We just returned home from Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan. It was our first time in Cebu. It was a short but great trip.
The highlights:
Accommodations: We chose Crimson because we frequent high-rise hotels when traveling and decided this time we wanted a villa/bungalow type of room. No hallways and no elevators. Crimson checked those boxes. They also accommodated our requests for a king bed and first floor room.
Activities and amenities: Our daughter loved Crimzone and the children’s pool. It was hard to get her to leave. The Saturday foam party was fun and the pool staff were engaging. My wife and I both availed the spa and wow, we can see why they won an award for Best Value in Asia. The price was affordable while the quality of service was top-notch.
Food: The buffet breakfast was good and had a lot of variety. My favorite item was the fruit and veggie smoothies. Who knew bakchoy and mango blend well together? But it was the attentive staff that really made breakfast a great experience. We tried the 24-hour room service and I swear the chicken club sandwich was one of the best I’ve had in my entire life 5/5!
The lowlights:
Here are some reasons why we are not giving Crimson an excellent review.
1. Overpriced/low quality food in Saffron during ala carte dinner. Our first night we arrived in the evening and were hungry. For two people (our daughter is a toddler) we paid over 5000php for an appetizer, 3 entrees, one beer and one bottle of water. Honestly, the price would be ok for this amount of food if the quality was better. I would suggest Aka or Enye for higher quality food although we didn’t try either. Saffron was empty that night and we found out why.
2. Distance to places/sites. Crimson is quite far for shopping or eating at other restaurants. We hired a private car for 3 hours and was only able to visit two sites and one pasalubong store. Luckily it was only moderate traffic on that Saturday. 2500php for a sedan for 3 hours was reasonable.
3. The gift shop is waaaay overpriced. 950php for a small tube of sunblock seemed very high even at a resort. We also wanted some souvenirs, but there wasn’t much variety at all.
4. Our room needed some TLC. The paint in the nice tub was chipping, the caulking in the showers could use a refresh and there was a huge ipis (roach) in the closet. Luckily we spent most of the time outside the room.
5. No floaties or life vests for toddlers to use, even for rental. Despite having almost everything else, this would have been a nice touch.
6. We came to Cebu for mangoes and lechon, but Crimson didn’t offer these items and again, because of distance, it would have been nice to have some at the hotel.
The bottom line:
We enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend it to others, however we would give them our full review so they are aware of the pros and cons.
Thank you to the wonderful staff that made up for the minor issues we encountered!
We had a wonderful stay at Modala Beach Resort! The place is absolutely beautiful — clean, modern, and right in front of a stunning beachfront. 🌊 The staff were all very friendly, polite, and always ready to help with a smile.
The rooms were spacious and comfortable, with everything we needed for a relaxing getaway. The pool area was lovely, especially during sunset — perfect for photos! 📸 The food at the restaurant was delicious, and breakfast had a great variety.
It’s a great place for families, couples, or even friends who just want to unwind and enjoy Panglao’s natural beauty. We’ll definitely come back again soon. Highly recommended! ❤️
Really awesome and accommodating service. The resort is one of the best I've experienced in this part of asia, in terms of the food, room quality, all the hardware and service as well. Aloher was super friendly and very helpful, the front office staff were all kind and warm too. Breakfast was excellent, but might need greater variety in the fruit section. Location was slightly off the beaten track but the private beach as a result was perfect.
It was fantastic Vacation ever. Front desk Kevin was amazing from Arrival until departure. He was very kind and efficient. It was nice welcome. The restaurant staffs all were great. Breakfast, beach snack and dinner. They are kind and provide best service. Beach safety guards and security(Julio, if i remember correctly) very kind and help single traveler request very well. Thanks for my departure transportation driver. Every staffs with busy operation, they keep smile on face. I have a best vacation under the sun and beautiful beach with South Palm resort! I will definately will be back soon.
정말 조용하고 한적한 곳에서 제대로된 휴식을 취하고 싶으시면. 여기입니다.
