HOTEL REVIEW: Citadines Cebu City, "Your home away from home in the Queen City!"

A trip to Cebu always makes me excited. Cebu has always been a province so dear to me. Why? It was in 2009 when I had my very first plane ride and it's for a trip to Cebu! That first plane ride is so memorable and special to me and I will never forget that.

After that trip, I went back to Cebu many times. Even if I already visited it many times in the past, I still haven’t seen many of its tourist spots and attractions. For that, I’ve always been wanting to visit it again.

That is why, I am so happy and excited when Citadines Cebu City invited us last month to check out their new property in Cebu City.

Citadines Cebu City is The Ascott Limited’s first property in the queen city of the south – Cebu City. The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a leading international lodging owner-operator, formed a synergistic partnership with leading developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) to open Citadines Cebu City, located at the Baseline Center, Juana Osmeña Street, as a way to level up Cebu City's hospitality industry.

Conveniently located at Baseline Center, it is near the city’s shopping, business and entertainment districts. With its prime location, it is located at close proximity to Cebu City's famous tourist spots and attractions such as the Fuente Osmeña Circle, the provincial capitol, Magellan’s Cross, Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu, and the Taoist temple. Several restaurants offering local delicacies, including the delectable and mouth-watering Cebu lechon, are also just a few minutes away. It is also near the Sinulog Festival route, events and activities. So, if you're planning to visit Cebu City during the festival, staying at Citadines Cebu City is a good choice!

Upon arrival at the beautiful Cebu-Mactan International Airport, we were warmly welcomed by our Ascott Host, Ares. We then hop on to Citadines’ comfy and spacious service van and arrived at the property in less than an hour.

The hotel lobby is quite spacious, feels airy and I love the burst of tropical coastal colors – blue, teal, orange, yellow, and green – it exudes. There are also natural wood, latticework, shell inlays, and local weaves that add character to the lobby area. Not to be missed are the Kenneth Cobonpue pieces, as well as the other furniture and decors made by local craftsmen which evoke a natural feel. The lobby is very welcoming and I loved it! From this moment, I already felt that this is a first-class hotel with its cozy and exquisitely styled interiors.

Citadines Cebu City boasts of 180 units, each one individually designed to provide contemporary urban living to its valued guests.

Studio Twin

Our room is spacious and well-appointed Studio Twin Room. It features modern and classy interiors with top-notch amenities designed for business and leisure travelers. The room's earth tone shades of brown, green, and white give a very calming and relaxing feel. Upon entering our room, I could smell its freshness and cleanliness. It is well-kept and organized. I loved it!

It is highlighted with two single beds joined together by a side table with a lamp. The beds are complemented with clean white sheets, fluffy pillows, and soft duvets. I quickly tried it, and it’s so soft and comfy!

Designed to be both functional and cozy and with guests’ comfort in mind, the room has a fully-equipped kitchen with refrigerator, cooker hob and hood, microwave oven, glasswares, crockery, cutlery and utensil sets. Other essential room amenities inside the room include an en suite toilet and bath, air-conditioning unit, cabinets, safety deposit box, a spacious work desk, luggage rack, a LED HDTV with cable channels, IDD phone, alarm clock radio, flat iron and ironing board and a mini bar with coffee and tea making facilities.

At one side of the room is a separate sitting area with a table where you could dine or a place relax while watching TV. This sofa can be converted to a bed which makes a nice extra bed for additional guests.

And oh, how can I forget these treats that are really such a sweet welcome! Thank you very much po... :)

The en suite toilet and bath is also spacious, clean, and well-kept. It has a shower enclosure with hot and cold shower feature, a clean water closet with bidet spray, and a sink with a huge vanity mirror.

Complete toiletries and bathrooms amenities such as shampoo, conditioner, bath soap, body lotion, vanity and dental care kits were provided. For guests' convenience, hair dryer, soft body and hand towels were also provided. What else can I ask for? Nothing else! These are more than what we needed.

Complimentary hi-speed WiFi internet access anywhere in the hotel, daily housekeeping, newspaper, and turn-down service are also available.

Hotel Amenities and Facilities

Checked-in guests have full access to Citadines Cebu City's amazing list of amenities and facilities. This includes an on-site fitness center, resident's lounge, outdoor swimming pool with kiddie pool, and self-service launderette. Within the property, guests could also enjoy dining options such as Abaca Baking Company's Restaurant and Cafe and a lot more. Since it is located in a commercial complex, within the building, there's also a grocery, drugstore, payment center, convenience store, and other restaurants such as Samguypsalamat, and food kiosks such as Potato Corner and a Milk Tea Shop.

Self-service launderette

Robinsons Supermarket

Abaca Baking Company Cafe

They also have several function rooms, ideal as a venue for private, corporate and other social events such as wedding receptions, birthdays, meetings and conventions.

Amenities Floor

Also located at the 10th floor, the amenities area is a perfect place to unwind after a long day of exploring the different tourist spots and attractions in Cebu. Here, you could enjoy the resident's lounge area, fitness center and swimming pool. We also got to experience here a relaxing foot massage by the pool side while enjoying the sunset and the stunning views of the city.

We also got to try learning how to make "puso" or "hanging rice" which is an iconic food item in Cebu (as well as in other parts of Visayas and Mindanao). It is a popular way of serving rice by cooking it inside a woven coconut pouch. This is one of the many activities that you could try when staying at Citadines Cebu City. It's nice bonding experience for the whole family.

Buffet Breakfast

The buffet breakfast that comes with every booking at Citadines Cebu City is served at Abaca Baking Company located at the ground floor. The buffet spread has a wide array of delectable and carefully selected dishes that will surely be a delight to every guest. Breakfast is served from 6:00 am to 10:30 am on weekdays and 6:00 am to 11:00 am on weekends and holidays.

Abaca Baking Company is also available for lunch and dinner serving ala carte meals. Here are some of the dishes we got to try from the wide selection of local and international dishes on their menu.

Caesar Salad

Luncheonette Burger

Fish and Fries

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Smoked Sausages

Citadines Cebu City is one of the premier collection of The Ascott Limited's serviced residences in over 160 cities across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is the fourth Citadines Apart’hotel property in the Philippines, joining Citadines Salcedo Makati, Citadines Millennium Ortigas Manila, and Citadines Bay City Manila. Since starting operations in the Philippines in 2000, Ascott has expanded to become one of the largest international hospitality players in the Philippines, with over 4,800 units in 23 properties under its portfolio.

Overall, we had an amazing and memorable stay at Citadines Cebu City. It is definitely one of the best places to stay in Cebu City whether for business or leisure trips! The top-notch and superb room amenities, lovely hotel facilities, amazing and friendly staff, and prime location are just some of the best qualities that make Citadines Cebu City one of the finest hotels in the Queen City. Highly recommended!

Planning your Cebu Itinerary? Check out my Sample Cebu Itineraries for 3, 4, 5, 6 days tour or more that you could easily follow or copy to make your own itinerary.

You may also watch my hotel tour video of Citadines Cebu City on my YouTube Channel. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE for future updates.

For bookings and reservations, please contact:

Citadines Cebu City

• Address: Base Line Center, Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City, Philippines
• Telephone: (63-32) 340 1497
• Email: enquiry.manila@the-ascott.com
• Website: www.citadines.com
• For reservations, please call (63-2) 8550 3200 or you may book online via Agoda.com.