Molly E.
Yelp
My time in the Philippines was the best time i have ever had. My boyfriend and i visited mactan, oslob/santander and cebu city early december. It was a very different experience then what we are used to. We stayed at the Crimson Resort and Spa in Mactan, Philippines for our first four days. The hotel shuttle bus picked us up from the airport and drove us directly to the front door of the hotel. Before entering, the bellhop boys took our bags and gave us a number. We entered the walkway into the hotel with an astounding view of the ocean right in front of us, we took a right into the open lobby and was greeted with an ice cold filippino beverage. Check-in did take longer than expected, as we had just gotten off a 16 hour flight and 30-40 minute drive from the airport, my boyfriend and I were just longing for a cold shower.
This review could be pages long, but let's just state the key points during our stay:
Service - was astonishing. Every employee we walked pass, we were greeted with a hand on the heart and a big smile. Even from a random electric guy working on the wires outside. It was something we could not get used to, otherwise we would come back to the states spoiled.
Room - Clean, spacious and comfortable. Through double skinny doors was the walk in glass shower, tub, double vanity and bidet toilet. King size bed with plush pillows, feather comforter and an elephant folded up from towels.
Grounds/location - Located in the far back of a neighborhood, not much around to walk to. Crimson has a lot of land and many activities to choose from. 2 large pools, 3 restaurants, its own private beach and spa. This place would be perfect to be there during bad weather because there seemed to always be something to do.
Spa - My boyfriend and I got the couples massage we were able to book same day. We arrived to the spa and was greeted with a beverage and cold towel which was exactly what i needed due to heat and humidity. We went our separate ways and i was given a locker for my belongings and a robe to change into. The women's locker room had a relaxation lounge that smelt of eucalyptus oils, a sauna and steam room with a private coed pool and hot tub for spa customers only. For $10,000 PHP, we had an hour and half deep tissue body massage and a thirty minute facial. All was incredibly relaxing and felt so good, i wish there was a way to extend this feeling of being cleansed and calm.
Saved the best for last was our island hopping tour. $112,000 PHP gave us a picnic basket filled with enough food for two, a bottle of wine and the best tour guide, JOEL! We arrived at check-in before the other guests and was able to pick out our snorkeling gear first. Everything was carried for us onto the boat along with our belongings. The boatmen were very kind and greeted us with smiles and helped us onto the boat. As we headed towards our first island, JOEL offered to take many pictures of my boyfriend and I. He even offered us to sit at the very tip of the boat (they were thee ultimate seats on the boat and only fits 2). It was about a 20-25 minute ride to the first island and being able to sit on the front of the boat made it feel like we were flying. It was an amazing experience. Upon arrival, we were given our gear and went out on our own. The water was so clear and my boyfriend and I collected all the blue starfish we could find and put them all in a pile so they can "hangout." JOEL appears with a giant bag of bread and hands us a few to feed the fish. The moment bread drops into the water, hundreds of fish gather around it and quickly snatch it all up, gone in seconds. After snorkeling, we decided to explore the island a little then have our lunch on the boat. JOEL laid out a picnic blanket over a wooden table and placed our food on top along with a glass of wine. We had lunch looking over the beautiful blue ocean and was able to relax while waiting for the other group to finish up. It was a quick 10-15 minute ride to the next island, but this location was private property and we were unable to set foot on the island. The water was much deeper here and you can feel two different water temperatures. It was warm where you can see the bottom of the ocean, then it cuts off to where you can't even see the bottom anymore and that was when it got cold. The deep dark sea frightened me a bit, but snorkeling was amazing at this location. Much bigger fish with bigger mouths and different colors, different shapes, etc. The magnificent JOEL swam down 50-75ft to the bottom of the ocean and captured tiny tiny seahorses the size of thread. Impossible to see and super fast, we were so impressed by JOEL. On our way back, JOEL had set up a bed-like at the front of the boat where we sat earlier. He used towels and his lifeguard tube for cushion, it was the cutest! As we sat down, he poured us the remaining of our bottle of wine and took more pictures for us. He was an amazing tour guide and deserves a raise!