Enough of the summer heat because you can now use the marks on our body as a substitute to a city map with the lines we got from successive weekends spent in any place, perhaps beach, we wanted. It was time to relieve those burns and stay under the shades, even just for a weekend, an exciting weekend in Quest Hotel Cebu.
Months ago, some of us were able to stay in Quest Hotel Cebu for an overnight of supposedly rainy staycation. Rain didn’t come but it was the first time that I got a chance to spend a night in the hotel known as a “business hotel in the heart of Cebu City”. Billeted in one of the cozy rooms, I can say that the hotel really offers its branding: cool, clean, and comfy.
Most of the hours on that visit were spent inside our rooms; reading some books, cocooning under the soft sheets, or catching up with blogs. For our second stay, other members of the group were able to join and it was another way for me to see other things to do and enjoy in the hotel. And with that, here are other reasons why your barkada needs to spend a summer weekend in Quest Hotel Cebu:
WATCH MOVIES
For the second time, I was able to establish the reality that staying the entire time inside Quest Hotel’s rooms is probably the number one challenge to resist for you to discover other leisure activities the hotel offers. The not-that-massive but right-sized beds, over the fur-sprawling carpet, are covered with soft sheets having two enormous fluffy pillows. The room interior was softly illuminated by lamps on the desk flanked by the beds and one near the television.
Sun was dispersing its blistering heat and the best thing for us to do was to take out that hard drive full of travel movies, connect it to the television, and voila! One of the rooms was converted into a posh movie house. With all of us having the travel bug, The Art of Travel was the best option. Soft beds, cool temperature, funny friends, and a travel movie, can we consider it perfect? Absolutely yes!
HAPPY HOUR BY THE POOL
Using the pool was another option and since it was summer, every family with a kid staying in the hotel was probably in the pool area, swimming and lurking. It was awkward for us adults to join these youngsters, so we just stayed in one of the cottages and ordered some booze from the poolside bar.
Our group’s discussion on some future travel plans, domestic and abroad, continued over some glasses of mojito, margarita, and some other cocktails available. Apart from that, we also enjoyed watching those kids jumping on the pool.
PLUSH VIDEOKE SESSION
When someone told us that we will be having a videoke session, I wondered if the hotel has rooms intended for the event. I’m sure it wasn’t one of their regular rooms as it might ruin the hotel experience of the other guests. Believe me; we were shocked when we found out that one of their conference rooms, which is really huge about six times of the karaoke room we usually avail on music lounges, became the witness of some uncanny singings that night.
The session started at a slow pace without anyone willing to hold the microphone. Everyone searched for their most comfortable position on some couches available. If you’re always relying on Spotify’s top charts, the songs available probably won’t meet your preference, but some great songs from the early 2000s howled inside the conference-cum-videoke room.
When bowls of popcorns arrived, together with some coolers and cocktails like margarita, and daiquiri, the group started belting out some pop and rock songs that hopefully didn’t disturb guests on other floors. We also ordered soft tacos, burgers and fries, barbecue, chicken wings, and sizzlers. We really enjoyed that session that we weren’t able to monitor the time with the three hours included in the package swiftly passed by.
DINE AT PUSO BISTRO AND BAR
When food is a magical word for everyone in your group, then Puso Bistro and Bar will definitely be your hangout place during your stay in Quest Hotel Cebu. The in-house restaurant is always ready to cater good food from breakfast all the way to dinner. Buffet is common in Puso and you will have food coma after you enjoy every section of their buffet.
For breakfast, I usually start with a congee generously topped with toasted garlic, onion leeks, some chicharon, and a squeeze of calamansi. A cheese, cold cuts, and nuts are also available in every buffet breakfast apart from baked goodies like croissant, muffins, as well as waffles and pancakes. Staples on the main entrée sometimes play around corned beef, fish fillet, sausages, cured beef, stir-fry veggies, noodles, and danggit. Don’t forget the egg that can be cooked in any way you wish. In addition is a “taho man” who goes around the dining area offering silken tofu, with sweet flavorings, and tapioca pearls.
The buffet spread grows larger during lunch time with lechon added on one of the sections; flavored puso is also another must-try during the meal. Apart from that, there are numerous stations to try: Japanese section with a lot of sushi rolls and sashimi delights, varieties of dimsum for those who love Chinese food, and desserts for folks who can’t hide their sweet tooth.
During the afternoon, the restaurant offers Filipino Merienda with three trays of Filipino’s usual afternoon snack like pancit palabok, camote balls, Cebuano torta, dinuguan, kutchinta, cassava cake, biko, and a lot more. I love pancit palabok and it was a hit for me pairing it with the soft puto that should be paired for the blood stew (dinuguan). The afternoon snack is available every day from 2 PM to 6 PM together with creating your own pizza from a selection of delicious toppings on an 8” pizza served with a pitcher of iced tea for Php250. Try the sisig pizza!
With all the buffets, ala carte dining is also available. For dinner, we shared plateful surprises such as Sarimanok (chicken breast rolled and stuffed with ham and cheese served with spaghetti of vegetables and mango sauce), Salmon Teriyaki (marinated in honey-teriyaki glaze and served with Japanese spring vegetable ragout), and Cebuano Pochero (traditional Cebuano clear ginger soup of beef shank, sweet corn, bamboo shoot, and native pechay).
In addition are Linguine Aligue (linguine pasta in white wine and crab fat sauce topped with grilled shrimp and mushroom, garnished with shaved queso de bola and toast), Region 7 (ceviche of tangingue, green mango, cucumber, shallots, and guso seaweed dressed with native pinakurat vinegar), and Lumpia Napoleon (sautéed heart of palm layered in crispy fried wonton and glazed with garlic-peanut sauce).
For the much-awaited dessert: Bananalicious Pie (buttery crust filled with vanilla ice cream and chunks of bananas drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrup and topped with whipped cream), and the Luxury Cheesecake (cheesy delightful bite of white chocolate cheesecake topped with fresh mango decorated our dining table.
BURN SOME CALORIES IN THE FITNESS CENTER
One for all, all for one! After an irresistible appetite with the buffets, merienda, and high-calorie desserts, working out to burn some of those carbs taken is a great idea. Influence your barkada to crowd Quest Hotel Cebu’s fitness center. The gym has a small workout area with free weights, stationary exercise bikes, and treadmills among others.
SUNSET WATCHING
If by chance you already exhausted the things I mentioned from one to five, staying inside your quarter during sundown will give you a spectacular view of the sunset, especially if your room faces the mountainous side of the city. The horizon will be dyed with glitzy hues of red and purple that signifies a great day about to end. These moments make you utilize the coffee and tea making facility to make some hot coffee to boost the ambience.
It was a short break from the crowded beaches and waterfalls but it was a needed break no matter how short it was. For about 46 hours, our group experienced things we weren’t imagined doing in Quest Hotel Cebu aside from sleeping and cuddling with our own beds. We spent most of our time in our rooms the last we stayed there and the recent one had forced us to do the opposite. Before I forget, Quest Hotel Cebu is also few steps away from Ayala Center Cebu, where shopping is a mere thing to do.
Quest Hotel and Conference Center – Cebu
Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines
Contact Nos: +6332-402-5999 / +6332-230-5888
Email: cebuinfo@quest-hotels.com
Website: http://www.questhotels.com/eng/location/hotel/3-Quest-Hotel-And-Conference-Center—Cebu
Videoke and sunset photo credit to Doi of The Travelling Feet.
Disclosure: Our group would like to thank Quest Hotel Cebu for hosting our summer weekend event in Cebu City.
