Killer Views at Capitol Central Hotel and Suites (Cebu City)

Capitol Central Hotel and Suites brim with a lot of promise. Its location alone makes is more than considerable, with an location midway between Ayala Mall and the commercial-leisure hum of Mango Avenue. Osmena Boulevard (Jones) is also just a hop away. On a mild morning, your breakfast atmosphere turns more ideal when you get to their restaurant. Along with your morning sustenance, tocino meal in my case (inclusive of my booking), you're "served" breathtaking views of the city.

Capitol is relatively new so you'd expect birthing pains, and this is quite evident. The rooms are either too small (for standard) - or really spacious for double. In fact, it pays to shell out just a wee bit more to enjoy "a lot more space". Otherwise, it's going to be cramped.

My room had all the space, with its queen bed. There's a small refrigerator placed too far from the socket which wasn't exactly ready for use (it was a three-prong electric plug, while the outlet was meant for a two-prong). I could have asked for an extension cord but I hate being too needy so I decided to buy: 1) an extension cord for my laptop (outlet is too far from the desk); 2) adaptor for the ref's plug. There's LCD cable TV. The bed has fresh but rather thin sheets, comfy bed and a sizable bathroom. If you use your AC, you will eventually require more than those well placed sheets, which is rather inconvenient when you're trying to recharge after a day's hectic schedule. I'd say, a comfortable bed and its sheets and pillows should be well provided more than a ref. These are basic items in a lodging, cheap or otherwise.

The front desk staff is more than amiable, and check-in formality is fast. There's not much of a lobby to linger in, but for a couch where you could wait for a taxi. Outside the building is the busy Escario Street, a major thoroughfare that heads towards the oppsite directions of Jones and Gorordo. Having said that, there are jeepneys and multicabs darting through the streets. This area almost never sleeps at night, with restaurants scattered all over. At certain times, it may be difficult to hail a cab, but ask the door man to secure you one while you wait inside.

The hotel has a lift and 48 rooms spread on 6 floors. It opened in 2013 and enjoys good occupancy, you'd need advance bookings to ensure an available room.

After my stay, I vowed not to come back soon. That was early 2014. Maybe in one more year, they'd have figured a way to allow smoother stays for their guests. Maybe I won't need to buy an extension cord and an adaptor to use their ref? And  they have one the city's best wifi connections (like M Citi Suites). Moreover, if you're into awe-inspiring morning views during breakfast, this is the place for you - aside from the fact that they're one of the newest and most affordable.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Cebu Provincial  Capitol from the hotel - and the green mountains beyond.

Comfortable bed but really thin bed sheets.

A long desk. If you draw the curtain, you have a view of Escario Street, the area's main road. If you place your laptop here, there is no electrical outlet nearby. But wifi is very fast. 

Watching a documentary about Malta.

Ref beside my bed. The outlet is at the other side of the bed.

Painting in my room.

Best Western Hotel from my room

Multicabs plying Escario Street.

Tocino is "bacon" in Spanish but it's far from being one in its Philippine preparation. It's made from pork fatback, a sweetened cured pork  traditionally served for breakfast in the Philippines, though it has different variations all over the Hispanic communities. On this plate, the whole package is called "tocilog" (which stands for tocino, sinangag or fried rice and itlog or fried egg). Rice in this plate looks plain/boiled, not fried/sinangag.

The lobby.

For more information, visit their Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/CAPTIOLCENTRALHOTEL or call them at (6332) 253-8000.

Elevator

Cebu One - Getting Rained Out in the Queen City of the South

I consider myself a Cebu denizen though I wasn't born here. But my mother was. As a timid college student, she met my father here, then they moved away elsewhere. Started from literal scratch, slates all cleared. Growing up, I was weaned on stories about this city, and this current visit isn't my first, or second, or third. I have been here several times. I even featured Camotes Island in in-depth posts. But Camotes isn't Cebu City.

