NUSTAR Hotel Cebu

The lobby lounge was nicely decorated and bright, almost too bright, and the air conditioning wasn’t quite enough to cool it. The servers were university students trained by the staff. They put in effort, but the service felt mediocre and needs to be brought up to a higher standard. We went to try the Afternoon Tea, which Nustar calls “Opulent.” I enjoy sampling afternoon teas around the world, and after many hotel teas in London, Paris, and elsewhere in Europe, I found this one disappointing. It might feel “luxurious” to locals, but I didn’t find it especially rich or lavish. There weren’t the usual rectangular savory sandwiches. Instead, the sandwiches came on tiny, awkward-looking breads. Some tasted good and some didn’t. There were three of us, and we expected three sets of the same sandwiches to share, but received individual assortments of sandwiches and cakes, so we had to agree among ourselves who would take what. At many good hotels, savory sandwiches are unlimited, but not here. Those hotels also serve tea and/or coffee. At Nustar, the set included two teas of your choice or one coffee of your choice. It was a decent way to spend a hot afternoon, but I wouldn’t try it again or recommend it to anyone.

Getting to the airport means sitting in traffic, since the route goes through Cebu’s busiest areas. Apart from that, it’s been the best place we’ve stayed so far. The service was amazing, the rooms were elegant and clean, and the whole place feels made for pampering.

We went for dinner at Texas Roadhouse, where it was my first time eating. The food was good and reasonably priced, though the traffic getting there was a pain. There’s plenty of free garage parking and a big mall to look around. The casino was alright. It had digital-style roulette, and when I asked a worker if there were regular roulette wheels, she said no, so I played the digital one, which I don’t really like. After I left, a friend who was with us sent me a picture of a regular roulette table.

By the water, this is a beautiful luxury hotel and casino. My family enjoyed Fili’s first-class accommodation and the designer boutiques. What we genuinely look forward to when we come back, though, is the Cebuano hospitality. The view from our room was absolutely stunning too.