Fit for royalty

MANILA, Philippines - For more than a year now, tourists have been getting the “royal” treatment in this part of Cebu.

Conveniently located just 15 minutes away from the Mactan International Airport and 30 minutes away from cosmopolitan Cebu, Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa promises its every guest that he or she will be treated like a king or queen for the duration of his or her stay in this eight-hectare property.

The resort is managed by international hotel management group Imperial Palace Hotel Group, which has two other hotels in Seoul, South Korea and in Fukuoka, Japan. The former was recently rated by Time Magazine as the best hotel in Asia, a testimony to the group’s high standard of management style and industry expertise.

Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City opened its regal doors in September 2009 and offered something that has never been seen or heard in the Queen City of the South. The resort features Cebu’s first and only Waterpark that both the young ones and the young once can truly enjoy. Designed by Dream Park International USA, this one-of-a-kind Waterpark lets you choose from five different pools (Wave Pool, Amazon River Pool, Captain’s Hook Pool, Toddler’s Pool and beach pool) and three exciting water slides (notable is the thrilling Space Bowl).

Imperial Palace allows you to have everything on your travel wish list peppered with the Cebuano’s own brand of hospitality. The resort boasts of elegantly furnished rooms including 128 Deluxe Rooms, 372 Suites, nine Spa Suite rooms and 48 Villas with private pool or Jacuzzi. Your well-appointed guest room is an interesting discovery in itself. Each room offers luxurious amenities designed to give you the utmost in luxury and comfort. It is in your plush room that you find out that Imperial Palace leaves no stone unturned to provide you with first-class rest and relaxation package — large sculptured granite bathrooms with separate shower and bath, 37-inch LCD television and DVD player, Internet connection, fully stocked mini-bar and refrigerator, radio clock with iPod dock and 24-hour room service.

Those with discerning palate will have gastronomic excursion at the resort’s eight F&B outlets, which offer sumptuous cuisines from around the world. The search for Asian flavors will take you to the Maru Korean Restaurant and Cheonsan Chinese Restaurant. The Coral Seaside Restaurant, which is perched on the seaside overlooking the picturesque panorama of the Hilutungan channel, guarantees to be a feast to your palate, as well as to your eyes. There are five other outlets to satisfy your gastronomic cravings. Also, let your musical instinct guide you to Bel Ami Karaoke, where snacks and a variety of liquors and beverages are served.

From sun up to sun down, the tourist menu is filled to the brim at the Imperial Palace. The resort also features a 180-meter-wide beachfront and a marine center that offers an array of water sports for those who yearn for some adrenaline-pumping activities. The 570-sq.-m. Caracalla Spa has 11 well-designed treatment rooms as well as a separate sauna for men and women, steam room and plunge pool. There is also a fully equipped Fitness Centre and Beauty Salon (one of Korea’s most popular) to complete guests’ total fitness and wellness experience.

Imperial Palace also takes business seriously. Its Grand Ballroom (which can seat up to 600 persons) and four collapsible meeting rooms cater to business meetings, conventions and exhibitions. (In fact, at the time director of sales and marketing Jun Cordova hosted our stay at the resort, functions were happening simultaneously — yet all were orderly and organized. In one meeting he attended, hotel manager Edgardo Tongco was commended by fellow hotel executives for the close to a hundred percent occupancy rate of the Imperial Palace.)

Special events like weddings are most welcome at the resort. If you wish for a destination wedding, you do not have to worry as you can expect the Events team of the Imperial Palace to keep you organized and to be on top of every important detail of your wedding. The resort’s “Weddings at the Palace” Indoor and Outdoor packages include lunch or dinner menu for a minimum of 50 persons and an overnight stay at the Pool Villa and Mactan Suite with honeymooner’s set-up and breakfast buffet. If the couple wants an outdoor ceremony, the Poolside and Beach Front area are the perfect spots. Here, the bride and groom exchange “I do’s” as they are presented with a magnificent blue vista of the sea while they watch the sun sink into the horizon.

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You work hard all week and then leave the rat race far behind to get a breather from the hustle and bustle of life. Trust the Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa to give you that “majestic” escape. After all, its first-class facilities and friendly services are indeed fit for royalty.

(Cebu Pacific flies to Cebu 10 times daily. For more information, call +632 702-0888 or visit www.cebupacificair.com)

(To experience the royal treatment, call Imperial Palace at +6332 494-5000 or visit www.imperialpalace-cebu.com)