Showing posts with label Cebu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cebu. Show all posts
27 Mar 2012
What & Where To Eat In Cebu City
You don't travel to Cebu City just for the sake of traveling, do you? In our culture, lechon is number one in the list of favorite cuisines that we don't skip in any food destination. Even in the busyness of our daily lives, lechon has become part of our fast meals. There is no food court in any mall of Metro Manila without a food stall that serves lechon. After all, lechon is a national dish of the Philippines according to Wikipedia. And my bet is, you're as curious as I was to finally get to taste Cebu's Lechon.
Interestingly, it's not Cebu's "Places of Interests" that excited me the most days before I flown to the Queen City of the South. Maybe because, it's already given that I get to see them. Cebu's famous lechon was the main thing that occupied my mind in a very delectable way. And weeks since I had return, I am still eager to taste it again. The meat is just so delicious. Its best tasting flavor is unique from its tender meat to its crispy yet soft skin.
In eating Cebu lechon, you don't dip it in the usual gravy that we used to have as sauce for our lechon here in Luzon. In Cebu, the condiment for lechon is a wishy washy mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with cayenne pepper. The way Cebu Lechon is marinated, this sauce ultimately comes compatible with the relish of Cebu's roasted pig. Maybe that's one of the two reasons why I was tempted to eat only with my bare hands on my first lunch in Cebu. Yes, I've eaten out with my bare hands. Forget about the fork and spoon. As long as I have my Cebu lechon meal, I will eat in bare hands hehe. The second reason I didn't use the utensils was the rice that I only discovered in Cebu. Another food favorite you must taste in your first visit of Cebu.
Just merely imagining Cebu's lechon with its partner rice which is called puso in front of me, I couldn't control my drooling for these food. Pronounced "pusô" with stress at the last syllable and said in quickly manner as compared to Tagalog word puso which means heart that is pronounced "pu-so" with a slow long emphasize on the first syllable, the staple eaten with Cebu's lechon is served wrapped in young coconut leaves. Although the wrapped rice is cut into two, it's still intact. When I picked one of them and tried to unwrapped it, the desire to eat kicked in. And so after quickly going to wash area, I ate with my bare hands and really enjoyed my lunch in an unknown area of Cebu City. I'll talked about it later.
Pusô is very popular in Cebu City. You will see them in restaurants, eateries and food court stalls that serve lechon. One interesting factor about this rice is: it's either on your plate when you order them or you see them hanging on the eateries or restaurants that sold them. I think it's the main reason that it is also popularly known as "hanging rice". So, if you're not sure or you have difficulty in the right pronunciation of "Pusô", just say "Hanging Rice".
My first lunch in Cebu happened in an unlikely place for travelers. After I saw Fort San Pedro, Plaza Independencia, Cebu Cathedral, Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and Magellan's Cross the morning of my first day there, I decided to get lost in the city. I just took a passenger jeepney from Legazpi Street. Instead of alighting at Osmena Blvd, I remained on board until I noticed I was already too far in some shabby community miles away from a burned building of Gaisano Mall. I got worried a little bit until I saw row of eateries with lechon grills on both sides of the road. When I got off the jeepney, I became hungry by just seeing those whole roasted pigs. And so I got in one of the eateries and that's where I've taken the image below of the yummy Cebu lechon meal before finally savoring the visitors favorite food of Cebu City.
Where To Eat Lechon In Cebu?
The best place to have a taste of lechon in Cebu City is CnT Lechon located at 1377 Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City. You may call them at these telephone numbers: (332) 254-6641 and (332) 254-4249.
Whenever in mall, e.g. SM City Cebu, I would have my lechon from Marina Lechon located in the food court. In Robinson's Cebu City, I had my lechon from a food stall named Sugbahan. In Colon, Cebu lechon is sold at Metro Gaisano food court located at sixth floor.
Balbacua - If we have Bulalo in Metro Manila, they have Balbacua in Metro Cebu. This Cebuano specialty dish has become a favorite in roadside eateries. I don't know how they cook it but for me it's a culinary delight. The assortment of exotic beef parts, i.e. skin, oxtail and feet are cooked with other ingredients and the finished product is a bowl of tender and succulent meats swimming in viscous and a bit peppery and spicy broth. The color makes it more desirable. I don't know whether it contains some kind of food coloring or some herbs contribute to its delectable look. Maybe our Cebuano readers can tell us, so to our Cebuano kauban, amigos and amigas, kindly click here to share your know-how of your delicious Balbacua. Anyway, this is one great food you should not miss. You got to taste it. Your travel to Cebu will not be complete without it.
Where To Eat Balbacua?
Aside from eateries on waysides, food courts of major malls have Balbacua in their menus. I had my first bowl in Sugbahan sa Cebu in Robinson's Food Court. I fell in love with its taste right off so when I went to SM City Cebu City food court, I looked for a stall that sold this. And I wasn't disappointed with my second bowl in Marina.
Large Clams - This is great after you've trekked highlands of Cebu or just been to street hopping before noon. Having a great lunch with hot thin soup of fresh seafood cooked with spring onions and sliced ginger is a treat. The mere sight of large clams in hot white soup is so appetizing. It was only in Cebu that I've seen clams as large as my ladle.
Where To Eat Large Clams?
The best places to have this are food courts of any major malls, i.e. Robinson's Mall, SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu. Sugbahan sa Cebu of Robinson's and Marina of SM City both serve smoking hot large clams' soup.
Ensaladang Seaweed - Also known as Ensaladang Lato and called seaweed salad in English, this is a great side dish that is compatible with any viand. I had this whenever I ordered Cebu's lechon. The fresh seaweed, after thoroughly cleansed from impurities, is added with mixture of vinegar or lemon, chopped onion, crushed garlic, sliced ginger, small cubes of tomatoes, spring onion and dash of salt.
Where To Eat Ensaladang Seaweed?
Because of the way it is prepared, make sure that your Ensaladang Seaweed is bought from reputable dining places. Since I've eaten out in Marina and Sugbahan which can be found in the food courts of SM City Cebu, Robinson's Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu and I hadn't experience any upset stomach after feasting upon the exotic food, I recommend to buy this specialty dish from the same places.
My Favorite in Dimsum Break - I happened to glanced to photos of menu attached to the wall of the popular food chains in Cebu and one authentic food caught my attention. I ordered one serving and I came to like it very much. Unfortunately, I forgot its name, blame it to the yummy food LOL. Anyway, I had it pictured. Just look at the picture below and look for the similar image in a Dimsum Break branch.
Where Can I Found Dimsum Break?
Dimsum Break is a very popular dining destination serving wide variety of very affordable foods. It's everywhere in Cebu City. Eating out in Dimsum Break is like eating out in Chowking but with a twist. You'll like it there. Aside from having great tasting dishes, the crews are so nice and respectful. The branches I've been to are located in Colon and in E-Mall.
Sinugba or Grilled Fish - I always eat grilled fish in Metro Manila but the ones I've tried in Cebu are different. They taste as if they're just picked from a newly arrived fisherman's catch and put right into smoldering charcoal to grill. So tasty that you would be tempted to consume more rice to satisfy the craving that the grilled fish suddenly brings. In Tagalog, we call it "Malakas sa kanin."
Where To Eat Inexpensive Sinugba?
