Montebello Villa Hotel Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2018

It's the most wonderful time of the year indeed, and today we were able to witness a momentous Holiday event for Montebello Villa Hotel - its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2018.

For those who don't know where and what Montebello is:

Montebello Villa Hotel is an oasis in the midst of bustling Cebu metropolis. It is a seemingly secret nook hiding behind the concretes of the city, and first-timers often express delight at the sprawling four-hectare landscape of an Old-World charm that reflects Cebu’s Hispanic heritage.

The general low-rise buildings create a picturesque upper-class country house meshed with the equally elegant Filipino craftsmanship. A range of earth tones and varying shades of white perfect the artisanal touch of furniture pieces, interior wood wall designs and tile flooring. Add to that abstract paintings and pendant chandeliers at the entrance hallway with the ground-floor wings at the sides—a quaint and posh feel on your Instagram photos.

For 46 years, Montebello has been the only garden resort hotel in the city. Couples and families frequent the place for the reason that they don’t need to leave the city to experience a countryside oasis. Guests can do fishing in the lagoon. There are three swimming pools. The main pool, which glows at nighttime, provides a romantic and cozy ambiance. Cap the night with a selection of tropical delights at the Pool Bar with live acoustic and jazz from Wednesday through Saturday nights. The menus feature a delicious mix of international and traditional cuisine. The La Terraza Restaurant offers signature dishes like callos, lengua and Cocido Espanol, plus the all-time favorites, Montebello Burger, Gambas Al Ajillo and Carne Amore pizza. Sugba-Sugba Night is on every Friday.

For business travelers with preoccupied life-work but constantly seeking ways to improve their lifestyle, Montebello is the perfect choice to relax and have a cup of coffee, read a book, catch up with friends, or better yet, finally make good of that overdue summer vacation plan for a day or two without the long hours of travel—an escape within reach. As part of Montebello’s well-loved facilities, don’t overlook the wellness gym facing the garden view, or miss the scheduled Yoga by the Garden on weekends.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

The event started with hors d'oeuvres and some wine, there were also carvings available at the side. For entertainment, they had a violinist for cocktails and somesingers thereafter.

I walked around and checked out their gingerbread house display, I've always been a fan of Christmas houses. Gives me that giddy holiday feeling.

I then took some photos of the unlighted tree, it was massive and still beautiful to look at:

Before the lighting of the tree, there was a short program. The management head spoke, followed by the introduction of the corporate heads of the hotel and some photo opportunities with them.

Afterwhich, a parade of "wine carriers/waiters" happened and the singers started to sing Christmas songs..

More wine and champagne were served after, together with dessert.

Then the Christmas lighting proper started.

I took some photos of the beautiful well-lighted tree. We also got some photos with it.

Right after, we were invited to go to poolside terrace to have dinner.

They showcased their Holiday Menu for Christmas 2018.

Here's a glimpse of the menu. Glad I got to do some food photography during the event. It was fun. All photos are by me, and was done pro-bono with the help of Rap and my #Sonya7RIII and #Sony50mmF14PlanarZA