February 20, 2018

Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Bai Hotel, Mandaue City

I've visited Cebu three times in the past, but for me it was always only just a jump off point to Bohol or Siargao. I would just usually spend a day or day and a half in the Queen City of the South and I was not really able to experience this vibrant city. Cebu is probably the other city state outside of Luzon that is urbanized and equally progressive as Manila.




Although it is a metropolitan area, what I like about Cebu is that destinations where you can enjoy nature is easily within reach. Mountainous areas like in Busay is just a few minutes away from the city, world-class beach resorts in Mactan Island is just an hour away while Bantayan Island, Moalbal (diving site) and Oslob (whale shark watching) are just a few hours away.




So when I had the opportunity to go on a weekend trip to Cebu, even though it was somewhat unplanned and instantaneous I grabbed it in a heartbeat. Getting to travel early on this year excited me, it’s my first trip of the year, yey! Plus this will be the very first time that I'll get to really experience Cebu. 




I flew with fellow blogger and friend, Bettina via AirAsia. I went straight from work to the airport and good thing the flight was on time. Upon arrival at the Mactan International Airport there was no waiting time as we were immediately greeted by a staff of Bai Hotel who ushered us to our car service. We went straight to Bai Hotel, which will be our residence for our first night and met up with the other bloggers at the lobby. 




Bai Hotel is Cebu’s newest hotel and VisMin's biggest hotel to date. It is where the five-star service is fuss-free, expect all the trappings of an excellent business hotel without the usual theatrics of one. It has 668 rooms, 12 conference and event venues, and over 8 dining options. Bai Hotel is a member of WorldHotels, an exclusive group of independent hotels around the globe. Located right in the middle of Cebu City and Mandaue City, around 20-30 minutes from the airport depending on the traffic, and within short distance from ports and business districts, Bai Hotel is the ideal locale of confluence for accommodations, meetings and celebrations in the region.




Starting to the façade, then to the lobby, facilities and rooms, you can tell that the hotel is state of the art and embodies contemporary design. Everything in this place looks of high-end, clean, chic and modern. Color schemes are mostly earth and water themes that are pleasant to the eyes. I like that the lobby is a huge open space connecting different areas and with a very high ceiling. You can also tell that security is one of the utmost priorities as there are a lot of security personnel and there’s an x-ray scanner that you have to subject your bags and luggage to every time you enter the hotel. The hotel also makes use of a world-class access control system.




There was no time spared as we went straight to a short tour around the hotel and then since it was already lunch time, we had lunch at the hotel's buffet restaurant Cafe Bai. The resto serves international cuisines and occupies almost half of the second floor of the hotel. It is actually the current biggest buffet resto in Cebu. I'll be making a separate blog posts for the restos btw. The restaurants are run by both local and foreign chefs and have ongoing promos as of the writing of this blog post. Cafe Bai offers buffet dining at PHP 599++ on weekdays and PHP 699++ for holidays and weekends. There's also a steak-all-you-can promo for just PHP 999++. 




The hotel houses 8 restaurants/cafes in various cuisines (plus there's a mall just across the street) so looking for a place to eat won't be a problem. The 8 restaurants are: Lobby Lounge (serves light meals, desserts and pastries, signature drinks, cocktails and a variety of liquors), Wallstreet Café (offers all the signature selections of a traditional coffee house alongside assorted baked goods made fresh daily), Ume Japanese Cuisine (authentic Japanese cuisine served a la carte au me in a smart casual ambience) Marble + Grain Steakhouse ( a fine dining steakhouse serving fine custom-aged USDA prime beef and other meats alongside an excellent wine selection); Café Bai (all-day buffet restaurant with live cooking stations featuring the cuisines of the East and West) Pool Bar (offers light drinks and snacks beside the hotel's 25-meter infinity pool overlooking the Cebu skyline), Executive Lounge (exclusively serves complimentary buffet-style breakfast, afternoon tea and liquors to Executive Floor guests) and Twilight Roofdeck (exclusive members-only al fresco lounge and bar; serves bar chow, cocktails, wines and concoctions unique to the hotel)




While having lunch, our luggage was brought straight to our hotel room. Bettina and I stayed in a Deluxe Twin Sharing Room on the 9th floor. Our room have 2 huge double beds which have firm mattresses (which I like), fluffy pillows and comfy sheets & comforters. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi, a mini-chiller, complimentary water/coffee/tea, complimentary breakfast buffet at Cafe Bai, slippers, umbrella, electronic safe and electric iron with ironing board, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), emergency kit, smoke detectors and sprinkler system. 