Being a traveler in budget, I can't afford to eat in expensive restaurants serving fresh seafood where you point a live fish inside an aquarium and in turn an attendant will cook it for you. That's why when I got to pass by a sidewalk vendor with a makeshift food stall along Osmena Blvd between Colon and Sanciangko streets selling newly cooked food, I decided to give it a try. These food vendors are only available at nights and the way their foods are laid in a table, I could say the dishes are all newly cooked and the grilled fish really looked fresh before it grilled. That's where I had dinner one night with a fresh large "Inihaw na Alumahan" as my dish that truly made me full. It costed me only Php 50.
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Read more...
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| The famous Cebu's Lechon |
Interestingly, it's not Cebu's "Places of Interests" that excited me the most days before I flown to the Queen City of the South. Maybe because, it's already given that I get to see them. Cebu's famous lechon was the main thing that occupied my mind in a very delectable way. And weeks since I had return, I am still eager to taste it again. The meat is just so delicious. Its best tasting flavor is unique from its tender meat to its crispy yet soft skin.
In eating Cebu lechon, you don't dip it in the usual gravy that we used to have as sauce for our lechon here in Luzon. In Cebu, the condiment for lechon is a wishy washy mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with cayenne pepper. The way Cebu Lechon is marinated, this sauce ultimately comes compatible with the relish of Cebu's roasted pig. Maybe that's one of the two reasons why I was tempted to eat only with my bare hands on my first lunch in Cebu. Yes, I've eaten out with my bare hands. Forget about the fork and spoon. As long as I have my Cebu lechon meal, I will eat in bare hands hehe. The second reason I didn't use the utensils was the rice that I only discovered in Cebu. Another food favorite you must taste in your first visit of Cebu.
Just merely imagining Cebu's lechon with its partner rice which is called puso in front of me, I couldn't control my drooling for these food. Pronounced "pusô" with stress at the last syllable and said in quickly manner as compared to Tagalog word puso which means heart that is pronounced "pu-so" with a slow long emphasize on the first syllable, the staple eaten with Cebu's lechon is served wrapped in young coconut leaves. Although the wrapped rice is cut into two, it's still intact. When I picked one of them and tried to unwrapped it, the desire to eat kicked in. And so after quickly going to wash area, I ate with my bare hands and really enjoyed my lunch in an unknown area of Cebu City. I'll talked about it later.
Pusô is very popular in Cebu City. You will see them in restaurants, eateries and food court stalls that serve lechon. One interesting factor about this rice is: it's either on your plate when you order them or you see them hanging on the eateries or restaurants that sold them. I think it's the main reason that it is also popularly known as "hanging rice". So, if you're not sure or you have difficulty in the right pronunciation of "Pusô", just say "Hanging Rice".
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| Cebu's Pusô aka Hanging Rice |
My first lunch in Cebu happened in an unlikely place for travelers. After I saw Fort San Pedro, Plaza Independencia, Cebu Cathedral, Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and Magellan's Cross the morning of my first day there, I decided to get lost in the city. I just took a passenger jeepney from Legazpi Street. Instead of alighting at Osmena Blvd, I remained on board until I noticed I was already too far in some shabby community miles away from a burned building of Gaisano Mall. I got worried a little bit until I saw row of eateries with lechon grills on both sides of the road. When I got off the jeepney, I became hungry by just seeing those whole roasted pigs. And so I got in one of the eateries and that's where I've taken the image below of the yummy Cebu lechon meal before finally savoring the visitors favorite food of Cebu City.
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| Cebu City's Lechon Meal |
Where To Eat Lechon In Cebu?
The best place to have a taste of lechon in Cebu City is CnT Lechon located at 1377 Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City. You may call them at these telephone numbers: (332) 254-6641 and (332) 254-4249.
Whenever in mall, e.g. SM City Cebu, I would have my lechon from Marina Lechon located in the food court. In Robinson's Cebu City, I had my lechon from a food stall named Sugbahan. In Colon, Cebu lechon is sold at Metro Gaisano food court located at sixth floor.
Here are other Cebuano dishes that deserved high ratings:
Balbacua - If we have Bulalo in Metro Manila, they have Balbacua in Metro Cebu. This Cebuano specialty dish has become a favorite in roadside eateries. I don't know how they cook it but for me it's a culinary delight. The assortment of exotic beef parts, i.e. skin, oxtail and feet are cooked with other ingredients and the finished product is a bowl of tender and succulent meats swimming in viscous and a bit peppery and spicy broth. The color makes it more desirable. I don't know whether it contains some kind of food coloring or some herbs contribute to its delectable look. Maybe our Cebuano readers can tell us, so to our Cebuano kauban, amigos and amigas, kindly click here to share your know-how of your delicious Balbacua. Anyway, this is one great food you should not miss. You got to taste it. Your travel to Cebu will not be complete without it.
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| Cebu City's Balbacua |
Where To Eat Balbacua?
Aside from eateries on waysides, food courts of major malls have Balbacua in their menus. I had my first bowl in Sugbahan sa Cebu in Robinson's Food Court. I fell in love with its taste right off so when I went to SM City Cebu City food court, I looked for a stall that sold this. And I wasn't disappointed with my second bowl in Marina.
Large Clams - This is great after you've trekked highlands of Cebu or just been to street hopping before noon. Having a great lunch with hot thin soup of fresh seafood cooked with spring onions and sliced ginger is a treat. The mere sight of large clams in hot white soup is so appetizing. It was only in Cebu that I've seen clams as large as my ladle.
 |
| Cebu's Large Clams Dish |
Where To Eat Large Clams?
The best places to have this are food courts of any major malls, i.e. Robinson's Mall, SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu. Sugbahan sa Cebu of Robinson's and Marina of SM City both serve smoking hot large clams' soup.
 |
| Large Clams |
Ensaladang Seaweed - Also known as Ensaladang Lato and called seaweed salad in English, this is a great side dish that is compatible with any viand. I had this whenever I ordered Cebu's lechon. The fresh seaweed, after thoroughly cleansed from impurities, is added with mixture of vinegar or lemon, chopped onion, crushed garlic, sliced ginger, small cubes of tomatoes, spring onion and dash of salt.
 |
| Cebu's Ensaladang Seaweed |
Where To Eat Ensaladang Seaweed?
Because of the way it is prepared, make sure that your Ensaladang Seaweed is bought from reputable dining places. Since I've eaten out in Marina and Sugbahan which can be found in the food courts of SM City Cebu, Robinson's Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu and I hadn't experience any upset stomach after feasting upon the exotic food, I recommend to buy this specialty dish from the same places.
My Favorite in Dimsum Break - I happened to glanced to photos of menu attached to the wall of the popular food chains in Cebu and one authentic food caught my attention. I ordered one serving and I came to like it very much. Unfortunately, I forgot its name, blame it to the yummy food LOL. Anyway, I had it pictured. Just look at the picture below and look for the similar image in a Dimsum Break branch.
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| My favorite specialty from Dimsum Break |
Where Can I Found Dimsum Break?
Dimsum Break is a very popular dining destination serving wide variety of very affordable foods. It's everywhere in Cebu City. Eating out in Dimsum Break is like eating out in Chowking but with a twist. You'll like it there. Aside from having great tasting dishes, the crews are so nice and respectful. The branches I've been to are located in Colon and in E-Mall.
