Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort does not have the sumptuous allure and romantic air of the Shangri-La Mactan but it does offer comfortable lodgings. Its architecture blends the use of hard materials with nipa, resulting in a more laid-back look than the other resorts.

The resort is located between the White Sands and Tambuli resorts, on an area bordering Maribago Beach. You enter a large tree-lined courtyard with a pond decorated with statues of dolphins. A lovely reception hall with a high ceiling and exposed wood beams is largely open, The wall painting of clouds on the sea at the rear end of the reception is quite amusing.

The owner obviously wanted to get the most from his property and so cottages are a little too compact. Fortunately some of the beautiful trees have been preserved. The cottages are in two sections, one on either side of the reception area. Each section has a nice swimming pool spanned by a little bridge.

In the section to the right of the reception are the two-story cottages that surround the swimming pool. To the left of the reception area are a series of individual cottages set next to each other and a second set of duplex cottages facing the sea.

Regardless of location, the rooms all relatively small but quite comfortable. The decoration is pleasantly sober — wooden floors, white walls and sliding doors in capiz that open onto a small furnished terrace. The rooms aksi have marble bathrooms with bathtubs.

In the middle of the garden, more independent, spacious and convenient for families are the Royal bungalows with nipa roofs. There are quite attractive with one room, a drawing room, two bathrooms and a large terrace furnished with tables, chairs and hammocks. The drawing room has wood floors and walls, bamboo sofas covered with brightly colored material and an alcove decorated with shells. The interior may be a bit dark due to the trees outside, but in the evening, the lighting give the place a warm ambiance.

Maribago has several restaurants and bars. The most pleasant are those constructed on a little edge that juts out onto the sea, giving a lovely view of the bay: Sunset Cove Live Seafood restaurant, a large high-ceilinged building, with bistro-style tables and chairs, and the Pier 7, a circular bar in stone with a wooden roof.

Little nipa huts and lounge chairs are scattered on the beach. On the tiny islet of Alegrado, a few minutes away, there are deck chairs available to laze in. The sea is slightly hemmed in by a bay and the water is not very clear. This, and the presence of many fishing boats, does not make it very conducive to swimming.

How to get there

By air and land, 75-minute daily flights on Air Philippines Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit or PAL from Manila to Cebu. 15 minutes by car from Cebu Mactan Airport to the resort.

More photos here