Hilton Resort





Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa is the latest edition to the Lapu-Lapu beach resort scene. Opened in 2003, the Hilton is located next to the Shangri-La Resort and because of its distinctive twin pink towers is impossible to miss. If the Shangri-La Resort can be described as the most beautiful, classically styled Cebu beach resort on Lapu-Lapu Island, the Hilton is the brash, edgy newcomer.

There is nothing subtle about the shade of pink they selected to paint just about everything in sight at the Hilton. Even though the Hilton is fairly new, I could not help but notice rust forming on many of the metal elements found at the resort. Plus, the place was not very clean. The landscaping was nice, but nothing compared with the Shangri-La or Plantation Bay. The physical dimensions of the property are not actually all that large. So much of the land area is occupied by the twin-towers, conference rooms, and the swimming pool.

The Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa includes both hotel rooms and condominium units. Some people, mostly foreigners I suspect, maintain their personal residence at the resort. I don’t think I would like to live there because you would not be close to shopping or other activities beyond those related to the pool or beach. I think I would get bored living there really quickly.

I’m not really a spa person, but I did try their restaurant. Their lunch buffet looked quite impressive. It included a wide range of European and local favorites, along with a few Korean specialties. You certainly could not find fault in their select of foods. The problems were with the taste of the food and the service. Although their food looked quite good, the flavor was rather bland. I tried the local prawns, for example, and found them to be nearly tasteless. Most of the appetizers and entrees I sample were just plain ordinary.

Sure it was a buffet, but the staff just stood around talking among themselves. Twice I had to walk over to get their attention. We even had a cashier chase after me outside the restaurant, shouting that I did not provide a valid room number when paying for my meal. Later she apologized, but I certainly did not enjoy being a part of her little drama.

While I was not impressed by their food or the service, the buffet did give me a chance to sample some new foods. So, I would have been happy to pay P500 or P600 for the lunch buffet. I was, however, quite shocked to see they charged me P1,200++ for my lunch.

Hilton Resort and Spa
Punta Engano, Mactan Island, Cebu
Phone: 63 32 492-7777











Just tanning here






The pool









The hotel entrance