Sinugba or Grilled Fish - I always eat grilled fish in Metro Manila but the ones I've tried in Cebu are different. They taste as if they're just picked from a newly arrived fisherman's catch and put right into smoldering charcoal to grill. So tasty that you would be tempted to consume more rice to satisfy the craving that the grilled fish suddenly brings. In Tagalog, we call it "Malakas sa kanin."
 |
| Sinugba or Grilled Fish sold in Cebu's sidewalk |
Where To Eat Inexpensive Sinugba?
Being a traveler in budget, I can't afford to eat in expensive restaurants serving fresh seafood where you point a live fish inside an aquarium and in turn an attendant will cook it for you. That's why when I got to pass by a sidewalk vendor with a makeshift food stall along Osmena Blvd between Colon and Sanciangko streets selling newly cooked food, I decided to give it a try. These food vendors are only available at nights and the way their foods are laid in a table, I could say the dishes are all newly cooked and the grilled fish really looked fresh before it grilled. That's where I had dinner one night with a fresh large "Inihaw na Alumahan" as my dish that truly made me full. It costed me only Php 50.
If you have any comments about this post, kindly click here.
17 Mar 2012
How To Commute To Cebu's Tourist Spots
During my travel to Cebu, my first time ever, I made sure I could be of help to other vacationists to the Queen City of The South especially those backpackers and first timers who don't have any idea on how to get to some of the popular attractions within Metro Cebu. I gathered commuting information such as signs of jeepneys headed to these spots as well as where to ride a particular jeepney going to a specific tourist spot. I've also drawn up walking directions one needs to take to some attractions from the location of cheap hotels in Cebu that I also recommend because of their proximity to downtown Cebu's main thoroughfare where most of the public jeepneys pass through. So don't forget to read last section of this post about Cebu hotels or check out hotels in Cebu.
Here are some of popular tourist destinations in Cebu that I've given commute and walk directions in this post, the third of our series of Cebu. You might like to read the first and second chapters. Here are the links: First post, go to Good Eats And Good Rides From Manila To Cebu. Second post, go to Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon. Hope this guide make your travel to Cebu more fun.
Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
Casa Gorordo
Cebu Capitol Building
Cebu Cathedral
Cebu's Ayala Center
Cebu's SM City
Colon Street
Fort San Pedro
Fuente Osmena Circle
Heritage of Cebu Monument
Mactan Shrine aka Lapu Lapu Monument
Magellan's Cross
Plaza Independencia
Sky Adventure at Crown Regency
Taoist Temple
Yap-Sandiego Ansestral House
Colon Street
If you are a first timer in Cebu and as such, travelling in budget, the first spot you should be heading to as soon as you landed in Mactan Cebu International Airport is the historic Colon Street, the first and oldest national road of our country. Although a little bit run-down now, it's still the home of old and popular shopping malls, restaurants, old movie houses, public markets, cheap street foods at night, fashion shops, and most of all affordable hotels. Gaisano malls, Cebu's synonymous to shopping are located here. Third tip from me: There's a big food court serving a lot of cheap foods at the 6th floor of Metro Gaisano located at the corner of Colon and Osmena Blvd. Read my valuable first and second tips on my post entitled Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon. Speaking of food, go check out popular Cebuano dishes, just go to What & Where To Eat In Cebu City.
How To Get To Colon From Mactan Cebu International Airport?
By Taxi - Just tell the taxi driver to take you to Jollibee in Colon corner Osmena Blvd, the main intersection at the middle of Colon where jeepneys headed to major destinations and districts of Cebu City pass through. If you're taking taxi from airport to Colon, I highly recommend reading my post Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon for valuable information that you should know.
By Jeepney - Walk or take a taxi approximately 1.3 km to Mactan Marina Mall located at the right corner of Airport Rd and Quezon National Highway. If you prefer to walk up to Marina Mall, which is safe, just follow the direction of all taxis leaving the airport. There's SM Hypermart inside Marina Mall just in case you need some refreshment. From inside Mactan Marina Mall, walk across Quezon Hi-way to get to the Jeepney Terminal. Ride a green-colored jeepney with "MEPSA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa" wordings on its both sides. The jeep is located at the rear end of the jeepney queue. Alight at SM City Cebu, go to the Jeepney Terminal at the frontage of the mall and ride a jeepney with "Private Colon SM" sign. After taking different roads, the jeep will finally take Sanciangko Street which is paralleled to Colon. If you're sitting at the left side of the jeepney, you should already see the Heritage of Cebu Monument right before the jeep turn right onto Sanciangko St. Alight at the corner of Osmena Blvd. Landmarks here are: Sogo Hotel, located to the left of Sanciangko before Osmena and G.V. Tower Hotel, the tall building located at the second left corner of Osmena. Towards the end of this post is a map that shows the locations of affordable hotels in Colon vicinity. I suggest you read the directions to destinations first before looking at the hotels so that you get to choose the right place to stay. Reading the directions first will familiarize you with getting around the city thereby triangulates the location of a hotel you're comfortable with.
The following five tourist spots are best toured in one trip because they are situated near to each other although you still need to walk a bit far out. Fourth tip from me: Best time to see these four major attractions is during mornings or afternoon. Avoid noon time if you don't want to be scorched by the sun. There's a museum that's closed on weekend, so if you want to see the inside of the museum, pick any day from Monday to Friday.
Fort San Pedro
Plaza Independencia
Cebu Cathedral
Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
Magellan's Cross
By Jeepney - Along Osmena Blvd between Colon and Sanciangko but along the sidewalk of GV Tower Hotel side, ride a jeep with "Jones LAO Colon" sign. Tell the driver that you are going to Fort San Pedro and to please drop you off at it's location. In my case, I approached the driver and ask him if he would pass by Fort San Pedro and when he said he would I told him to drop me off right there. The jeep will loop its way back to Osmena. Always remind the driver to drop you off at your destination. You will be alighted at Plaza Independencia. Get inside the park and afterwards head towards Fort San Pedro which is just across the park. A museum is also located inside Fort San Pedro. Walk your way to the location of Basilica Minore del Santo Nino via Osmena Blvd, the street with red arrow in the map below. Refer to the map. Click red pins to reveal information. To get back to Colon, ride a jeepney with "Colon" word on its both sides at Legaspi St outside Cebu Cathedral. The jeep will turn left on V. Gullas Street from Legaspi. Alight at the corner of Osmena and walk toward Colon.
By Walking - From Sanciangko cor Osmena where GV Tower Hotel is located, walk towards Metro Gaisano Shopping Mall that you can see from afar. Cross Colon and continue walking past Jollibee (next to Gaisano along Osmena), cross five more intersections until you reach the gate of Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, to your right. See Map below.
Use the walkway inside the compound of the basilica to get to Magellan's Cross. To get to Cebu Cathedral, take Zamora St, the road opposite gate of the basilica. Plaza Independencia and Fort San Pedro are situated at the end of Osmena Blvd. You can get there after seeing Magellan's Cross, Basilica Minore and Cebu Cathedral. You can easily return to Colon, just take the same route via Osmena Blvd.
Now, for those of you who like extreme adventures, this particular destination is a must-to-see in Cebu City.
Sky Experience Adventure at Crown Regency
You are riding an edge coaster that not only goes around the edge of 38th floor of the tallest hotel in the Philippines but it also tilts up to 55 degrees literally holding you from falling 130.84 meters below.
Now that's fun. The Edge Coaster is basically the main attraction of Sky Experience Adventure at Crown Regency. But there are quite a lot more this destination has to offer.
How To Get To Crown Regency From Colon?
