Philippines 2020: One Week In Cebu

This is our third trip in four years to the Philippines, but our first to Cebu. Previously we had visited Manila and Legazpi, but the Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,107 islands! We are never going to visit all 7,107 – only 2,000 are inhabited. There are three main islands: Luzon, Mindanao and the Visayan Islands. Manila and Legazpi are both part of Luzon, and Cebu is part of the Visayan Islands. Now, at least, we have checked off two of the three main islands off our list.

It was an easy trip Cebu despite arriving on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day happened to fall on a Friday, so traffic was even more congested than usual. Still the trip to Cebu from Manila was an easy one-hour flight. We flew with Cebu Pacific, which has many flights in and around the Philippines. The cost was just under $200 round trip in total for both of us. Since our round-trip tickets from New York to Manila were just over $600 each, we spent a total of ~$800 each on airfare – not bad for an 18-hour journey halfway around the world!

Selecting a place to stay was more challenging than I expected. Cebu is known for its beaches, so we looked at the beach resorts first – e.g., Shangri-La, Movenpick, Crimson. Each of these places were well over $200, some close to $300, per night. We planned to stay 7 nights, so a beachside hotel would have set us back almost $2,000!

We figured we could travel to the beach as needed, and we had also read that the best beaches in Cebu were outside of Cebu on neighboring islands, so we turned our attention to staying within the city. The hotels we looked at were still $100 per night and up, and these weren’t name brands. So we opted for an AirBNB with infinity pool and fitness room and pretty centrally located. It was across from the University of Philippines, Cebu campus, and a few minutes’ walk to Ayala Center Cebu, a major shopping and dining center. Total cost for the AirBNB was just under $500 for 7 nights, a savings of more than $1500 had we stayed at the resorts (and our week in Cebu cost less than $1500 so we cut our costs by more than half by staying within the city).

We actually spent our Valentine’s Day at Ayala Center Cebu, and while it was just a few minutes’ walk, it also involved crossing three very busy two-way streets. If you have never seen Philippines traffic, it can best be described as a Dastardly and Muttley cartoon car race. If you don’t remember that old cartoon, just picture a no holds barred, every car/ moped/ bus/ rickshaw tricycle for itself. Needless to say, we survived the street crossings (Scott and I both played the Frogger video game, so perhaps that helped) but we made all subsequent trips outside by Grab (the Philippines equivalent of Uber).

SM Seaside became our destination of choice for sweets and spa treatments on the cheap

Ayala Center Cebu was nice, but we knew from past trips that we also enjoy SM malls – we were not disappointed with SM Seaside! Sidebar: malls are a big deal in the Philippines and very much unlike the ghost towns they have almost become in the US. The biggest malls in the Philippine cities are run by either Ayala or SM. In these malls, you have restaurants of all types of cuisines, entertainment like movie theaters, arcades and other activities, general and specialty stores and lots of services (dental, spa, SM Seaside even had a pop-up car registration booth).

SM Seaside is a four-level circular structure with a top-floor “Sky Park” that features outdoor space with a water view. There are many beautiful design features at SM Seaside, and each quarter turn of the circle is named after a specific aesthetic – for example, water view, mountain view, city view, or The Cube (which reminded me of The Vessel in New York City).

Inside, there was an ice skating rink, bowling alley with pool and ping pong tables, movie theater with several first-run Hollywood movies as well as Filipino films, and then stores and restaurants on each floor. The stores were conveniently placed by category so all the tech and electronics retailers were near each other, clothing, kids, and much to my delight, spa treatments.

I had two reflexology treatments, a facial and a massage during our week in Cebu. Total cost was about $40, including tip! Spa prices in Cebu are almost 50% cheaper than in Manila, so it’s a great place to build your own spa vacation. Nuat Thai is a big spa provider around the Philippines. It’s my go-to place in Manila, and I did do one reflexology in Cebu at Nuat Thai. But I also tried another place in Cebu, Visionless, for a reflexology and massage. True to the name, the masseurs and masseuses at Visionless are all vision-impaired. They give tough massages – it was more like physical therapy than a relaxing day at the spa – but I was so limber after the treatments were done.

