BBubbleChimpGood for experienced divers but not for new divers, solo travellers, relaxing beach time or a deluxe experience even though it was £200+ a night so I did not think it was good value.
For me it was just the wrong choice and I didn't do enough research. The main disappointment comes down to me basing my expectations on the price instead of the 3 star rating. I haven't paid that much for a hotel before and usually go for 4 or 5 star places so I just don't understand the pricing, maybe that's just how it is in the Philippines. The staff and service are good, breakfast and the room are ok, spa and diving are the good amenities so it might be the diving location which warrants the price.
Lunch and dinner are good. I recommend the honey yoghurt muesli with mango and the chicken salad (with a dressing) for breakfast. Everything I had on the lunch/dinner menu was great - the tom kha gai soup, Dorado, burger, curry etc all good. Small range of beers and cocktails available but cocktails were good too.
The room and bathroom are fine for 3 star standards. There is termite stuff falling from the wood beams and dead moths or similar insects on shelves which did not get cleaned away.
The Swedish massage was good, I recommend Gail. The shiatsu was painful and pinched my skin so she switched to Swedish. The pool is murky and not enticing to swim in, lots of mozzies around it too.
I much preferred the beach and water conditions further down at Dauin. I like to relax on a nice beach and swim etc. that's where the great snorkeling is too. But the water at Atlantis is too rough and windy and the beach too narrow.
Although the dive masters are great for leading dives and probably for the other diving skills, I wouldn't recommend getting your open water certificate here especially if you're at all nervous about it. There were some differences with the SSI videos like being able to practise boat entry in the pool first and using a snorkel that I would have preferred what with the condition of the water there. The beach, water and entry conditions are so much better 20-30min down the beach at Dauin, Bongo Bongo beach. I managed to earn my open water and it was the reason for this trip but it wasn't a pleasant experience and I watched the divers enter at Dauin quite jealously.
Considering you can do 4-5 dives a day here plus a day for Apo island, I think 3-4 days here would be perfect.
The hotel tour prices were a bit more expensive than others I found and they do not arrange joiner tours so as a solo traveller, their tours were prohibitively expensive. For some reason there were no joiner tours available outside the hotel either, I don't know if that's because of the season (jan-feb) or that's usual for the Philippines but it's the first time I've experienced that in my travels.
The tour to Apo Island is good and well arranged. The only thing is as a snorkeler you have to wait until after lunch to get to the shallow turtle area but it was great and a benefit of going with the hotel is you leave on their boat right from the hotel, no need to drive to the ferry.
GGioTAll bookings at Nustar Resort include breakfast and access to the Executive Club Lounge located on the 23rd floor of Fili Hotel.
Mini-Bar is complimentary with a selection of 2 local beers, juices, and sodas. Nespresso machine with 4 capsules. TWG tea. Bottled water is unlimited. I appreciate the fridge being very cold.
Gerlain Paris branded bathroom amenities, as well as bath salts for the large bath.
Afternoon Tea (2:30 pm - 4:30 pm)
Light snacks with a limited selection of savory and sweet bites, they need to improve on this.
Evening cocktails and canapés (5:30 pm - 7:30 pm)
Excellent food buffet. I like the lechon quesadillas, jalapeño cheese poppers, and siomai. I appreciate the bartender crafting cocktails from a menu of drinks.
I understand the hotel is still brand new, but they need to do multiple inspections before releasing the room to guest. Vanity mirror was dusty from construction.
The Butler service was very attentive, many thanks to Ice (Butler) for making my stay pleasant, he would escort me to the pool, and even breakfast buffet at Fili Hotel bypassing the crowd at the entrance.
Breakfast Buffet is at Fili Hotel which is extensive and one of the best in Cebu. The problem is the crowd, while Nustar Butlers will escort Nustar guests to a table, there’s no dedicated tables for Nustar guests, which confuses the restaurant staff with seating assignments. Alternatively, the breakfast buffet at the executive club lounge is quiet but with limited options, they should have an a la carte menu to expand options like other international luxury hotels.
The security at the lobby entrance is wildly inconvenient and inconsistent, every time you enter you need to prove you’re a guest of Nustar and not a guest of Fili or a ****** player. It’s weird that they are sometimes overly strict and many times just ignore people passing by. Guests have a keycard to use elevators what’s the point of the guards that have a list of people’s names and room numbers, if anything that’s a security risk.
The pool service is lacking. Shared between 2 hotels and the upcoming grand summit. The pool area lacks service of a 5-star hotel, towels need to be claimed at a towel hut. My expectation is that there are staff that will setup loungers with towels for guests. And since the pool facility is shared with the muncher large Fili Hotel it can get crowded. Fortunately, Nustar has a private infinity pool which was closed my stay.
Nustar Resort has potential to be Cebu’s most luxurious hotel, they have the hard product with their spacious luxurious rooms, but they need to improve their soft product - the service from the butlers are outstanding and personal, but everyone else seems to be lost. For the asking price of 250-300 usd per night there’s a lot to expect.
Nustar is primed for excellence but falls just short of achieving refined luxury. I’m hoping Nustar partners with Marriott and rebrand under Luxury Collection. Or even Hyatt with Unbound Collection.
訪訪客用戶酒店地點在海邊,但出來酒店附近沒有什麼可看地方,連買水小店也沒有必須坐車20分鐘去new town 。才有幾家餐廳和一點點商店。這是度假酒店不是在市中心。
房間比較大,一般性沒有特別。大堂很大,有個無邊游泳池,但很多韓國大媽穿了衣服(不是泳裝)就泡在水裡麪,感覺像泡在洗衣機。游泳池旁邊的酒吧有點簡陋,不像泰國酒店的很熱鬧。下次去其它酒店式試試。