Ang Dabawenyo

Contrary to expectation, I had a very enjoyable and restful stay in Cebu — exactly what I’d been pining for. The Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City provided a relaxing respite for a stressed-out worker bee who hadn’t had a vacation in more than a year!

The Waterfront in Lahug is one of the largest hotels in Metro Cebu. The property has a total of 561 guest rooms, in all of 18 floors. In the picture, I wasn’t just posing — they really do have wireless Internet access in all of their rooms. They also have free Wifi at the expansive lobby.

Attached to the hotel is a convention center, where large-scale events such as the Philippine Ad Congress have been held. The Waterfront is also home to PAGCOR — it’s one of the largest in the Philippines, if I’m not mistaken. If you’d like to try your luck, have a go at the hundreds of slot machines or card tables that they have.

What I appreciate the most about the hotel is its location. It’s a stone’s throw away from the AsiaTown I.T. Park, where, aside from the prerequisite high-tech firms, there are nice shops and leisure establishments. The hotel is also just a 40-peso taxi ride away from the Ayala Center, Cebu’s newest mall and entertainment complex. Read more »

As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, the last time I was here in Cebu was eons ago. I don’t even remember much of how Cebu looked like then. But how it looks like now — wow! It’s pretty amazing.

I went to Ayala Center to meet with a friend who’d arrived from Manila yesterday, and we had lunch at a nice restaurant in the mall (place called oh georg! — good food, I must say). The whole place felt like Makati or Ortigas… but not really. Read more »