As the usual basis of my travels, I booked a trip to Cebu because of the airfare promo by Cebu Pacific. My roundtrip ticket MNL-CEB-MNL was bought last July 2013, at a price of Php1,358.04 only.
The time of travel is just right, because there are numerous daily flights going to and from Cebu. This enabled us to maximize our 3-day stay.
Hotel
It was my first time to book through Expedia. They had the lowest rate - Php 3,231.91/night for a Superioir room for two.
The room was okay - no spectacular view, the bed was nice and comfortable, bathroom was clean and large enough, aircon, ref and tv are working, though there were cable signal problems during our stay.
The hotel has a nice pool and a beach that's enclosed by a man made wall. They also have their own restaurant so you don't really need to go out for your meals if you aren't really planning on eating anything specific outside. But I think it is rather priced a little high. We only tried their longanisa breakfast meal and it was just okay. Nothing fancy for a fancy price.
And we were also required to pay an incidental deposit, in the amount of Php 3,000, even if the hotel booking has already been paid for. I think this may be a policy in most hotels, but it would have been appreciated if we were advised ahead when I contacted them directly some days before our travel. Their staff were nice enough but were not as nice as some other local places I've visited.
Eats
Part of what I've learned and appreciated during our trip to Korea was food. If you don't try something new or special to the place you're visiting, it would feel like your travel isn't complete. Taste is another sense that has to experience. In Cebu, these are our main food trips:
Fredz Sutukil
Located just beside the Lapu-Lapu Shrine is a place much like Dampa here in Manila, where a number of eateries selling fresh seafood cooked in the way you please are located side by side. A number of them will rush to you the moment you step in the compound and shout their various marketing blahs.
We chose Fredz Sutukil, and ordered for crabs cooked in butter garlic, Lapu-lapu cooked the Sutukil way (Sugba-Tinola-Kilawin), Guso (seaweed), and of course our favorite drink! There was an ingredient charged to us - the Lukot, which was used for the tinola (but we were not advised ahead). The food was more than enough for four people, but it was too pricey. Our total bill reached Php2,000.
Larsian
A little bit like Mercato, with fewer choices, Larsian is like a market with various sellers, mostly of grilled food. What's unique is their sticky rice rolled in a triangular shape and wrapped in leaves. They leaves 10pcs for each table and they just count how many you've consumed, to be added to your bill, And oh, you eat with your hands, though they give you a plastic glove so you don't get all messy.
Their isaw, much like in Boracay, tastes fresh, without the sandy feeling in your mouth, as is typical of isaw in Manila.
CNT and Zubuchon
Two of the best lechon eats in the city of Cebu. Which is better? I can't quite decide. Zubuchon's lechon is chopped in smaller pieces and is more crispy, while CNT is more tasty and has that thin layer of fat beneath the skin that makes some people crave more and more. It's up to you to decide. But should you ever visit Zubuchon, their Kamias Shake is a must try. (We've always neglected the Kamias tree in our backyarduntil I've got a taste of this! I wonder how would their Lolomboy (Duhat) Shake taste like...mmmm...)
Transportation
Since our hotel was located in Mactan and most of the places to eat and visit are in Cebu City, our mode of transportation was mostly taxi. There are tricycles available but I'm not sure they can bring us to the city. We might need to ride a public jeepney (which looks a little different from what we have in Manila), but the roads under construction and the heat of the summer would not make the travel very pleasant.
Itinerary
Day 1 - City Tour
Upon arrving in Mactan Airport, we headed straight to Cebu City for a quick tour. The taxi driver offered to bring us to the various tourist places for Php 1,500. These are the places we visited and their corresponding entrance fees:
- Fort San Pedro (entrance fee of Php 30)
- Magellan's Cross and Sto. Nino Basilica
- Casa Gorordo (entrance of Php 40)
- Taoist Temple
- Lapu-Lapu Shrine
- Allegre Guitar Factory
- New Susing's Guitar
Day 2 - Whale Shark watching
The original plan actually was to go to Bantayan Island after the City Tour. However, with the calamity brought on by Typhoon Yolanda, and not being able to get much updates about the current status of the place, we had to change our plans. We decided to have an encounter with the Whale Sharks instead (also known as the Butanding).
I've booked a package from Oslob Whalesharks website for Php 3,750 each. This already includes the transfer to Oslob, breakfast and lunch, the whale shark encounter, a short trip to the falls, and all the fees that has to be paid.
Our additional expense was just the souveneirs and the rent for the underwater camera at Php500.
We also went to Tumalog Falls, where we had to ride a motor (Php50), and trek for about a minute. And we were welcomed by clear pristine waters.
Had I brought my towel with me, I couldn't have resisted the urge to jump!
Day 3 - Swim/Relax/Shop for Pasalubong
Day 3 was a relaxing day as we spent the morning taking pictures along the beach, swimming for a little bit in the pool, having breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, and packing our things.
After checking out at 12noon, we went to buy our pasalubong, starting with Shamrock to buy some Otap, then to the market for some Danggit, and to the factory of Guadalupe dried mangoes. Aside from the normal dried mangoes we love, they also have chocolate covered mangoes and other variety.
Our total expenses is around Php 10,000. And this is quite high, considering the hotel we got and the mode of transportation we availed of. If you're feeling a little more adventurous, I believe you could slash this down to half.
