Bai Hotel Cebu: Your Newest Host in the South
Cebu has always been one of the country’s prime destination because of its historical significance, the colorful Sinulog Festival and Mactan’s famous beaches and dive sites. However, it becomes even more remarkable when they open to the public different tours such as the whale shark watching tour, canyoneering and trekking to their numerous Gatorade-like waterfalls. Since then, the number of tourist coming in and out of Cebu keeps growing and growing. In addition, with that volume of tourist arriving whether for business and leisure, it is the best time and a good opportunity to any hotel chains to open their doors and provide their first-rate services and facilities. That is exactly what my friends and I experienced when we stayed at the newest five star hotel in the city, Bai Hotel Cebu.
Bai Hotel has 668 rooms, 12 conference and event venues and 8 dining options including a fine dining restaurant making them the biggest hotel in the whole Visayas and Mindanao today. This hotel is also a member of Worldhotels, an exclusive group of independent hotels around the globe.
We arrived passed midnight, straight from our office work and delayed flight, the staff assisted us and checking-in was so fast. Tired and hungry, we went straight to the Twilight, their roof deck lounge and bar that is accessible at the 23rd floor (open every Tuesday – Sunday from 6PM-2AM with 150 seating capacity). Their “gambas” was so good and so was their “chicharong bulaklak” that I requested for a cup of rice. I also had a glass of mojito. They said sleeping with full stomach is bad but the chow and cocktails we had was simply irresistible.
My friend and I woke up early and prepared for a morning commitment at the Executive Lounge at the 22nd floor (open every day from 6AM – 10PM and can accommodate up to 110 guests). There I met some of our friends and other new faces who arrived a day earlier than we did. It was fun as we shared stories other than travel, like how they manage to try the now infamous Keto diet and showbiz gossips, very travel bloggers right!? Just kidding!
My friend called me to prepare for lunch so I quickly freshen up. We went to Ume, a restaurant that serves an authentic a la carte Japanese cuisine in a smart casual ambience. My friends already ordered so I just shared with them since the servings were good for 3-4 persons. Oh! I ordered an extra bowl of ramen because I was craving for a soup. Ume is open Tues to Sun from 1130AM – 2:30PM and 6PM – 10PM.
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My friend and I woke up early and prepared for a morning commitment at the Executive Lounge at the 22nd floor (open every day from 6AM – 10PM and can accommodate up to 110 guests). There I met some of our friends and other new faces who arrived a day earlier than we did. It was fun as we shared stories other than travel, like how they manage to try the now infamous Keto diet and showbiz gossips, very travel bloggers right!? Just kidding!
My friend called me to prepare for lunch so I quickly freshen up. We went to Ume, a restaurant that serves an authentic a la carte Japanese cuisine in a smart casual ambience. My friends already ordered so I just shared with them since the servings were good for 3-4 persons. Oh! I ordered an extra bowl of ramen because I was craving for a soup. Ume is open Tues to Sun from 1130AM – 2:30PM and 6PM – 10PM.
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Our room is Deluxe Twin Room. What do we have in this kind of room? Well, read the list below:
Complimentary Daily Wi-Fi
Bai Toiletry Set
Electric Iron and Ironing Board
Individual Climate Control
Individual Refrigerator (not mini-bar)
In – room Electronic Deposit Box
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
Smoke Detectors
Sprinkler System
They have different rooms depending on your needs and/or number of guests who will occupy the room/s. For an extra person, they charge P1,800 (with breakfast) and P1,500 (without breakfast).
.Right after breakfast, while others were busy doing some little work, I went for a swim instead at the Infinity Outdoor Lap Pool. It is a 25-meter infinity pool overlooking the city skyline and has a pool bar that offers light snacks and drinks. The Pool Bar is located at the 21st floor and is open daily from 7AM to 10PM.
That afternoon, we went to the Temple of Leah, but it was raining so we were not able to stay longer. We went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for our dinner at our favorite lechon place in Cebu City, the Lechon Belly in Parkmall that is located just across the hotel. We let our friends tried our all-time favorite, of course the "spicy lechon belly”, “sinigang na lechon belly” and “dinuguan”. Men, we could not stop asking for more cups of rice. We also went to this bar called Octagon. It is just a few minute drive from the hotel and I heard that the door charge is waived for Bai Hotel guests; they will just show their room keycard. Koreans dominated the entire bar but it was sooooo fun as we also celebrated one of my friend’s birthday there.
The celebration continued at the Twilight where some of our Cebu-based friends joined us. There, more laughter and stories where shared over beer, cocktails and their best-seller “pulutan” platter.
We had a long night so when I woke for breakfast I quickly went at the Bai’s Café. They will assist you at the door entrance and please wait for your tables to be ready especially when the resto is full already, just like what happened to some of us. Bai Café can accommodate up to 460 guests.
However, I guess, during the time we were there, the hotel was fully booked, thus the waiting time.
Before we check out, we had the chance to try their famous steak at Marble + Grain. We can attest that this steakhouse is famous because it was full of diners when we arrived. We just sat at the bar, ordered our drinks and waited for our steak to be served. I was not that sure if they accept reservations since the place is quite small but better call them or ask the hotel’s receptionist for more info. This steakhouse is located beside Ume and is open Tues-Sun from 1130AM – 2:30PM and 6PM –10PM.
Other restaurants and bars in the hotel’s vicinity that we would love to try next time are the following:
Lobby Lounge – Open daily from 7AM – 12AM and can accommodate up to 126 guests
Wallstreet Coffee + Bar – open 24/7 
Just so you know why Bai Hotel’s location is almost perfect because of the following reasons: 25 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes from the Port of Cebu, 25 minutes from Cebu Business Park and 20 minutes from Cebu I.T. Park. It is also near SM City and Parkmall, Chong Hua Hospital Mandaue and Cancer Centre and UCMed and many other historical landmarks of Cebu City.
Overall, our 2 night-stay at Bai Hotel was what I perfectly need for that weekend after a weeklong office works. It was also my chance to catch up with some of our friends whom we had travelled long time ago, as well as meeting new friends in the community of social media influencers. If you badly need a break and just want to stay and eat, Bai Hotel Cebu is on my list definitely.
Bai Hotel Cebu
Address: A1 Ouano Ave, Mandaue City, 6014 Cebu
Phone: (032) 342 8888
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