We love Nustar so much! This is probably our 5th time here! Stayed here from Nov 5 to 7 as it’s Mine and my bros bday and it was after Typhoon Tino. As always they are very accomodating, friendly and helpful and gave me a piece of cake and fruit bowl but this time I ask for a happy birthday note on the monitor for background pic for me & entire family as celebration but they keep telling me they will send someone up but no one really came from the IT department . I did expect a happy birthday greeting on the monitor it would have been very special, but I understand as maybe they are so busy and under staff because of the typhoon and instead of 2 pm check and we were able to check in very late like 5:30 pm because they’re probably under staffs but all of these did not ruin our overall stay as new star staffs are all very welcoming. We had birthday dinner in the good luck hotpot which is just inside Nustar as well. Thank you Nustar for being very welcoming , friendly and hand on chest when Greeting guest is such a Nustar trademark  please trade me a guest feel welcome and at home
Wow - Super hotel. Best hotel I have visited in years. Staff polite, efficient and attentive in a polite way. Room was very large, with some free mini cookies and a few free juices. Food and drinks reasonable. Breakfast had a great range of food. The steak at the restaurant was super They even notified breakfast group I could not take milk. Lots of couples but as a solo traveller felt cared about. From start to finish flawless. Even twice a week one hour of free cocktails. When it rains the staff already start wiping down tables and once eases gardeners are out sweeping the leaves off the pathways to help maintain its beautiful appearance. Seriously impressed
BBeverly J. BeverleyWe love Nustar so much! This is probably our 5th time here! Stayed here from Nov 5 to 7 as it’s Mine and my bros bday and it was after Typhoon Tino. As always they are very accomodating, friendly and helpful and gave me a piece of cake and fruit bowl but this time I ask for a happy birthday note on the monitor for background pic for me & entire family as celebration but they keep telling me they will send someone up but no one really came from the IT department . I did expect a happy birthday greeting on the monitor it would have been very special, but I understand as maybe they are so busy and under staff because of the typhoon and instead of 2 pm check and we were able to check in very late like 5:30 pm because they’re probably under staffs but all of these did not ruin our overall stay as new star staffs are all very welcoming. We had birthday dinner in the good luck hotpot which is just inside Nustar as well. Thank you Nustar for being very welcoming , friendly and hand on chest when Greeting guest is such a Nustar trademark  please trade me a guest feel welcome and at home
GGioTAll bookings at Nustar Resort include breakfast and access to the Executive Club Lounge located on the 23rd floor of Fili Hotel.
Mini-Bar is complimentary with a selection of 2 local beers, juices, and sodas. Nespresso machine with 4 capsules. TWG tea. Bottled water is unlimited. I appreciate the fridge being very cold.
Gerlain Paris branded bathroom amenities, as well as bath salts for the large bath.
Afternoon Tea (2:30 pm - 4:30 pm)
Light snacks with a limited selection of savory and sweet bites, they need to improve on this.
Evening cocktails and canapés (5:30 pm - 7:30 pm)
Excellent food buffet. I like the lechon quesadillas, jalapeño cheese poppers, and siomai. I appreciate the bartender crafting cocktails from a menu of drinks.
I understand the hotel is still brand new, but they need to do multiple inspections before releasing the room to guest. Vanity mirror was dusty from construction.
The Butler service was very attentive, many thanks to Ice (Butler) for making my stay pleasant, he would escort me to the pool, and even breakfast buffet at Fili Hotel bypassing the crowd at the entrance.
Breakfast Buffet is at Fili Hotel which is extensive and one of the best in Cebu. The problem is the crowd, while Nustar Butlers will escort Nustar guests to a table, there’s no dedicated tables for Nustar guests, which confuses the restaurant staff with seating assignments. Alternatively, the breakfast buffet at the executive club lounge is quiet but with limited options, they should have an a la carte menu to expand options like other international luxury hotels.
The security at the lobby entrance is wildly inconvenient and inconsistent, every time you enter you need to prove you’re a guest of Nustar and not a guest of Fili or a ****** player. It’s weird that they are sometimes overly strict and many times just ignore people passing by. Guests have a keycard to use elevators what’s the point of the guards that have a list of people’s names and room numbers, if anything that’s a security risk.
The pool service is lacking. Shared between 2 hotels and the upcoming grand summit. The pool area lacks service of a 5-star hotel, towels need to be claimed at a towel hut. My expectation is that there are staff that will setup loungers with towels for guests. And since the pool facility is shared with the muncher large Fili Hotel it can get crowded. Fortunately, Nustar has a private infinity pool which was closed my stay.
Nustar Resort has potential to be Cebu’s most luxurious hotel, they have the hard product with their spacious luxurious rooms, but they need to improve their soft product - the service from the butlers are outstanding and personal, but everyone else seems to be lost. For the asking price of 250-300 usd per night there’s a lot to expect.
Nustar is primed for excellence but falls just short of achieving refined luxury. I’m hoping Nustar partners with Marriott and rebrand under Luxury Collection. Or even Hyatt with Unbound Collection.
TTable_for_3We just returned home from Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan. It was our first time in Cebu. It was a short but great trip.
The highlights:
Accommodations: We chose Crimson because we frequent high-rise hotels when traveling and decided this time we wanted a villa/bungalow type of room. No hallways and no elevators. Crimson checked those boxes. They also accommodated our requests for a king bed and first floor room.
Activities and amenities: Our daughter loved Crimzone and the children’s pool. It was hard to get her to leave. The Saturday foam party was fun and the pool staff were engaging. My wife and I both availed the spa and wow, we can see why they won an award for Best Value in Asia. The price was affordable while the quality of service was top-notch.
Food: The buffet breakfast was good and had a lot of variety. My favorite item was the fruit and veggie smoothies. Who knew bakchoy and mango blend well together? But it was the attentive staff that really made breakfast a great experience. We tried the 24-hour room service and I swear the chicken club sandwich was one of the best I’ve had in my entire life 5/5!
