Events

Here’s Where You Can Spend Your Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year (commonly called ‘Chinese New Year among Filipino folks) is coming right up and if you still don’t know where to spend it, worry no more! You don’t have to go out of town, as here are some hotels and resorts where you can celebrate for more fortune and luck.

Parklane International Hotel

Pig out at Cebu Parklane International Hotel for the Year of the Pig with with some Chinese New Year Offerings. They’ll be serving Chinese cuisine through a lunch or dinner buffet and For a single receipt at a minimum spend of Php 3,000.00, you’ll get a chance to win a mystery prize from the Tree of Fortune at Manuel’s Restaurant!

Seda Hotel

You can also indulge in a festive culinary adventure at Seda Hotel’s Misto. Traditional red lanterns will be put around the restaurant and will offer an exquisite feast of several well-known Chinese delicacies and recipes including a dim sum spread, sweet and sour dishes as well as a noodle station. Also, a traditional and colorful Lion Dance will take place at the lobby.

Marco Polo Hotel

Greetings like Gong Xi Fa Cai will be all over the Hotel as you enter into the Year of the Earth Pig at Marco Polo Plaza! There will be a giant Yee Sang bowl at the lobby where special guests will be tossing the salad with Marco Polo’s signature giant chopsticks. Also a eye-dotting ceremony followed by the auspicious drum beats of the traditional lion and dragon dance will keep the celebration going. To complement the celebration, there will be Chinese Cuisine at Café Marco with Culinary Impressions of China. If you dine during lunch or dinner on these dates, you can get a chance to win one roundtrip ticket to Macau care of Philippine Airlines.

Hai Shin Lou

Still at Marco Polo, Hai Shin Lou will be celebrating their first Chinese New Year in the Queen City of the South. As tradition dictates that one should eat tikoy (or nian gao) during Chinese New Year to ensure sweetness in the coming year. It is also said that eating it will bring in money, prosperity and continuous loving relationships. So now you can bring this glutinous rice cake home or give them out as gifts to family, friends or colleagues. If you book your tables early they will also be serving carefully curated Cantonese dishes and a Dim Sum menu!

Harold’s Hotel

You can bring in good fortune this February 5 as you celebrate the festive Year of the Pig at Harolds. There will be a delicious Chinese buffet spread. You guys can also try your luck and get a chance to win amazing prizes from the magnificent Prosperity Tree when you dine in groups of three.

Crimson Hotel

There is a good reason why you should celebrate Chinese new year at the resort because festive drums and music, longevity noodles and an auspicious feast will all be there to serve you and your family. It wards off the negativity and also attracts good energy with the sounds of the fire crackers as we light them up at the resort’s porte cocher. They will also serve elaborate Chinese and Oriental fare that’s worthy for the celebration such us Sichuan chicken, a variety of freshly made dimsum, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour snapper, and also for attracting good charm and luck, you’ll definitely need to have some sticky and sweet desserts too.

Maayo Hotel

Be entertained by the mesmerizing traditional lion dance performance from the Cebu Centennial Lions Club on February 5, Chinese New Year just right at their Hotel Lobby. And indulged in the Year of the Earth Pig with prosperity and happiness through a festive themed buffet at Uma Restaurant. Gather your loved ones and eat through a sumptuous spread of your favorite Chinese dishes.

Quest Hotel

If your thinking of spending your Chinese New Year near the center of the city, then you can witness a spectacular Lion Dance Ceremony at the lobby of Quest Hotel. Accompanying with a bountiful feast of sumptuous Chinese cuisine including roasted Peking Duck. There will also be a prosperity toss that symbolize an element of fortune for the family.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa

You can also indulge in masterful culinary delights especially created by Chef Boon Boon Hoe, and a revelry of vibrant tradition, as you welcome the Year of the Earth Pig. There will be 3 exclusive set of menus at Shangri-La’s Tea of Spring, which is Blissful Celebration Set Menu, Grand Fortune Celebration Menu and Abundant Blessing Celebration Set Menu. A Chinese New Year Buffet at Tides will be over flowing with savory time-honored Chinese favorites!

Up Next

Hotels Where You Can Spend Your Valentine’s Day

Don't Miss

Have Your Fill of Pizza and Good Music at the So Worth It Pizza Tour

Events

Can Art Spark Awakening? Inside Oj Hofer’s Tribute to His Zen Master

by Emmanuel Hamoy

On April 4, 2025, the much-anticipated exhibit One Flower, One World: Brushstrokes of Compassion and Wisdom opened at SM JMall, blending contemporary Buddhist art with interactive experiences. The event brought together art students, enthusiasts, collectors, social luminaries, community leaders, international Buddhist practitioners, and Dharma masters to celebrate Oj Hofer’s tribute to Venerable Master Hsing Yun through calligraphy, Zen ink painting, and Ikebana.

