Fun under the sun!

CEBU, Philippines - My family and I stayed in the city over the Holy Week, so I arranged for us to be together at Imperial Palace  Waterpark & Spa on Dark Saturday. I got a Local Resident's Package (Mactan Garden View Suite - P11,000.00 nett) for an overnight stay for two with two adult breakfast buffet (inclusive of two children's buffet below 12 years old). Since Allen's children are younger (Noah, almost three, & Sabrina, one and a half), he and doctor wife Jennifer joined my sister Joy and me in the morning, until lunchtime. 

My elder son Ian with daughter Meg (almost five years old) came by 3pm to use the credit coupons to the Kids' Club (P1,500.00, max. of two children for five hours' use), Fun Under the Sun (P300 worth for Tamiya Car Racing, Arts & Crafts, Angry Birds, etc.) and the Aqus Summer Bucket (P500 worth of five drinks of beer or soda with nuts or chips). I gave Meg the cute blue Woopee mascot that is a cross between a starfish and a water splash glob. You figure it out!

By 10:30 am, Jinjin went to the Familia Buffet Restaurant to order a la carte for her and the two nannies. I came down an hour later and still no food! Baby Sab was ready to nap, so I had to take over letting her sleep as the mother and her nanny were still waiting for their orders. (Lesson: NEVER go to Familia Buffet for a la carte orders, BEFORE lunch or dinner, as the kitchen and dining staffs are usually frenetically preparing the buffet spread. You may go to the Chinese or the Korean restaurants.) When Sab's nanny was done, we went up to my suite and settled the baby in the bedroom. The rest later still enjoyed by watching the flat tv in the living room and chatting in the bar area, while the nannies were enjoying the view in the balcony….Baby Sab continued napping. This is the advantage of being in a suite!

My son Allen and little Noah went straight to the pool to maximize swimming time. At first, Noah was daunted by the slide. But with his dad's encouragement, my grandson later told me he liked the slide! There were however no more lounging chairs by the time they reached the pool. The nanny had to wait at a vacant space with all their things. As there was no available shade, they wanted to rent a cabana, but the rate is prohibitive! (Attention management: please make sure that there are enough facilities in the pool areas, especially at peak times. It would also be child-friendly to have shaded areas available.) The swimmers were happy with the clean and spacious shower rooms.

    It was Holy Week – peak season – and occupancy was a high 97-98 percent; yet, we had a smooth and fast check-in. (And also the check-out!) The customer assistance counter where I was directed upon check-in had smiling and attentive staff. Every hotel employee, from maintenance personnel to restaurant supervisors, greeted us with a sincere smile and a concern for our satisfaction. Impressive!

Every Saturday, the hotel transforms the pool area nearest the buildings into a theme night. It was Pirates' Night that Saturday with some catchy live band music, and the sumptuous buffet offerings included a little of everything: Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean, Korean, Filipino (lechon!), western and a grill station. Options: P1,770.00 nett for food; P2,200 nett for food and bottomless drinks (iced tea, juices, draft beer or house wines).

This is open to walk-in guests. That night, we were attended well by an SMC-OJT HRM student from Iligan City, Laurice Sajonia, who gave us all the information we wanted, including the fact that there are two other theme nights - World Fiesta and Hawaiian Night.

Do grab this very reasonable Local Resident's package of the Imperial Palace! I saw the hotel swarming with locals, which warmed my heart. World-class facilities in Cebu must also be affordable to be enjoyed by Cebuanos. And be sure to avail of the FREE Woopee Bundle inclusive of the package, which is freebies worth P4,000.00!