Where to stay in Cebu? Express Inn Cebu is an ideal choice for travelers on a budget. Located on the main highway of the capital of Cebu, this three-star hotel is only walking distance from SM City Cebu and just minutes away from Mactan Cebu International Airport and many of Cebu City’s tourist and business attractions as well as a range of shops and restaurants. Everything is convenient and hotel guests can take complimentary breakfast at Sammy’s Restaurant situated just beside it.
Related: Click here to read about the top 6 tourist attractions we visited in Cebu, Philippines.
Review of Express Inn, Your Friendly Budget Hotel (Cebu, Philippines)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
As a budget hotel, Express Inn Cebu’s ambiance was fair. Room designs were simple but neat and functional. Each of the 84 rooms came equipped with comfortable beds for a good night’s sleep, a flat-screen cable TV, mirror, air conditioning, soothing hot and cold shower in the bathroom, and toiletries kit. Wi-Fi was available but could only be accessed in the hotel’s lobby. A mini refrigerator was present only in the family room and it’s useful to store leftover food and those for pasalubong.
In general, things looked well except for the broken/missing vertical blinds in the window that were not fixed or replaced either by a new set of blinds, draperies, curtain, or some form of shades to control the light entering the room and provide guests with a level of privacy they require. Also, since we stayed in a room facing the street, we could hear the noise outside. People who are sensitive to noise and have troubles sleeping might not find this positive.
Moreover, there was no partitioned flooring between the shower area and the toilet, so water easily could spill into the entire bathroom.
Service: ★★★★☆
Express Inn Cebu is open 24 hours, with reception and room service manned daily. Staffs were kind and polite in their work, however it was frustrating how each request we made (e.g. heating of food in their microwave oven, asking for warm water to drink) entailed extra cost we thought should not be charged. I’m not sure if this is really how budget inns usual operate.
Food: ★★★☆☆
At Sammy’s Restaurant, options for complimentary breakfast include corned beef, luncheon meat, pork ham, chicken hotdog, and fish fillet. Each meal comes with egg scramble, toasted bread, and fruits. For those who prefer eating rice meals can have silog meals served with juice or coffee by just adding PhP 40 to upgrade to “continental breakfast.” With adequate portions and decent tastes, options for silog meals were: ham, tapa, longganisa, tocino, bacon, daing, danggit, and corned beef.
The food was nothing beyond we have anticipated. Presented nicely, the meal made us full and satisfied at the start of the day before we hit the road and went on our guided trip. Apart from breakfast items, Sammy’s Restaurant also serves international and local cuisines. Food delivery service to the hotel room is possible.
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
Express Inn Cebu may not be at the forefront of Cebu city’s eating and drinking scene, but its excellent location is among its most appealing qualities, when you’re set out to explore Cebu’s famous tourist attractions. A fine choice for budget-conscious families, this hotel tends to offer a good value for pricing, with well-appointed basic rooms and an on-site restaurant on the ground floor.
Room rates per night are as follows: (Prices are subject to change so it’s advisable to contact the hotel directly to inquire for best deals.)
- Superior double room (one queen-size bed): PhP 1180
- Superior twin room (two single beds): PhP 1680
- Family room (two queen-size beds): PhP 1880
Note: Check-in time is 2:00PM and check-out time is until 12:00NN.
[schema type=”review” url=”http://www.expressinnph.com/” name=”Express Inn, Your Friendly Budget Hotel” description=”M. J. Cuenco Avenue, Mabolo, Cebu City 6000 Cebu, Philippines” rev_name=”For inquiries and reservations, call (+6332) 266 7551, (+632) 266 7552, (+632) 231 7997, (+632) 318 8558, +63932 875 7264 or +63917 314 8280 or e-mail reservation@expressinnph.com” author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2015-06-29″ user_review=”14″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]
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