Erwin Choa (Adviser for Buddha’s Light International, Philippines), Marisa Fernan (Vice President of SM Prime Holdings Inc), Venerable Yung Guang (Head Abess of Fó Guāng Shān, Philippines), Marguerite Lhuillier (Social Luminary and Animal Rights Advocate), Sheila Go ( Adviser for Buddha’s Light International, Cebu)

Margie Lhuillier, artist Oj Hofer and Mariquita Yeung

Oj’s live calligraphy demonstrations captivated guests, offering them a unique chance to witness his creative process and receive personalised calligraphy pieces. The afternoon culminated in an exclusive cocktail reception featuring delicious vegetarian delicacies prepared by Nonki Japanese Restaurant.

Joy Uy, Francis Dravigny, Venerable Yung Guang, Marissa Fernan, Margette Sarmiento

Among the distinguished guests were Oj’s muse, society maven Marguerite Lhuillier, SM Holdings’ Marissa Fernan, Buddhist advisers Sheila Go and Erwin Choa, and, most importantly, Fo Guang Shan Philippines’ Head Abbess, Venerable Yung Guang, who shared reflections on Master Hsing Yun’s teachings and the role of art in spiritual practice.

Artist Oj Hofer and Paeng Batuigas (Senior Assistant Vice President, Visayas Marketing, SM Supermalls)

The exhibit was a resounding success, showcasing how art can foster reflection, connection, and understanding in a diverse, multicultural society. The event was made possible with the support of SM JMall, Buddha’s Light International Association, and Fo Guang Shan Philippines.

Events

Villa Mariquita: An Evening of Elegance, Laughter, and Fine Champagne

by Emmanuel Hamoy

Villa Mariquita opened its doors to a very select few. On cue, a server hands you a glass of Pol Roger as Mrs. Yeung warmly greets you, effortlessly chic in a perfect pair of Chanel jeans and a pullover. Conversations over food, between sips of wine and champagne, range from the mundane to the profound—each exchange punctuated with laughter, and then even more laughter.

Margie Lhuillier, Frances Siao, this writer and Mariquita Yeung

Mariquita Yeung sharing experiences with guests on art collection

Oj Hofer, Freemont Base, Eva Gullas, Frances Siao, Jun Escario, Margie Lhuillier, Cary Santiago, the host Mariquita Yeung, Phillip Rodriguez, this writer, Christine Pelaez, Tamsin Booth and Pearl Atienza

Events

A Feast for the Senses

Crimson Chefs - Masahiro Kinoshita, Naoki Eguchi, Daniel Johnston, Javier Garcia, Allan Barios, Andrew Simpson

By Joanna Cuenco

June 8 – Mactan, Cebu | For one of its biggest dining events of the year as part of the highly anticipated Cebu Food and Wine Festival, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan curated an epicurean journey that brought guests on gastronomic flights of fancy, fine cuisine. A Feast for the Senses showcased the creativity and excellence of the resort’s culinary team through a dine-around event at its four dining destinations that invited guests to sample the best that each restaurant had to offer: international cuisine at Saffron, Spanish at Enye by Chele Gonzalez, Japanese at Aka by Naoki Eguchi, and desserts and more drinks at Azure Beach Club.

Maria Paz Perdices, Ambra Anzani, Ema Onda,Kate Anzani, Kumiko Onda, Daisy Barns

Tamsin Booth, Didier Belmonte, Frances Siao, Celeste Miranda, Bert Miranda, Bob Booth

Spirits were high and beverages flowed freely the whole evening, thanks to Philippine Wine Merchant, A Wine Company, The Wine Club, Don Revy, Sommelier Selection, Engkanto Brewery, M. Lhuillier Food Product Inc., Future Trade International, Happy Living Philippines, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, and Bauhinia Brewery.

Allan Barios at Saffron dessert station

Ulysse Jouanneaud

Margarette Lhuiller and Perl Jacalan

For the after-party and entertainment at Azure Beach Club, renowned mixologist Ulysse Jouanneaud took over the bar, crafting cocktails with Bacardi, Don Papa, Cointreau, and Sula Brands. Chef Allan Barrios presented a dessert spread that included key lime pralines, vanilla bourbon truffles, honey coconut cryos, and tiny flower-potted bamboo shoots that turned out to be made of pistachio. These little works of art were planted alongside vibrant green foliage, smooth stones, and a faux fog effect that created a tropical rainforest diorama out of the dessert table.

Lechon belly station at Saffron

Dessert display at Azure Beach Club

Yellowfin tuna tataki

Grilled mackerel with laksa boullabaise

The night sky and the distant lights of neighboring islands were the perfect backdrop for a high-energy LED dance performance and fantastic fireworks display that left guests in awe and applause.

Rose Hudson

Chele Gonzalez

Brava potato with chorizo at Enye

LED and Tron Dance

Aka Private Room

The Cebu Food and Wine Festival is supported by the Department of Tourism – Philippines, Visit Central Visayas, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Business Month, and Cebu Pacific Air.