 Cebu, Philippines
City Guide
Introduction |
Beaches and Recreation |
Attractions |
Tourist Information Offices |
Shopping |
Entertainment and Eating Out |
Cyber Cebu |
Getting
from A to B |
Tours |
Events
Introduction
Cebu is one of the larger islands of the central region of The Philippines known as The Visayas. Cebu province includes Cebu Island and a few smaller satellite islands for the most part undeveloped and unspoilt.
The beaches are the
major draw of Cebu. Many visitors come only to kick off their sandals in
the beautiful tropical beach resorts, taking advantage of Cebu's picture
postcard shores, recreational facilities and great
hospitality.
Cebu City - the country's Southern centre for business and trade has witnessed rapid and uneven economic development. Much of it is bustling, bedraggled and far from pretty, with bastions of wealth protruding from the hardship. Poverty is visible and some desperate city dwellers have turned to begging and crime.
The province was the first to encounter the Spanish and there are a few architectural reminders of the country's colonial past. The Spanish legacy, Catholicism, is very strong and evident almost everywhere.
Visitors quickly notice how friendly and cheerful the smiling Cebuanos are. Cebu is welcoming to visitors and attractive to both the eye and the wallet.
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Beaches and Recreation
Cebu has some very good beaches that are deservedly popular. Many resort beaches are quite small and secluded but Cebu often experiences high tide at night, which is not always favourable for swimming. Most beaches gently shelve away into safe, shallow crystal clear waters picturesque and safe for all the family.
Many of the Philippines best-known luxury resorts are on the Southeast coast of Mactan Island. Beaches are well maintained and have been adorned with tonnes of imported white sand. Mactan is the best for watersports such as parasailing, windsurfing and jetskiing.
There are quieter beaches away from the popular resorts at other locations. Independent travellers often head for Bantayan Island and Malapascua in the northern corner of the
Island.
Cebu offers a vast range of low-priced diving packages and courses. Dynamite fishing has virtually demolished some reefs but there are still plenty of pristine gems to explore. Dive shops are sprinkled all around Cebu and offer scores of great dive sites with superb visibility and a striking range of marine life.
The best facilities and the widest selection of courses are found on Mactan Island with over 70 dive centres to chose from. There are several good spots and a fine variety of sea creatures, although the coral is a bit battered.
Two or three hours from Cebu City are great dive sites such as the sunken island off Moalboal and the impressive walls of Pescador Island. Dives can also be organised to the nearby province of Bohol. Excellent dives here include Panglao Island and the schools of hammerheads off Calibao.
Island hopping tours offer a range of activities. Hilutungan and Olango Islands, 15
minutes off Mactan provide bird watching and snorkelling. Fish feeding,
diving and island exploring are also island hopping tour favourites.
Several fairly decent 18-hole golf courses are conveniently spread around Cebu; in the city - Alta Vista Golf and Country Club, and the Cebu Country Club. Mactan's most accessible is the Mactan Airbase Golf Course.
Caves on Cebu include, Balay ug Colon, Nuestra
Senora de Gracia and Momoy at Carcar.
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Attractions
Popular sightseeing attractions are mostly found in and around Cebu City and Mactan Island.
Built by Legaspie in 1740, Fort San Pedro is the smallest and oldest tri-bastion fort in the country. The green setting makes this fine little fort a good place to take a breather from Cebu City's chaotic streets. The Fort is home to the Regional National Museum
which from Wednesday to Sunday exhibits Ming porcelain, cannons and
helmets from a sunken Spanish galleon.
Portuguese explorer Magellan erected the Cross of Magellan in 1521 to mark the spot where
the first Christian Filipinos were baptised. A simple shrine, which could
be mistaken for a bus shelter from a distance, houses a wooden replica
encasing the disintegrated original. This very significant part of
Filipino history is only worth a quick glance before heading for the
Basilica opposite.
The first Asian Basilica, Basilica Minore de Santo Nio, was built in Cebu in 1740 and teems with devotees clambering to catch a glimpse of the oldest religious relic in the Philippines, the Santo Nio statue, given to Queen Juana of Cebu by Magellan. Sundays aren't the best time to visit the colonial church unless you wish to partake in a busy mass conducted in Filipino.
Casa Gorordo in downtown Cebu is a restored 19th century house displaying various
antiques reflecting the European and local influences of the era. Casa
Gorordo also exhibits contemporary art and claims to be a museum but the
term ancestral house is more appropriate.
The attractive Taoist Temple looks a little out of place but is a pleasant detour for those with time on their hands. Fortune-tellers lend some authenticity to this slightly artificial-looking temple.
On Mactan Island are two uninspiring monuments to extremely inspiring events. The Lapu-Lapu Monument is a bronze tribute to the brave chieftain Lapu-Lapu, the first Filipino to resist colonialism. Not far away is his beaten adversary's monument, Magellan's Marker, the spot where the great explorer and his men fell in the 1521 battle of Mactan.
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Tourist Information Offices
Tourist information desks are situated at Mactan International Airport and the tourist office is opposite the Fort San Pedro.
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Shopping
Shopping in Cebu is pretty average. Malls offer a fair range of goods at reasonable prices but few real bargains. Some good local arts and crafts exist among the more trashy souvenirs and plundered coral. Rattan, bamboo and stone furniture is widely available in Cebu.
The craftsmen of the Guitar factories on Mactan Island produce top quality classic or acoustic pieces to suit all budgets. Guitars can be custom-made from imported woods like mahogany or rosewood and shipped to customers in about 6 months.