Another big advantage of the SM malls is that they are anchored by the big SM Department Store and SM Supermarket. SM Supermarket is not just a grocery, though it is a massive grocery. It also has numerous food stalls, including its own hot food stall and bakery. We went to SM Supermarket four times in one week to stock up on turon (banana fritters), ube bread (ube is a sweet purple spread), chocolate bread, sugar donuts and rolls. Individual treats range from 6.5 to 20 pesos, which comes out to approximately 13 to 40 cents based on the current exchange rate. We would regularly scoop up half a dozen pastries for less than $2. It was hard not to overindulge when the food was so delicious and so cheap!

The photo at the top of the page is from my favorite store at SM, called Kultura, which specializes in Filipino items and souvenirs, and I picked up several souvenirs there.

We didn’t just go to the mall – historical sites from the 1500’s to the Top of Cebu

Of course, we didn’t just spend our week at the mall (four visits, yes, but we fit in other things). My Mom’s cousin, Teodora, lives in Cebu, and we met her for the first time. At 73, she is still a firecracker. She organized a lunch of 20+ family members, as well as a trip to the various sites in Cebu.

We saw the Lapu Lapu monument which commemorates a key battle (Battle of Mactan) in the area, the one in which Lapu Lapu killed Ferdinand Magellan on his quest to circum-navigate the world

Magellan’s Cross dates back to March 1521, when Magellan and Portuguese and Spanish explorers first arrived in Cebu, bringing Christianity to the Philippines. Legend has it that the original cross is still present within the inside of the current cross, but many also believe it is just a replica on the inside.

Basilica of Santo Nino was established in the 1500’s and rebuilt in 1739. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Cebu

Fort San Pedro was also established back in the 1500’s, (although rebuilt in 1738) and looks like your typical army fort, but apparently housed a zoo in more recent years

The Taoist Temple was my favorite historical site, though this one is only from 1972. Perched 300 meters above sea level (just under 1,000 feet), the temple is multi-level, so you take several flights of stone steps up to enjoy a magnificent view and magnificent structures.

We ended our city tour with a stop at the Top of Cebu, an overlook at the highest point in Cebu. We arrived just at the end of the day and could still see the city in daylight and then stayed till sundown when the city lights came on and you had a view of the city at night.

We also enjoyed pork barbecue sticks al fresco. The meal came with rice, but no utensils, so we ate kamayan style, which is traditional Filipino style eating with your hands! Although we did eat with gloves…

The city tour lasted about 5 hours, and we were able to fit in so many sites because it was a Sunday, therefore a lighter traffic day. I don’t like spending too much time at various places (I don’t like the heat or the crowds), but if you do like to mill about, you’ll probably want to split these excursions into two days. If you go on a weekday or Saturday, you also need to build in more time to get place-to-place.

We also explored nature – waterfalls, beaches and Chocolate Hills

We didn’t just stay in the city, but explored the neighboring areas on two daylong trips.

We hired a driver for the day (our Grab driver who picked us up from the airport) and took a three-hour drive (each way) to Kawasan Falls in Badian, about 80 miles from Cebu. We started the day at 5am so we could avoid the worst of the traffic, and the drive was beautiful. We saw a massive rainbow along the way.

When you get to Kawasan Falls, you still need to walk about a mile to get to the falls. I’m not a swimmer, but you can swim right next to the falls. Because it was a weekday and early in the day, it wasn’t crowded, and the few people that were there got Instagram-worthy shots. Kawasan Falls is an accessible choice because, though there are many beautiful waterfalls surrounding Cebu (I highly recommend you check out Journey Era’s post on this), many require difficult hikes or canyoneering – i.e., walking, hiking, climbing, rappelling). Not for me, given that I barely made it in my beginner hikes in Sedona.

The Kawasan Falls area has three waterfalls in total, which you can access by climbing up stone steps. We made it to the second waterfall.

After Kawasan Falls, we checked out two beaches in nearby Moalboal – Lambug Beach and Basdaku Beach – both of which were listed as a top 10 beach in Cebu.

Moalboal is famous for swimming among schools of sardines that are so large they appear to be shiny silver balls. It is also an hour from one of the most famous activities in Cebu – swimming with whale sharks. In other words, Moalboal and this area around Cebu is mostly for swimmers, snorkelers and scuba divers, not casual beach-goers like me.

