With its predominantly orange interiors and facade, Islands Stay Hotel, is hard to miss along Archbishop Reyes St. in Cebu City.
The color perhaps is one of the signature palettes of Jay Aldeguer's Islands Group, the same creative geniuses behind the hugely successful "insert-your-name-heart-this-place" souvenir shirts.
This budget hotel opened late in 2012 if I am not mistaken. I remember that because it was around that time when a good friend and I booked ourselves a few nights here. I was still working somewhere in Manila back then. Although I could have crashed in at any of my Cebuano friends' homes, I decided to accompany my former colleague anyway.
Our "Large" room didn't cost us a fortune which is one of the hotel's strongest selling point. In retrospect though, I wished I took a lot of photos of our charming accommodation. Suffice to say that it had basic amenities - hot and cold shower, good mattresses, WiFi and cable TV. I can remember that it also had a very minimalist feel to it, its walls were painted spartan white and some orange and green here and there. The hotel does not have an infinity pool nor does it offer a complimentary breakfast buffet. I actually wasn't too keen for these since we only stayed here to catch a good night's rest. For lunch and dinner, we headed over to Ayala Center, a mall located just a few minutes away.Even for all its noteworthy merits, Islands Stay Hotel is actually not the cheapest option in Cebu. If you want dirt cheap, especially the kind that looks like a set in a Brillante Mendoza indie film, there is one I can easily recommend.But for its location alone and straightforward hospitality, this hotel would give you a good value for your money. ----------Islands Stay Hotelshttps://www.facebook.com/theislandswayUptown Cebu - +63 32 2679756Mactan - +63 32 5184915
