Celebrate Cebu

Magellan’s Cross | Photo by Ching Dee

Ahhh, Cebu.

Cebu is probably the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines, second to Boracay. It is filled with warm people, heartwarming culture, enthralling landscapes, breathtaking beaches, awe-mazing underwater life, and great tummy-fillers.

I did quite a bunch of research for this trip, making sure that I’ve got most of the things covered. I want to be prepared, but I also know that more than half of the things I listed down probably won’t happen.

Our first stop was Bantayan Island on the northern tip of Cebu.

Calm seas | Photo by Ching Dee

Going to Bantayan was really fun ‘cause you get to experience all modes of transportation in one day: by air, by water, and by land. From Mactan International Airport, we took a cab to North Cebu Bus Terminal to get on a bus headed for Hagnaya Port. A bus ride from the terminal to the port will set you back PHP150.00 per person and lasts around 3 hours. Yep, 3 butt-numbing hours. How I also wish the bus’ aisle seats have armrests.

Travel time from Hagnaya Port to Sta. Fe Port in Bantayan Island is around an hour and a half, PHP 170.00 per person. There’s also a PHP 10.00 port/terminal fee per head. That Sunday, the sea was really calm. Barely felt any waves crashing against the ferry, unlike the ferry ride on our way back to Hagnaya. *cue theme to ‘Jaws’*

Sun and seas at Alice Beach, Bantayan Island | Photo by Yobic Arceta

Around an hour and a half later, we reached Sta. Fe and disembarked. Lots of padyak/trisikad (pedicab) drivers were following passengers and offering us rides, asking us where we’re going to stay. It was quite unnerving because they were very persistent, but we just turned them down since the resort we chose offers free port-to-resort transfers.

Rainy morning in Bantayan Island | Photo by Ching Dee

The sun was warm and shining when we arrived at the beach at around 2:00 PM. While waiting to be checked in, one of the staff at Beach Placid asked us if we would like to take a tour of Bantayan Island.

If you want to go around in a car, it’ll set you back around PHP 1500.00, plus your meals during the daytrip. If you want to go around the island in a motorcycle, it’s just PHP 600.00 for the entire day. You can also rent a boat to take you to a nearby uninhabited island called Virgin Island for PHP 900.00 for the entire day. He said we can buy seafood early in the morning, head out to Virgin Island at around 7:00 AM, swim, have grilled seafood for lunch, and go back to the resort by dusk. We declined his insanely enticing offers politely since we went to the beach to be bums! And also because it’s not included in our budget (haha!).

The next day, we woke up really early to catch the sunrise, but it was raining really hard! Going out to the resort’s restaurant to have our complimentary breakfast was a quest for dry land. It rained until lunchtime and it made the beach look a bit gloomy. It was my first time to experience a storm at the beach. We even lost electricity for a couple of hours that day. But once the rain let up a little bit, the electricity was restored right away.

Strolling around Bantayan Island | Photo by Ching Dee

Staying in Bantayan Island gives tourists the best of both worlds: comforts and conveniences of city life (AC in your room, free WIFI at the restaurant, nice and clean bathroom) and the laidback atmosphere of the countryside.

Once the rains stopped, we took a short walk around the beach and then rode a trisikad to the town center to have lunch at Blue Ice Bar & Restaurant. It was highly recommended by our friend who went to Bantayan just two weeks before we did.

Sizzling Pork (right) and Swiss Fried Potato from Blue Ice Bar (Photos by Ching Dee)

Our friend raved about the Sizzling Pork (around PHP 195.00, I think), so we ordered it. We also had their Swiss Fried Potatoes (around PHP 120.00). The Sizzling Pork was good, even though the potatoes in the dish were a bit undercooked. We loved the sauce! It was a delicious experience. The deep flavors of the brown, hearty sauce definitely complimented the slightly sweet taste of the tender pork. The Swiss Fried Potato was also quite sweet and absolutely cheesy. I’m not entirely sure what’s in it, but it worked very well.

When we arrived at the resort after lunch, we changed clothes to take a swim, but there were a bunch of jellyfish taking a swim, too! We’re too much of a chicken to dare to swim with the jellyfish, so we just took another walk along the beach and took photos.

Sunrise along Alice Beach, Bantayan Island | Photo by Ching Dee

On our last morning in Bantayan Island, we woke up at around 5:00 AM to catch the sunrise. Let’s just say that the beauty of a Bantayan Island sunrise is totally worth the lack of sleep and the agony of waking up early while on vacation.

After taking a quick swim before checking out of the resort (we couldn’t resist the crystal blue waters and gloriously warm sun!), we headed back to mainland Cebu.

Food at casa Verde (top two) and 10 Dove Street (bottom two) (Photos by Ching Dee and Yobic Arceta)

Back in the city, one should definitely try dining at Casa Verde and 10 Dove Street. Both restaurants offer great food at amazingly affordable prices.

We only had about 3-4 hours that afternoon to go around Cebu City, so we made sure we made the most of it. Our first stop was the Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills, one of the prestigious villages in Cebu. Taking photos inside the temples (yeah, plural; there are around 4-5 temples in the compound) is not allowed, so we just observed from the outside.

Author at the Taoist Temple | Photo by Yobic Arceta

After visiting the Taoist Temple, we headed off to Magellan’s Cross. I thought it was going to be huge! Like, in some museum or something. But Magellan’s Cross is housed inside a small gazebo in the middle of a traditional plaza, just a few steps from the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, which is a really nice place to visit, especially for its courtyard.

Inside For San Pedro | Photo by Yobic Arceta

After the Basilica, we crossed the street towards Plaza Independencia and Fort San Pedro. There’s an entrance fee of PHP 30.00 per person to go inside Fort San Pedro. There’s a really nice garden at the center and even on the viewing deck of the fort. It’s a nice place to spend the afternoon and just rest your tired legs and feet from all that walking around the city.

Visiting Cebu is so much more than the places I mentioned — there’s whaleshark feeding in Oslob and diving in Malapascua and guitar haven in Cebu City. A four-day visit just isn’t enough to explore the grandiose of the Queen City of the South. But just like all good things, our little vacation had to end sometime — because one vacation has to end in order for a new vacation to begin.