The color of the water was beautiful – varying shades of blue from turquoise to deep blue. However, the sand was rocky and shelly, so difficult to walk. There was also not much area to walk and the sand slopes beneath you, unlike our regular beach in Tamarindo, where you can walk almost a mile each way on soft, flat sand.

Our second daytrip was more my speed, as we took a ferry to Tagbilaran to see the Chocolate Hills in Bohol.

On the advice of Teodora (my Mom’s cousin), we stayed away from the pricey tour agencies and scheduled the trip ourselves. It was easy to do and saves about 40% on the cost – for example, we hired a private car and driver for the day at $60, where the advertised price on sites like Viator and TripAdvisor was over $100.

We took a Grab to the pier in Cebu and took the Ocean Jet ferry to Tagbilaran. We opted for business class, which is double the fare (1,000 pesos instead of 500, or $20 each way instead of $10). However, the business class section is the upper level of the boat, you get assigned seats, the seats are cushioned and it’s much less crowded. This helpful video from Meljean Solon helped us decide that business class was worth the price.

The ferry ride is 2 hours and gorgeous. We saw another massive rainbow on our way there. We also saw the Cebu skyline for the first few minutes of the trip. The ferry was also playing a movie – the awful “Noah” with Russell Crowe – but there was no sound, which was probably for the best.

When you arrive on the Tagbiluran side, there are plenty of cars waiting. The standard tour takes about 6 hours – it takes about 1.5 hours to travel one-way to the Chocolate Hills, so that’s the bulk of the time. In addition, to the Chocolate Hills, the driver passes by a few other local sites, and you have the option to lunch on a river cruise.

Our first stop was the Blood Compact Shrine which dates from the 1500’s and symbolizes the agreement between the chieftain of Bohol, Dalu Sikaluna, and Spanish explorer, Miguel Lopez.

We then visited the Baclayon Church and museum. Dating back to the early 1700’s, it’s one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines. The museum has many artifacts on display from their early days of operation!

The Tarsier Sanctuary was a highlight for me, and I wouldn’t say that I’m a big animal lover. Still, it’s hard not to find the 3-inch, big-eyed primates anything but adorable. The site does a great job of hosting, with a brief introduction at the beginning (tarsiers sleep during the day and are very sensitive to noise) and guides along the way who highlight where you can see the easy-to-miss animals. We saw four during our visit.

Then it was onto the river cruise lunch along the Loboc River. The food was served buffet-style and included many Filipino favorites – small ukoy (vegetable fritters), dilis (tiny, salty fish), tinola soup (chicken stock), pork appretada (a tomato-based stew with potatoes, carrots and peppers), vegetable curry, roast chicken (yes, this is very Filipino), and various traditional desserts.

There was live entertainment – a male crooner singing standards from Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, and other wedding-type favorites. We also stopped the boat along the way to enjoy live entertainment from a Filipino folk group that performed traditional Filipinos songs and a tinikling routine – the Filipino folk dance done with bamboo sticks.

The cruise is just over an hour and cost 650 pesos per person, or about $13. It’s a bargain given the beautiful scenery, the generous servings of tasty food and the very Filipino entertainment.

Then it was onto the star of the tour, a trip to the Chocolate Hills. There are over 1,200 of these small hills that formed naturally in Bohol and are chocolate brown in the dry season, so they look like giant Hershey Kisses (hence the name, Chocolate Hills).

Once you arrive, you still need to climb over 200 steps to get to the overlook that gives you a good view of the Hills. The steps are low, and there are several gazebos built into the side where you can take a rest and still enjoy the view. It’s manageable and well done. There was even a grotto built into one of the rest stops.

When you get to the top, there are several vantage points at varying heights to enjoy the Chocolate Hills. As you can see from the pictures, the hills were still more green than brown, so we didn’t get the full chocolate experience, but it was still interesting to see the unusual topography.

Then it was back to the pier and another two-hour ferry ride to Cebu. This time, the ferry featured “Angel Has Fallen,” the Gerard Butler action series. Since there was no sound, it was actually quite amusing and perhaps my favorite Gerard Butler film yet. (Actually, “Law Abiding Citizen” is my favorite Gerard Butler movie, and I actually recommend it).

Our day in Bohol was a highlight of our week in Cebu. After that 12-hour day, we did another relaxing day at SM Seaside – more spa and sweets – and then flew back to Manila.

More to come on the Manila leg of the trip!