About two years ago, I decided to pack my bags and went to a faraway place I only saw on the Internet, a place I never thought I would visit all by myself. During that time, I spent a few nights in a room of shared bed bunks with complete strangers as we exchanged different life stories. I must admit, it was scary at first but later on, it became emancipating—that great feeling when you finally stepped out of your comfort zone. And that's how I slowly learned to love staying in a hostel whenever I wander around the country. Who wouldn't love staying in a place where you get to meet new people plus you save money for your accommodation, right?
Until recently I discovered Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu. Situated in 79 Echavez Street in Cebu City, this new one-of-a-kind hostel in the metro is perfect not only for solo backpackers and fun-loving individuals but also for those travelers who also love to meet new people. But what I really love about this hostel is that you get the chance to experience the best summer just within the Queen City of the South. Yes, it is possible! How cool is that?
Getting there
Mactan International Airport is a 45-minute to 1-hour drive away to Cebu City. There are several ways to get to the hostel from the airport: taking a regular cab or yellow/airport taxi, booking a ride on Grab, riding a bus called MyBus, or even commuting by jeep.By the way, Echavez Street is in Barangay Lorega, San Miguel. This street is across the building of DOLE Region VII and Jollibee Gorordo branch. Just go straight to the road where you can find San Jose Bakeshop on the corner. Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu is just a block ahead of Dragon Home Inn.
The hostel
If there aren't any vehicles parking in their facade, you will be welcomed with this awesome graffiti of two cool monkey dudes. Of course, I didn't miss the chance to take a photo with them. And the security guard and the front-desk officers even warmly welcomed us when we entered the place.
And even upon ascending to your assigned room, you also be greeted with a mural of a huge gorilla that was skillfully painted by a local artist named Chinokoy, the same artist of the graffiti on their facade. As someone who's always been a fan of hostels with rad graffitis, I felt like I already love this place (which I really did, btw!)
Most (if not all) of us millennials are so obsessed with Instagram-worthy places where we can flaunt our OOTDs, or a perfect background for our food, or simply they should be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Okay. Stop making that "I feel attacked" statement in your head because I too had been attacked by my words. Haha! If their cool graffitis and hospitable staffs aren't enough to convince you that this place is millennial-friendly, Instagram-worthy, and a great place to stay, then let me show you around.
The earlier part of this post, I mentioned that I usually stay in a hostel when I'm traveling alone. But this time, it was a bit different because I was with my online buddies and there were actually five of us, great for a dormitory type of room with six bed bunks. As a millennial of who uses his mobile phone a lot, I always find the nearest electrical outlet in the room I'll be staying because my phone's battery drains too fast. Fortunately, they placed an electrical outlet with a dainty mini-lamp on each bed. Plus, I like how as comfortable their bed is to my own bed in my room. Now, I can sleep at night without getting up and walking like a zombie in the dark just to check my phone.
You know it's a well-maintained room when they really paid attention to the cleanliness of the entire room especially the bathroom. I love how quirky is it and I even looked cute in their mirror. Lol. Plus factor is that the room was really that spacious enough for us.
Here are the types of rooms you can choose from and their rates:
- Basic 8-Bed Dorm - PHP 650/head per night
- Basic 6-Bed Dorm - PHP 700/head per night
- Basic 4-Bed Dorm - PHP 750/head per night
- Basic 4-Bed Female Dorm - PHP 800/ head per night
- Private Double - PHP 1,800 per night, maximum of 2 people
- Twin Bunk - PHP 1,600 per night, maximum of 2 people
- Private Triple - PHP 2,400 per night, maximum of 3 people
Probably my favourite part: the rooftop
Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu is a 4-story building hostel and at their rooftop is probably my favourite part. Everything you need for a chill summer in the city experience is just right here! Hungry? Try to order their delicious food. Sick of the 30-degree plus daily temperature? Try to dip in their swimming pool with an amazing view of the city. Want a laidback feeling? Sit down, feel the breeze, and enjoy the cerveza in your hand as you drift your mind with the cozy tracks they play.
The playground + arcade
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| She came in like a wrecking ball, everyone. |
The infamous rooftop bar
Let's get the so-called "monkey madness" started without actually getting mad
Now that we're all set, let's get down to the most-awaited part: PARTY PARTY! But wait, they actually have a schedule for the different fun activities they do every day. Here's their schedule:
It was a weekend when we checked-in in the hostel. The DJ was blasting off the speakers with awesome remixes of famous electronic dance tracks grooved to the beat of the music. And so, I met this Canadian guy who has also had a Chilean heritage according to him and he seemed to be nice. Funny thing was the moment he knew my name, he couldn't stop calling it whenever he saw me. He even asked me to give the hardest slap I could give on his butt. Haha! This silly partying-at-the-hostel experience kinda reminds of the one I had on my previous solo travel misadventures. Like, when you go out by yourself but you ended up hanging out with strangers towards the end of the night!