Most times when I am here, I lazily navigate between the hotel and the malls so nothing much differentiates it from my Manila existence. One night, I realized I know more about Bangkok, Vientiane, Hanoi, Delhi, or Phnom Penh than Cebu. And that doesn't sound right.

But the very moment my 1 hour flight from Manila touched down Mactan Island's wet tarmac, a gentle drizzle had materialized from the heavily peppered cumulo-nimbus clouds in the sky. It wasn't a good start, to be honest. I took the airport taxi (yellow cars), which was a mistake since it starts with P70 then charges P4 every 300 meters. I wanted the white public taxis but for some reason, I ended up at a different booth. Dang!

NO CHANGE, NO THANKS

This ride snaked through unbearable traffic jams. I was impatient because Cebu was never like this. What should have been an easy 20 minutes took 45, and since this isn't my first time, I wasn't pleased. By the time I reached Pacific Pensionne at Osmena Avenue, the meter had reached P330. Adding insult to injury, the driver told me that he doesn't have a P20 change. Readings in LP reveal that this is a common practice among Cebu drivers. They refuse to give change (in the guise of having none to dispense) - thus tourists should prepare exact change. Imagine if I had a thousand bucks. But what is P20, right? Fact is, I want the prerogative to offer the meager change to drivers. It was mine to give after all. What's worse, I didn't even hear a "thank you" or a smile.

HOMELESS CHILDREN CAPITAL

An hour after I deposited my bag in my room (318), I headed toward the roundabout, Fuente Osmena Circle (where it's a death-defying act to merely cross the street). One general observation: Cebu has indeed some of the country's prettiest girls. Though the Philippines is an economic laggard (compared to her Asian neighbors), good looks spill over every nook and cranny. And Cebu even fares better than average. This surfeit of beauty is noticeable as you navigate around the semi-cosmopolitan streets. Another unsavory observation: Cebu City, despite its economic gains, remains to be the Homeless Children Capital of the Philippines.

STUPOROUS, HOMELESS AND HUNGRY

If you roam its streets, you will find children begging for food whether you're in Jones (Osmena Ave.) or in chaotic Colon (the country's oldest and first ever official street). What's more alarming is, you find these children mostly asleep most of the day. I'd be happy to see them begging as this would mean they're alive. What squeezes my heart strings is seeing many of them stuporous in the midst of all the congestion.

I found a child is such state near Osmena Circle. I'm told that these hungry children resort to sleep to get through hunger pains. Isn't that sad? As knee jerk reaction, I bought P50 worth of bread and went back to where the child was hunched in deep slumber. I nudged him thrice, and he wouldn't wake up. If that isn't a scary realization, I dunno what is. I just left his bread beside him, praying he'd wake up with food by his chest. Where is Cebu's Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) , and why are these children largely ignored or abandoned?

LEISURELY

I passed by a DVD stall, a Rizal Museum, Cebu Doctor's, Red Ribbon, a couple of Jollibees and a buffet restaurant (all-in at P189). Along the way, I consumed a P10 maruya (fried banana), P35 giant "mangga Cebu", and a piece of pineapple-filled Bavarian donut with iced coffee at P40. These were rest stops as I braved the city sidewalks in torrential rains. There were puddles and incipient stages of flooding. What was my emerging impression of the northern city limits?

Disappointing! I was holding on to a stick from my banana, waiting to find a garbage bin. But 4 blocks later, the stick was still in my hand. I noticed newly installed concrete boxes, with rubbles of blocks just thrown beside the work area. Work in progress? It's a convenient rationalization, but under torrents of rain, the sidewalk is a veritable mud walk, uneven, puddly, litter-filled streets - right in the heart of what should be the Philippines' second most important city. Transient visitors who only have a week or less to check out Cebu would forever think of the place as "ugly". I thought Cebu has embraced modernization to the hilt, including the concept of waste management. I finally saw a green trash bin near Anita's Bakery - the lone symbol of disposal miracle in the whole darn avenue.