The lowlights:
Here are some reasons why we are not giving Crimson an excellent review.
1. Overpriced/low quality food in Saffron during ala carte dinner. Our first night we arrived in the evening and were hungry. For two people (our daughter is a toddler) we paid over 5000php for an appetizer, 3 entrees, one beer and one bottle of water. Honestly, the price would be ok for this amount of food if the quality was better. I would suggest Aka or Enye for higher quality food although we didn’t try either. Saffron was empty that night and we found out why.
2. Distance to places/sites. Crimson is quite far for shopping or eating at other restaurants. We hired a private car for 3 hours and was only able to visit two sites and one pasalubong store. Luckily it was only moderate traffic on that Saturday. 2500php for a sedan for 3 hours was reasonable.
3. The gift shop is waaaay overpriced. 950php for a small tube of sunblock seemed very high even at a resort. We also wanted some souvenirs, but there wasn’t much variety at all.
4. Our room needed some TLC. The paint in the nice tub was chipping, the caulking in the showers could use a refresh and there was a huge ipis (roach) in the closet. Luckily we spent most of the time outside the room.
5. No floaties or life vests for toddlers to use, even for rental. Despite having almost everything else, this would have been a nice touch.
6. We came to Cebu for mangoes and lechon, but Crimson didn’t offer these items and again, because of distance, it would have been nice to have some at the hotel.
The bottom line:
We enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend it to others, however we would give them our full review so they are aware of the pros and cons.
Thank you to the wonderful staff that made up for the minor issues we encountered!
JJOJO RAFAELESStayed for 2 nights with my family — our first time to try the new building/wing — and it truly exceeded our expectations. We were given two adjacent rooms with a common access area, making it feel like we were staying in our own private suite. The rooms were impeccably clean, thoughtfully designed, and very comfortable. The pool view from our rooms was soothing and relaxing, setting the perfect tone for a family getaway.
Breakfast at the 12th floor was a delightful experience. We used to dine at Abalone in the OJ Wing during previous stays, but this time was extra special — great variety, excellent food quality, and warm, attentive staff who made the morning even more pleasant.
The service throughout the resort was consistently exceptional — from check-in, housekeeping, and dining staff, everyone was courteous, welcoming, and always ready to help. Facilities are well-maintained, and the entire environment truly makes it feel like a premium family vacation destination.
Highly recommended for family bonding and leisure. Thank you, JPark, for another memorable stay. We’ll definitely be back soon! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
ผผู้เข้าพักWow - Super hotel. Best hotel I have visited in years. Staff polite, efficient and attentive in a polite way. Room was very large, with some free mini cookies and a few free juices. Food and drinks reasonable. Breakfast had a great range of food. The steak at the restaurant was super They even notified breakfast group I could not take milk. Lots of couples but as a solo traveller felt cared about. From start to finish flawless. Even twice a week one hour of free cocktails. When it rains the staff already start wiping down tables and once eases gardeners are out sweeping the leaves off the pathways to help maintain its beautiful appearance. Seriously impressed
ผผู้เข้าพักI came here for white sand beach. But in fact beach is so dirty... during 5 days I've been here all days were so many seaweed and plastic in the water. One day I even couldn't swim. Snorkeling is poor as well.
Hotel is clean and nice. But there some things, I didn't like.
1. No shower at the beach.
2. Security doesn't do anything with annoying sellers at the beach. Literally every 3-5 minutes I was distracted by locals selling something. I came here for peace and calm. This is annoying so much
3. I asked at the reception can I take phone and pocket to the beach, they said NOOOO it's not safe. Keep all your things with you. How can I relax in such environment? What exactly security do there then?
4. The price for this hotel equal to Marriott, but quality is not the same. I feel economy through everything. Very thin toilet paper. Diluted soup in washroom. And breakfast ... First time in my life I saw cheese cold cuts size 2×2 centimeters. Literally. I paid a lot for this hotel and don't want feel economy vibe.
5. Evening buffet doesn't work everyday. Yeah, it cost not much... but anyway meat there was with bones or soooo hard to chew. Again this economy vibe🙄 was it hard to take a normal meat? Not the cheapest one
6. Check out at 11 am.... what? I've been at 25 countries and hundreds hotels. This is first time check out so early. I asked for late check out and what they gave me is 1 hour more. So basically just a normal check out time. Insane
7. The quality of drinking water is very bad.
8. Ice for drinks probably made from tap water. It's too bad.
9. I feel pressure from sign near elevators. ”Using the stair promotes good health”. I've got a knee injury, I can't use stairs. Didn't I pay enough to use elevator? Or again you wanna save some electricity? Why to put this sign? Again this economy vibe...
So faithful for this place is 6.5/10
But any sense to come here? Beach is so dirty...