What better way to celebrate almost 3 months of parenthood than a well-deserved beach holiday at the Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu? Since our baby girl’s name Reyna means queen in Tagalog, it only made sense to make the Philippines her first travel destination. Cebu is the perfect place to start, as this popular destination in the central Visayas region is ideal for its ease of travel, mix of city energy and beach escapes, and great food (including some newly Michelin-recommended restaurants).
While my last trip to Cebu in 2019 was all about visiting its stunning waterfalls, island hopping, and eating lechon, this trip was about making our first vacation with our baby as easy and relaxing as possible. Shangri-La Mactan was the perfect choice for our baby-friendly beach holiday with its own private beach, 2 big pools, ample activities (including a free 6 hole golf park), and stroller-friendly grounds. So keep reading to get my honest thoughts on the resort (including what to eat and what to skip!) and how to plan your own getaway to Cebu.
Cebu overview
Cebu is one of the Philippines’ most convenient and well-rounded destinations. As the former first capital of the Philippines, it’s steeped in history and culture, with luxury resorts and beach escapes on Mactan Island (where Shangri-La is located), plus easy day trips to waterfalls, snorkel spots, and heritage sites.
Getting to Cebu (Mactan-Cebu International Airport, CEB)
- From Hong Kong (HKG): Regular nonstop flights on Cathay Pacific and Cebu Pacific
- From Manila (MNL): Frequent nonstop flights to Cebu throughout the day. If you’re traveling from outside of Asia, you will need to connect through Manila.
Why choose Cebu for a family-friendly holiday over other destinations in Asia?
There are so many gorgeous beach destinations in Asia, but the natural beauty, ease of communication with English as an official language, and warm hospitality of the Philippines always sets it apart. It’s especially the case with Cebu, which has such a wide range of things to do like its famous Kawasan Waterfalls and Osmena Peak, plus a bustling city center.
Now that we’re traveling with a baby, the biggest perk of Cebu for those living in Hong Kong like us is that it’s a short 2 hour and 15 minute direct flight from Hong Kong on either Cathay Pacific or Cebu Pacific. This is also ideal for timing feedings, as you can feed your baby for takeoff and 2 hours later, feed them again for landing to relieve your baby’s ears from the cabin air pressure (though a pacifier can also be used if your baby isn’t hungry).
Once you land in Cebu, immigration is quite quick since it’s a small airport. Before you exit the terminal, Shangri-La has a dedicated desk to assist with your hotel transfer. The driver will provide a refreshing cold, scented towel and bottled water before a large van transports you to the hotel in just 10-20 minutes. We were door-to-door from wheels down to the resort in 1 hour and 10 minutes!
It’s a big difference compared to other beach destinations like Phuket or Bali, which take 4-5 hours of flight time plus the potential of 1-2 hour drives in traffic after landing (as we experienced during our babymoon to Ubud 🥲).
We considered Da Nang or Phu Quoc for our first trip, but Cathay Pacific doesn’t fly directly to these destinations, and the weather in February also isn’t as warm or favorable as Cebu.
Shangri-La Mactan Resort Overview
Shangri-La Mactan is a sprawling tropical resort on the eastern side of Mactan Island, around 10 to 20 minutes from Mactan-Cebu International Airport depending on traffic. The grounds are lush, walkable, and stroller-friendly with two main buildings, a private beach, swimming pools, seven restaurants on site, tennis courts, diving center and even their own golf and marine parks.
Since it’s been open since 1993, the design is a bit older and dated compared to newer resorts, but the facilities are maintained well. This was also my first trip to the Philippines where I didn’t get a single mosquito bite, so the resort is definitely doing a good job of fogging the property.
What to love about the resort:
- Its beautiful protected private beach cove with big shaded cabanas and calm waters with colorful fish right at the shoreline (snorkeling is a must and free!)
