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Asmara Urban Resort
Resort · Banilad, Cebu City
₱4,000
per room per night
Banilad, Cebu City
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Summary
An “Urban Oasis” in Banilad designed by architect Carlo Cordaro (Atelier A). Asmara prioritizes open-air living and natural materials — a masterpiece of sustainable engineering with bamboo, abaca fibers, and coconut bark, designed to maximize the cool breezes from the Maria Luisa hills. It functions as a lifestyle village rather than a corporate hotel: tennis, squash, yoga, and authentic Italian dining all live alongside the 30 individually-named rooms.
Quick Facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Class | Upscale / 4-star boutique |
| Brand | Independent (powered by ASTON / Cocotel) |
| Designer | Carlo Cordaro (Atelier A) |
| Location | Paseo Saturnino, Banilad, Cebu City |
| Rooms | ~30 |
| Price range | PHP 4,000 – 6,500 |
| Check-in / out | 2:00 PM / 12:00 PM |
| Pet-friendly | Yes |
| Opened | 2019 |
Overview
The building is a conversation piece — diagonal doors, banana skin fiber linings, and a central glass pyramid that collects rainwater. Tranquil and exclusive; feels like a private Mediterranean club. Beloved by Cebu’s tennis community and one of the city’s most welcoming pet-friendly venues.
Architecture and Construction
Cordaro broke ground in 2020 and rode out pandemic-era construction delays before completing the property. The engineering detail behind the “sustainable” label is specific rather than decorative: Banilad has a documented water-scarcity problem, so the main lounge structure is built as an inverted pyramid roofline that funnels rainwater into a collection system capable of holding up to 20,000 liters after a heavy downpour — water that feeds the gardens and reduces reliance on the municipal supply during dry months. The three-story Lifestyle Hotel building itself is framed in Glue Lam, an engineered-timber technology that laminates fast-growing plantation species like spruce and pine into structural columns and beams rated to resist both typhoons and seismic movement, a materials choice that lets Cordaro build almost entirely in wood in a city that sits on an active fault system. At roughly 800 square meters of footprint, it is a compact ambition executed in unusually deliberate detail for a property this size.
Location
- District: Banilad, near Maria Luisa Estate
- Landmarks: Streetscape Mall (2 min walk); Cebu IT Park (5 min drive); Ayala Center Cebu (10–15 min drive)
- Walkability: Moderate — boutique cafés nearby
Maria Luisa Estate Park next door is one of Cebu City’s older planned residential subdivisions, developed for upper-income households well before Banilad’s commercial strip grew up around it. Asmara’s site sits at the seam between that established residential wealth and the newer BPO-driven retail corridor running toward IT Park — which is part of why the property reads as a private club rather than a transit hotel: its natural catchment is Cebuano residents and long-term expatriates rather than one-night business travelers.
Accommodation
Room categories
| Category | Size (sqm) | Best for | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Piccola | 28 | Solo / couples | Minimalist design with high-quality local wood |
| Deluxe Balcony | 32 | View seekers | Overlooks pool and tennis courts |
| Premium Acacia | 45 | Long stays | King bed plus twin sofa bed |
| Superior Premium | 48 | Luxury travelers | High-end Atelier A furniture |
Facilities
- Tennis: Three impeccably maintained courts (Roma, Paris, Montecarlo)
- Pools: Two outdoor pools (7-foot deep end + 3-foot section)
- Wellness: Sauna, ice bath, jacuzzi, Thai and Swedish massage
- Squash court & yoga sessions: One of the few Cebu venues offering these
Dining
- Ristorante La Piccola Roma: Authentic Italian — wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta
- Asmara Gravity Bar: Natural juices and creative mixology
- Breakfast: Cooked-to-order American, Italian, or Asian (~PHP 1,000)
Strengths
- Sustainable bamboo architecture by Carlo Cordaro
- Three tennis courts and squash court
- One of Cebu’s most pet-friendly venues
- Ristorante La Piccola Roma authentic Italian
- 30+ Mbps and open-air coworking vibe
Weaknesses
- Sustainable wood construction allows some sound transmission
- Open-air restaurant can be too warm at midday
Traveler Suitability
- Architects & designers: Top choice — benchmark for sustainable tropical design
- Tennis players: Top choice — best social tennis scene in Cebu
- Pet owners: Top choice — pets part of the family
- Digital nomads: Suitable — open-air restaurant work-friendly
Nearby Attractions
- Streetscape Mall (2 min walk)
- Cebu IT Park (5 min drive)
- Maria Luisa Estate (nearby)
Nearby Restaurants
- La Piccola Roma (in-house)
- Asmara Gravity Bar (in-house)
Transportation
- Airport access: 25–35 min by car
- Public transport: Limited — Grab or private car
Notes
Phone: +63 917 708 1079. Website: asmaraurbanresort.com.
