Cebu - Where to Go and What to Do

I'll be dropping by Cebu for one whole day before I head off to my paradise in Siargao for a 15-day vacation. Then back to Cebu again for another night before I head back to Manila. At first, I was just thinking of staying in a hotel or visiting my in-laws as I wait for my Siargao flight. I've been to Cebu so many times, especially when my sister was living there, that I feel like I've already had enough of what Cebu has to offer. Then I thought, why not try squeezing all the activities that I can, this time, by myself (no hubby in tow) and see how different this experience can be?! Hmmmm... quite scary since I've never done that before except in Boracay last summer when I did my one month vacay all by myself. I guess there's always a first  time for everything. ^_^

So I went through all my previous posts about Cebu to see if there's anything I'm willing to do again. If you haven't explored Cebu yet, you can refer to this list of awesome activities you can do in Cebu the next time you visit.

Where to stay in Cebu?

I know I usually stay in places that are affordable but for some reason, when it comes to Cebu, I was fortunate enough to have stayed and/or visited some of the most wonderful 3 to 5-star hotels. Here are some of them that you might want to visit too:

Cebu - Marigondon, Plantation Bay, Mactan

 The next series of travelogues that  I will be sharing with you consist of three weeks worth of vacation,  touring parts of Visayas and Mindanao two summers ago.  This was the time when both of us were able to scrimp the P40,000 we saved up for this adventure and learned the art of backpacking by experience. Come, join us on our journey and explore the beauty of our country. Maybe next time, we can do a backpack tour of Asia and Europe as well. *crossing our fingers now*

~~~oOo~~~

Come Monday morning, April 11, after a hearty breakfast, we got ready to tour other parts of the city. We hailed a cab and asked the driver to bring us to the Mactan Shrine. On our way there, we passed by Mandaue City and crossed the Lapu-Lapu bridge, until finally, the driver dropped us off outside the shrine.

    

Cab ride going to Marigondon… Passing by the Lapu-Lapu Bridge… 

There were no entrance fees required so we just walked in. It looked like a small park with lots of flower-bearing shrubs and coconut trees. In the middle of the park is Lapu-Lapu’s lone statue standing big and tall, the way Cebuanos generally are (proud and strong). At the other end of the park is a mini museum housing the largest painting depicting the battle of Mactan. It was really huge!

  

Visiting the Mactan Shrine 

  

 What a huge painting!!!

Mactan, Bantayan, Alegre in Cebu

This is the vacation that we’ve mostly been waiting for. Not only because I’d be turning 28 at that time and that we’d be staying at 5-star hotels, but because Pa will be with us. The day we all arrived in Cebu, we headed to Shangri-la Mactan for afternoon coffee and snacks. Tito Pedro, Tita Annie (Pa’s brother and sister-in-law), Nipsy and Renault (Peter’s cousin and cousin-in-law) were with us. We stayed there the whole evening, dining at their seafood buffet by the beach. It was so gorgeous, classy and marvelous! We had such a great time! Of course, being the practical person that I am, I couldn’t help but notice that when the bill came, it amounted to something like P15,000.00 inclusive of P1,000.00 tip from Pa! And we didn’t even check-in. WOW! NALULA AKO! Hahaha!

 Shangrila Mactan 

View from the restaurant…

 

Me as I was about to order; Pa, Tito Pedro, Tita Anne, Nipsy, Renault and I

 
Look at all the assorted cakes from the buffet table! Forget about dieting for now…Hehehe! 

Happy together…

The next day, we headed to Bantayan Island and stayed at St. Bernard Beach Resort. It’s one of those cozy, more affordable resorts along the beaches of Bantayn Island. It is located only 15 min. walk or 5 min. by tricikad (bicycle with sidecar) from the pier. (*Reservation can be made by E-Mail: bernard@bantayan.dk or by phone +63-9179636162.)

Bantayan Island

Enjoying the amihan season along St. Bernard Beach…