By Jeepney - Ride a jeepney with any sign at the loading area along Osmena Blvd between Colon St and Sanciangko St. Just remember, you're going to the opposite direction of Fort San Pedro and all other spots near it. Fort San Pedro is to the south, Crown Regency is to the north. So, this time, you will be riding jeep at the northbound lane of Osmena Blvd. Most jeepneys stop just outside McDonald's located at the corner of Colon and Osmena. Pay minimum. Crown Regency is 40-storey. It's situated to the right of Osmena Blvd just before Fuente Osmena Circle. Just get inside the building and inquire at the front desk. The Sky Adventure opens 2 pm.
By Walking - From Colon cor Osmena, Crown Regency is approximately 1.3 km. It's much better to walk your way to the the hotel especially there are times that Osmena Blvd is a bit heavy in traffic. It's relatively safe to walk along this boulevard during day time. A lot of big institutions such as Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Cebu Normal University, Camp Sergio Osmena, boutiques, banks, etc. From the corner of Sanciangko and Osmena Blvd just outside GV Tower Hotel, you can easily see the tall building of Crown Regency. By the way GV Tower is also a tall building, you can use it as your guide in the vicinity of Colon.
Fuente Osmena Circle
Fuente Osmena Circle is a big roundabout in uptown Cebu where a lot of commercial establishments, new restaurants, casinos and bars are situated.
In my observation, it's here that lots of tourists converge after getting around the city. It's the opposite of Colon in terms of rehabilitation. There are upscale office buildings and the entire area is clean. Robinson's Mall Cebu and Cybergate are situated opposite each other. Meanwhile, cultural presentations and social events are held in the park inside the roundabout.
Fuente Osmena Circle is a stone's throw away from Crown Regency and a focal landmark of Cebu City.
Cebu Capitol Building
Cebu Capitol Building is both a pre-war vintage and a replica of the official residence of the President of United States which is the White House. It is located at the north end of Osmena Blvd. You can get there from Fuente Circle or Crown Regency by riding a jeepney with signs in the front like "Ayala Center", "Guadalupe", "Gorordo", etc. See map below to have a bird's eye view of how the Capitol Bldg, Fuente Circle, Crown Regency and Colon Street are situated along the stretch of Osmena Blvd. Click the red pins to reveal information.
Taoist Temple
Taoist Temple is located up in the mountain of posh Beverly Hills in Cebu City. Going there is relatively safe. Here's the direction: In front of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas along Osmena Blvd, wait for a jeepney with "Lahug" word on its signs on both sides. The jeepney has a body number which is 17C. please remember it. My fifth tip: In Cebu, jeepney routes are identified in numbers. Whenever you ask for a certain signage of jeepney that you must ride for a certain destination, most locals answer by giving you 3 digit alphanumeric such as 01C, 12G, 24A, 10M, 06H, etc. Please watch for my upcoming post that will give you the routes and destination of jeepneys in relation to their numbers. It would come in handy when you're in the streets of Cebu and headed to an unfamiliar district, building or barangay. Also, the looks of Cebu jeepneys are very different with the jeepneys in Metro Manila. Cebu has its own version of Philippines' king of the roads. Watch for my upcoming post with photos of Cebuano's jeepney.
Now, back to topic. Even though Taoist Temple is a bit far, you don't need to seek the driver's assistance. Sometimes, they're so busy that they unintentionally forget to drop off passengers to their destination although passengers requested for it. All you need to do is to watch for this big landmark building to appear to your right. When you see this building, get off the jeepney after it passed by the building. This is, by the way, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Cebu Temple. Walk towards the street perpendicular to the left of the road where you alighted which is Gorordo Ave. Ride a habal-habal and say to driver that you're going to Taoist Temple. There are plenty of them and most of the time, the drivers are the ones who offer the ride. I paid 25 pesos when I got there. The habal-habal will take you to the gate of Beverly Hills. Alight there and enter the gate where a guard house stands in the middle.
Ask the guard permission, tell them you're going to Taoist Temple. They are so nice and accommodating. You can easily make out the Temple as soon as you're about 20 meters past the gate. It's to your left. There's an intersection up ahead. Make left. Continue walking along the smoothly cemented road that slopes down a bit before it goes uphill until you get there. There's no entrance fee. See the map below to have a bird's eye view of where to alight from the jeep and where to ride habal-habal.
As you can see in this map, there are scores of habal-habal at the intersection of Gorordo Ave and Sudlon St. The red arrow is the direction habal habal takes to get to Taoist Temple. The red pin here is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Heritage of Cebu Monument
By Jeepney - You can get here by riding a jeepney with 01K number on its body. The wordings on both sides of the jeep should be "Urgello Colon SM North Terminal". Wait for this jeepney along Colon Street. The jeep will turn left at the east end of Colon. Heritage Monument is immediately to the left before the jeep turn right onto the next street. By now, you know that Colon Street runs from west to east. Osmena Blvd intersects it from north to south.
By Walking - Heritage of Cebu Monument is only about 700 meters from the corner of Osmena Blvd and Colon Street. Walk towards east or the lane in front of Metro Gaisano. Turn left at the end of Colon. There you'll see the mammoth Heritage Monument.
Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
Casa Gorordo
Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House is to the right of Mabini Street, the road where you would alight from the jeep. Just walk past Heritage Monument until you see the ancestral house to your right. It is exactly located at the corner of Mabini St and Lopez Jaena St.
Casa Gorordo is situated along Lopez Jaena St, just walk from the corner of Mabini where Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House is situated. Walk further past Ramon Aboitiz Bldg which is to the right of Lopez Jaena until you see Casa Gorordo which is located to the left of the street at the corner of the street perpendicular to the left. See map below.
Mactan Shrine aka Lapu-Lapu Monument
Located in Mactan Island past Mactan Cebu International Airport, here's how to get to Mactan Shrine from Colon. Ride a jeep with 01K on its body or these wordings: "Urgello Colon SM North Terminal". Aside from this jeepney, there are other routes bound for SM City Cebu. You can also take any of them.
Get inside SM City Cebu and get outside via another entrance located at the back of the mall. Walk across Kaohsiung St and walk along M. Logarta Ave until you get to the corner of M. Logarta and F. Cabahug Street. Wait for a jeep with "MEPSA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa" signage on its both sides. See map below.
As you can see in this map, the jeepney you are going to ride comes from M. Logarta Ave. This is the road it takes from Mactan Island. The jeepney will unload passengers at this corner. Wait for one to arrive as this is not a terminal. You might wait long, just be patient. The jeep will take Sergio Osmena Blvd on the way back to Mactan Island. Read the continuation of this direction below the map.
The terminal of "MEPSA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa" jeepney in Mactan Island is located at Mactan Marina Mall which is situated at the corner of Quezon National Highway and Airport Road.
Once you get to Mactan Marina Mall, ride another jeep in front of the mall. The sign or wordings on both sides of the jeepney should be "Punta Engano". Just ask the driver to drop you off at Mactan Shrine. In going back to Colon, first ride "Punta Engano" jeep in front of Mactan Shrine. Alight at Mactan Marina Mall. Now here's another tip which is actually a warning: Do not by all means go to Mactan Shrine at night, it's very unsafe, according to the locals. Ride a jeepney with the same signage as the one you took from SM City Cebu which is "MEPZA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa". The jeep is located at the rear end of the jeepney queue. Alight at SM City Cebu, go to the Jeepney Terminal at the frontage of the mall and ride a jeepney with "Urgello Colon SM North Terminal". You can also take jeep with "Private Colon SM" sign. It's located at the first slot of the terminal. It takes Sanciangko Street, the road paralleled to Colon.
