The Beautiful Shangri-La Mactan

October 30 - November 2, 2009

A few blogs ago, I complained about the service of Shangri-La Mactan. I couldnt believe that such a beautiful place could have such horrible service... I never was the complaining type, but I loved the city and the venue so much that I pushed to make it work. I sent a polite but disappointed e-mail to their customer service and was greeted with a positive reply. We were endorsed to this lady and ever since then, our wedding journey has been smooth sailing!!! Coleen Rosario... for any Shangri-La Mactan events, I suggest contact her directly! She is quick to respond, easy to talk to and understanding of your limitations. An added plus: she has this warm and cheerful demeanor that makes working with her light and effective. I have put her contact details just in case. Coleen Rosario +63-917-576-2016 coleen.rosario@shangri-la.com

So anyway, Eyebrows and I visited Shangri-La Mactan a second time mainly to seal the deal with our venue. Eyebrows was still unsure of whether this was our place. I think it was because our first visit was not a very positive one... (Eyebrows is a very visual person. He's gotta see it as it is. If the place isnt presented well, then there's no way he can see its sparkle.) He wasnt 100% on the ballroom, since it was being renovated the last time we were there. He wanted a beach wedding, after all we were flying to a beach - it didnt make sense to get married in a ballroom. But it was too expensive... There were still so much hanging questions.

I on the other hand loved the venue the moment we stepped in. It was exactly what I was looking for - and indoor ceremony venue with an awesome view. A beach resort with a ballroom. A classy yet relaxing place to hang with our family and friends. Despite our initial bad experience with the service and presentation, I felt like this was our place. It's just that gut feeling a girl gets sometimes. But, I must admit, Im not one to simply decide on gut. I needed to be assured we would be taken care of (especially since neither of us was from Cebu) and that the ballroom would suit our style.

So ur second visit was mainly to see the ballroom, meet Coleen, and decide on whether this was our place.

With Coleen on our second visit to Shangri-La Mactan

When we got to the Shang, we were greeted by Coleen and her manager. They appologized for our previous experience, and we let it pass as no big deal. This time around, we were simply blown away. First, Coleen definitely knows her stuff. Our questions were answered precisely. She even showed us samples of wedding cakes and floral arrangements. Then she took us around to see the venues for a second time.

The landscape of Shangri-La was awesome. Despite the hot hot weather, we enjoyed the stroll around the beach.

Cowry Cove

The Cowry Cove where we can stay up at night partying by the beach!!!

One of the many pools at Shang. Relaxing, eh? :)

The beautiful beach! A place to hang with friends the day after!

The Ocean Pavilion was as beautiful as ever.... with a view of the blue ocean.

Eyebrows standing at the altar area... practicing! (yihee!)

Then, the newly renovated Mactan Ballroom.

Enjoying the ballroom

Wow. It was more beautiful than we imagined! The main ballroom looked new and elegant, but not stiff. The cocktail area was enclosed but had a ceiling-to-floor view of the garden. The chandeliers were huge and classy.

The entrance to the ballroom

On top of that, the place was prepared with sample chairs, table arrangements and linens (I didnt even expect that!) for us to choose from! AND... Coleen asked the kitchen to make us customized purple drinks for our cocktails for us to taste. Now thats service!

The "his" and "her" chairs

Our customized purple drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic?) I love it!!!

Options for linens, arrangements, napkins.... Eyebrows likes the frog fold. Go figure. LOL!

So all in all, we are contented with Shangri-La Mactan. All thats left is to finalize the costs and sign the contract!!!! HERE WE GO! :)