The Visayas hotels and hostels

Sarabia Manor Hotel

More impressive from the outside than the inside, the imposing Sarabia nonetheless has a friendly atmosphere with plenty of character.

Microtel Inn & Suites By Wyndham Boracay

Resort chain or not, Microtel makes the cut in Boracay with very stylish rooms sporting muted minimalist decor.

Nami Resort Boracay

Perched above the beach like a deluxe tree house, Nami offers privacy and breathtaking views.

Cebu Grand Hotel

Flowers cascade from the balconies of this out-of-the-way hotel that’s sensibly set a little back from the main street. Rooms are cosy with lavish bed covers and decent bathrooms.

Marriott Cebu City

No piped muzak or cheesy white-suited piano player will intrude on your thoughts here – this place means business. The comfortable rooms are tastefully decorated with contemporary artworks that suit the vibe.

L Fisher Hotel

Like the setting for an Agatha Christie mystery, L’Fisher is unselfconsciously theatrical with its opera-house atrium, potted ferns, taffeta-uniformed staff and obligatory piano player in the lobby.

Le Soleil De Boracay

This boutique-style hotel brings a little bit of the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia.

Nigi Nigi Nu Noos

The Balinese-style bamboo and nipa cottages here have huge rooms and balconies with benches; they’re easily the most elegant fan-cooled rooms on the island (as they should be for the price), though they were in need of a bit of tender loving care.

Hotel Del Rio

A convention centre–style hotel complete with tinted windows and ornamental palms. The rooms are large and charmless, though some have lovely river views. There is wi-fi in the lobby.

The Bellavista Hotel

This is the upmarket version of the Cesario next door. Carpeted rooms are plush and cosy with good reading lamps, marble tiled bathrooms and large TVs.

Hey Jude Resort Hotel

On a small path just off D'Mall is this three-story attractive white building. Each tastefully done room has nice wood beds and a private porch as well as little touches like flowers on the beds that make it an especially attractive choice.

Plantation Bay Resort And Spa

This spectacularly designed resort is sited on a 3.5-hectare artificial saltwater lagoon, big enough to house living coral ponds, waterfalls, beaches and a floating restaurant.

Frendz Resort Boracay

Frendz is an Aussie-managed backpacker-friendly resort north of D’Mall, down a long, narrow dirt track midway between the beach and the road. There are well-kept native-style cottages, and a small but spotless split-level dorm cottage.

Days Hotel Cebu Airport

A cookie-cutter hotel at the end of a prohibitively long driveway, Days offers reasonable value for those wishing to wake up next to the airport. Rooms are large and well appointed, and for a premium you get a spa.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino

Misleadingly named, as it is more than 2km from the water, and beloved of taxi drivers because of its big-tipping guests, the Waterfront is Asian highroller city.

Iloilo Midtown Hotel

The main thing going for this place is its location in the old business area. Standard rooms are poor value with shabby furniture and scuffed walls, even if there’s a massive TV to distract you from your environment.

Diplomat Hotel

With its super-efficient reception staff, smart leather couches and in-house travel agencies, Diplomat exudes an international confidence.

Hotel Cesario

Good value, excellent service and a great perk – you get free use of the sauna and pool at its sister hotel, the Bellavista. The viewless rooms have cable TV and hot water in big bathrooms.

Hotel Isla Boracay

If privacy and exclusivity are your aims, and money’s no object, the six suite rooms here are simply gorgeous. Each combines high-end modern amenities – including very stylish full kitchens – with traditional Balinese-inspired design and art.

Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino

For those who like a little splash of ritzy fun in their airport stopovers, this is the younger, less flamboyant sister of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City. Prices and facilities are comparable but the airport branch is more low-key.

Tonglen Resort

The well-kept grounds of this peaceful resort extend far back from the entrance. The bright, two-storey concrete buildings with nipa roof contain modern, nicely furnished rooms, and the pool area is particularly pleasant.

Kukuk's Nest Pension House

This colourful old house remains a backpacker favourite, even if it has hit the skids maintenance-wise in recent years. Wacky murals and contemporary paintings adorn the walls, and the artist-in-residence is an armless charcoal sketcher.

Melinda's Garden

Rightfully popular, Melinda's is set in a leafy garden down the same path as Orchids Resort, and is highly recommended. Simple nipa huts have porches with hammocks and clean modern bathrooms.

Thalatta Beach Resort

A slick operation, Thalatta Resort has cheesy Balinese-style nipa huts around a lovely infinity pool with ocean views. This place gets points for deriving some of its energy from thermal and photovoltaic solar panels.

Malapascua Blue Water Beach Divers

This unassuming place has a few basic cottages set back from the beachfront, which means that you won’t wake up to a postcard view, but neither will you have to stumble far to find one.

The Peacock Garden

Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort

Ns Royal Pensione