I am Larry, the owner of ALTA Cebu. We do really appreciate the enthusiastic positive tone and kindness of his compliments. This guest did say some very nice things about ALTA. The reason I am writing is that most of the information in his cons doesn’t seem justified or true. Some of his complaints were due to faulty assumptions on his part, or perhaps he is not aware of what to expect from resorts in Cebu. Of the complaints that have some validity, my comment is they are equally true for other resorts except the lacking of a gargantuan pool, which can only be found at the most expensive resorts. Unfortunately for him, he never complained so we were never given the opportunity to explain wrong assumption and non-problems or fix the one minor problem of which we were not aware. That one minor problem, the creaking bed, would have been quickly fixed by giving him a new room, had he just simply mentioned it to us at the time.
Cons:
1.Food is just average
I have read all the reviews for ALTA online and in our guest book and I make it a point to try and speak with each guest who comes to ALTA. From all my research, I find that this guest’s perspective about the taste of the food is not shared by many. In contrast, there are many reviews all across the internet that say that our food is good. There are quite a few good reviews about the food at ALTA. Since food is not one of the 5 areas which are rated by guests at trip advisor, you will need to read individual reviews to see that ALTA does have a good chef. To prove my point, I will point the reader to a couple of posted a reviews here at trip advisor that claim our food is consistently good. Review #2 by eeksharks and #11 by billywizzard.
Our waiters and waitresses normally ask guests how the food tastes. In the rare instance where a guest will say it is not to their liking, we will try to make it right. Most guests tell me that the food is good or very good and some even say it is exceptional. I’m not asking for blind trust. Please check other reviews, or better yet, try us for a day to see if you don’t agree with the majority opinion.
Based on what most guests tell us: (1. in person, 2. in our guest book reviews, 3. in online reviews, and 4. from people who compare our food to food at other resorts) the food at ALTA is good. Our main chef won awards and graduated from culinary school. Although I suppose it is possible for a chef at any resort to have an off day, our experience is that most people who have dined at ALTA’s restaurant disagree with this reviewer’s opinion.
2. Pool not so big
We have a rather large pool, though not the largest in Cebu, if you include 5 star resorts. At 60 x 30 feet ALTA’s pool is similar in size or larger than many other hotels and resorts here. If a guest really wants a very large pool, which are found mostly at 5 star resorts, they will need to pay more. 5 star resorts start at about triple the price of a standard room at ALTA.
3. Jacuzzi pool does not work
Our resort is barely 3 years old and the Jacuzzi is less than a year old. The Jacuzzi works fine. It is large enough for 12+ people. We turn it off when there are no guests who want to use it, since we are a ecology preserving/conservation based resort. This guest only had to ask for us to turn on the Jacuzzi.
4. Not only was their internet working at a snails pace, alot of their computers were not working and some were not connected right, but thanks to a little bit of computer knowledge I had, i was able to get one of them working
We have a overqualified Canadian IT full time employee living onsite who took a big cut in pay to come work at ALTA. He tells me that all our computers work and internet works well. All this guest had to do was ask him to fix the computer.
ALTA’s internet service is provided by the largest internet provider in the Philippines. Internet service is not as fast or as reliable in the Philippines as it is in the west. This applies to all resorts unless they pay $1400 USD + per month to get fiber optics connections. I know of no 4 star resort which offers free internet (as does ALTA) and also pays $1400+ a month for a faster, more reliable connection. We do not charge for internet, as do some other more expensive resorts.
5. Internet Place does not have any air conditioning
We have a large split air conditioner prominently hung on the end wall of the internet room. Guest only had to turn it on. Besides environmental concerns/ global warming, electricity rates in the Philippines are some of the most expensive in the world, and the per kilowatt per hour charge goes up the more we use. If we waste electricy, we would need to raise room prices. Very few resorts that I know of leave A/C units running all day for empty rooms.
6. Near Slums area ( but its a clean one, long story but a different topic)
All resorts in Cebu are near slum ares.
7. No view period (Unless you consider a brick wall to be a gorgeous view)
All resorts have walls. We do have one of best view of night lights of Cebu city and also a very nice ocean view (which includes a number of nearby islands) from upstairs rooms and also from our boat dock. Many rooms have a lovely view of our extensive 5 acres of lush gardens, with over 200 varieties of colorful tropical plant life. Many of the plants are names with markers. For avid gardeners and botanists, ALTA has one of the greatest diversity of plants to be found.
8. Far from other dining options
There are a few nice restaurants nearby, including a couple of restaurants on the water with spectacular view of ocean and city (these two are within 1KM of ALTA). Most resorts are remote and far from other dining options.
9. Creaking Beds
I never heard of this complaint before. I think it must be an isolated problem (to his room). Why did he not complain at the time? We will investigate and fix the problem. Better if he would tell us when he is here so we can correct problems right away. If a guest complains, we move them immediately, whenever possible.
10. Though he says our rates are nice, he only awards us 3 stars for value.
In talking to guests, I find that quite a few guests who could afford 5 star resorts are happy to stay at ALTA. That makes me wonder why he rated us only average in value. I have done extensive research, visiting and eating at all the major resorts, comparing all the major resorts in Cebu for price, food and amenities. From my research I can say, without reservation, that ALTA offers by far the best value for the price in Cebu.
In short I only recommend this place if your looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and get away from all the congestion
We get all types of guests and, judging from the reviews, most go away happy and many say they will come back.
The good thing about reviews is that they help us become even better. Whenever we see a less than complementary review, we have a meeting with the staff to see if it is true and, if so, how we can be even better.
We really encourage guests to ask a lot of questions rather than assume the negative whenever there is a problem, no matter how small. We have a lot to offer for the guests who are not too shy to ask.