Sources
Property facts from the original research file. Architecture and construction details cross-checked against published interviews with designer Carlo Cordaro and Cebu press coverage of the property. Last verified 2026-08-28.
Explore Cebu City: Heritage Core, BPO Economy, and the Province's Real Base
Where this stay is located
CityCebu City: Heritage Core, BPO Economy, and the Province's Real Base
Cebu City is the working capital of the Visayas — heritage downtown, IT Park BPOs, mountain edge. How to use it as a Cebu Province base.
Best: Year-round
Nearby attractions
Things to see and do near this stay
- Adventure Park Cebu — Guide to Adventure Park Cebu in Cebu, Philippines.
- Archbishop's Palace — Guide to Archbishop's Palace in Cebu, Philippines.
- Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu — Guide to Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu in Cebu, Philippines.
- Ayala Center Cebu — Ayala Center Cebu is a shopping and dining mall anchoring Cebu Business Park, built by Ayala Land in 1994 on the former Club Filipino golf course and expanded in 2013 with The Terraces open-air dining cluster.
- Basilica del Santo Niño — Guide to Basilica del Santo Niño in Cebu, Philippines.
- Basilica Minore del Santo Niño — The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is the oldest Roman Catholic church foundation in the Philippines, established in 1565; the present stone structure, completed in 1740, mixes Earthquake Baroque, Romanesque and Neoclassical elements and holds the Santo Niño de Cebu image.
- Bocaue Peak — Guide to Bocaue Peak in Cebu, Philippines.
- Busay Hills — Guide to Busay Hills in Cebu, Philippines.
- Busay Cebu Guide: Mountain View Cafes & Flower Gardens — Guide to Busay Cebu Guide: Mountain View Cafes & Flower Gardens in Cebu, Philippines.
- Camp Marina — Outdoor recreation, camping, ATV, team building
- Campo 7 Forest — Guide to Campo 7 Forest in Cebu, Philippines.
- Carbon Market — Carbon Market is Cebu City's oldest and largest public market, trading produce, seafood, flowers and street food in the downtown Ermita district since 1901 — the city's main wholesale and retail food distribution hub.
- Casa Gorordo Museum — Casa Gorordo Museum is an 1850 bahay na bato in Cebu City's Parian heritage district — coral-stone ground floor, hardwood upper storey, capiz-shell windows — formerly the residence of Bishop Juan Gorordo and opened as a museum in 1980 under the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation.
- Castle Peak Mabolo — Guide to Castle Peak Mabolo in Cebu, Philippines.
- Cebu Business Park — Cebu Business Park (CBP) is a 50-hectare master-planned development in Cebu City, Philippines, developed by Cebu Holdings, an affiliate of Ayala Land.
- Cebu IT Park — Cebu IT Park, formerly known as Asiatown IT Park, is a 27-hectare business park in Cebu City, Philippines, developed by Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corporation — a subsidiary of Cebu.
- Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral — The Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu and Parish of Saint Vitalis of Milan or commonly known as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral (Cebuano: *Katedral Metropolitano sa Sugbo*) is the ecclesiastical seat of.
- Cebu Nature Park — Guide to Cebu Nature Park in Cebu, Philippines.