Seventh tip: If your flight back to Manila is scheduled in the afternoon and your check-out time in your hotel is 12 noon, you might consider going to Mactan Shrine hours before your flight. You know, traffic along the way back to Cebu City after Fernan Bridge is not favorable. For those who carry heavy luggage, there's Luggage Depository at Mactan Cebu International Airport. You can leave your luggage there for a fee, complete your tour of Cebu by going to Mactan Shrine and then get back to the airport afterwards. Just remember, you must be at the airport 2 hours before your flight. Here's the amount of cost of depositing luggage in Depository: 1 to 2 hours - Php 75, 2 to 4 hours - Php 150, 4 to 10 hours - Php 250, 10 to 24 hours - Php 350. Price is good for only 1 luggage. Below is the map of Cebu with Mactan Cebu International Airport and Mactan Shrine.
As you can see in this map, Mactan Shrine is near Mactan Cebu Int'l Airport. It just makes sense to visit Lapu-Lapu Monument and Magellan's Monument hours before your flight back to Manila.
Ayala Center and SM City Cebu
Going to both Ayala Center and SM City Cebu is a breeze from either Osmena Blvd or Colon Street. There are lots of jeepney routes that go to these malls. In Colon, eastbound lane, wait for jeepney with "SM City" words on its signs. In Osmena Blvd, northbound lane, ride a jeepney with "Ayala Center" or "SM City" words on its both sides or its sign in the front.
In the map below are some of the affordable hotels around Colon Street and Osmena Blvd junction. Choosing a place to stay in this area gives you an edge on managing your time and budgeting your expenses.
Expensive hotels are located in uptown Cebu particularly near Fuente Osmena Circle and Ayala Center and there's one adjacent to SM City Cebu. The ones I tackle here are for those travelling on budget. Click the red pins to get the name of each hotel. In my upcoming post, I will share to you what I did to ensure my wifi connectivity during my stay in Cebu and what is the right thing to do when a wifi connection in your hotel breaks down, or does it? Discover the real score when you can't connect to wifi inside your hotel room.
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| Lapu-Lapu Monument at Mactan Shrine |
Here are some of popular tourist destinations in Cebu that I've given commute and walk directions in this post, the third of our series of Cebu. You might like to read the first and second chapters. Here are the links: First post, go to Good Eats And Good Rides From Manila To Cebu. Second post, go to Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon. Hope this guide make your travel to Cebu more fun.
Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
Casa Gorordo
Cebu Capitol Building
Cebu Cathedral
Cebu's Ayala Center
Cebu's SM City
Colon Street
Fort San Pedro
Fuente Osmena Circle
Heritage of Cebu Monument
Mactan Shrine aka Lapu Lapu Monument
Magellan's Cross
Plaza Independencia
Sky Adventure at Crown Regency
Taoist Temple
Yap-Sandiego Ansestral House
Colon Street
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| Colon Street at dusk |
If you are a first timer in Cebu and as such, travelling in budget, the first spot you should be heading to as soon as you landed in Mactan Cebu International Airport is the historic Colon Street, the first and oldest national road of our country. Although a little bit run-down now, it's still the home of old and popular shopping malls, restaurants, old movie houses, public markets, cheap street foods at night, fashion shops, and most of all affordable hotels. Gaisano malls, Cebu's synonymous to shopping are located here. Third tip from me: There's a big food court serving a lot of cheap foods at the 6th floor of Metro Gaisano located at the corner of Colon and Osmena Blvd. Read my valuable first and second tips on my post entitled Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon. Speaking of food, go check out popular Cebuano dishes, just go to What & Where To Eat In Cebu City.
How To Get To Colon From Mactan Cebu International Airport?
By Jeepney - Walk or take a taxi approximately 1.3 km to Mactan Marina Mall located at the right corner of Airport Rd and Quezon National Highway. If you prefer to walk up to Marina Mall, which is safe, just follow the direction of all taxis leaving the airport. There's SM Hypermart inside Marina Mall just in case you need some refreshment. From inside Mactan Marina Mall, walk across Quezon Hi-way to get to the Jeepney Terminal. Ride a green-colored jeepney with "MEPSA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa" wordings on its both sides. The jeep is located at the rear end of the jeepney queue. Alight at SM City Cebu, go to the Jeepney Terminal at the frontage of the mall and ride a jeepney with "Private Colon SM" sign. After taking different roads, the jeep will finally take Sanciangko Street which is paralleled to Colon. If you're sitting at the left side of the jeepney, you should already see the Heritage of Cebu Monument right before the jeep turn right onto Sanciangko St. Alight at the corner of Osmena Blvd. Landmarks here are: Sogo Hotel, located to the left of Sanciangko before Osmena and G.V. Tower Hotel, the tall building located at the second left corner of Osmena. Towards the end of this post is a map that shows the locations of affordable hotels in Colon vicinity. I suggest you read the directions to destinations first before looking at the hotels so that you get to choose the right place to stay. Reading the directions first will familiarize you with getting around the city thereby triangulates the location of a hotel you're comfortable with.
The following five tourist spots are best toured in one trip because they are situated near to each other although you still need to walk a bit far out. Fourth tip from me: Best time to see these four major attractions is during mornings or afternoon. Avoid noon time if you don't want to be scorched by the sun. There's a museum that's closed on weekend, so if you want to see the inside of the museum, pick any day from Monday to Friday.
Fort San Pedro
Plaza Independencia
Cebu Cathedral
Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
Magellan's Cross
By Jeepney - Along Osmena Blvd between Colon and Sanciangko but along the sidewalk of GV Tower Hotel side, ride a jeep with "Jones LAO Colon" sign. Tell the driver that you are going to Fort San Pedro and to please drop you off at it's location. In my case, I approached the driver and ask him if he would pass by Fort San Pedro and when he said he would I told him to drop me off right there. The jeep will loop its way back to Osmena. Always remind the driver to drop you off at your destination. You will be alighted at Plaza Independencia. Get inside the park and afterwards head towards Fort San Pedro which is just across the park. A museum is also located inside Fort San Pedro. Walk your way to the location of Basilica Minore del Santo Nino via Osmena Blvd, the street with red arrow in the map below. Refer to the map. Click red pins to reveal information. To get back to Colon, ride a jeepney with "Colon" word on its both sides at Legaspi St outside Cebu Cathedral. The jeep will turn left on V. Gullas Street from Legaspi. Alight at the corner of Osmena and walk toward Colon.
Tip: You're using mobile. Please tap your thumb in each of the red pins and it will reveal the name of that attractions. Drag the map by tapping your two fingers and move the map. You can zoom by 'pinch-in' and 'pinch-out' gestures.
By Walking - From Sanciangko cor Osmena where GV Tower Hotel is located, walk towards Metro Gaisano Shopping Mall that you can see from afar. Cross Colon and continue walking past Jollibee (next to Gaisano along Osmena), cross five more intersections until you reach the gate of Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, to your right. See Map below.
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| Fort San Pedro |
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| Magellan's Cross |
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| Fort San Pedro Gate |
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| Basilica Minore del Santo Nino |
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| Cebu Cathedral |
Now, for those of you who like extreme adventures, this particular destination is a must-to-see in Cebu City.
