Club Arena Bar Review: Cebu, City – by Foreigner & The Chinese
Name : Club Arena
Location : Just down the road from Queensland (Head in the direction of SM from Mango) – take a left, I think it’s the 2nd road before you get to the junction with the main highway connecting Cebu central with Mandaue (reclamation area) – you’ll see Club Arena if you look left, all lit up. If you get a taxi from the main Mango strip, it will take you just 5 mins and cost around 80 pesos or so.
Layout : 4/5 Great layout – upper market super bar. Upstairs has KTV and numerous rooms where you can take a girls and sing (or whatever..) The rooms have a window looking down onto the main stage and bar area – you can often see a couple heads peering out from the rooms when you are downstairs. Bar is really plush with numerous smart looking waiters. Girls do not roam around freely and sit further back or backstage until they are required to dance or they are called to join you for a drink. Bar is bright – I guess the private rooms are not so bright (no personal experience though). There’s plenty of nice seating available. Main stage is set up like a mini-arena with an extended cat-walk – great for showing off the girls and making the really nice ones look more Filipina super models – fantastic! This is a big bar – definitely one of the most impressive in Cebu, but way over-priced, especially when compared to the new Mermaid bar in Mactan, just over the other side of the new bridge, another really impressive club/bar with prices higher than the other bars, but not in the super expensive league that Arena is in. I tried to get some decent photos on my last visit, but was stopped by management – despite paying an entrance fee and hideously high prices once inside. I will try again and see what I can do. The Arena Bar review really does need pics so you can get a good idea of what I am talking about – it’s really quite different from the others and hard to describe with words alone.
Price : 1/5 Haha, where to begin… For starters you get stung for an entrance fee (200 peso I believe), this is not charged at the door, only when you get your bill. No one will tell you this when you arrive, there is a SMALL sign near the entrance stating the charge, but I believe most customers would easily miss this on their first visit. There seems to be no set price for a ladies drink with the waiter telling me an incredible 700 pesos for one drink, then dropping down to 500?? Barfine is around 6000 pesos – unbelievable! Your drinks are around 150 I think for a San Miguel Light – I think you’ll get taxed on that as well. As you might expect, not much of a foreigner contingent, mostly Japanese and a few Koreans, probably just how the management wants it. I still cant believe the unbelievable pricing of his place – don’t get me wrong it’s good, but maybe not that good!
Management : 2/5 Not the best experience with Management at Club Arena. First of all the waiter gave me a hard time about photos – no flexibility either. Then I get ripped with the incredible pricing and when I go to settle up, they slap on the 200 peso entry fee and tax. I refused to pay the entrance fee and it took 20 minutes to sort out until the owner finally agreed to waive it. This place just feels like everything is set up to rape your wallet as hard as possible in every way – all that without any friendly treatment from the management, this is in stark contrast to bars like Lonestar Bar. Might be an unfair assessment, lets see how I get on at my next visit – perhaps I’ll change my tune..
Girls Looks : 4/5 There are not two ways about it, there are some STUNNING girls in Club Arena – as you’d expect from the prices, maybe even the best out of all the Cebu bars (maybe). Girls like this tend to go fast after the bar opens, so I’d advise making a concerted effort one evening, of going to Arena Bar yourself – get there early around 8pm so you can see the best and stay a few hours at least – yep it’s expensive, but come on, how often and how much money do you spend in those other, cheaper bars oi! Don’t be tight, do yourself a favour and check out Arena at least a single time – be warned though, if you develop a taste for it, could prove to be an expensive trial!
Attitude : 3/5 Girls don’t roam around freely and mingle like most of the bars, which is a bit of a downer, although once you’ve got that second mortgage out on your home to fund your night out at club Arena AND the Securicor van arrives with your funds for the first ladie’s drink, you can settle down and enjoy your time with your young specimen of choice – very pleasant indeed!
Fun Factor : 2/5 Kinda serious in there – be an idea to turn up wearing something reasonably smart, but of course, it’s not a must – goes down well with the girls though – come on, doesn’t hurt to get those shorts off and a pair of trousers on once every six months! Hopefully you’ve brought some slacks with you (great for clubs/discos too – esp club Juliana). If you’re tall and need a 32 – 34” leg, then you haven’t got a hope in hell of finding something that will fit in the malls of Cebu, short of going to the Tailor (which is actually a remarkably good idea in itself!).
