The Noble Cebu

The building's 38 floors made the elevators one of the worst parts of the stay. They were slow and confusing, and the card often wouldn't work. Getting a Grab or Maxim could also take a while because the property is far from the highway, especially at peak times. If you're hoping to be near Magellans cross, this isn't the spot. What I liked was how quiet it was, away from the main streets, and the room was clean and smelled fresh throughout, from the bathroom to the bed and pillows. My king bed was huge, with four pillows, and the room had shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, bottled water and other vanity items. There was a bidet with good pressure and hot and cold water, plus a TV with cable. A hair dryer was available on request. Breakfast on the roofdeck was enough to fill up on, with salad, fruit and an egg station, but both days the only protein was chicken. More variety, like pork, beef or fish on different days, would be good. The receptionist at the front office was very welcoming and pleasant. Noble Hotel Cebu is part of Grand Residences, and being pet friendly is a real plus. Pet friendly condos are rare in Cebu, so seeing dogs around was nice. I found it a comfortable, clean, quiet place to rest.

Ayala Center Bloc and Sugbo Market are an easy walk away, and Fort San Pedro and the central plaza are only a short Grab ride. My brother and I stayed two nights in a room with two twin beds. They were a little bigger than twin size and worked perfectly for us. Water splashed all over the bathroom because the shower didn't have a proper barrier, the only inconvenience in the room. We didn't get time to use the amenities, though the pool looked really nice as we passed it. Entertainment was limited, but you can sign into streaming services with your own login.

The skydeck has a nice view and seems like a good place to relax. The pool and gym are large and reasonably well kept, and the rooms are decent for the price. The city location is central. I thought I was booking a hotel, but this is more like a big condominium complex. Breakfast turned out to be a la carte with very few choices, not the buffet I expected. The room had a strange musty smell. The pool is nice, but there's no staff attending to guests, no snack bar, and nowhere to get pool towels. Staff were okay, though not especially friendly or attentive, and nobody greeted us at the door or helped with luggage.

After flying 36 hours from America to see my wife, son and mother, I arrived at 10:30 am and couldn't get into a room until 1:45 pm. What a first day. I had paid for two large rooms, but they weren't what the website had led me to expect. To keep the family on one floor, my wife and I took the smaller, cheaper room for the same price, with no adjustment or consideration even though the site was misleading about adjoining rooms. The manager was supposed to offer late checkout for the inconvenience. My family and I are only staying one more day, though I'll be in the country until March, and I might have extended the stay. The rooms themselves were nice and clean, and aside from this situation I would have been very satisfied.