The big square pillow is a great back support in more ways than one.

Ibiza Beach Clubs signature drink- the Ibiza Sour

Privacy by the beach-- the key phrase the designer was told to work on.

This lofty 2-level, 3BR loft can be your "what happens in Ibiza stays in Ibiza" suite.

The dip up there. The jacuzzi on the 22nd floor.

Orgasmic. Pistachio in velvet form.

The Vanilla Dream can hit your ecstasy button with Swiss precision.

Movenpick Hotel is close to the airport.

Your vacation time is precious and don’t let traffic eat up a chunk off it.

Movenpick’s location is away from the traffic-beaten roads of Cebu. The short six-kilometer ride from the airport to the hotel will only take 15 minutes.



Movenpick Hotel is a 5-star beachfront oasis.

It’s a very hip and happening place and what it offers is fresh and modern hospitality in island of Mactan.

The hotel will welcome you to a picturesque view of the beach and lush greenery. Here, you can experience barefoot elegance as you relax with a drink in your hand and your toes in the sand. Fresh, trendy and inviting, the hotel will offer you a myriad of choices from accommodation, leisure activities, entertainment and culinary delights.



Movenpick rooms are so tropical chic.

It will be good to immerse in the Mediterranean vibe of a nest away from home, and that will be any of the alluring 245 guestrooms and suites in the hotel.

Enjoy the comfort and convenience of your contemporary space that opens to a private balcony overlooking the pool or sea. It is designed to meet the essentials of today's traveler like you. Each guestroom is equipped with key features such as LED TV, work desk, complimentary Internet access, minibar fully stocked with refreshments, complimentary tea and coffee facility, safety deposit box, hair dryer, luxury bathroom amenities and many more.



Movenpick is a gastronomic paradise.

You can’t stay in the comforts of your room forever. Room service is good but eating out is even better, and that doesn’t mean leaving the hotel because Movenpick is a gastronomic paradise.

The hotel is also known as a destination for gourmands in search of a unique and entertaining dining experience. Each restaurant will delight you with its own selection of savory and classic dishes.

The Lobby Lounge serves up a variety of hot and cold beverages, including the signature Mövenpick specialty coffee. Delicacies include breads and pastries, as well as the internationally acclaimed Mövenpick brand ice cream.

The Sails is an all-day dining restaurant that showcases an interactive buffet style concept, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a creative à la carte menu. Light snacks, cocktails and spirits are served at The Forum, an al-fresco dining area situated by the pool.

At the end of the hotel marina is the hotel’s signature outlet, the Ibiza Beach Club. Offering the finest in food and entertainment, it showcases world-class entertainment accompanied with spectacular ocean views and authentic Balearic style Churrasco and Mediterranean tapas. 

A stunning architecture that boasts of a vibrant and lively ambiance, the Ibiza Beach Club is also perfect for private events and social gatherings. 

Guests can wine and dine under the stars as they watch exciting live performances of Latin, Brazilian, Broadway, At The Movies, Pop and Retro themed musical dance numbers.

Movenpick can hold a big party (or a meeting) for you.

Well, who said you can’t invite the rest of your friends over and have a ball (or a meeting if its business that brought you to the Cebu). Whatever it is you have planned, the hotel is ideal for all kinds of meetings and occasions. From a small party to conferences to large-scale events, Movenpick offers a variety of choices from venue to menu.

Hold it in one of these destination-named function spaces: the Monte Carlo Ballroom, Portofino, Cannes, The Forum and Ibiza Beach Club. If you want it al fresco, so be it! You can even book your party at the beach garden, a picturesque setting that’s perfect for any outdoor gathering, weddings included. But you’re not getting married, are you?



Movenpick can rejuvenate your tired soul.

The sea air is a great pick me up, the sun can give you a nice shade of tan, the sand will massage your weary feet, and the salt water, well, is a great cure-all. All these are good for your well-being, but let’s take it further at Movenpick.

How about indulging your senses in a wide array of services at the Spa del Mar? More than just pampering experience, Spa Del Mar offers an unparalleled experience with a complete range of health and beauty treatments in luxury private rooms for massage and meditation. The appealing spa menu draws inspiration from diverse Asian influences and cultures, combining them with contemporary techniques.

Movenpick can get your heart racing.

In a wholesome kind of way, that is. Swimming, or engaging in the water sports offered at the beach side is good exercise, so you really don’t need to go to the gym. You’re on vacation for heaven’s sake.

Do more than dip, swim in this pool & get your heart racing.

But if you’re a gym rat (aka addict), Movenpick will not disappoint. You can pump those muscles lifting weights at the gym, stretch it in a Yoga session or shake off a few hundred calories in Zumba class.



Movenpick will take you out to the blue.

Movenpick’s idea of you going out of the hotel is not on land but on sea. You can round up your much-needed respite in Cebu by visiting the nearby beaches around Mactan Island. 

