Crimson Resort and Spa – Mactan Island, Cebu

We had a relaxing family stay with great food, pools, friendly staff, and kids activities

The hotel is really nice, smells good, clean, pretty quiet, cosy but in the same time full of life

Wait times are very long for everything. And the hotel’s food is generally very disappointing. Above all, the prices are outrageous.

Considering the price, we felt the service and facilities did not meet expectations.

The staff’s hospitality was impressive. They greeted us with a smile whenever we saw them and were friendly toward our baby, too. They listened carefully to our requests

The staff was exceptional. The server Proc during the mornings was the coolest guy. He was immensely helpful and kept introducing me to traditional Filipino foods like ube champorado, the local hot chocolate, and two different puto

The staff are very friendly but seem completely disorganized.

The waiters seem nice and polite, but they don’t really care about you. They chat among themselves, apparently thinking that smiling makes up for their lack of professionalism.

One of the aspects we appreciated most was the quality and variety of the dining options. The resort has several restaurants, and we particularly enjoyed Aka, the Japanese restaurant, and Enye by Chele Gonzalez, specializing in Spanish cuisine. Both offered food of a very high standard, accompanied by an interesting wine selection — something we always appreciate and that is not necessarily easy to find in an island resort.

The resort has multiple restaurants for Enye and Aka reservations are recommended. These are more expensive and Enye even has a Michelin star. The food prices general in the resort were resembling European food prices. For Enye and Aka we paid around 2000 - 4000 Pesos per person for a dinner.

Service in all areas was incredibly slow. We were waiting up to 45 minutes for a glass of water to arrive- don’t expect a quick meal at any restaurant.

I will have to say the food menu could be made vegetarian friendly too with more options.

The beach is clean and full of fish. Lots of good sunbeds.

The water itself is quite rocky so you want to bring swimming shoes for this. However, we were able to see different fish there while swimming which was very cool.

There are no shopping centres or shops within walking distance, so you do need to rely on taxis to get around.

The very loud music at the weekend. A DJ really got things going, making conversation over dinner on the large covered terrace practically impossible.

The resort has one of the best kids clubs we've seen. Our kids loved it. They have activities ongoing all day.

The resort is laid out like a village, which makes it feel intimate despite its size. It also offers several restaurants, a free shuttle bus to and from the city, several swimming pools, and a private beach.

We also experienced a few brief power outages during our stay, so we were wondering if the generator was working properly.

In addition, it's worth noting that the resort does not have an elevator, which may be challenging for elderly guests or persons with disabilities who are assigned rooms on the upper floors.

The room was spacious, quiet, and very comfortable. I had one of the best sleeps in a while.

The rooms are very poorly soundproofed, which can be disruptive depending on the neighbors.

The rooms are extremely dark. Even with artificial lighting, the lighting situation can hardly be improved—it feels like it’s still 40 years ago.

The floor in the bathroom would get soaked with water and we almost slipped multiple times.

The resort has two large pool areas and a smaller but lovely private beach, making it easy to relax and stay on the property.

The kids’ pool and infinity pool were both fantastic, especially early in the morning before it got too busy.

There was not enough sunbeds round the pool for each resident to get a bed, but for some reason the hotel still offers day passes to non-residents. It was very frustrating (especially 6 months pregnant) to be told there was no bed available at the pool and I could “wait on the grass” until one did become available.

The infinity pool is wonderful, however there were so many children in there with a load of flotation aids/toys, it was super noisy, it was like one big playground for kids. You couldn't swim let alone relax.

The breakfast buffet is the best we have ever had at a hotel. There is a huge selection, and everything tastes very good. There are various stations where food, such as omelets, is freshly prepared.

Breakfast felt unorganised and was generally an unenjoyable start to the day, especially as a pregnant woman it was very difficult to navigate- I had guests and staff walking into me. There were far too many people in a small space for a buffet and queues for eggs felt unnecessary, more items need to be al a carte to free up space. It meant that the buffet was very messy and a lot of foods became contaminated with other foods due to either a lack of serving cutlery or no space to easily add to a plate.

I was disappointed that there weren’t many options for young children at breakfast. It would be nice if they added a few more dishes for young children.

Breakfast did not meet the standards of a luxury hotel. There was no cheese, ham, or salmon, nor the mango that is ubiquitous in Cebu. The only fruit offered was melon.

It’s difficult to get a Grab car or cab due to its remote location so best to book a hotel car for airport transfer.

The free shuttles to the city are great but need more times for pick up and drop off after 3pm.

Without your own transport, it is practically impossibly to ferry to and from the resort (of course hotel transportation and Grab are options but hefty price). Even Grab isn't very reliable. We called for Grab and didn't get one for more than half an hour. We had no choice but to use the hotel's transportation which of course was rather expensive.

Too few golf carts to drive guests around. I ended up carrying my luggage a long way myself. I wouldn’t expect this at a five-star hotel.

I had a 90-minute Hilot Massage at AUM Spa, and it was one of the best treatments I’ve ever experienced. I was amazed that the swelling in my knee, four months after surgery, went down.

The massage facilities were very clean and had a lovely atmosphere, making them very relaxing.

No spots for walk-in massage during our stay.

The spa jacuzzi was not working and steam room was off and sauna was so hot I could not stay in there for more then 30 secs.

Room wasn’t ready, and we were given no time frame for when it would be, despite arriving at check in time at 3pm. It was only when we challenged this that suddenly it became available.

Upon arriving at 12:30 p.m., we had to wait until after 3 p.m. before a room was assigned.

We arrived earlier than the standard check-in time, and Jetser was kind enough to assist us and arrange an early check-in, which we truly appreciated as we were traveling with an infant.

One of the perks of staying in a villa is the option for express check-out in the room. I personally arranged for this service at 7:45 AM on August 13, and it was confirmed by the reception staff. However, by 8:00 AM, no one had arrived, so I called to follow up. It was only then that I was informed that express check-out wasn’t available after 10 AM.

The only negative thing I can say it’s that the gym was really tiny, with not a lot of options.

Gym was small but well maintained and equipped.

A pleasant gym with a trainer who helped with some interesting exercises. Quite unexpectedly, he suggested trying boxing and led a workout. I enjoyed it.

The gym already closes at 9 p.m.!