- Multiple pools with different vibes, including family-friendly water slides for young kids
- A strong lineup of restaurants and bars (including excellent fries at every spot—I ordered extra crispy fries with ketchup and mayo 1-2 times a day 😂)
- A wide range of resort activities on-site
- Kid-friendly indoor and outdoor playgrounds and facilities
- On-site babysitting and childcare – we talked to a couple who used the services and they said the service was excellent and trustworthy
- Friendly and prompt service
What not to love about the resort:
- Massive resort with 530 rooms and high occupancy, so check-in times can potentially be long. We had no issues when arriving at 7PM, but noticed crowds during peak check-in from 2-4PM on the weekends. On the plus side, they have an air-conditioned hospitality lounge with snacks and drinks to wait in if your room isn’t ready yet (which we hung out in while waiting for our airport transfer after check out)
- Similarly, everything from the buffet to the pool will be busy at peak times. You will need to go early before breakfast is over, or later in the afternoon to snag a coveted shaded lounge chair. The resort has a policy that chairs can only be left unattended for 1 hour, so I recommend starting the day at the beach or pool, then leaving some belongings to save your seats and doing a quick breakfast so you can be back before the 1 hour is up
- Limited wine options, particularly at the beach where only beer and cocktails are available
- All the food and drinks are overpriced for the Philippines, but that’s to be expected at a luxury resort. Keep reading for my recommendations on the best things to eat so you get your money’s worth (this pancit canton from the lobby was yummy but overpriced at 690 PHP/US$12 compared to anywhere outside of the resort)
Deluxe Room + Baby Amenities at Shangri-La Mactan
While the hotel has a more modern Ocean Wing with panoramic sea views, we opted for the more affordable (though still expensive 😂) Main Wing Deluxe Room that my husband got with his corporate rate. The spacious room had a comfy king bed and balcony with a view of the pool and partial view of the beach. You can also request different types of pillows, which was perfect for building back support for breastfeeding.
Most importantly for us, the hotel provided a baby crib, baby bath tub, bottle warmer, and a bottle sterilizer to use after hand washing our bottles and pumps in the sink (all of the water on the resort is filtered and treated so there’s no issues washing with the tap). They will also provide extra water complimentary to use for sterilizing or for mixing with baby formula. You can also store your breast milk by simply calling in-room dining, and they will collect or deliver breast milk that they keep in their freezer. There’s also a long desk in the room so you can also set up a diaper changing station.
Recommended Dining at Shangri-La Mactan
Breakfast at Tides and Acqua
The included daily breakfast at Tides was a treat, though it does get quite busy during peak times with the potential of waiting for a table. Acqua has a more relaxed environment without having to wait, plus views of the Ocean Wing pool, but since the options are more limited, we ended up eating at Tides every day.
Besides the standard breakfast fare, pastries (the ensaymada are a must!), and omelette and noodle stations (which were frankly mediocre), the highlights were the grilled bacon, Korean items, and daily rotating Filipino meat and fish to pair with garlic rice and egg to make tapsilog, tocilog, and more. Don’t miss the fish items and pork chorizo de cebu, a sweet and savory version of longganisa specific to the region that is soo good, especially with pickled atchara from the salad bar. You also need to try the Cebuano specialties sikwate (hot chocolate) and puto maya (steamed glutinous rice with coconut milk, muscovado sugar, ginger and mangoes) that sit alongside different Filipino kakanin or chewy desserts like biko and pichi-pichi.
The best part of the breakfast buffet though is the frozen yogurt station that’s only available at Tides (hence why we always ate at Tides instead of Acqua). We got multiple scoops every single day! Try the plain and mango frozen yogurt with fresh fruit, and pair the cheese froyo with the also delicious ube ice cream (yes, vacation means ice cream for breakfast!).
Seafood with a view at Cowrie Cove
With a wide patio hanging over the water and refined seafood dishes, Cowrie Cove is perfect for a celebratory dinner at Shangri-La Mactan, especially since you’re likely to get a fireworks show if the resort is hosting a wedding that night. We loved the pan seared scallops and grilled octopus, and the charred mackerel is a nice option for main with very well-cooked fish. I’d skip the steamed mussels which were too plain for the price (we didn’t try any of the steaks given the high prices). Definitely save room for the mango cheesecake and banoffee pie for dessert. If we had more time, I would have liked to try the lobster rolls and sliders at Cowrie Cove’s bar that overlooks the beach.
