📅 2021-07-02 | ⏱️ 17:45 | 👁️ 90.8K views | 👍 7.8K likes | 💬 1.9K comments
Pea tours the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City, walking through three room categories from the standard Superior room to the Presidential Suite, plus the hotel's amenities including a full gym, resort pool, casino, and fine dining. It's a straightforward hotel review with Pea's signature humor woven in.
What's Covered
Overview and first impressions
- The Waterfront Hotel and Casino is a Cebu City landmark — its trademark turquoise cupolas are visible from almost anywhere downtown
- 561 rooms across 12 different layouts
- Features include fine restaurants, a huge convention center, and an on-site US consular agency
- The lobby is grand: elegant staircases, sweeping balconies, and a lofty ceiling Pea compares to the Sistine Chapel
- Lobby-level restaurant and lounge serving meals, drinks, cakes, pies, and pastries
- Two-story lobby includes a clothing store, jewelry store, and a walkway lined with restaurants including Chinese and authentic Italian
Amenities on the lower level
- Elevators: large enough for 21 people, smooth ride, four in the hotel — Pea contrasts this with hotels that have "tiny elevators that feel like coffins"
- Full-service fitness center: aerobics area with treadmills and stair masters, rows of Nautilus equipment, complete free weights, personal trainers available. Pea notes she used to work out regularly before gyms closed due to COVID
- Medical clinic with a doctor on site 24/7, no appointment needed
- Serene garden area — well-maintained, manicured, "zen-like ambiance," good spot for morning coffee
The swimming pool
- Resort-quality, actually two pools: a kids' pool with water slide and a 6-foot-deep adult pool with a waterfall
- Separated by a walkway leading to a fully stocked bar
- Pea orders her favorite Amaretto Sour and hunts for the most exotic spot to drink it
- Discovers a hidden grotto behind the waterfall — "how cool is this? I've got the place all to myself." Jokes: "Move over, Hugh Hefner, because relaxing in this little cove will make anyone feel like a millionaire"
Casino Filipino
- Full-sized on-site casino with slot machines, blackjack, roulette, and more
- Pea says it's "too rich for my blood" but confirms it's huge (filming not allowed inside)
- Has a koi pond in the lobby
Room tours — three tiers
- Superior Room: ~29 square meters, king-size bed, 24-hour room service, laundry service, free Wi-Fi, electric kettle for coffee/tea, mini fridge, large wooden wardrobe with in-room safe
- Executive Room: 56 square meters — Pea says it's "bigger than most condos in Cebu City." Dedicated workspace for business travelers, modern decor with art pieces Pea connects to provincial life (a salakot hat, a harvest basket). Separate living room with comfortable couch. Approximately 10-foot doors and ceilings. Luxurious bedroom with art and mood lighting. Bathtub where Pea fantasizes about a bubble bath with red wine
- Presidential Suite (the "Danube" suite): 187 square meters, big enough to be a house. 10-seat dining area, dedicated kitchen, living area with two couches and entertainment, full workspace with computer, printer, and fax. Bedroom has a massive double-door entrance, seating area with a view, walk-up tub, king-size bed with a chandelier overhead ("all you need is whipped cream"). Massive walk-in closet, his-and-her sinks, and — Pea's favorite detail — his-and-her toilets with a telephone inside "so you can call the front desk if you have any bathroom emergencies, whatever that means"
Breakfast options
- Weekends: lavish buffet with "more choices than one appetite can handle"
- Weekdays: actually better — breakfast at Lagandola, an upscale restaurant with stained glass windows and stone columns, where you order off the menu. Pea is genuinely impressed: "This isn't like any hotel breakfast I've ever had before"
Pea's final verdict
- "Everything about this hotel is classy and luxurious"
- Biggest praise goes to the staff: "incredibly helpful... there's always someone opening the door for you or ready to carry your luggage. The staff treats everyone like royalty"
- Only complaint: rooms don't have balconies, "which would have made them perfect"
- Recommends the Waterfront for anyone whose travel plans bring them to Cebu