It was a Friday morning when a girlfriend and myself decided to head over to Mactan from Cebu to spend a day at the Shangri-La Resort. It was not too hard to find a taxi in Manduae that would take us there. It was a refreshing change to drive out of Cebu City on roads across the bridge to Mactan that were not busy like in Cebu City. The taxi would cost over just over 200 pesos and it took us through the heavy security right to the front entrance.

The staff were extremely friendly right throughout the day from greeting us until complying with our request for a photo of us both. We would buy a day pass in the gift shop that was 2500 pesos per person. This fee would offer access to the resort until 6.pm.

We started with the included buffet lunch which was very well done. The only complaint I guess is that I would have loved some lobster but there were crab legs available. There was plenty of variety that included cuisine from various parts of the world, Indian, Philippine of course, Italian, Greek and other European delicacies.

We chose to keep it simple and have salads, variety of cold meats like ham and salami along with some warm and tender roast beef from the carvery. We also had fresh fruits, mousse, cheesecake and ice cream for deserts. We were pleasantly full and now ready to face a day of activity.

We started with a walk to the beach where we would have a 2 person game of beach volleyball. That was a lot of fun and a great way to warm up for a swim. My friend Anna was not a swimmer but I was planning to change that. After helping her put a cap on to keep her hair dry we jumped in the sea and enjoyed the tropical water. There were also a number of colourful fish species that would be all around swimming with us. That was one of the highlights of the day along with Anna learning to float on her back after some coaching.

After that swim we would then take a few photos before we would head off up to the health and fitness center to use the gym, spa and sauna that is all included in the day pass. Anna would proceed to bath in luxury in the sauna and spa etc while I would spend some time in the gym. The gym was everything you would expect in a 5 star hotel with the latest machines and enough free weights for the serious body builder to catch up on a regular workout. The gym has a nice view of the resort, great air conditioning and the sounds to pump you up for your routine.

The sauna was very nice, so hot at first and a long time since I had one but after a few minutes it felt a lot better. The shower had some top quality shampoo, conditioner and soaps to pamper yourself in luxury.

After the gym and shower etc we would then head back down and go to one of the two very large pools. It was an enjoyable time to swim in the pool but as an ocean lover I was looking forward to getting back into the salt water.

So after some more photos and more swimming in the beach water plus more photos it was time to head to the changing rooms and get ready to go. We would walk back out slowly, even if it was a bit after 6.pm and proceed to wait a few minutes for a taxi and say goodbye to the Shangri-La Resort.

It was a very enjoyable day with all of the best food, pools, gym and amazing views. Just being able to swim in some quite clean ocean water only a short distance from Cebu city is a nice experience and have some of the finest food and facilities at hand is very good. I would recommend everyone should spend at least one day at the Shangri-La Resort.