Filipino Dinner Buffet and Cultural Show at Buko Bar
To immerse yourself in Filipino culture, you can book a table at their Kasadya Night on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays that includes a dinner buffet with folk dances and a fire show. It’s held just beside Buko Bar, Shangri-La Mactan’s poolside lounge and tiki bar, so you can order tiki cocktails to enjoy alongside all-you-can-eat juicy and crispy lechon and Filipino BBQ (the best parts of the buffet), plus kinilaw, sinigang, and more. There’s also a halo-halo station so you can build your own shaved ice. It’s a bit on the expensive side compared to your local Filipino restaurant, but you can get your money’s worth with the tasty grilled prawns and squid at the buffet.
You can also watch the cultural show without the dinner buffet by sitting at Buko Bar, where you can order burgers and bar bites. You’ll have a worse view further away from the stage, but this is a good option if you don’t have the appetite for a full dinner buffet and still want to watch traditional tinikling and sinulog performances. If you have a baby, I recommend bringing headphones as the music and drumming can be quite loud.
Beachfront Burgers at Breeze
This beachside shack serves Mediterranean food and burgers, which you can have delivered right to your beach lounger via QR code ordering. The coconut shake and mango shake are musts, and we also really loved the grouper burger with crispy, succulent fish. The burger is solid too with a Peruvian pepper sauce and mushrooms (though I did miss the classic cheeseburger that you can find at Buko Bar instead)
Elevated Italian Fare at Acqua
I’m always craving pizza on vacation, so thankfully there was delicious Italian food to be found at Acqua. The diavola pizza had nice flavor in the sauce and chewy dough, and we also enjoyed the prawn and burrata ravioli and tiramisu.
Resort Activities
The main draw of Shangri-La Mactan is definitely the sheer amount of things you can do without leaving the property. We mostly just hung out at their private beach and waded in the water, but they have their own snorkeling equipment, water sports and diving centers if you want more adventure.
We ran out of time to check out the spa since we spent so much time relaxing at the beach, but the resort also has a gym with complimentary jacuzzi hot tub, sauna and steam room.
A big reason we also chose Shangri-La is that it has a free 6 hole golf park, so my husband could practice his beginner golf game before visiting the nearby Mactan Island Golf Club. They also had mini golf, archery, petanque, badminton, and a small soccer field that would be perfect with kids.
Speaking of kids, they even have a 2 floor indoor playground that reminded me of a mini Discovery Zone plus their e-zone with arcade games and billiards tables.
Nearby side trip: SM City Cebu
If you want a break from resort life or need to pick up items you forgot, Shangri-La provides a free shuttle bus to SM City Cebu. It’s a large, new mall with a massive SM department store plus other shopping, dining, a supermarket. It’s an ideal place to buy souvenirs and pasalubong (small gifts to bring back for family and friends), especially from the Kultura Filipino store. They also have a nice family restroom with clean padded diaper changing stations and nursing rooms.
We primarily went to SM City Cebu to visit 2 places that are a must for us every trip to the Philippines. Sunnies Studios sells affordable and stylish sunglasses and makeup. You can also customize your own Sunnies Flask water bottle, where you choose a different color for every piece, and it also comes with free laser engraving.
We also wanted to eat at Manam, my favorite mini chain from Manila for comforting classics and twists on Filipino food. SM City Cebu has a bright and spacious location of Manam to enjoy their signature crispy pancit palabok and sweet and addictive ube sago shake, plus personal favorites like their gising gising (winged beans and ground pork in coconut milk) and sizzling bangus milkfish belly sisig.
Overall we had a wonderful first trip with Reyna, and we would definitely return to Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu for an easy direct beach destination from Hong Kong. It would be even better if you have young kids who can enjoy the indoor playground, mini golf, and water activities, so save Shangri-La Mactan for your next family beach holiday!
