a few days and then head to Cebu. I take a monger trip every year. Last year was Bangkok, Pattaya, and AC on the one trip. I had a great time but I was a bit like goldilocks. Each place had its negatives.

Pattaya: too sleazy and girls too mercenary.

Bangkok: My kind of mongering. Like the more exclusive club option but nothing to do apart from shopping and temples (I am a long term resident of Japan and don't care much for visiting temples).

AC: fantastic girls. Loads of fun in bars. But oh dear, what a god awful shithole of a place.

So, my attention now turns to Cebu. Which I hope will offer a new experience.

I was picking up my laundry from the Lavada Queen on Escario, and I noticed a banner that had "Silver Dollar 2" on it covered up some old bar sign. It's across the street from Stripes Bar, anyone heard anything about a second Silver Dollar location?

[QUOTE=Grisoman2000]Gents,

Thanks for the hotel suggestions. I think the Parklane fits the bill.

I am looking forward to this trip to Cebu. I will go to AC for a few days and then head to Cebu. I take a monger trip every year. Last year was Bangkok, Pattaya, and AC on the one trip. I had a great time but I was a bit like goldilocks. Each place had its negatives.

Pattaya: too sleazy and girls too mercenary.

Bangkok: My kind of mongering. Like the more exclusive club option but nothing to do apart from shopping and temples (I am a long term resident of Japan and don't care much for visiting temples).

AC: fantastic girls. Loads of fun in bars. But oh dear, what a god awful shithole of a place.

So, my attention now turns to Cebu. Which I hope will offer a new experience.[/QUOTE]You can book through either

Hotels.com
Expedia.com
Agoda.com

Don't book through Parklanehotels website. They will charge you more. We wanted to extend our stay at Parklane Hotel for the Deluxe room. The lady at the front counter told us it will be $100/night. So, we went back online on Agoda.com and did it for cheaper price. Then, we went to the front desk with the printout voucher hehe.

[QUOTE=Grisoman2000]Gents,

Bangkok: My kind of mongering. Like the more exclusive club option but nothing to do apart from shopping and temples (I am a long term resident of Japan and don't care much for visiting temples).

So, my attention now turns to Cebu. Which I hope will offer a new experience.[/QUOTE]I am surprised that you think Bangkok has nothing much apart from shopping and temples, IMHO Bangkok has far more things to keep one interested aside from P4P than Cebu has. When you come to Cebu stay focused on the women and night life and you won't be disappointed.

Mortman,

Don't get me wrong. I do love Bangkok. Have been there about 7 times. Just want some beach and coconut trees.

P. S: when I was in Pattaya last time, I went to a few beaches on some of the outlying islands. I advise anyone who visits Pattaya for mongering to take these days trips. Fantastic!

[QUOTE=Gogobarlover]You can book through either

Hotels.com
Expedia.com
Agoda.com

Don't book through Parklanehotels website. They will charge you more. [/QUOTE]Try [url]www.hoteltravel.com[/url] as I find this cheaper, was looking last week and got a cheaper rate than the others, agoda and hotels.com tend to add on extra while hioteltravel is all inclusive. Do a comparison but definitely cheaper than booking directly as G says

PM me if you want to meet up as i will be Cebu as well

[QUOTE=Grisoman2000]Thanks for the hotel suggestions. I think the Parklane fits the bill.[/QUOTE]
Yes you cannot go wrong with the Parklane although not the most pedestrian friendly hotel. Love the poolside open air lounge with nightly entertainment!

[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88]I was picking up my laundry from the Lavada Queen on Escario, and I noticed a banner that had "Silver Dollar 2" on it covered up some old bar sign. It's across the street from Stripes Bar, anyone heard anything about a second Silver Dollar location?[/QUOTE]
Yes it opened last week! SD on Jones is still closed but should reopen any time na!

[QUOTE=Grisoman2000]Mortman,

Don't get me wrong. I do love Bangkok. Have been there about 7 times. Just want some beach and coconut trees.

P. S: when I was in Pattaya last time, I went to a few beaches on some of the outlying islands. I advise anyone who visits Pattaya for mongering to take these days trips. Fantastic![/QUOTE]

If you want to go the beaches then.. you'll want to go to Mactan Island where the airport is located. To go to Parklane hotel, you'll be taking a taxi going over the Marcelo Fernan Bridge into Cebu city. Parklane Hotel or Waterfront Hotel is nowhere near a beach. But, it's better to monger when you're in Cebu city vs being on Mactan Island

By the way, you may end up picking up some Korean chicks in Mactan hehe. You'll see them in Mactan Island. Hehe, it's funny when I was in Mactan and seen a Jeepney filled with Koreans in it. I should have taken a picture of that but, they were moving.