One of the hundred homeless children in downtown Cebu. They're not even begging, but you find them asleep all day.

Fuente Osmena Circle: death-defying street crossings

Downpour along Jones, I had to stay put and observe the heavy sputtering of rain for an hour.

Provincial Capitol

I hopped into the Provincial Capitol, gawdily covered with a huge trampoline pictured with people touted as the pride of Cebu (including a bishop, a lawyer, an actress (Gloria Sevilla), et.al. The Capitol has always been known for its semblance to the "White House", but on closer examination, stains smudge throughout the building. It is in desperate need of a new paint. This is an image of a robust local economy?

Much later, I trodded back to Osmena Circle and visited Robinson's Department Store - with its three-story white-painted vertical posts. Beautiful! Just outside this edifice are puppy vendors (each one usually priced at P1,500). I saw a Banco de Oro Building, a Robinson's Cybergate, Chong Hua Hospital, and several hotels (including Cebu Midtown Hotel). I stood by the overpass observing the rope slides at the towering Crown Regency.

The Strip, a commercial arcade along Osmena Avenue near the Provincial Capitol.

Another stop, coffee-and-donut break.

BDO Building along Fuente Osmena Circle, just beside Robinson's Cybergate Bldg. A block away is another BDO bank.

Robinson's Place and its immaculate white pillars.

I wanted to check out Maxilom Street (formerly Mango Avenue) until I reached JESA-IT Building that used to house Century-21 Theater. Now, its a shopping arcade on low-ceiling levels (think of a tighter Ali Mall). Nearby stands One Mango Place which has a more relaxed atmosphere - bigger spaces spread out in a 3-story establishment. The shops look new, and the crowd upscale. I checked my mail, which was really an excuse to rest my tired feet. I had been walking all afternoon under the rain. At P40 per hour, the rate at the "Business Center" (2nd floor, near the stairs) is among the country's most expensive internet service, outside hotels.

I didn't want to pay the extra P40 for an extension so I logged out and crossed the street. Opposite One Mango Place was the older arcade called Mango Square (notoriously known as a cruising area). The building is a 3-story unit with wide open spaces, small shops, and very few people. Perfect for cruising? I dunno. It doesn't make sense, when there's few souls around. Fronting Mango Square is National Bookstore. Just beside this is a massage spa and Beats (an entertainment center, a bar with live bands). Just below Beats is LE Internet Cafe where an hour costs P25! That's more like it.

It had been a wet day, and it hasn't been a flattering impression so far. I must have expected too much. This is my Cebu and I was underwhelmed. It must have been the rains; the absence of trash bins; the considerable number of neglected and homeless children. Am I witnessing signs of urban decay?

That's not a good sign.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

One Mango Avenue is a midlevel to upscale commercial complex spread out in two separate complex. This has become a "gimik" place for yuppies and Cebu's vibrant youthful crowd. It has restaurants and fine dines all around, a pricey "Business Center" shop at the 2nd floor, a KTV, etc.

A pizza house at One Mango Avenue. Now renamed Maxilom Avenue, its original moniker (Mango Avenue) was once lined with huge canopied mango trees which has almost been totally obliterated.

JESA IT Building (90 Maxilom Avenue) beside One Mango Avenue. JESA is an acronym of its owner who's a property scion in Cebu. This 5-story commercial property used to house Century 21 Theater ("Tuna University") which has since been demolished.

Mango Square is eerily underpatronized. Despite adequate space, this 3-level arcade has very few shops inside. There's a National Bookstore along Maxilom; a Persian Restaurant and a religious office.

Few shops inside Mango Square.

Beat, a club fronting Mango Arcade (along Maxilom Avenue). Below it is LE Internet Shop which is air conditioned and has affordable rate. On weekends though, you'd have to browse with wall-thumping beats blaring from the club above.

Crown Regency light up the night skyline. Much like downtown KL's Liuli Fountain, this hotel is adorned with changing colors the whole night through.