Recently had this urge to go ride on a plane, but not out of country.
Last Thanksgiving (2012). I made a surprise, and memorable trip. Me and my girlfriend went to Cebu. She didn't really know our whereabouts. She just find out of our destination upon boarding the plane. As usual, we went for Cebu Pacific. We arrived at the airport and went straight for our Hotel.
We stayed at the Crown Regency Hotel & Towers near the Osmeña Boulevard. We chose to stay here for a lot of reasons.
The place offers a lot of activities. We tried most of what they offered. You cannot say you've been to Cebu if you have not conquered..
The Edge Coaster,
The Skywalk experience,
4D Movies.
The Tower to tower Zip line (Though i didn't have a go with it)
And the Amazing Buffet. (Here's the view when I was having dinner)
So it's a whole deal of amazing package, Plus the food is superb. And it is strategically located in the middle of the areas we're bound to see, so it is also location wise.
Our City tour began on Day Two. Our First Stop was the Cebu Taoist Temple.
It is located North from our Hotel. I assume it's placed in a mountain since the road that we've been on was uphill. The view from above is picturesque.
What made this temple different from most Chinese Temples I've been is the wishing area.
Governed by these three maidens, You try your luck with wishes with accuracy lying heavily upon your throw and coins. (You're supposed to shoot them in the jars).
After several wishes and a lot of clicks, we went next to the most Iconic place in town. The Magellan's Cross.
It is located downtown, and is just outside the Basilica. I'm surprised to find out that it isn't really large, as compared to what I usually see in books. After the cross, we drove for a few blocks to see the Fort San Pedro.
It was used during the Spanish Occupation. Now is a picnic area for students on their field trips. It is well maintained, and has history built over it's walls.
Then afterwards, we went to Casa Gorordo. It is an ancestral house owned by Cebu's richest back in the days.
This is the only photo I managed to get since camera is not allowed inside the vicinity. The stuff in there is really antique. A must see. After this house we went to a former prison, now called Karsel de Cebu.
The place gives you a short cut history of Cebu. We've been accommodated by a college student on training. We've seen glimpses of Cebu's past.
Here's a huge sum of our money back during the days.
Coins during the Japanese Regime.
Our last historical stop is the shrine of our first known Hero.
Lapu- Lapu
His shrine is located near the airport. The place has lot's of tourists. If you enjoy tiangge, this is the place to be. I bought a lot of cheap stuff but goodies here. Vendors are nice and accommodating. They're pretty good with Tagalog and English as well.
Since it's still early then, we went for hotel hunting. Just incase we plan to visit Cebu again. Amongst three that we've been. The best in the place is the Plantation Bay.
This hotel is surrounded by a man made beach. It has fine- grained white sands and is really relaxing.
Most of the cottages are on the water side. Best ones are the beach front where you just open the door and get prepared to have your feet wet. The place is the ultimate vacation. Offer's good set of activities and accommodation. It's pricey though, so I'll prepare before hand if in case.
After hotel hopping, we went back to Crown Regency to freshen up.
Of course I had my tourist costume. We went to the Ayala Center to meet a colleague. And to taste their unique cuisines.
We had our dinner at Casa Verde. It was perfect. And amazingly cheap. It's a must try.
Then the girls had their desserts. Again, I wonder why most of the food is cheap. We called the day after this. The following morning, was dedicated to chilling out by the pool and doing nothing :)
We had drinks by the jacuzzi while watching NBA in the pool. We packed our stuff and prepared for our flight back to Manila. All but one is missing. The Lechon. So after packing our stuff, we left them at the hotel's lobby and went for Zubuchon, One of the top Lechon Brands in Cebu.
Lechon was devoured within minutes. Mission Complete.
Cebu for me is a laid- back and relax location. The hassle free lifestyle and the food experience is good for travellers who'd want some time out of the usual Manila Life. Cheap cost of living probably attracts tourists, foreigners and the likes. You're not gonna miss much of Manila since most establishments are present. Cebu City, definitely a Southron Surprise.