Also, if you want to exchange money in Cebu, go to Ayala Mall and go to the Xchange booth in the Ayala Terraces outside. It's on the second floor of the terraces. The rates is very good there. You can exchange money inside of Parklane Hotel but, it will be lower as most hotels will give a lower rate.

Parklane Hotel also offers in room massage. I tried it and it was terrible. I guess the girl I had wasn't that good. Since it's an in-room massage, it will cost considerably more than getting a massage outside of the hotel. The in-room massage was 800 pesos for one hour and I believe they go with Asian Express Massage. These girls wear a white uniform and I seen two of the girls in the elevator last month as I was going to the lobby.

[QUOTE=Gogobarlover]sParklane Hotel also offers in room massage. I tried it and it was terrible. I guess the girl I had wasn't that good. Since it's an in-room massage, it will cost considerably more than getting a massage outside of the hotel. The in-room massage was 800 pesos for one hour and I believe they go with Asian Express Massage. These girls wear a white uniform and I seen two of the girls in the elevator last month as I was going to the lobby.[/QUOTE]I'm now staying at the Parklane and am looking for an in room massage but don't want to pay the 800 P rate. Also I want it to be a sensual massage. Anyone have any ideas where I can call to have this service brought to me?

I've been in Cebu City now for almost a week and have been spending lots of time at the Ayala Mall. I'm 45, white, look 40, not bad looking and friendly.

It is sooooo amazing to walk through the mall and have endless beautiful young girls looking at you like, "Who is THAT?!" When I spend an hour in the mall I must get at least 100 girls giving me that look. This is truly the land of the 5'0" Cebuna beauty and they are sweet and available.

I have yet to check out the bar girl scene but will soon. Staying here for one month.

I'm 46, white and from the USA. Back home I live in a humble home that is clean and comfortable, but certainly not luxurious. I have never (before now) been to Asia and have been planning a trip to Cebu for a few years and finally decided to go for it and am now writing from the Parklane Hotel. Here's what I can share so far...

I Spent 4 nights in Makati at the City Garden Hotel (the best place to stay) and then flew the hour flight south to Cebu, not knowing anyone (traveling solo). I had researched and researched and researched and had decided to stay my first night at the Kiwi Lodge because it was close to the Ayala Mall (the more modern area of Cebu City).

The taxi drive from Cebu Mactan airport into town was serious culture shock. I have been to Costa Rica and had seen the shanty lifestyle but this was on a whole different level. I expected the cab to pull out of the extreme poverty and into the more modern Ayala area but it didn't ~ it just turned onto a small side street and into the dilapidated Kiwi Lodge. Reception was basically outside under a roof and the place looked like hell. They took me up the crumbling concrete stairs to my room. It had one center ceiling light, smelled, had a nasty looking bed in the middle of the room, and felt like something out of Apocalypse Now. I stood there in shock and began to get really nervous. No fucking way I'm staying in this place, no way. If I was a 25 year old back-packing kid who wanted to party, drink and explore, ok, maybe, but I'm not. I'm 46 and require certain standards.

I got my money back and nervously got into a cab (forgot to ask for the meter to be turned on) and tried to remember a nice hotel from the months of online research and finally said, "Marriott Hotel".

With just a couple of turns we were within the very nice Ayala area and pulling into the Marriott where the security guards used mirrors on the bottom of sticks to look under the cab for bombs and took the cab drivers ID and ran a thorough check on him. After that, the gate was opened and we were allowed in. Welcome to Cebu.

Of course the Marriott was WAY over priced (almost $150 USD when I checked out, 2 room service meals and their incredible breakfast buffet). It would be nice to stay there but I just don't have the kind of cash so I booked 2 nights at the Parklane, the next step down.

During my stay at the Parklane I went searching for more modest price hotels. Looked at the Cebu Grand, the Cebu Waterfront, the Golden Prince and the Casa Escano bed and breakfast. The Cebu Grand was old, worn out and just not acceptable. The Cebu Waterfront is truly a landmark hotel but also kinda of worn out and the same price as the Parklane. I don't recommend either.

