Where to Stay in Cebu: Spianada Condominium via AirBnB

I love AirBnB. There is not a day that I do not check AirBnB. I check for random places, and I check for new places to stay here in Cebu City. My husband and I live in a tiny apartment in the city. When my family comes to visit, we do not mind how cramped it gets but it does get uncomfortable at times. So the last time my family visited, we decided to look for a bigger place. My sister suggested we go to a hotel with a swimming pool but I thought it would be expensive, so we decided to check AirBnB especially after we were very satisfied with our booking in Melaka. In Cebu, we found several good places but we wanted some place where we will have access to a swimming pool because our nephews are water babies and a place very near the center of the city and the port. We were glad we were able to chance upon MC/Hatena’s one-bedroom unit at the Spianada.

The booking with Hatena took longer than my booking with Layang-Layang mostly because I was holing up with my home buddies at the Paragon Suites and the unit owner required a passport and I didn’t have it with me. But after that was settled, everything went fine. Hatena sent me an email of the instructions on how to access the unit and the rules and regulations and off we go!

Location:

Spianada Condominium

Rahmann St.

— near Sacred Heart Church

— near USC North Campus (fka Boys High)

How to Get There:

From Ayala — A taxi ride will cost you P50 to P60, and take about 5 to 10 minutes.

To Ayala — Walk to Mango Avenue (one short block) and ride the 12L jeepney.

To Fuente Osmena — Walk to Mango Avenue. Cross the street. Ride the 03B jeepney.

From Fuente Osmena — Ride the 12L jeepney and walk the one short block to the condominium.

— Hailing a taxi is not a problem because there are many taxis parked in the area.

Rates: For 2 nights, we paid a total of P8,294 (P7,409 + P885 service fee). We were supposed to be 7 adults and 1 child, so our cost per person would be P1,036.75, and our cost per day per person would be P518. Not bad at all, especially if you compare this with booking a hotel room.

Wheelchair-friendly?: Yes. There are lifts that are spacious for wheelchairs and accompanying people and there are no unnecessary obstacles in the hallways.

Connectivity: It was decent but there was a data cap so I suggest you bring your own if you are going to use the Internet for work. If its just for social media browsing, the internet connection provided by the owner was just adequate.

Things I loved:

• Swimming Pool. Of course, we booked the place primarily because of the swimming pool. My nephew surely enjoyed it, and we did too especially because when we went swimming, it was just my husband and I and everything was so quite, we could not believe we were in the middle of the city.
• You can cook and eat inside. The kitchen came equipped with almost everything you need to do basic cooking. There was a big refrigerator that iced really well to the delight of my mother who loves ice cold Coca-Cola. There was also a microwave that we used to reheat our pizza. There was an electric 2-burner stove, which my brother expertly used to cook rice. There was also a range hood, which proved helpful when we cooked our dried fish. There was a knife, ladles, a pot and a pan, an electric kettle, mugs, drinking glasses, and plates. There was no rice cooker but we made do with the pot to cook our rice. The only downside was the lack of a dining table. So we made do with the coffee table.
• Accessibility. This location was very accessible. If you want to go to church, the Sacred Heart Church is a walking distance. There are also several restaurants nearby (No. 9 and Lighthouse), and a 7-11 and a coffee shop/cafe is also located across the condominium building.
• Extras count. There were towels for everyone when we arrived, which we really appreciated. There were also two thick mattresses prepared for us. There were drawers and clothes rack that we also appreciated because my mother brought newly washed clothes (?). There was even a washing machine that my mother thought of using.
• Big couch. We all agreed we loved the big couch. We are now scouting for a similar one.

P.S. You can use my AirBnB link –> www.airbnb.com/c/psychec3

Where to Stay is a series in Pens and Passports featuring accommodation (hotels, hostels, dormtels, homestays, etc.), based on the author's actual experience. This series is not sponsored content but this blog is an affiliate of travel aggregator companies. Clicking on the affiliate links included in this post will allow Pens and Passports to earn a little money.