- Cebu Ocean Park — The Cebu Ocean Park & Events Center is a marine theme park in Cebu City, Philippines.
- Underwater Viewing Tunnel — Guide to Underwater Viewing Tunnel in Cebu, Philippines.
- Cebu Provincial Capitol — The Cebu Provincial Capitol is the seat of the provincial government of Cebu in the Philippines.
- Cebu Transcentral Highway — Guide to Cebu Transcentral Highway in Cebu, Philippines.
- Celosia Flower Farm — Guide to Celosia Flower Farm in Cebu, Philippines.
- Chalet Hills — Guide to Chalet Hills in Cebu, Philippines.
- Colon Street — Colon Street is a 1.1-kilometre downtown Cebu City corridor laid out by Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565 and named for Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) — commonly cited as the oldest street in the Philippines, now lined with Spanish colonial, Art Deco and postwar commercial buildings.
- Fort San Pedro — Fort San Pedro is a triangular coral-stone bastion fort inside Plaza Independencia, Cebu City, begun in 1565 under Miguel López de Legazpi and completed in 1738 — the oldest and smallest fort of its kind in the Philippines, now a small museum and heritage park.
- Fuente Osmeña Circle — Fuente Osmeña Circle is a rotunda established in 1912 around a monument to President Sergio Osmeña Sr., long treated as the traditional center of modern Cebu City and a key processional route for the January Sinulog Festival.
- Golden Peak Cebu — Guide to Golden Peak Cebu in Cebu, Philippines.
- Good Shepherd Road Viewpoint — Guide to Good Shepherd Road Viewpoint in Cebu, Philippines.
- Heritage of Cebu Monument — Guide to Heritage of Cebu Monument in Cebu, Philippines.
- Himbabawod Falls — Guide to Himbabawod Falls in Cebu, Philippines.
- Igutan Falls — Guide to Igutan Falls in Cebu, Philippines.
- Il Corso — Guide to Il Corso in Cebu, Philippines.
- 1730 Jesuit House Museum — Guide to 1730 Jesuit House Museum in Cebu, Philippines.
- JY Square XTreme Rides — Indoor/outdoor amusement attractions including virtual reality, climbing, and occasional extreme rides. Availability varies.
- Kartzone Cebu — Outdoor go-kart racing circuit suitable for recreational and competitive karting.
- La Vie in the Sky (La Parisienne SKY) — La Vie in the Sky, now operating as La Parisienne SKY, is a French restaurant and wine bar on the Cebu Transcentral Highway in Busay, on the same climb as Tops Lookout, built around a hilltop view of the Cebu City skyline.
- Little Kyoto — Guide to Little Kyoto in Cebu, Philippines.
- Lusaran Dam — Guide to Lusaran Dam in Cebu, Philippines.
- Magellan's Cross — Magellan's Cross is a small stone kiosk on Magallanes Street, Cebu City, built around a wooden cross said to encase the original cross planted by Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in 1521 to mark the first Catholic baptism in the Philippines.
- Most Sacred Heart of Jesus D Jakosalem St Cebu City — The Sacred Heart Parish on D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City is a prominent spiritual sanctuary known for its vibrant Chinese-Filipino community and its designation as a Jubilee Church.
- Mount Babag — Guide to Mount Babag in Cebu, Philippines.
- Mountain View Nature's Park — Mountain View Nature's Park is a family-run recreation resort in the Busay uplands of Cebu City -- also known locally as "Mountain View Busay" or "Mountain View Park" -- with garden viewpoints, a hanging-bridge adventure course, pools, and overnight cottages built around a panoramic view over the city and Mactan Channel.
- Museo Sugbo — Museo Sugbo occupies the former Cebu provincial jail — designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas and built from around 1871 using coral stone reportedly salvaged from the demolished Parian church — and opened its first galleries as a history museum on August 5, 2008.
- National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu — The National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu occupies the former Aduana (Customs) building in Cebu City's Civic District, designed in 1910 by William E. Parsons and later used as the presidential residence for the Visayas before its 2023 conversion into a regional history and archaeology museum.