The Golden Prince has long stay suites that are acceptable and the price is right. They are nothing special and sparse, but clean and efficient. If you're going to stay there, get the one bedroom because the studio is too small. Casa Escano deserves all the praise it gets. It is comfy and I could imagine staying there a while. Keep in mind, it is a house and doesn't have a pool or really anything to do.

So ~ after all that, I decided to try and work the Parklane for a monthly rate, even though it was going to be WAY over my budget. They ended up giving me a rate of 2800 per night and I took it. Yes, that's crazy money, but I am very comfortable, have a great pool, hot tub, restaurant and a great free breakfast buffet. It's a classy joint, for sure. It's very close to the Ayala Mall and for a 1st time visit to Cebu, it makes things feel a little easier.

By the way, I got bitten by a bug in the Marriott and have had this huge bump ever since. It got so bad I almost went to the doctor, but it seems to be getting better now.

If you are still in Cebu, do try the Midtown Hotel. Go to Robinson's at Fuente Osmena, in the center of the city. Find the entrance to the hotel, and ask to see a room. You will be in the middle of action, can walk to bars, and can get a reasonable long term rate. Most of the rooms have been remodeled.

I stayed there about 2x a year for 10 years. If you call, ask for Bernadette in reservations and speak with her. Midtown Hotel, Robinsons. All the taxi drivers know where it is. ENJOY

Groovyguy, that 2800 pesos/night at Parklane hotel, is this for the Superior room or Parklane room? If it's the Superior room, that's not really a good deal. If it's the Parklane room then 2800 pesos/night is pretty good.

If you want to save money, I'd recommend the Diplomat Hotel on F. Ramos road. The hotel may not be close to any malls but, it's not that far from Robinson Mall and Rain Tree mall. I would just walk to Mango Avenue and go to the gogo bars. The walking distance did not bother me or my friends. But,if you're going to bring a girl back to the hotel then... definitely take a taxi. It will be cheap though the rate as it will only cost 37 pesos total from the gogo bars on Mango Avenue to Diplomat Hotel on F. Ramos. If they charge you 100+ pesos, they overcharged you.

It's a good deal the Diplomat hotel for $20-$30/night and is among the few hotels at this price that has an in room safe. The rooms is clean. The only issue that bothered me was that A/C was a bit loud though but, it works good and cools the entire room. Get the Superior twin room but, request a single queen size bed. There's also a mini bar to. There are other cheap hotels that don't offer a mini bar and an in room safe.

There is also a massage place outside of the Diplomat hotel. As you walk out, it will be on your left. The full body massage is only 250 pesos. They have various massages that focus on your butt/hips for 1 hr, your back for 1hr if you want these areas to be focused on. I tried the massage there and it was much better than my experience with the in room massage at Parklane hotel. On top of that, the girl who massaged me was cuter! LoL. They also have in room massages for 100 pesos more. So... if you want an in room massage it will be 350 pesos vs 250 pesos. This is still alot cheaper than what Parklane Hotel charges.

They also offer laundry service at Diplomat Hotel. The price is very reasonable to wash your shirt, shorts and pants. It's expensive to do laundry at Parklane hotel but, it's understandable as it is a nicer 4 star hotel. $60/night at Parklane hotel for 1 month would cost alot of money especially if this is before taxes is added onto the $60/night.

Wireless internet is provided but, you'll have to pay though. You have to buy the card at the front desk. The card has the login and password. If I recall,

30min = 65 pesos
1 HR = 130 pesos
3 HRs = 300 pesos

I'm not 100% correct on this but, it's pretty close.

Diplomat to me was good. Well, good enough for me anyways. Some of you may disagree as everyone has their own standards. It's nice to stay in a nice or nicer hotel but, I don't want to spend much on a hotel as I prefer to save the money and spend it on other things like at the gogo bars.

In Groovyguys case, he is already staying in Parklane so... going to a hotel like Diplomat would be a downgrade because it is a 3 star hotel and the location is not all that nice compared to Parklane. Also, for a first timer going to Cebu alone, I think you made a good choice with Parklane hotel. Yeah, it will cost you more but, for a first timer I think you want to stay at a hotel where you feel safer and is nicer.

1 month stay in Cebu is along time. You should meet up with one of the members from ISG. Also, if you meet a nice girl to hang out with, you should take her on a boat ride to Bohol which is 2 hours away from Cebu. Definitely check out the gogo bars on Mango Avenue.