Astrotel Cebu

For about ₱700-₱1000, Astrotel is a solid deal. You can also book by the hour, which works well if you're just passing through and want a quick rest. I usually recommend it to budget travelers or one or two guests, and I'll keep coming back. The place is close to Colon, so it's convenient when I'm in Cebu. A friend first suggested it, and the rooms have turned out clean and bright. We got a deluxe room with white walls that made it feel larger, a comfy bed, and a clean bathroom with a working bidet and hot and cold shower. It's simple, but just what you need after a long trip. The astro theme seemed like it might be cringey, but it was actually cool. The blue lights at night and the staff's astronaut-style uniforms were a fun surprise. Staff have always been nice to me. On this trip the hotel was full when we arrived tired, but after checking around for a few minutes, they found us a room. They try to handle requests quickly, especially when it's busy.

The downtown location is convenient, and the front desk staff were polite and did try to help, moving us to two different rooms. But every VIP room we checked had a powerful, toxic smell like strong paint or gasoline. Other recent reviews mention a damp or standing-water smell, so I can only assume chemicals are being used to cover water damage or mold. That's just my guess. After about 10 minutes inside, my wife and I felt dizzy and she got a headache. With the AC trapping the fumes, sleeping there felt unsafe. We'd already paid, but packed up and took the loss to move to another hotel late in the day for our health. No budget rate is worth feeling sick. I strongly recommend avoiding this place.

The employees were friendly and quick to help, and the room was spacious enough that we weren't tripping over our suitcases. We were at the Colon location in a VIP room that seemed to be Star Wars themed, I guess. The bathroom was clean, but it smelled of stagnant water and stale urine. I'm not sure what caused it, but the odor made the whole room smell bad.

I stayed for a couple of hours just to sleep. It was okay, but having a chair and cabinet would help so I wouldn't need to leave my things on the floor. There were no dim lights, and I felt some voltage fluctuations while charging my phone.