BJs Seaside — Hotel in Cebu

We found this small bed & breakfast in Argao on an impromptu trip. We searched through various travel platforms and booking sites for the best place to stay in for a night in the area and this B&B popped up consistently on top of the rest. It piqued our interest and we booked an overnight stay on the 1st of January.||||The price is unbeatable for what they offer and the place is easy enough to find with the help of Waze. Word of advice to those who use Waze to find the B&B, don't use the church route but rather, go via the highway route, even when it says + 2 minutes on travel time. The route Waze gives you takes you to the church road, which is closed.||||Anyway, when we got there, the owners met us at the gate after we called them on the phone to tell them we have arrived. Joy and Bill are an amazing couple who is warm and make you feel at home. When we arrived, we walked through a garden area before getting to the dining area. We were given fresh lemonade when we got there and were given our room key along with a key to the gate.||||The room is nice and clean, I loved how comfortable the bed was, and it was perfect for a restful night's sleep. The bathroom had a hot and cold shower, which is kinda rare for a bed and breakfast in the province, and they also had cable TV. There is a rooftop area where you can hang out and enjoy the view of the sea, the surrounding town, and to simply feel the breeze.||||Now, on to the best part of BJ's By the Sea, which is the FOOD! When you say Joy is an amazing cook, that is an understatement. She has quite a repertoire when it comes to culinary delights, and these include standard Filipino dishes as well as foreign options. Since we read in the reviews on all the portals we checked that the food is great here, we decided to give it a go. ||||The food was SPECTACULAR! We chose spaghetti bolognese, Thai beef curry, and seafood chop suey for dinner. We were in for a treat! The servings were generous, the food was served on time (we ordered ahead and said we were having dinner at 7:30) and the flavors were authentic. The Thai beef curry had tender meat pieces in authentic tasting curry sauce, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente with enough sauce and garlic parmesan toast with it, and the seafood chop suey was yummy! To say that the food was great is an understatement.||||Joy is a genius in the kitchen. She uses fresh herbs when these are available (she actually grows her own herbs in her garden) and serves the food herself. She is also an amazing person to talk to, full of stories and insights on life. We talked for hours after dinner and felt more like a friend to her than a paying customer staying at her B&B. :) She even had us taste a glass of their freshly harvested tuba. :)||||Our stay included free breakfast for two, so we had breakfast at around 7 am. The breakfast we had held us until lunch since it was pretty substantial. Bacon and eggs with toast, brewed coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit (they gave us watermelon with a mint sprig on top), and fresh kalamansi juice. The menu for breakfast includes choices for Filipino breakfast (danggit, tocino, etc. with sinangag and egg), French toast, and other options.||||We left the place feeling rested and thanked Bill for their hospitality. The place is amazing for those who want a quiet stay near the beach and near some of the heritage sites of the area. It is also a short walk away from stores of the famous Torta of Argao, so you can buy your pasalubong easily. Word of advice though, buy early since they run out of stocks early (it is that good).||||Huge thanks to Joy and Bill, and to the rest of their small staff for our stay. Great find on an impromptu trip on New Year's day. We highly recommend this place, particularly...

We found this small bed & breakfast in Argao on an impromptu trip. We searched through various travel platforms and booking sites for the best place to stay in for a night in the area and this B&B popped up consistently on top of the rest. It piqued our interest and we booked an overnight stay on the 1st of January.

The price is unbeatable for what they offer and the place is easy enough to find with the help of Waze. Word of advice to those who use Waze to find the B&B, don't use the church route but rather, go via the highway route, even when it says + 2 minutes on travel time. The route Waze gives you takes you to the church road, which is closed.

Anyway, when we got there, the owners met us at the gate after we called them on the phone to tell them we have arrived. Joy and Bill are an amazing couple who is warm and make you feel at home. When we arrived, we walked through a garden area before getting to the dining area. We were given fresh lemonade when we got there and were given our room key along with a key to the gate.

The room is nice and clean, I loved how comfortable the bed was, and it was perfect for a restful night's sleep. The bathroom had a hot and cold shower, which is kinda rare for a bed and breakfast in the province, and they also had cable TV. There is a rooftop area where you can hang out and enjoy the view of the sea, the surrounding town, and to simply feel the breeze.

Now, on to the best part of BJ's By the Sea, which is the FOOD! When you say Joy is an amazing cook, that is an understatement. She has quite a repertoire when it comes to culinary delights, and these include standard Filipino dishes as well as foreign options. Since we read in the reviews on all the portals we checked that the food is great here, we decided to give it a go.

The food was SPECTACULAR! We chose spaghetti bolognese, Thai beef curry, and seafood chop suey for dinner. We were in for a treat! The servings were generous, the food was served on time (we ordered ahead and said we were having dinner at 7:30) and the flavors were authentic. The Thai beef curry had tender meat pieces in authentic tasting curry sauce, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente with enough sauce and garlic parmesan toast with it, and the seafood chop suey was yummy! To say that the food was great is an understatement.

Joy is a genius in the kitchen. She uses fresh herbs when these are available (she actually grows her own herbs in her garden) and serves the food herself. She is also an amazing person to talk to, full of stories and insights on life. We talked for hours after dinner and felt more like a friend to her than a paying customer staying at her B&B. :) She even had us taste a glass of their freshly harvested tuba. :)

Our stay included free breakfast for two, so we had breakfast at around 7 am. The breakfast we had held us until lunch since it was pretty substantial. Bacon and eggs with toast, brewed coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit (they gave us watermelon with a mint sprig on top), and fresh kalamansi juice. The menu for breakfast includes choices for Filipino breakfast (danggit, tocino, etc. with sinangag and egg), French toast, and other options.

We left the place feeling rested and thanked Bill for their hospitality. The place is amazing for those who want a quiet stay near the beach and near some of the heritage sites of the area. It is also a short walk away from stores of the famous Torta of Argao, so you can buy your pasalubong easily. Word of advice though, buy early since they run out of stocks early (it is that good).

Huge thanks to Joy and Bill, and to the rest of their small staff for our stay. Great find on an impromptu trip on New Year's day. We highly recommend this place, particularly...

The little garden dining area is sweet, the food is terrific and the owners are super (Billy and Joy; an American / Filipina couple). The WIFI was fine and lots of channels on the cable TV. The room was tiny, but so what? The bed was very comfortable, there is an open cabinet for your stuff, aircon, hot water shower, great towels and everything worked !! There's a nice view from the roof deck too. The location is central, right next to the old municipal buildings and the plaza, with a 300 year old Spanish era church. There's not a good beach there, but Mahayhay Beach is just a short tricycle ride away.| But the most amazing surprise was the food. I had 'grilled' cheese sandwich, on toasted whole wheat bread with genuine Tillamook cheddar cheese from California and fresh sliced tomatoes, fabulous! Next meal I had a BLT which was hands-down the best BLT I ever had in my life. It was so packed with crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and sliced ripe tomatoes I could barely get my mouth around it. For dinner I ordered the Thai Tom Yum soup with shrimp. Next thing I knew, Joy walked by, scissors in hand, to harvest a bit of fresh lemon grass from the garden. I knew I was in for a treat. Bottom line? a quiet, friendly place to stay in Argao, with nice little rooms, great hosts and...