On the other hand, the most epic moment probably happened on Sunday night. A representative from Mad Monkey was looking for some pairs for the Beer Pong Tournament and when spotted us, he really tried hard to convince me and my girl friend to join. I actually I would really love to. Hello? I came here to have fun and do YOLO things, right? But my poor self just doesn't know how to play it. Ha ha ha! As a result, I listed my other friends' names instead without them knowing. (Please don't follow my evil deeds. LOL.) They were just surprised when their names were called as they were asked to play Beer Pong. All of our friends were rooting for them and cheering loudly at the top of our lungs. Luckily, they bagged the grand prize towards the end of the game, which means, they got another round of free drinks!
Best part: You can have some free shots every hour which starts at 7PM. There's even this thing called open bar at around 7:30PM to 8:00PM where you can get an unlimited free bottle of beer or two every day! If only Carson, Dio, and Jason Ty—the characters from a Filipino rom-com film entitled I'm Drunk, I Love You—were real, this might be their new favourite place to drink moderately and love fully! (If you happen to get this movie reference, then we can be really good friends and drinking buddies, I suppose? Lol.)
During my two-day stay at Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu, I realized that you really don't have to drive for hours going out the city all of the time just to experience summer because sometimes it's also a great idea to check out the hostels within the city. Best thing is Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu is probably the only hostel in Cebu City that will never let you step out of their place since you already got what you need.
From an arcade filled with fun old-school video games to a swimming pool with a stunning city view to a rooftop bar with laid back and upbeat music playing all day long to their tasty food and various beverages they serve to friendly staffs to squeaky neat and spacious rooms. Therefore, who else wants to go outside if you already have all these things for a price that won't hurt your wallet?
For more details and updates, visit their official website or Facebook page. You can book your stay here or email them at cebucity@madmonkeyhostels.com.
- Sunday - Beer Pong Tournament
- Monday - Pub Quiz
- Tuesday - Wall Street Happy Hour*
- Games Olympics - Wednesday - UV Paint Party
- Thursday - Pub Crawl
- Saturday - DJ Nights
* all said activities usually starts at 8:30 PM, except for the Wall Street Happy Hour which starts are 1:00 PM.
It was a weekend when we checked-in in the hostel. The DJ was blasting off the speakers with awesome remixes of famous electronic dance tracks grooved to the beat of the music. And so, I met this Canadian guy who has also had a Chilean heritage according to him and he seemed to be nice. Funny thing was the moment he knew my name, he couldn't stop calling it whenever he saw me. He even asked me to give the hardest slap I could give on his butt. Haha! This silly partying-at-the-hostel experience kinda reminds of the one I had on my previous solo travel misadventures. Like, when you go out by yourself but you ended up hanging out with strangers towards the end of the night!
On the other hand, the most epic moment probably happened on Sunday night. A representative from Mad Monkey was looking for some pairs for the Beer Pong Tournament and when spotted us, he really tried hard to convince me and my girl friend to join. I actually I would really love to. Hello? I came here to have fun and do YOLO things, right? But my poor self just doesn't know how to play it. Ha ha ha! As a result, I listed my other friends' names instead without them knowing. (Please don't follow my evil deeds. LOL.) They were just surprised when their names were called as they were asked to play Beer Pong. All of our friends were rooting for them and cheering loudly at the top of our lungs. Luckily, they bagged the grand prize towards the end of the game, which means, they got another round of free drinks!
Best part: You can have some free shots every hour which starts at 7PM. There's even this thing called open bar at around 7:30PM to 8:00PM where you can get an unlimited free bottle of beer or two every day! If only Carson, Dio, and Jason Ty—the characters from a Filipino rom-com film entitled I'm Drunk, I Love You—were real, this might be their new favourite place to drink moderately and love fully! (If you happen to get this movie reference, then we can be really good friends and drinking buddies, I suppose? Lol.)
During my two-day stay at Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu, I realized that you really don't have to drive for hours going out the city all of the time just to experience summer because sometimes it's also a great idea to check out the hostels within the city. Best thing is Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu is probably the only hostel in Cebu City that will never let you step out of their place since you already got what you need.
From an arcade filled with fun old-school video games to a swimming pool with a stunning city view to a rooftop bar with laid back and upbeat music playing all day long to their tasty food and various beverages they serve to friendly staffs to squeaky neat and spacious rooms. Therefore, who else wants to go outside if you already have all these things for a price that won't hurt your wallet?
For more details and updates, visit their official website or Facebook page. You can book your stay here or email them at cebucity@madmonkeyhostels.com.
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