Cebu 2018 Travel Diary: Twilight Roofdeck Lounge + Bar at Bai Hotel

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 including a fine dining restaurant, Bai is, Personal butlers, the Executive Club Lounge, and limo service are just some of the first-rate services and facilities that guests can experience in a refreshingly straightforward approach. 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.

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)

Another dining destination that we got to try at Bai Hotel is the Twilight Roofdeck Lounge + Bar. Open from dusk to dawn (6:00 PM - 2:00 AM), it is the only dining venue in Cebu that will give you the panoramic view of the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu while you unwind after a hard day's work. A place where you can drink and dine while you chill to the best music selections from their resident DJ.

I’m a sucker for roofdeck bars, there’s something about them that entices me a good deal. These kind of places are your perfect go-to destinations for a nightcap, weekend chilling or for a romantic date. I’ve visited quite a few in here in Manila and these places always put me in a good mood. As for me, besides the feeling that you’re on the top of the world; seeing city lights, the cool breeze and the quietness from way up high just yields a certain sense of calmness.

This roofdeck bar reminded me so much of Sky Bar at Lebua Hotel in Bangkok because Twilight is as posh and exclusive as the former. I think Twilight Roofdeck Lounge + Bar will not only be just any hotel bar but could also be a must-visit place when in Cebu. The crowd is mixed from yuppies to oldies, from locals, to tourists to foreigners and the music is a mix of old-fashioned and contemporary.

Our visit at the hotel’s roofdeck resto was definitely a perfect way to end our first day in Cebu. We spent a good one or one a half hour at the roofdeck, drink 1 glass and eat some pica-pica before we call it a night. Their chicharon bulaklak was to die for by the way. Twilight is truly an idyllic place for some chilling and rooftop drinking with killer panoramic city views. 

TWILIGHT ROOFDECK + BAR 

23rd Flr, Bai Hotel, 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

Website: baihotels.com/

Facebook: facebook.com/baiHotelCebuPH/  |  facebook.com/Twilight-Roofdeck-Lounge-Bar

Twitter: twitter.com/baihotelcebu

Instagram: instagram.com/baihotel_cebu/

For more information, complete menu and restaurant reviews, check out their Zomato profile: 

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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