Sky Experience Adventure at Crown Regency
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| Edge Coaster in Sky Adventure of Crown Plaza |
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| Ayala Business Park seen from 38th floor of Crown Plaza |
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| Panoramic view from Sky Adventure of Crown Plaza |
You are riding an edge coaster that not only goes around the edge of 38th floor of the tallest hotel in the Philippines but it also tilts up to 55 degrees literally holding you from falling 130.84 meters below.
How To Get To Crown Regency From Colon?
By Jeepney - Ride a jeepney with any sign at the loading area along Osmena Blvd between Colon St and Sanciangko St. Just remember, you're going to the opposite direction of Fort San Pedro and all other spots near it. Fort San Pedro is to the south, Crown Regency is to the north. So, this time, you will be riding jeep at the northbound lane of Osmena Blvd. Most jeepneys stop just outside McDonald's located at the corner of Colon and Osmena. Pay minimum. Crown Regency is 40-storey. It's situated to the right of Osmena Blvd just before Fuente Osmena Circle. Just get inside the building and inquire at the front desk. The Sky Adventure opens 2 pm.
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| Crown Plaza seen from GV Tower |
Fuente Osmena Circle
Fuente Osmena Circle is a big roundabout in uptown Cebu where a lot of commercial establishments, new restaurants, casinos and bars are situated.
Fuente Osmena Circle is a stone's throw away from Crown Regency and a focal landmark of Cebu City.
Cebu Capitol Building
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| Cebu Capitol Building |
Cebu Capitol Building is both a pre-war vintage and a replica of the official residence of the President of United States which is the White House. It is located at the north end of Osmena Blvd. You can get there from Fuente Circle or Crown Regency by riding a jeepney with signs in the front like "Ayala Center", "Guadalupe", "Gorordo", etc. See map below to have a bird's eye view of how the Capitol Bldg, Fuente Circle, Crown Regency and Colon Street are situated along the stretch of Osmena Blvd. Click the red pins to reveal information.
In the map, all four destinations lined up along Osmena Blvd. Top your two fingers in the map and move downward to see the first. Tap the red pins to get names of each spot.
In the map, all four destinations lined up along Osmena Blvd. Move the map downward to see the first red pin. Tap all red pins to get names of each of the spots.
Taoist Temple
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| Taoist Temple Cebu |
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| Taoist Temple Cebu City |
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| Taoist Temple |
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| A view of Cebu City skyline from Taoist Temple |
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| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints |
As you can see in this map, there are scores of habal-habal at the intersection of Gorordo Ave and Sudlon St. The red arrow is the direction habal habal takes to get to Taoist Temple. The red pin here is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Heritage of Cebu Monument
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| Heritage of Cebu Monument |
By Jeepney - You can get here by riding a jeepney with 01K number on its body. The wordings on both sides of the jeep should be "Urgello Colon SM North Terminal". Wait for this jeepney along Colon Street. The jeep will turn left at the east end of Colon. Heritage Monument is immediately to the left before the jeep turn right onto the next street. By now, you know that Colon Street runs from west to east. Osmena Blvd intersects it from north to south.
By Walking - Heritage of Cebu Monument is only about 700 meters from the corner of Osmena Blvd and Colon Street. Walk towards east or the lane in front of Metro Gaisano. Turn left at the end of Colon. There you'll see the mammoth Heritage Monument.
Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
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| Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House |
Casa Gorordo
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| Casa Gorordo |
Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House is to the right of Mabini Street, the road where you would alight from the jeep. Just walk past Heritage Monument until you see the ancestral house to your right. It is exactly located at the corner of Mabini St and Lopez Jaena St.
Casa Gorordo is situated along Lopez Jaena St, just walk from the corner of Mabini where Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House is situated. Walk further past Ramon Aboitiz Bldg which is to the right of Lopez Jaena until you see Casa Gorordo which is located to the left of the street at the corner of the street perpendicular to the left. See map below.
Note: You're using mobile. If you only see 2 red pins in the map, tap your two fingers in the map and drag the map toward bottom, the other pin will be seen. Click each pin to reveal their names.
As you can see in this map, all you need to do is walk along Colon and then go left when you get to its east end. Heritage Monument is already there and the other two spots are also walking distance from the monument. 01K jeepneys turn left at the end of Colon and then turn right onto Zulueta Street.
Mactan Shrine aka Lapu-Lapu Monument
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| Magellan Monument at Mactan Shrine |
Located in Mactan Island past Mactan Cebu International Airport, here's how to get to Mactan Shrine from Colon. Ride a jeep with 01K on its body or these wordings: "Urgello Colon SM North Terminal". Aside from this jeepney, there are other routes bound for SM City Cebu. You can also take any of them.
As you can see in this map, the jeepney you are going to ride comes from M. Logarta Ave. This is the road it takes from Mactan Island. The jeepney will unload passengers at this corner. Wait for one to arrive as this is not a terminal. You might wait long, just be patient. The jeep will take Sergio Osmena Blvd on the way back to Mactan Island. Read the continuation of this direction below the map.
The terminal of "MEPSA Lapu Lapu City Cebu City Vice Versa" jeepney in Mactan Island is located at Mactan Marina Mall which is situated at the corner of Quezon National Highway and Airport Road.
Seventh tip: If your flight back to Manila is scheduled in the afternoon and your check-out time in your hotel is 12 noon, you might consider going to Mactan Shrine hours before your flight. You know, traffic along the way back to Cebu City after Fernan Bridge is not favorable. For those who carry heavy luggage, there's Luggage Depository at Mactan Cebu International Airport. You can leave your luggage there for a fee, complete your tour of Cebu by going to Mactan Shrine and then get back to the airport afterwards. Just remember, you must be at the airport 2 hours before your flight. Here's the amount of cost of depositing luggage in Depository: 1 to 2 hours - Php 75, 2 to 4 hours - Php 150, 4 to 10 hours - Php 250, 10 to 24 hours - Php 350. Price is good for only 1 luggage. Below is the map of Cebu with Mactan Cebu International Airport and Mactan Shrine.
As you can see in this map, Mactan Shrine is near Mactan Cebu Int'l Airport. It just makes sense to visit Lapu-Lapu Monument and Magellan's Monument hours before your flight back to Manila.
Ayala Center and SM City Cebu
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| Ayala Center Cebu |
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| SM City Cebu |
Going to both Ayala Center and SM City Cebu is a breeze from either Osmena Blvd or Colon Street. There are lots of jeepney routes that go to these malls. In Colon, eastbound lane, wait for jeepney with "SM City" words on its signs. In Osmena Blvd, northbound lane, ride a jeepney with "Ayala Center" or "SM City" words on its both sides or its sign in the front.
Cheap Hotels in Cebu Near Colon and Osmena Intersection
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4 Mar 2012
Cebu: Taking Taxi From Mactan Airport To Colon
The first thing that caught my attention the first time I set foot on the "Queen City of the South" is the good character of taxi drivers and the system in which airport taxis are managed. There are two types of taxi in Mactan Cebu International Airport - yellow and white.
Don't go for the yellow colored taxi. They charge more. The white colored taxis charge by the meter. Plug-down rate is Php 40, same as in Manila. As soon as you get in the cab, the driver will give you a slip of paper with DOTC and Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority letterhead in which his taxi's plate number and name are written as well as Police and MCIAA hotlines. He might be late in giving you the paper like you're already taking the highway, but he'll definitely furnish it to you. They don't cheat. Just look at the meter and it flashes 40.00. And you can tell the speed of the meter because you're used to ride taxi in Metro Manila, right? Well, these taxis run on normal speed of their meters.
