[Top] 97 Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel

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• 8/31/2019

  Costabella:

  My mom and I took a weekend trip to Cebu. Based on the quality reviews and reasonable price we decided to stay at Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel. We arrived at Cebu around noon on a Friday. Given the time and day of the week, I wasn’t surprised by the traffic getting from the airport to the hotel. It took around 30 minutes, but I’m sure the commute wouldn’t take as long during non-rush hours. The taxi cab driver knew his way getting to Costabella and even took the hotel’s privately-owned road. As we entered the grounds, I was blown away by the beauty of the place. If I didn’t know any better, it looked like a legit resort!
  I found that customer service was excellent overall. Front desk, wait staff, housekeeping, spa staff/masseuses, and other staff members were very friendly and helpful.
  Costabella had all the amenities for a comfortable stay. It had 2 pools, a boardwalk with beach chairs and cabana type loungers, access to a swimming pool in the middle of the sea, gym, spa, tapas restaurant/bar (Luna), a casual dine-in restaurant (La Marina), and a fine dining pan-Asian restaurant (Brisa).
  My mom and I stayed in one of the “standard” rooms. Our room definitely had a villa-style feel to it and appeared to be an older room, but I honestly didn’t mind it at all. Most important thing to me was that it was clean. Our room was conveniently located across the way from the gym and spa. Only downside was that we could hear everything and everyone that made noise outside our window.
  Lema Spa:
  I had the opportunity to get a massage at the Lema Spa on my first day at Costabella. The spa was open from 2pm to midnight. I happened to walk by the spa around 1:30pm and noticed a hostess outside. I asked her if she was taking reservations for the day, and she was! I was able to make a reservation on the spot with no problem.
  Lema Spa was also able to accommodate short notice changes. My spa appointment was initially just for me at 2pm, but my mom decided 10 min to 2 that she wanted a massage too. I called the spa from the room, and they were able to squeeze in my mom for the same type of service.
  I had the Philippines herbal massage, and I loved it. The session was for a 90 min full body massage that incorporated hot compresses of satchels filled with Filipino herbs. Each satchel consisted of 5 types of herbs. I don’t know the English names for some of them, but I know that ginger and lemongrass were for sure 2 of the 5 herbs. My masseuse was Rosie, and she was great! Very skilled at what she does, and I appreciated that she applied the perfect amount of pressure. What’s cool about this massage was that you get the healing benefits of the herbs. You’re not wiped you off with a hot towel after the massage. You’re told to absorb the juices from the herbs left on your skin for the rest of the day.
  Luna:
  Luna was such a beautiful bar! I loved the decor and the luxurious lounge areas that looked like indoor gazebos. It also had an area for billiards and another are for darts. Music was bumping with top 40 and contemporary Latin hits. Definitely a fun place to party.
  Worth stopping by from 5-7pm for a good happy hour deal! Drinks were 40% off during this time. I don’t remember the name of my drink, but it was some type of lemon flavored martini made with tequila. It tasted a lot like a lemon drop, so I was a fan. I’m also not used to getting martinis with tequila, so that was a nice change.
  My mom and I also got an appetizer to share. We got the prosciutto, cheese, and watermelon bites. It was super basic but totally fine for what it was. We simply needed some type of snack to absorb the alcohol, and they did the trick.
  La Marina:
  My mom and I had dinner at La Marina on the first of our stay. It was the perfect spot for more chill vibes. The restaurant was located in the middle of the whole place and next to one of the pools, which made for fun people watching. Shout out to the live band that was going around serenading each table! My mom and I had the seafood platter and Bangus sisig to share, and we both enjoyed everything we ate.
  I got breakfast at La Marina on one of the mornings during my stay at Costabella. I had the Filipino breakfast with beef tapa, and it was delicious. The beef was particularly tender (back in the US it’s typically tough in texture) and very flavorful. I highly recommend it.

• 10/23/2022

  This is a beautiful hotel. The mini Gym is wonderful with a garden view. The massage at the spa is the best. The beach is clean, pool area is fun and the staff are the nice and welcoming. Near the airport about 15-20mins without traffic, far from Cebu city about an hour.

  Need Improvement: Wifi goes in and out not strong
  Front Staff didn’t fully explain upon arrival that kayaks and paddle boarding are included with room.

• 7/14/2017

  This is paradise ! I love the place, the food and the staff! Wish we can come back again soon. I will definitely tell my fiends and coworkers in California to check

  Out this place when they’re in Cebu.

• 3/31/2017

  This place is off the beaten path. Taxi driver won’t know where this is but just say Maribago, Blue Water Resort.. then tell him to drive past it. You drive down about 3 mins through a small road past little houses, an elementary school and locals. Then you’ll see the sign to turn right to Costabella. When you get closer a security guard will ask for your room number which for me makes me uncomfortable so I give the wrong number lol. Then you get to the gate and they grab the taxi’s driver’s license. Makes me feel safe that they get all that info.

  Taxi from the airport cost $200 pesos. Here’s a tip too, the taxi line was insane at the airport. You have the option to go to the yellow taxi line which just means they add $70 pesos to the meter. Line is shorter but still I didn’t want to wait. I walked across the street to the waterfront hotel and got a taxi immediately.
  Costabella…. is a very well maintained hotel. They just didn’t build it, collect money and let it run down. Tub, sink and toilet is Kohler brand. They have nicely hot water if needed. Air conditioning is cold. Bed is a little springy. Room safe, hair dryer, clean and towels are decent. One thing that is important to me is mold in the bathroom. No mold around the tub but slight mold in the grout.
  I had the deluxe room on my first night and had to upgrade to the premium for the second night for availability. I think that was a sales tactic because the hotel is empty. Oh well. The premium room had these additional items.. slippers, robes, bigger bed, balcony, partial beach view and more stuff for sale at the mini bar lol oh but the premium rooms had vinyl shower curtain, the deluxe didn’t. The shower curtain bottom was full of mold.
  Service here is impeccable. Don’t forget to tip. They go out of the way to make you comfortable. Constantly checking on me to see if I’m okay or hell, they even put load on my cell phone because I ran out. One downside, I would not order the tours here. It’s half cheaper if you look elsewhere. The atmosphere is very nice. They did put effort in making sure it’s relaxing. I love the authentic old Spanish Filipino furniture and detailness in their design here.
  You can get massages in your room. Expensive but if you have a free voucher, it’s perfect! It’s like $1500 pesos when you can normally get it for $500 pesos.
  The food is delicious. Not as great as Shangrila but their buffet here is definitely much cheaper. I’d come back for sure. Not too many vegan choices here if you are vegan. They did have a fruit section and salad section.
  The beach cabanas are free. They have a pool table for free. Free volleyball. They have a ping pong table but you will need to have cash to buy a ball at the gift shop for $50 pesos.
  Cons…. no shuttle, tours expensive, additional taxi expenses, pricey, beach is closed off so on low tide, all you get is algae
  They should lower their prices
  Five stars for outstanding service. If the service was mediocre, I would give 4 stars for price and moldy shower curtain.

• 4/22/2016First to Review

  It’s a resort style hotel with good service and reasonable prices. They have a small private beach with rough sand. Lots of water sports possible. The “superior rooms” don’t have a sea view but there are more pricey ones that have. All in all a good place to stay for a few days.