Book any of the island tour and snorkeling packages and feast your eyes with a relaxing blue seascape and the wonderful glimpse of the underwater. Now, you can say you did step out of the hotel.



For more information about Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu, visit the website at:http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/cebu.

For enquiries or reservations, please call Cebu Sales office at +63 32 499 7777 or e-mailhotel.cebu@moevenpick.com. Manila residents may contact Manila Sales office at +63 02 753 3131 or e-mail manilasales.cebu@moevenpick.com

For more photos about this story, and other travel and lifestyle stories, visithttp://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on May 30, 2015.

Once in a while, surprises come your way. Good ones, if not beautiful. Just like the hotel Agoda pointed me to when I went to Stockholm, the second stop of my Scandinavian tour.

Striking yet cozy & warm, the lobby of Hotel Birger Jarl.

  

Yes, this is the bear of the hotel.

Red curtains mark the corner thus the hotel restaurant's Red Corner.

Hotel Birger Jarl can check all the entries on the criteria: it connects to the Arlanda Airport 42 kilometers away via the fast train; it’s at the heart of city, in the Normalm, where the shopping, trendy dining and entertainment districts are, but tucked in the quiet part; the art scene is in the neighborhood, if you’re into museums, theaters and antique stores; access to the rest of Stockholm is not a problem as the public transport -- train and ferries, are nearby.

This hotel was my stylish surprise in Stockholm.

All these considered, it’s already one fine hotel to stay in, but Birger Jarl has one surprise up its sleeve. Although it’s one of the most popular convention hotel in the city because of its capacity to host, the accommodation goes beyond what is expected of a business hotel.

Sure, the rooms are fitted with the modern amenities the businessmen and modern traveler would want, but how about getting all those in a well-designed space created by renowned interior designers? Hotel Birger Jarl wants its guest to “live, see and enjoy” its contemporary rooms designed to unite function and aesthetics.

The hotel borrowed its name from the founder of Stockholm and they say, “Our feet are firmly planted in our national heritage. It’s combining traditions with innovative thinking, and the best that modern design has to offer.”

Sexy stool in Room 426

Swedish curvaceous beauty.

On this aspect, Birger Jarl is successful in putting forward Sweden’s strength—good design, creations with a dynamic attention to detail, art-like objects that are thought provoking and engaging. From the point of entry to the rooms, Swedish design will embrace its guests.

Junior Suite 704: " I want a moon of my own" designed by Johanna Kohlin & Agneta Pettersson. "The room has an atmosphere that feels very homely without having a homely appearance."

Cabin Room 120 designed by Camilla Thulin

There were 17 designers commissioned to make several spaces of the 271-room hotel into their personal canvases. With their aesthetic sensibilities marked in their opuses, the result was an impressive collection of livable artworks housed in a single building showcasing Scandinavian design ingenuity.

For designer Pascale Cottard-Olson, it is important that the hotel room is cozy, snug and "homely". The 246-Chez Pascale white room was furnished with pieces designed by Swedish women designers.

In black & white, the tones of the hotel's bathrooms. This one in a Studio.

Lucky are those who get to frequent Hotel Birger Jarl for they can get the chance to discover something new with each visit. Some who did find the space they are truly fond of, a room they return to whenever they’re at the hotel, a nest that they can make them feel at home at their personal hotel in Stockholm.

As to my nest in Stockholm, it was by Architect Jacob Waller, who was guided by these catchwords when designing his 23 livable canvasses: quality, timelessness and elegance.

The room’s hues are taken from the city, the polished facades and the sunset. All the fixed furnishing are especially designed for the room. A nice detail is Hotel Birger Jarl's B-symbol, which is carved on cupboards and wardrobe doors.

Detail of carved niche

Quirky design details.

The single artwork in the room was designed by the Swedish design duo, Dizel & Saté, and of course, 

there has to be “that Swedish chair.” My room had the "Kennedy" stool from Johansson Design.

Perhaps of the hotel’s collection, the most popular is room 247, the spot missed during the hotel’s renovation, which was discovered unchanged during final cleanup. It’s now referred to as the Retro Room from 1974.

The room has undergone a facelift. “By respecting the carefully preserved original furnishings, we have recreated a 70's feel, but with a more eccentric and wild expression,” said the management. This room certainly added an interesting facet to this “home”.

Facelift. Recreating the 70's vibe & preserving the original furnishing.

Just like a nice “home” in a fine area, you’ll have good neighbors. Right next door to Hotel BirgerJarlis the home to Spotify.

Hotel Birger Jarl, Tulegatan 8, Stockholm. Visit their website at http://www.birgerjarl.se.

For great deals on this property, visit the Agoda website at http://www.agoda.com/hotel-birger-jarl/hotel/stockholm-se.html

For more photos about this story, and other travel and lifestyle stories, visithttp://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on May 27, 2015.