The Carbon Market is a buzzing agricultural market selling housewares and handicrafts. Obtaining local crafts like capiz shells, native Filipino blankets and barongs, basketry and brassware will require sharpened bartering skills.
Busy Colon Street is the oldest in the country but there's no visible evidence of this among the crowds and the fumes. Set downtown it features fairly typical stores, shopping malls and cinemas.
Note: Downtown Cebu is particularly bad for pickpockets and can be unsafe at night.
The best shopping malls are in Cebu City. The Ayala Center displays a broad variety of items including international brand name products. Other choices would be SM Cebu and Gaisano Country Mall slightly further out.
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Entertainment and Eating Out
Cebu City is reasonably priced with a multinational choice of restaurants. There's no real designated dining or drinking district but the most fashionable eating establishments are mainly found in the Ayala district. The city offers plenty of eating, drinking and dancing, the odd concert but little else.
Filipinos disagree with those who describe their food as bland. The undecided should try a Filipino turo-turo - literally 'point-point' restaurant,
where patrons point at whatever they fancy from a spread of local
dishes.
Cebu's speciality is its excellent seafood cuisine. Alavar's Seafood House serves good bagoong-based meals. Another good place to eat out is Chika-an Restaurant along Osmena Street.
Cebu has no shortage of nightlife. A string of bars, karaoke joints, cafes, discos, and nightclubs line the streets from downtown Colon Street to Osmena Boulevard and Gen. Maxilom Avenue. Cebu has become a necessary stop for touring artists and most of the country's best bands come from the Visayas. Hotels/Resorts often have live singing in the evenings.
Cebu has two 24-hour casinos located in both of the Waterfront Hotels - Cebu City and Mactan Island.
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Cyber Cebu
The cyber scene is well established. Internet Cafes abound, especially in the city and tourist spots and rates are low.
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Getting From A to B
Transportation varies greatly in Cebu. There are many cheap connections and the major destinations are well linked. Outside of the cities and main tourist areas getting around can be difficult, slow and uncomfortable; timetables and roads are often unreliable and safety can be an issue.
Note: There are no trains on Cebu.
Taxis provide the simplest and most comfortable way to travel and can be easily flagged down in built-up areas but are rarer around resorts. Opportunistic taxi drivers will be reluctant but insist on using the meter.
The outrageously decorated jeepneys are a characteristic and hectic way of getting about and so cheap they're almost free. Communication can get garbled in the driver's eagerness to stuff as many passengers as possible on board a haven for pickpockets.
The backbone of Filipino transportation, jeepneys provide the cheapest and most convenient form of public transport for the streetwise and adventurous traveller.
Tartanillas or horse-drawn carts aren't a
tourist gimmick but an authentic mode of local transport. Away from city
centres they provide the most traditional and environmentally friendly way
to travel short distances but do involve staring at the rear end of a
horse.
Many resorts are fairly isolated and transport can be difficult. Hotel transport is much more expensive than a taxi but is the most convenient way to leave a more secluded resort.
Owing to generally uncomfortable and infrequent public transport, the best way to travel longer distances on Cebu for those with limited time is in a rented car.
The alternative is the bus, often confusing, arduous and an experience in its own right. It is common to see dilapidated buses in the rural areas bulging with people and passengers spilling headfirst out of windows at their stops. It is an incredibly economical way to travel but requires a sense of humour.
Tricycles are common in towns and villages -
with a bit of haggling they provide a convenient and cheap method of
transport.
Outriggers can be chartered for independent
island hopping.
A flotilla of boats, from luxury liners to virtual floating wreckage link Cebu to other islands and cities. Bohol is a 90-minute ferry ride away and Manila can be reached in a day.
Cebu is just an hour by plane from Manila and is well connected to other parts of the country. There are also direct flights between Mactan International Airport and several major Asian cities.
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Tours
For lush greenery, the Kawasan Falls close to Badian, is a scenic picnic spot with some good nearby trekking. The falls are a 2-hour drive from Cebu City - a long way to go for a picnic - best recommended for people staying in the south.
The town of Carcar, an hour from Cebu City, features a Spanish baroque church, quaint colonial houses and the huge local shoe-making trade. There are also several interesting caves to explore nearby.
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Events
Cebu is predominantly Catholic and follows the Christian calendar with Christmas and Easter celebrated with almost fanatical excess.
Festivals and saint's days are regularly held in small towns and villages
around the province.
In late January Cebu City hosts the biggest and most spectacular local festival - the week long Sinulog Festival.
This dance ritual parades the holy image of the Santa Nino through the
streets to rhythmic processions, painted tribal warriors, religious
somberness and a carnival atmosphere. A uniquely Filipino occasion and
well worth seeing.
Kadaugan Sa Mactan is a re-enactment of the historic Battle of Mactan between Lapu Lapu and Magellan. An audience gathers at the Lapu Lapu Monument on 27th
April to watch an enjoyable melodramatic slaying of the
Conquistadors.
Lapu Lapu hosts the Virgin of the Rule Fiesta on November 20th-21st to honour the patron saint of Opon. Celebrations include a carnival, food fair and the coronation of the Fiesta Queen.
The Kalag-Kalag Festival is a two-day holiday held over All Saints' and All Souls' Day. Filipinos visit departed loved ones and pay homage to the saints, flocking to the cemeteries with flowers, candles and food for the deceased. The celebrations include graveside picnics and later the young engage in spooky Halloween traditions.
Cebu City hosts many trade events. Larger conventions, exhibitions, trade fairs and fashion shows are held at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel.
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