Overall : 3/5 As you might have noticed, I’m a little hot and cold about this bar/cub. I aim to make another visit in the near future, so hopefully will be able to juice up this review substantially – until then, best you check it out yourself!
i have a friend(ex) who works at this bar. indeed one of the most nicest place a foriegner could go to in greater cebu. Girls are with class, unlike other bars whose girls shouts at every direction, in a not friendly manner.
i could agree that this bar is really high in price, which are not intended for the locals and are for the tourists only.
Management: 3/5
Girls: 4/5
Pricing: 1/5
Fun Factor: 2 – this place is serious. but they do have their disco time where all customer and dancer are allowed to dance up front stage do your worst,. drop it like its hot!
What a rip off. OK if you like ladyboys, too many for me. 200 peso cover charge and 500 peso if you bring a girl. Very unfrienly bar, one girls dances at a time. OK for Japan and Korea, may be they like to waste money.
what a rip of. ok if yoy like ladyboys, tpp many for me. 200 peso cover charge
ha! ha! ha! arena? some of the fucking girls working there, are too much immetation in there fucking body… or injection having a big boobs and big nose,,, the gils are older than the other ktv bar… and they like koreans to fuck for free… such a horny fucking bitch… specialy the girls who named SAKURA she can play with 5 guys… ya! too big pussy yakkkkk….! if i am a guy i wont go that fucking place,,, kind of a shit….waisting money,just go another place,,,its better….
regards ko ni sarah katong gwapa na babae
Warning: the club has shows that include dancers in DRAG. Not for the feint of heart and dont expect that you’ll meet a nice “inexperienced” girl to rescue. Never going to happen in this place of professionals.
Arena is well over priced and can easily cost you 1000 pesos for entry fees, viewing fees, and one beer.
It cost money for woman to sit with you and it cost even more money for drinks and to take her home. The best looking (in my opinion) are the so-called visiting Manila Models. The same ladies you can meet in Makati for half the price. Im sure one complete night at Arena would cost the same as airfare, hotel and a model in Manila.
This place is a rip-off!!!!
I strongly do not recommend this place (for anybody)
spent 20 large but all got freebies at the end
just imagine all the fun that im having
i am the one also guest of arena its nice their and cool,specialy when the gay’s dancing i like that!i have fun their,well i can say some of the girls their are nice but some are not good specialy the girl their name HAIRA she is the girl friend of my friend tiger but when tiger leave she find other guy again
i hate that!
all you want to do you can do if you have a money!
i been there 2times, at 1st time, i only spend 2beer fee, over 200p, so, they don’t charge me enter fee, the enter fee is 200p. and i sit there watching girls dance long time, i feel happy that time. because, i watching 4hr sexy dance only spend me 248p, or something like that, i forget.
2nd time, i ask the mamasan how much the price etc. and she told me lady drink is 300p for 1hr. but, she ‘forget’ to tell me 1st lady drink need charge 1 lady drink for mamasan, when i check the bill i found out this. and i buy 2beers too. and that cost me 11xxp this time. i don’t know why is not 300×2+248p=848p, maybe they charge me 200p for enter fee and tax for government!!
they told me have 2 kind of girl there, 1 is cebu girl, lady drink is 300p. barfine is 6000p. another is manila girl, lady drink is 600p, barfine is “8000p”. wow!! much better i barfine a girl at manila ktv bar.
a girl told me, if i pay 6000p for bar fine, she can get 3000p.
where is aila im looking for aila i visit arena many times but i didn’t see her i miss aila where is she now can you till me where is she
arena is very nice bar i’ve ever been. it’s nicer than other bar here in cebu. arena is the best bar ever!!
Guuys…you have to understand…god forbid we never need all places with same price, same quality, we need variety in life.
Say, if you hit a jack pot and become shit wealthy, you will turn around and complain that no bars in Cebu are worth quality.
Arena is owned by a Korean businessman and he is a very nice guy and pays the girls handsomely, many girls stay in Arena because the owner is cool.
Many people are rich in korea and japan and dont mind spending on girls, atleast they have same taste as us but with more money. so all cool..
If we become rich one day, we do the same.
I have been to Arena four-five times during my last stay in Cebu.
I cant afford it every month, but once in a year for one week, is enough for last for a year.
I have been in manila and manila bars are not good compared to cebu and even girls wise.
peace out..
arena is very beautiful for foriegners and the girls in arena is very nice sexy,beautiful,and really very clean………. thank you…. fr:princess shine arriesgado,,,from manila
Arena is not worth you money. Girls there are old. Way old compared to girls you meet at juliana or autoshop. not worth it at al.. Avoid this place, dnt get curious just avoid it!!! Girls look average, worst part r old.. jst my opinion
I was there twice in late 2008. I was wondering if anyone knows of a girl named Maricel who worked there then.