I appreciate that Bai Hotel included an electric iron with ironing board in each and every room that they have, I rarely see other hotels do that. Most of the time, you have to request for it. They kept in mind that their clienteles are mostly businessmen, professionals and luxury travelers. It’s always my problem when I travel to a city, because most of the clothes I bring get creases and crinkled inside my luggage and I kinda detest that. It’s no problem if I’m going to the beach since I bring clothing pieces  that don’t need any ironing. 




The bathroom in our room was basic and clean. All the basic toiletries that you will need during your stay are offered. We didn't have a bath tub in our room but I seriously love the rainshower head. The CR included a hot/cold shower, tissue papers, bath towels, hand towels, a floor towel, Bai basic toiletry set, a mounted hair dryer (plus point again yey!) The toilet comes with a bidet; the water coming out of the bidet was quite strong though hahaha!




Btw, we also got a peek of Bai Hotel’s Executive One-Bedroom Suite. It’s like other rooms but with a queen size bed, a sala/receiving area, a mini kitchen/bar with a microwave oven and Espresso machine. 




Other hotel amenities and facilities include Spa, Fitness Center with Sauna and Steam Rooms, ATMs, Business Center, Concierge, Currency Exchange, Laundry & Pressing, Limousine Service and Car Hire, Personalized Wake-up Service, Serviced Offices, Shuttle Service, Travel and Tours, Valet Parking and Infinity Outdoor Lap Pool




Speaking of hotel pool, Bai Hotel’s Pool Bar is something they are very proud of, and I can say that they should be, as it is one of the prettiest pool area that I’ve been to. It is definitely on my list of top hotel pools. The two infinity pools: one for adults and one for kids, both have a picturesque view of city. The lounge chairs and beds have that resort-type feel in hues of teal and brown. Social media enthusiasts will surely enjoy this area of the hotel because it’s truly instagrammable and IG-worthy. 




All in all, our stay at Bai Hotel was short but sweet and one of the best travel experiences I have had. The service and hospitality was top-notch. Nestled between the bustling cities of Mandaue and Cebu with a lot of nearby points of interest, with spectacular harbor and city views with ultra-modern amenities and facilities, this contemporary chic business hotel and culinary destination should surely be your first choice host in the Queen City of the South. For room rates, other services and current promos, you can check out and contact Bai Hotel via the details below.


L-R: Seph, Trice, Darwin, Bettina, Me, Bai Hotel GM Alfred Reyes, Atty Mark, Rodel, Ruth, Kenneth



BAI HOTEL CEBU
Cebu Office
Ouano Avenue cor. Seno Boulevard 
North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines
Contact Nos: +63 32 342 8888 | +63 32 355 8888
Email: info@baihotel.com.ph

Manila Sales & Reservations Office
Unit 704 Cityland Herrera Tower 
VA Rufino cor.Valero Streets Salcedo Village 
Makati City, Philippines
Contact Nos: +63 2 856 6777 | +63 2 9567888
Email: msro@baihotel.com.ph

Website: baihotels.com/



Read more of my Cebu 2018 trip: 
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Bai Hotel, Mandaue City
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Cafe Bai at Bai Hotel
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Twilight Roofdeck Lounge + Bar at Bai Hotel
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Marble & Grain Steakhouse at Bai Hotel
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Oqtagon
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Cebu Original Lechon Belly
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: The Pyramid
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark, Mactan Island
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: The Abalone at Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: The Olive at Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Ching Hai at Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Coral Sea Side at Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Havana By The Sea at Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark
Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Temple of Leah


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2 comments:

  1. Ohemgeee!! this is a nice hotel, me and my family is planning to go to Bohol also, but I plan to treat my family a 2D&1N in Cebu but I'm confuse where we will be able to stay. But thank you so much for sharing Bai hotel, I might re-consider it.


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