Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

From the air, Cebu seemed
engulfed in grey clouds, making
us worry that our much-awaited
holiday at the Shangri-La’s
Mactan Resort and Spa would
be muddied by the weather.

Fortunately, it seems the sun always
shines on this little piece of heaven by the
sea at the tip of Mactan Island. It was
indeed overcast upon arrival at Mactan
International Airport; but when we
reached the Ocean Wing of the Shangri-
La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, just 20
minutes away from the airport, the clouds
had disappeared and the sea had turned
a glorious blue from the private terrace of
our 72-square meter Panorama suite.

Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

Of course, we just had to jump into the
water as soon as possible. It was a short
walk through the gardens of the Ocean
Wing of the Shangri- La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, which is a more private section
apart from the main resort, to the resort’s
secluded beach, where golden sand and
warm waters awaited. Here, the beach center  offered a full menu of water sports activities, along with
plain old lazing in the sun.

“Let’s go snorkeling,” I suggested; within
minutes we were outfitted in aqua shoes,
life vests, and snorkeling gear, and heading
towards a garden of corals where hundreds
of colorful fish happily spent their days.
This marvelous underwater spectacle was a
most fitting start to our holiday.

The live show at Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa

There are many restaurants at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa; but as it was such a nice evening, we
booked a table by the beach for an outdoor
barbecue and a live show featuring the best
of Visayan culture. 

We selected the food to
be cooked on the grill, including marinated
pork and fresh fish, found ourselves a table
at the side so that we had our feet in the
sand and the sea breeze on our faces, and
watched the colorful spectacle of Southern
Philippine songs and dances.

Perfect beach holiday at the  Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, the best luxury hotel in Cebu

“Life sure can’t get better than this,” I said,
but it actually did. After dinner, we walked
hand-in-hand around the vast estate
until we stumbled on the Cowrie Cove, a
restaurant-bar playing cool music at the
very end of the property. It was obviously
our lucky day because the best seat in the
house had just been vacated by another
couple: it was a private gazebo way out in
the water, accessible only via a narrow path
from the bar.

So this was how we ended our first evening
– listening to chill music while drinking
champagne and dessert in the most
romantic place in Cebu.

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