What's that slip of paper for? If a driver abuses, you can file a complaint. That piece of paper is the proof that you've ridden the cab he's driving. Simple. Secondly, if you've left some belonging on that taxi, you can recover it immediately. Now, can anybody tell us why this system is not implemented at NAIA terminals? Especially that it's commissioned by Department of Transportation and Communication in Lapu Lapu City? At any rate, this systematic regulation at MCIA on its airport taxi gives a strong sense of security and convenience for all arriving visitors to Cebu especially those coming in for the first time.
In NAIA, you either take a yellow-colored taxi and pay a very exorbitant price accumulated by high plug-down rate coupled with the fast speed of its meter or haggle with taxi drivers that will swarm you as soon as you appear in their view and like contractors offer you a contract price of hiring their taxis instead of just taking you home while their meters are on.
My flight to Cebu took only 1 hour and 5 minutes. At 6:55 am, the Air Philippines plane I boarded was already at full stop in Mactan Cebu International Airport. The plane left NAIA-3 at 5:50 am. After asking an MCIA airport personnel, I headed out to the taxi terminal. It's from him that I got the information about the difference between the yellow and white taxis.
From Arrival Lobby, take the main exit to get outside, use the pedestrian crossing and walk across the road towards the Departure Lobby located at the second level of the building across Arrival Lobby building. Go up the second level via access ramp. As soon as you get to departure lobby, go outside via the first entrance/exit glass door. There you'll see other passengers in line while the taxis are arriving one by one. Security officers are assisting the passengers to ensure orderly flow of taxi rides.
In travelling out of town, it's always my habit to go first to a Jollibee outlet near the hotels that I had already checked out on the internet prior to my travel. I would have some meal to freshen up and quickly plan out walking direction to those hotels to check out their rates, check-in time, etc., one after another. In time like this, Latitude App of my cellphone has been a big help. Imagine traveling without a map? Speaking of that, my first tip on this series constitute the basic thing you should not forget in travelling especially when you visit Cebu: Make sure your cellphone has Latitude App. Most android phone has it. If your phone don't have a capability, just bring any map you can buy at any bookstore.
So I told the very well-mannered and honest taxi driver to take me to the Jollibee in Colon, the popular main avenue of downtown Cebu where affordable hotels are located. Of course, I've had done some research and even it's my first time in Cebu City, I already got the sense of the area and I already knew that the right jumping-off point for checking out the hotels on my list is the area in Colon and Osmena intersection. Second tip from me: For first timers in a big city like Cebu, make sure that your immediate destination is already imprinted on your mind even right before you land on the airport. It makes for a worry-free, fast and convenient search of place to stay.
The road from the airport to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge is amazingly clean. And when the taxi turned right onto the famous bridge and I got to see the magnificient masterpiece of engineering that connects Lapu-Lapu City to Mandaue City, I couldn't help but admire the view. Suddenly, I remembered the time when I was on a shuttle in Bangkok that taking me and other tourists to an Elephant Show and the vehicle just made its turn to a bridge that somewhat looked like this, although the one in Bangkok was a bit more sophisticated.
On that early morning of beautiful and clear sky Sunday, the driver passed through this boulevard along Cebu Harbor and "Wow!" I heard myself. This place is amazing. I mean I've seen South and North Harbor of Manila but this area is immaculately clean. The whole stretch of harbor which is to my left is untainted of any slum that you frequently see in Manila. I must admit, I like this boulevard and the view of container vans and buildings of different sizes that lined up the harbor. Later on, I got to learn that it's called McArthur Highway, although, for me it's more looked like a boulevard than a highway.
After we traversed the long and wide artillery "highway", the taxi changed lane to the right and I missed being driven through a long tunnel of Cebu City. That's okay! But then, when I realized that the tunnel runs underneath a beautifully designed park, that's when I thought: They just built a tunnel... for the park. "Can't this thing get any crazier?" This is really amazing. Especially when I learned that the park is right in front of the famous historical landmark called Fort San Pedro. And the park is called La Independcia. "I'm going there as soon as I secured my things at a hotel", I told myself.
And I'm going to guide you how to get there from your hotel, too. Not only to Fort San Pedro but to other major tourist attractions of Cebu City. What are they? To name a few, there's the Taoist Temple. Magellan Cross is a must see in Cebu City. Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino and Cebu Cathedral are also on top of the list. Cebu has a lot of important attractions that tell historical past of our beloved country under Spanish rule. Do you still remember Magellan and our very own Lapu-Lapu? "Who killed who?" I think it would worth your while to see his monument in Mactan, don't you think? In my humble opinion, Cebu should be the first province on your list if you're finally contemplating of exploring some of 7,101 islands of our country. So, to make it more easier for you, I will be publishing commuting directions to Cebu's Tourist Spots. But that's in a seperate post. I will give you the link at the end of this post. In the meantime, discover how fast and easy for me to be billeted in an affordable hotel that answered exactly what I needed during my visit of Cebu. Anyways, as what I've been trying to say a while ago, Cebu City in my belief has undergone a better city planning and infrastructure engineering.
After making a curb and some turns, the taxi stopped opposite a Jollibee. I gave Php 300 to the driver and he quickly gave me the change of Php 64, the meter read Php 236. There's no "Sir-Can-You-Add-A-Little-Bit?" kind of annoying request that I often get from taxi drivers in Metro Manila. He was just sincerely smiling and said "Salamat, sir." They are just so contented with their life, and that makes me admire them. Mactan Cebu International Airport is way too far from downtown Cebu. It's like driving from Quezon Avenue to NAIA-3 via EDSA all the way to Aurora Blvd in Pasay, only we didn't encounter any traffic, maybe because it's still on the early morning of Sunday. I've had my breakfast. Soon I got to learn that I was exactly near the corner of Osmena and Colon. That's the area I want to be. It's very near to the hotels on my list - Golden Valley Hotel, Elicon Hotel, Cebu Business Hotel, Cebu City View Hotel and Sogo Hotel.
After I've eaten my favorite jolly breakfast meal, I opened my Latitude App and then minutes later I was on my way to check out each of the hotels on my list, one after the other. Do you know which one passed? It's Sogo Hotel. Oh! Did I hear you said "Yuck!"?
Here's the deal. Only Sogo would let me in at past 8 am. We all know that hotels check-in time starts 12 noon at the most. But Sogo Cebu City is considerate, the staff are so accommodating. Another major consideration is the free wifi that you can use inside your room. Other hotels on my list have free wifi but only on their lobby. Aside from that, Sogo is the best in location. Very near to the corner of Osmena and one block away from Colon. Golden Valley is a bit far and hidden. Elicon is the farthest. Since Sogo was the only one that addressed my immediate need, I decided to go and checked-in. That way, I got to take a hot shower immediately and I got to take some rest before finally heading out to different attractions of Cebu City which will be the next subject of Directions On Web for those who are planning to come and visit this vibrant city for the first time.
So, if you want to learn how to commute to some of Cebu's Tourist Spots, go to my next post.
You can read it here: How To Commute To Cebu's Tourist Spots
Furthermore, I will be publishing the post on how to locate the affordable hotels that I have mentioned here. More tips accompanied upcoming Cebu posts. Watch for it.