- Nustar Boardwalk — Guide to Nustar Boardwalk in Cebu, Philippines.
- NUSTAR Resort & Casino — Guide to NUSTAR Resort & Casino in Cebu, Philippines.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Cebu City — An iconic spiritual sanctuary in Cebu City dedicated to the patroness of the archdiocese, serving as a beacon of faith and Marian devotion.
- Our Lady of Lourdes Punta Princesa Cebu City — A historic Jubilee Church in Cebu City.
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Magallanes Cebu City — A historic spiritual sanctuary in the heart of Cebu City, celebrated as a designated Jubilee Church welcoming pilgrims for the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
- 38 Park Avenue It Park — Guide to 38 Park Avenue It Park in Cebu, Philippines.
- Pedro Calungsod Chapel — Guide to Pedro Calungsod Chapel in Cebu, Philippines.
- Plaza Independencia — Plaza Independencia stands as the historical heartbeat of Cebu City, a sprawling green space that has witnessed centuries of the island's past.
- Rizal Memorial Library and Museum — Guide to Rizal Memorial Library and Museum in Cebu, Philippines.
- Rock'n Rope Adventure — Outdoor ropes course and team-building adventure venue.
- Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Lahug Cebu City — A historic Jubilee Church in Cebu City.
- San Nicolas de Tolentino Cebu City — A historic Jubilee Church in Cebu City.
- Sirao Flower Garden (Little Amsterdam) — Sirao Flower Garden (Little Amsterdam), in the Busay uplands of Cebu City, grew out of a family's commercial celosia farm into a photo-oriented garden nicknamed "Little Amsterdam" for its windmill installations and dense celosia fields.
- Sirao Pictorial Garden and Camping Site (PGCS) — Sirao Pictorial Garden and Camping Site (PGCS), in the Busay uplands of Cebu City, is the newer of two adjoining Sirao gardens -- built around the golden "Hand of God" sculpture, photo installations, and camping grounds rather than the celosia flower fields next door.
- Sirao Peak — Guide to Sirao Peak in Cebu, Philippines.
- SM Seaside City Cebu — SM Seaside City Cebu is a circular oceanfront mall on Cebu's South Road Properties reclaimed-land corridor, developed by SM Prime Holdings and opened in 2015 at roughly 470,000 square metres of gross floor area — one of the largest malls in the Philippines.
- Sugbo Mercado IT Park — Guide to Sugbo Mercado IT Park in Cebu, Philippines.
- Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum — Guide to Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum in Cebu, Philippines.
- Barangay Sulsogan — Guide to Barangay Sulsogan in Cebu, Philippines.
- Tagba-o Falls — Guide to Tagba-o Falls in Cebu, Philippines.
- Cebu Taoist Temple — The Cebu Taoist Temple is a Chinese temple complex built in 1972 by Cebu's Chinese-Filipino community in the Beverly Hills subdivision, about 110 metres above sea level, centered on the teachings of Lao Zi.
- Temple of Leah — Temple of Leah is a Roman-revival monument in Busay commissioned in 2012 by Teodorico Soriano Adarna as a tribute to his late wife, Leah Villa Albino-Adarna, built in concrete with stone and marble finishes around a colonnaded plaza and a ten-foot bronze statue of Leah.
- Terrazas de Flores — Guide to Terrazas de Flores in Cebu, Philippines.
- Tops Lookout (The Circle) — Tops Lookout, rebranded The Circle at Tops after a 2024 redevelopment, is a mountaintop viewpoint in Malubog, Busay, at roughly 600 metres elevation, with a five-storey circular viewing structure and about 22 food-and-beverage outlets around a 10-hectare hilltop site.
- Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House — The Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, built in 1675 in Cebu's Parian district, is among the oldest surviving houses in the Philippines — a wood-framed bahay na bato originally built for Don Juan Yap and Doña Maria Florido, later passed down to their descendant Val Sandiego.