Read more...
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| Mactan Airport Taxi Terminal |
What's that slip of paper for? If a driver abuses, you can file a complaint. That piece of paper is the proof that you've ridden the cab he's driving. Simple. Secondly, if you've left some belonging on that taxi, you can recover it immediately. Now, can anybody tell us why this system is not implemented at NAIA terminals? Especially that it's commissioned by Department of Transportation and Communication in Lapu Lapu City? At any rate, this systematic regulation at MCIA on its airport taxi gives a strong sense of security and convenience for all arriving visitors to Cebu especially those coming in for the first time.
In NAIA, you either take a yellow-colored taxi and pay a very exorbitant price accumulated by high plug-down rate coupled with the fast speed of its meter or haggle with taxi drivers that will swarm you as soon as you appear in their view and like contractors offer you a contract price of hiring their taxis instead of just taking you home while their meters are on.
My flight to Cebu took only 1 hour and 5 minutes. At 6:55 am, the Air Philippines plane I boarded was already at full stop in Mactan Cebu International Airport. The plane left NAIA-3 at 5:50 am. After asking an MCIA airport personnel, I headed out to the taxi terminal. It's from him that I got the information about the difference between the yellow and white taxis.
Where is the Mactan Airport Taxi Terminal located?
From Arrival Lobby, take the main exit to get outside, use the pedestrian crossing and walk across the road towards the Departure Lobby located at the second level of the building across Arrival Lobby building. Go up the second level via access ramp. As soon as you get to departure lobby, go outside via the first entrance/exit glass door. There you'll see other passengers in line while the taxis are arriving one by one. Security officers are assisting the passengers to ensure orderly flow of taxi rides.
How did I get to my hotel in a breeze?
In travelling out of town, it's always my habit to go first to a Jollibee outlet near the hotels that I had already checked out on the internet prior to my travel. I would have some meal to freshen up and quickly plan out walking direction to those hotels to check out their rates, check-in time, etc., one after another. In time like this, Latitude App of my cellphone has been a big help. Imagine traveling without a map? Speaking of that, my first tip on this series constitute the basic thing you should not forget in travelling especially when you visit Cebu: Make sure your cellphone has Latitude App. Most android phone has it. If your phone don't have a capability, just bring any map you can buy at any bookstore.
So I told the very well-mannered and honest taxi driver to take me to the Jollibee in Colon, the popular main avenue of downtown Cebu where affordable hotels are located. Of course, I've had done some research and even it's my first time in Cebu City, I already got the sense of the area and I already knew that the right jumping-off point for checking out the hotels on my list is the area in Colon and Osmena intersection. Second tip from me: For first timers in a big city like Cebu, make sure that your immediate destination is already imprinted on your mind even right before you land on the airport. It makes for a worry-free, fast and convenient search of place to stay.
The road from the airport to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge is amazingly clean. And when the taxi turned right onto the famous bridge and I got to see the magnificient masterpiece of engineering that connects Lapu-Lapu City to Mandaue City, I couldn't help but admire the view. Suddenly, I remembered the time when I was on a shuttle in Bangkok that taking me and other tourists to an Elephant Show and the vehicle just made its turn to a bridge that somewhat looked like this, although the one in Bangkok was a bit more sophisticated.
On that early morning of beautiful and clear sky Sunday, the driver passed through this boulevard along Cebu Harbor and "Wow!" I heard myself. This place is amazing. I mean I've seen South and North Harbor of Manila but this area is immaculately clean. The whole stretch of harbor which is to my left is untainted of any slum that you frequently see in Manila. I must admit, I like this boulevard and the view of container vans and buildings of different sizes that lined up the harbor. Later on, I got to learn that it's called McArthur Highway, although, for me it's more looked like a boulevard than a highway.
After we traversed the long and wide artillery "highway", the taxi changed lane to the right and I missed being driven through a long tunnel of Cebu City. That's okay! But then, when I realized that the tunnel runs underneath a beautifully designed park, that's when I thought: They just built a tunnel... for the park. "Can't this thing get any crazier?" This is really amazing. Especially when I learned that the park is right in front of the famous historical landmark called Fort San Pedro. And the park is called La Independcia. "I'm going there as soon as I secured my things at a hotel", I told myself.
And I'm going to guide you how to get there from your hotel, too. Not only to Fort San Pedro but to other major tourist attractions of Cebu City. What are they? To name a few, there's the Taoist Temple. Magellan Cross is a must see in Cebu City. Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino and Cebu Cathedral are also on top of the list. Cebu has a lot of important attractions that tell historical past of our beloved country under Spanish rule. Do you still remember Magellan and our very own Lapu-Lapu? "Who killed who?" I think it would worth your while to see his monument in Mactan, don't you think? In my humble opinion, Cebu should be the first province on your list if you're finally contemplating of exploring some of 7,101 islands of our country. So, to make it more easier for you, I will be publishing commuting directions to Cebu's Tourist Spots. But that's in a seperate post. I will give you the link at the end of this post. In the meantime, discover how fast and easy for me to be billeted in an affordable hotel that answered exactly what I needed during my visit of Cebu. Anyways, as what I've been trying to say a while ago, Cebu City in my belief has undergone a better city planning and infrastructure engineering.
After making a curb and some turns, the taxi stopped opposite a Jollibee. I gave Php 300 to the driver and he quickly gave me the change of Php 64, the meter read Php 236. There's no "Sir-Can-You-Add-A-Little-Bit?" kind of annoying request that I often get from taxi drivers in Metro Manila. He was just sincerely smiling and said "Salamat, sir." They are just so contented with their life, and that makes me admire them. Mactan Cebu International Airport is way too far from downtown Cebu. It's like driving from Quezon Avenue to NAIA-3 via EDSA all the way to Aurora Blvd in Pasay, only we didn't encounter any traffic, maybe because it's still on the early morning of Sunday. I've had my breakfast. Soon I got to learn that I was exactly near the corner of Osmena and Colon. That's the area I want to be. It's very near to the hotels on my list - Golden Valley Hotel, Elicon Hotel, Cebu Business Hotel, Cebu City View Hotel and Sogo Hotel.
After I've eaten my favorite jolly breakfast meal, I opened my Latitude App and then minutes later I was on my way to check out each of the hotels on my list, one after the other. Do you know which one passed? It's Sogo Hotel. Oh! Did I hear you said "Yuck!"?
Here's the deal. Only Sogo would let me in at past 8 am. We all know that hotels check-in time starts 12 noon at the most. But Sogo Cebu City is considerate, the staff are so accommodating. Another major consideration is the free wifi that you can use inside your room. Other hotels on my list have free wifi but only on their lobby. Aside from that, Sogo is the best in location. Very near to the corner of Osmena and one block away from Colon. Golden Valley is a bit far and hidden. Elicon is the farthest. Since Sogo was the only one that addressed my immediate need, I decided to go and checked-in. That way, I got to take a hot shower immediately and I got to take some rest before finally heading out to different attractions of Cebu City which will be the next subject of Directions On Web for those who are planning to come and visit this vibrant city for the first time.
So, if you want to learn how to commute to some of Cebu's Tourist Spots, go to my next post.
You can read it here: How To Commute To Cebu's Tourist Spots
Furthermore, I will be publishing the post on how to locate the affordable hotels that I have mentioned here. More tips accompanied upcoming Cebu posts. Watch for it.
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